While Bose products tend to polarise opinions, there is no doubt that they are a enduringly successful maker of audio products. Personal experience of over a decade and recent reading on the Bose flagship 901 speaker system led me to start this thread for Bose users and would be users to have a place to exchange news, views and reviews for common benefit. This therefore ought not to be the place to launch into generic attacks and defences of Bose - there are plenty of places here and on many other places on the net to do just that.
The Bose User thread
- Thread starter Sawyer
- Start date
Bose 251 external speakers
Apart from the QC headphones which are excellent companions on long haul flights, my only experience of Bose is of their 251 external speakers, I bought a pair in white in 2003. Out of doors is a very challenging environment for getting decent sound. One, the lack of room reinforcement while at the same time obtaining a wide area where sound quality is consistently good - a stereo sweet spot isn't of much use. And two, the weather.
On both counts, the 251 pair have performed very well. They are now in a covered part on a balcony wall, but they spent five years in a terrace garden exposed to sun and rain. I did have plastic covers made for them as some protection from the sun, which can play hell with cabinet materials. I had to replace the covers every two years or so, they fell to pieces under the onslaught of the sun. Rain hasn't been an issue. A decade later they are still doing excellent outdoors duty, and look very close to new with no care other than that mentioned.
They are designed to be wall mounted, with good quality mounting brackets that are easy to install and also provide easy adjustment on the vertical axis to get them pointed right. The bass driver points backwards to the wall, while the midrange/tweeter job is done by a pair of drivers in each speaker that point 45 degrees to the left and right for allowing a wider spread of sound than otherwise, thereby giving very good coverage of the addressed area. Using the supplied mounting brackets means that the bass driver to wall distance gets defined such that Bose are able to optimise the driver/electronics for this set distance in the factory.
One outcome of this is that the speakers are very difficult to audition in store. They usually sound mediocre. As they do if one was to test run them inside the house, as I did. They are designed for a specific installation style, and they need to be so installed to deliver the designed sound quality. Not as good as a good indoor system can be, but very listenable and with adequate power and presence.
When I got them I was surprised to see that speaker cable recommended is generic hardware store bought type, matching core thickness to cable distance. Over the years my cable philosophy for hifi audio has come around to this philosophy, so the surprise has now become respect. Recent research on the 901 system indicates that this is recommended practice for the flagship 901 as well - Bose does not want the speaker cable to do anything other than conduct electricity efficiently.
There are now plenty of good external speakers out there, and many may well be delivering the same performance, some for a lower price. The 251 pair isn't cheap, but a ten years and counting period of quality performance means that they have proved to be excellent value for money. If i was buying again for this use - and I don't expect to, passive speakers should last for decades - I would buy the 251 pair.
PS: I just noticed that a Bose QC headphone ad turned up on this thread! Coincidence or design? I don't know enough of internet marketing tech to know. But I certainly have no affiliation with Bose other than as a delighted user of two of their products.
Apart from the QC headphones which are excellent companions on long haul flights, my only experience of Bose is of their 251 external speakers, I bought a pair in white in 2003. Out of doors is a very challenging environment for getting decent sound. One, the lack of room reinforcement while at the same time obtaining a wide area where sound quality is consistently good - a stereo sweet spot isn't of much use. And two, the weather.
On both counts, the 251 pair have performed very well. They are now in a covered part on a balcony wall, but they spent five years in a terrace garden exposed to sun and rain. I did have plastic covers made for them as some protection from the sun, which can play hell with cabinet materials. I had to replace the covers every two years or so, they fell to pieces under the onslaught of the sun. Rain hasn't been an issue. A decade later they are still doing excellent outdoors duty, and look very close to new with no care other than that mentioned.
They are designed to be wall mounted, with good quality mounting brackets that are easy to install and also provide easy adjustment on the vertical axis to get them pointed right. The bass driver points backwards to the wall, while the midrange/tweeter job is done by a pair of drivers in each speaker that point 45 degrees to the left and right for allowing a wider spread of sound than otherwise, thereby giving very good coverage of the addressed area. Using the supplied mounting brackets means that the bass driver to wall distance gets defined such that Bose are able to optimise the driver/electronics for this set distance in the factory.
One outcome of this is that the speakers are very difficult to audition in store. They usually sound mediocre. As they do if one was to test run them inside the house, as I did. They are designed for a specific installation style, and they need to be so installed to deliver the designed sound quality. Not as good as a good indoor system can be, but very listenable and with adequate power and presence.
When I got them I was surprised to see that speaker cable recommended is generic hardware store bought type, matching core thickness to cable distance. Over the years my cable philosophy for hifi audio has come around to this philosophy, so the surprise has now become respect. Recent research on the 901 system indicates that this is recommended practice for the flagship 901 as well - Bose does not want the speaker cable to do anything other than conduct electricity efficiently.
There are now plenty of good external speakers out there, and many may well be delivering the same performance, some for a lower price. The 251 pair isn't cheap, but a ten years and counting period of quality performance means that they have proved to be excellent value for money. If i was buying again for this use - and I don't expect to, passive speakers should last for decades - I would buy the 251 pair.
PS: I just noticed that a Bose QC headphone ad turned up on this thread! Coincidence or design? I don't know enough of internet marketing tech to know. But I certainly have no affiliation with Bose other than as a delighted user of two of their products.
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pradeepkamat
Member
I have not auditioned 901 so far but surely do so in coming week if available in nearest Bose Store.
I had purchased Bose Sondlink Mini Bluetooth speaker, about 7 months ago. It is a fatastic piece. The sound is so beautiful in such a compact size, that one wonders, how it gives a near entry level HT performance. I have travelled alot with this speaker in last 7 months as if I am carrying my Home theatre along with me.
Pl.ref. to my post http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/47772-purchased-bose-soundlink-mini-today.html
I had purchased Bose Sondlink Mini Bluetooth speaker, about 7 months ago. It is a fatastic piece. The sound is so beautiful in such a compact size, that one wonders, how it gives a near entry level HT performance. I have travelled alot with this speaker in last 7 months as if I am carrying my Home theatre along with me.
Pl.ref. to my post http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/47772-purchased-bose-soundlink-mini-today.html
I have a feeling that the 901 isn't kept, it needs to be specially ordered. Try your luck though, an audition report would be interesting.
I assume the Bose Bluetooth you have has a battery - how much time does it hold the charge for music played at normal listening levels? And can the battery be replaced at home?
reubensm
Well-Known Member
My experience with listening to Bose has always been good. Firstly its a great feeling to have an Indian name on a Global Brand. I've head the 501s at a friend's place and liked what I heard (however I must mention that if the usual audiophile listened to these, he would have classified the sound as "thin" due to lack of dynamic mids). One of the churches in our neighbourhood was gifted a Bose 502A public address system by an NRI based in the United States. It replaced an Ahuja public address system and the difference was so easy to tell. The church unveiled it with much fan fare. Howver over the years, these speakers have started to sound pathetic predominantly because the church priests got a bit over ambitious and replaced the good old dynamic microphones with crappy condenser mics. Also their guy who mixes the sound does not have a clue on how to do so. The speakers look like this:
pradeepkamat
Member
1> Yes you are right, I enquired with Pune Bose store. I will have to ask Mumbai store the availabilty & get demo.
2> Yes it has a battery and holds charge for about 6 Hrs at normal listening levels. About replacement of battery I am not sure.
Flash
Well-Known Member
The Pune Bose Stores
Don't have the 901 , 301 , 201.
Their Demo rooms are tiny and catering to a different segment of clients . They are predominantly marketing their AM products.
Don't have the 901 , 301 , 201.
Their Demo rooms are tiny and catering to a different segment of clients . They are predominantly marketing their AM products.
The other issue of course is how long the charge lasts on the device that is streaming.
My big gripe about all of current gadgets is things like - what when the battery dies. The Bose you have is very well built with excellent sound, but the expense in my mind would be justified if I was sure that I can use it for ten years.
I am not surprised. The much larger part of the audio market is now either for portable/personal players or the AV/HT kind. The home 2 channel audio market is getting smaller and smaller, which is a pity because that is still the route to the best sound quality for music at home.
I would have loved to see the 901s in use. Particularly because they seem to be able to meet one of my current needs of having good sound across the room, and not just in a small sweet spot stereo imaging area in the room.
Not that I have a room for them where they can be placed for the reflected sound to come into play as designed to. Fortunately my main speakers which are now placed close to the wall/corners still shine with dialling down some bass via the amp tone controls.
arun malur
Member
Even in Mumbai, I have not seen the 901's at Phoenix Mills or Atria Mall. May be they can arrange on request. I have the Wave music player and Soundlink Mini both of which are really excellent. Apart from using it as a CD Player my TV was also connected to the Wave and the audio quality is really excellent.
Now, I am planning to buy the Accoustimass 10 Series since I have a Marantz AVR.
Now, I am planning to buy the Accoustimass 10 Series since I have a Marantz AVR.
Maybe! The Bose India website shows them in the product line up with the price though.
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