Thoughts on the Bose Wave system ?
- Thread starter Mike-san
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They are OK systems. The price is more a function of marketing than anything else, though, and they never, ever put them on sale or mark them down in any way.
Bass is created via an airtube snaking through the unit. It has some thump but not a lot of range. There are no bass/treble controls to speak of, the system is basic in order to keep it simple. It's a good peripheral radio for the kitchen or office, not as your main.
Good idea, I'd recommend you pick one up cheap(er) on eBay. I'll be selling mine eventually.:smile:
Bass is created via an airtube snaking through the unit. It has some thump but not a lot of range. There are no bass/treble controls to speak of, the system is basic in order to keep it simple. It's a good peripheral radio for the kitchen or office, not as your main.
Good idea, I'd recommend you pick one up cheap(er) on eBay. I'll be selling mine eventually.:smile:
We went to the Bose store in one of the houston malls. They had a "special" room that you stood in and listened. It was phenomenal {in that room}. I was leary of what it would sound like in my living room.
BOSE = Buy Other Sound Equipment
No high's No low's it's gota be BOSE. :biggrin:
No high's No low's it's gota be BOSE. :biggrin:
I auditioned one in a Bose Outlet store. The bass was very good...too good I thought. So I asked if there was a hidden subwoofer somewhere, and the sales guy confessed they have a subwoofer in the drop ceiling. I'm sure they would never have disclosed that to the average person shopping there, which ticks me off.
I bought it anyway as a present for my wife and it sounds alright for the space it takes up.
I bought it anyway as a present for my wife and it sounds alright for the space it takes up.
The Wave system is a nice portable to use outside/workshop/bedroom.
Don't make the mistake of buying ANY Bose stereo system as a real home stereo system.
They are just overpriced BAD quality sound systems selling on terriffic marketing NOT sound quality.
I have listened to several Bose home systems and even though they SEEM terriffic to the untrainend listener at first because of the overly exaggerated highs and thumpy low (you can exactly pinpoint the sub even though their advertising says you can't) but it sounds totally unnatural and in mid-range there is a lot lost.
Are just crap for the money they cost, half the price would reflect the quality level.
Don't make the mistake of buying ANY Bose stereo system as a real home stereo system.
They are just overpriced BAD quality sound systems selling on terriffic marketing NOT sound quality.
I have listened to several Bose home systems and even though they SEEM terriffic to the untrainend listener at first because of the overly exaggerated highs and thumpy low (you can exactly pinpoint the sub even though their advertising says you can't) but it sounds totally unnatural and in mid-range there is a lot lost.
Are just crap for the money they cost, half the price would reflect the quality level.
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I actually have over a thousand L.P.'s and a fairly decent Yamaha system in my den to enjoy my analog sounds (IMO, analog is far superior to digital in regards to sound reproduction). However, I want an uncluttered living room and was looking for a small,simple set up for that area........Based on what I've read so far, I might look into the Nakamichi Sound Space
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Most recordings after 1985 were done on digital equipment, so the C.D. sound vs. a vinyl record sound on one of these recordings is probably very similar, but any old recording that was recorded on analog equipment will always sound better through an analog system....If that sytem is somewhat high end w/ the Lp in good condition.
Ah ha, so thats why it sounded so good in that room. I knew it was to good to be true.
If you want small get yourself a Parasound Zpre, a Zamp, a Ztuner, and a Zphono, hookup your LP unit or a CD player and attach some good speakers. It will be a world better than the Wave.
These are all mini sized components but very good quality. They sound GREAT.
These are all mini sized components but very good quality. They sound GREAT.
Mike, I have the Bose and its great for just having a radio in the bedroom or kitchen. I also have the jewel cube system hooked up the the tv for the room upstairs and its fine.
Call me if you want to come over and hear both systems sometime.
I also have a conventional system for the family room.
Call me if you want to come over and hear both systems sometime.
I also have a conventional system for the family room.
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I don't. Nor do you. You just think you do. :wink:
Oh please don't go there.... :smile:
Let me get this straight, the salesman confessed something to you that he would not tell "the average person"? What made you so special?
I have had two Wave radios for my bedrooms. They work great in that environment. I also have had two living room systems (please don't ask why I've had two) and they are fine for small, unobtrusive sound systems. I'm a professional musician and a bit of an audiophile and I find them quite adequate.
And please, bumper-sticker word-play is not really helpful.
couldn't agree more with this post.
The Bose FAQ:
http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/PICS/stereo/bosefaq.htm
Hey Turbo2Go, has Parasound reliability improved at all in the past decade? Before I purchased my Lexicon, I used a Parasound pre/pro & tuner and after having multitudes of problems with 3 of them, I replaced it with a Lexicon (I don't recall the specific Parasound model off the top of my head). I also had 2 Parasound amps I used with the Lexicon, one of which went back to Parasound for repair when it was only a few months old. After that, the amps performed flawlessly for several years. I recently sold the amps and Lexicon on eBay and replaced them with.............. an Onkyo ... I'm now using my rears (B&W CDM-1SE) as mains and have them stuffed into a cabinet, at floor level, on either side of the Onkyo... the wife/kid factor thing again.... sigh.... My CDM-7SEs, CDM-CSE and ASW3000 sub are all boxed up and sitting in the basement.
http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/PICS/stereo/bosefaq.htm
Hey Turbo2Go, has Parasound reliability improved at all in the past decade? Before I purchased my Lexicon, I used a Parasound pre/pro & tuner and after having multitudes of problems with 3 of them, I replaced it with a Lexicon (I don't recall the specific Parasound model off the top of my head). I also had 2 Parasound amps I used with the Lexicon, one of which went back to Parasound for repair when it was only a few months old. After that, the amps performed flawlessly for several years. I recently sold the amps and Lexicon on eBay and replaced them with.............. an Onkyo ... I'm now using my rears (B&W CDM-1SE) as mains and have them stuffed into a cabinet, at floor level, on either side of the Onkyo... the wife/kid factor thing again.... sigh.... My CDM-7SEs, CDM-CSE and ASW3000 sub are all boxed up and sitting in the basement.
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Take a BOSE speaker apart and then you can see how cheep they are made. People buy bose that do not know any better from what I have seen. I am a musician as well and if you used any of the studio bose stuff you know it's crap.
For home stuff this site is good
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/index.php
For a "professional musician" I like Crown and JBL.
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Since there is already enough unrest in the political threads I will heed your advice.
:biggrin:
FWIW, my Father has a Wave Radio. It sounds pretty decent for its purpose.
To all the Bose Haters:
The way the cabinet makes the speaker preform is a big thing.
So maybe the Wave radio is bit out of date but...
Look at all the companies manufacturing satellite speakers with a bass bin,
Bose did this years before.Acoustimass
The Bose "Acoustic Waveguide" in my 1993 RX-7 was a pretty neat thing.
The bass cannons that bose sells are very impressive.
The Bose stereo in my '06 audi A6 is VERY good.
I am not saying that Bose is the best, but they sure do have a lot of thechnology in their speakers.
Crown and JBL are, without a doubt, good stuff, but maybe a little out of date.
Both brands were the standard in the 80's.
As for a alternintive to the waveradio:
Look at the Sonos system.
This wirelessly works with your PC and all your music files. Sends your music wirelessly to individual amps, and your choice of speakers. All controlled with a RF remote (connected wirelessly to your PC) so you can listen to your mp3's, satellite radio, or internet radio.
The reason many people hate Bose isn't because it is completely useless... it functions fine for what it is... the reason its hated is because Bose and "Bose people" insist that it is one of the best quality audio items you can buy. Whether its the wave, the lifestyle, or some 3-2-1 system, it is marketed as being the best in its class, something it is not. Somehow Bose magically does things no one else can do as you see in all their adds. This is what infuriates people.
Is a Wave Radio a good radio? Yes... its the BEST clock radio on the planet. But it is NOT a real system, which is what Bose insists it is. That is the ONLY way they can justify its cost.
It cost CEDIA (Cutom Design and Installation Association) millions of dollars to defend itself against Bose, who sued them because CEDIA used the term "digital lifestyles" to describe home integration and automation. It wasn't even on a product. Apparently the word "lifestyle" should only be used by Bose.
How about when they sold all their customers their own version of surround sound because they did not want to pay Dolby Labs like everyone else. And of course theirs was "better" all until they decided to switch finaly. How the connections are all outdated, how their expandability is virtually non-existant. How they monopolize showroom space in all stores by having their own "Bose" section where you can't compare them side by side to another competing item or you lose their line.
That wave radio isn't magic, it uses a tube to get more bass but that bass is very inaccurate. It is a lot of boom at a certain frequency only. WHICH IS FINE. Most people still like it and that too is fine. As long as you say what it is, and not act like it is yet one more magical product that has no drawbacks.
Is a Wave Radio a good radio? Yes... its the BEST clock radio on the planet. But it is NOT a real system, which is what Bose insists it is. That is the ONLY way they can justify its cost.
It cost CEDIA (Cutom Design and Installation Association) millions of dollars to defend itself against Bose, who sued them because CEDIA used the term "digital lifestyles" to describe home integration and automation. It wasn't even on a product. Apparently the word "lifestyle" should only be used by Bose.
How about when they sold all their customers their own version of surround sound because they did not want to pay Dolby Labs like everyone else. And of course theirs was "better" all until they decided to switch finaly. How the connections are all outdated, how their expandability is virtually non-existant. How they monopolize showroom space in all stores by having their own "Bose" section where you can't compare them side by side to another competing item or you lose their line.
That wave radio isn't magic, it uses a tube to get more bass but that bass is very inaccurate. It is a lot of boom at a certain frequency only. WHICH IS FINE. Most people still like it and that too is fine. As long as you say what it is, and not act like it is yet one more magical product that has no drawbacks.
Look at all the companies manufacturing satellite speakers with a bass bin,
Bose did this years before.Acoustimass
The Bose "Acoustic Waveguide" in my 1993 RX-7 was a pretty neat thing.
The bass cannons that bose sells are very impressive.
The Bose stereo in my '06 audi A6 is VERY good.
I am not saying that Bose is the best, but they sure do have a lot of thechnology in their speakers.
Crown and JBL are, without a doubt, good stuff, but maybe a little out of date.
Both brands were the standard in the 80's.
I don't want to turn this thread into a Bose discussion. I will just say this, the acoustimass module is a fancy name for a small satellite with a woofer, a system that was around YEARS before Bose marketed the system.
The bass cannon is fine for a commercial application where sonic quality doesn't matter but lots of bass does. All "cannons" and "waveguides" can only be efficient at a certain frequency, and they actually upset other bass frequencies. This is how the Wave radio gets bass, but just know that it is a compromised bass. It is bad bass.
As far as the cars, I honestly don't like any Bose car systems. Almost all other car systems done by the likes of Pioneer, Nakamichi, Levinson, Infinity, anyone.... is usually much more accurate.
I think I should stop talking here however before I get a call from one of Bose's lawyers... lol...
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