Bose vs Others

[ghatgepatil]

^^ self confessed/ self announced / self declared /whatever!!

Just about less than 1% crowd in here would be able to do justice to any type of 'blind' test, trust me. In case it is to prove anything, you might as well expect a near empty house (of 'such' participants) on the test date.

Am not saying so to hurt or demean anyone in here, but have seen such things happen so many times in different fields! Audio too is not different.

 

[Amateur_Audiophile]

Wow, i was busy in professional life and could not follow the thread, just now went through all the posts i guess now I am inclined to audition bose again (just to feel the difference myself) and try to compare with similar priced speaker available next to Bose showroom.

 

[panditji]

I agree that the entry level 201 Bose speakers are good value for money at Rs. 12,000.... I started out with Bose 301s in 2002 and really liked those speakers...the same are now available at Rs. 17,000 and I think are good value for money and look very nice indeed....

 

[Amateur_Audiophile]

i got atleast one vote in my favor.:yahoo:

 

[jls001]

i got atleast one vote in my favor.:yahoo:

Trust your ears. What sounds good to you is what ultimately matters most. 44 posts in this thread (so far) and the only "actionable" point against Bose seems to be that it has a poor midrange. Others are at best vague accusations.

But do go and audition other systems as well in the price range that you are willing to spend. Take along music you know well and hear how they sound on different systems.

 

[just4kix]

Bose is quite ok (even good) for movies. It is when one switches to music that the limitations stand out, even to untrained ears.

 

[shibashis]

Trust your ears. What sounds good to you is what ultimately matters most. 44 posts in this thread (so far) and the only "actionable" point against Bose seems to be that it has a poor midrange. Others are at best vague accusations.

But do go and audition other systems as well in the price range that you are willing to spend. Take along music you know well and hear how they sound on different systems.

I think a lot of people in this thread at least are in agreement that Bose is overhyped and overpriced. That is 'actionable' enough, but at the same time a lot of people also say that you can not dismiss Bose as 'worthless', they do have some good products. So there is transparency and not just vague accusations. Accusations without substance is a very dangerous tendency to get into.

 

[jls001]

I think a lot of people in this thread at least are in agreement that Bose is overhyped and overpriced. That is 'actionable' enough, but at the same time a lot of people also say that you can not dismiss Bose as 'worthless', they do have some good products. So there is transparency and not just vague accusations. Accusations without substance is a very dangerous tendency to get into.

Give it to Bose for building up - over the years - their brand name and image assiduously and diligently, and I daresay even adding some air of mystique around it. In the Indian context, they are one brand which have built up a large number of standalone showrooms. Their showrooms dot the best malls across our cities. No other audio brand comes even within a mile of their reach. So let us not be surprised to find Bose overhyped. It is one brand even folks not much into audio remember and recall purely by virtue of having walked past one of their many showrooms.

Overpriced? Perhaps. But why single out Bose? Aren't there enough audio brands in the firmament that are equally, or even more, over priced?

Disclaimer: I don't own any Bose product, nor intend to buy one anytime soon. I am just a regular guy baffled by the negative press that surrounds Bose products amongst certain sections of the audio-loving public. Nor am I trying to defend Bose's honour. I am only urging everyone to give them a listen and decide for yourself if their sound suits your ears and their price your pocket. No affiliations.

 

[deba]

Not only Bose there are many A/V brands in the market which are overpriced........I have been listening to Bose 201 and 301 for years and they sounds good to me......Somehow I didn't like the sound of their AM5 speakers......quiet hollow and lack of high frequency........

 

[koushik]

There are people who talks about other overpriced brands but never name one. I do agree there may be brands that seems overpriced but you won't get another brand in 1/3 of their price and beat them hands down.

 

[Siddharth]

Comparing & then later criticising Bose systems has become a fad now. There are many websites which have huge material on why people should not buy a Bose system.

People who buy a Bose usually fall under the below categories :

1) To fulfill a longstanding dream to buy one.
2) To show off and inflate their ego.
3) Are of the opinion that since it is expensive, it is good.
4) Were unwilling to audition other brands because frankly the only other brands they know are Sony,Philipps, Onkyo and the likes.

The people who do not buy a Bose fall under the below categories :
1) Find them ridiculously high priced & settle for an Onkyo or Pioneer or Yamaha or the likes.
2) Cannot afford one.
3) Know that there are other brands which are better than Bose at a much cheaper price.

Disclaimer : I am not saying that Bose makes bad speakers. As an amateur you will find them to be fantastic. My point is that there are better speakers which you need to audition and then arrive at a decision. Probably later you can decide to criticise them.

I can be sure of one thing though - A Bose may not be good for listening to songs if you intend to use them as a music system.

 

[Santy]

Audiophile is a relative terminology. If Bose and the likes didn't exist, then everyone on this earth would be audiophiles.

 

[koushik]

Audiophile is a relative terminology. If Bose and the likes didn't exist, then everyone on this earth would be audiophiles.

What do you mean by the term audiophile?

 

[koushik]

@Siddharth- All your points for not buying Bose are related to price. People spends multi-lacs of money to buy other systems and don't even consider Bose. The price of Bose is just negligible to them.

 

[sbg]

What do you mean by the term audiophile?

Its an Extremely rare form of Disease that a persons love for music,its hardware and a willingness to pay for is directly proportional to the love entrusted by high-end Audio industry at the same time inversely proportional to the love exbhited by your better half/family(mostly!)

 

[koushik]

Its an Extremely rare form of Disease that a persons love for music,its hardware and a willingness to pay for is directly proportional to the love entrusted by high-end Audio industry at the same time inversely proportional to the love exbhited by your better half/family(mostly!)

Intimidating words and pun is fun but the truth is an Audiophile is a person who strives to get the sound as close as possible to the original from the system within his extreme stretched budget limit.
So, if a person buys Bose and thinks that this is the best that he can do, he is an audiophile in his own rights. May be his approach is wrong. May be he needs expert advice. But still, the urge to get close to original sound makes someone audiophile.

 

[just4kix]

Intimidating words and pun is fun but the truth is an Audiophile is a person who strives to get the sound as close as possible to the original from the system within his extreme stretched budget limit...

I would stick my neck up and go with sbg's definition to be more correct...

 

[arj]

BTW How does the definition of an audiophile matter ? each of the folks in this forum who post in audio threads are audiophiles in some way or the other as they believe by choosing and matching the right equipment they can enhance the quality of sound.

But if there is Anyone who does not believe that equipment choices do dictate sound and are also posting here , i believe in the opinion of most of the the other folks, only wasting their time
cost/brands/etc etc are still part the same audiophile tree...having a sony budget system but still trying to enhance the quality of sound by means of better placement etc also do signify an audiophile mind that will only improve as they listen to more systems and engage in more discussions with an Open mind.

Anyone who has gone past the usual internet Drivel and played around with a Bose system would know that you do get a pretty good output from them..what they lack in sound they make up for is size/aesthetics and ease for those whom those characteristics matter maybe more than other factors...nothing wrong with it as long as it is an informed decision.

 

[anm]

that's BS. All good brands I know of cost significantly more. Bose is an al-cheapos way of showing off something expensive. Which is laughable.
But yes, it may be too expensive for what you should be paying for. Which means the person who purchased must have been stupid.
It is like a person traveling in a DTC bus and buying an iphone for showoff - the same amount would have got him a bike.

Comparing & then later criticising Bose systems has become a fad now. There are many websites which have huge material on why people should not buy a Bose system.

People who buy a Bose usually fall under the below categories :

1) To fulfill a longstanding dream to buy one.
2) To show off and inflate their ego.
3) Are of the opinion that since it is expensive, it is good.
4) Were unwilling to audition other brands because frankly the only other brands they know are Sony,Philipps, Onkyo and the likes.

The people who do not buy a Bose fall under the below categories :
1) Find them ridiculously high priced & settle for an Onkyo or Pioneer or Yamaha or the likes.
2) Cannot afford one.
3) Know that there are other brands which are better than Bose at a much cheaper price.

Disclaimer : I am not saying that Bose makes bad speakers. As an amateur you will find them to be fantastic. My point is that there are better speakers which you need to audition and then arrive at a decision. Probably later you can decide to criticise them.

I can be sure of one thing though - A Bose may not be good for listening to songs if you intend to use them as a music system.

 

[Staxxx]

I assure you anm (and I can joke about this) that I could have bought a nice flat AND a car (which I don't have) for the amount of money I have spent over the years on my hifi system. Being an audiophile is an affliction !
....but the pleasures make up for it all. Not just the pleasure of listening to an amazing piece of music...but even the pleasure of fiddling with a speaker placement!