Why People hate Bose

[gsurya]

Bose gets some of its 'hate' because they are so commercially successful. They market their systems well to their audience & sell them.

Some Bose products like WaveRadio are brilliant, Cinemate systems link together superbly.. for professional audio Bose is really awesome.

So IMO its not sensible to just hate Bose for whatever reason, better to discuss the reasons why so many people like & buy them with an open mind.

 

[koushik]

How many of those people (who buy Bose) buy them as a upgradation to their present Hi-Fi?

Most people who buy Bose are either leaving Sony and Philips boombox or never heard real hifi of that price band.

 

[panditji]

Hey the Bose 201 is now retailing for Rs. 12,700 inc taxes.....That is a great speaker at that price......I think the 301 is retailing for Rs. 17,500 which is again a very very good buy at that price..........The 301s were my first hifi speakers and I really liked them since I paid Rs. 17,000 from the US 10 years back.....

 

[Dreamc]

I never said they were good!
What I said was that 90% of my guests feel more comfortable listening to bose sound generated, period!

It isn't only in my room... It is worldwide my friend!!
I appreciate you are strong minded and appreciate good quality... Whatever that means... But in the end of the day, all these people can't be wrong?.. Right?!?!?!

I operate a custom install business and install all sort of systems... From artcoustic speakers, to mcintosh speakers, and cruise through B&W

In my blind setup I have had all sorts of funny moments where the so called sound engineers with a hear for perfection have messed up big time...

I also had people truly appreciating the sound of both Mcintosh and B&W but ending up buying bose because of the size factor!

One big reality nowadays and apologise to all the huge ugly box lovers, Is that us men, need to please them women, and to do that, you don't spoil the super expensive newly decorated room with ugly boxes just because they supposedly sound better!

I give you a personal example....

I have spent a absolute fortune in a artcoustic system to put in a room and I hate the bloody sound of it... Why.. Don't really know... Was bored I guess...

And the cherry on the top of the cake is that I actually have a B&O 5.1 setup on my everyday living room and not only I really like the sound of it, the looks,pleases my girlfriend!

I also have bose in other rooms of the house and have to say that I don't dislike it...

The point of all this was just to say and maybe someone already said it throughout the thread, is that Bose came up with a concept that is slagged over and over again, and most of the times, it is people that think they know better!

My opinion is that most people that slag Bose actually do it because they read somewhere else that is rubbish!

Put them out on a blind test and they will fail....

The End. ( For Me)

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Location: Jersey. Jersy, CI?

Fine. Send me the air fare and I'll accept the invitation . I even have family living there, that I haven't seen for ten years, so you won't have to pay for a hotel room.

But, I have to modest, or realistic and say that, with my HF hearing failing, the money would be far better spent on one of our more aurally-enabled members. Perhaps we could agree on someone to accept the invitation on our behalf?

Anyway, glad to know that you believe in blind tests.

The End. ( For Me)

What, after just two posts? Hardly worth registering. Does make it all look a bit like what one might call factory-farm blogging/commenting. Oh, wait... there is already a term for it: astroturfing.

 

[Dreamc]

"Astroturfing"

That's a interesting word!!

Thanks for letting me know... Appreciated.

Do you also give out English lessons?
Might be interested...

 

[square_wave]

@ Dreamc,

Whatever your intentions are, your undertaking is in vain on this forum.
Provoking well intentioned gentlemen is not a good idea. Apart from failing in your mission, you will waste a lot of time and reach nowhere.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Do you also give out English lessons?
Might be interested...

No, but Google does :lol:

And if everything that you say about buying kit and blind-testing is, in fact, true (and I hope you can understand the note of cynicism here) then I really admire that. I'm a great fan of this sort of thing.

 

[Dreamc]

Dear all!

I didn't post in this forum to create confusion, disrespect anyone nor to try and Change anyone's mind!
I simply shared a bit of my experience with sound systems!

I do understand the points that well informed people have about the different brands and speakers, but in my experience, I have seen many "sound engineers wanna be" that fall on the oldest trick of them all!

Forgive me anyone that felt offended by my comments!
Just as a final note...

I am not a bose salesman, I don't even have an account with them!!
I buy bose systems as and when I need them. And in the majority of the cases, the clients that buys them are women more worried about the way the curtains are going to look next to the speakers than how they sound!

My point for all this was exactly what is in the article mentioned by Thad.. Thank you Thad!

Once again, apologies to the offended!

 

[Shivam]

I agree that a lot of people go against Bose without even hearing them but I formed my opinion after having heard their speakers many times in different places.

Dreamc, nice to see that you have stuck around here and were not 'astroturfing'. Your posts show that you do have a taste for good systems but I still can't digest the Bose in your house. Maybe they (Bose people) goofed and made the system that you have ? I'll surely hear your systems if I happen to be in your city.

 

[just4kix]

I have Bose AM10 at home. They are ok for movies but pathetic for music. I purchased them way back in 1998 only for the form factor. I always knew that they are not really that good. But people who visit my home are mighty impressed.

And, "no", I don't hate Bose. I think they are overpriced, and not worth the money.

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2

 

[hemantwaghe]

I have Bose AM10 at home. They are ok for movies but pathetic for music. I purchased them way back in 1998 only for the form factor. I always knew that they are not really that good. But people who visit my home are mighty impressed.

And, "no", I don't hate Bose. I think they are overpriced, and not worth the money.

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2

BTW Amar Bose Donated majour portion of his shares to MIT - better than a lot of businessmen who splurge their donation on Mandirs right??

Amar Bose 51 makes stock donation to MIT - MIT News Office

"Dr. Amar Bose 51, Bose Corporations Founder, has given to MIT the majority of the stock of Bose Corporation in the form of non-voting shares.

MIT will receive annual cash dividends on those shares when dividends are paid by Bose Corporation; those cash dividends will be used by MIT to sustain and advance MITs education and research mission. "

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Good for him! Respect where it is due --- but it isn't going to make me buy his product any more than the undoubtedly-sincere philanthropy of the founder of that famous software company!

 

[Dreamc]

No, but Google does :lol:

And if everything that you say about buying kit and blind-testing is, in fact, true (and I hope you can understand the note of cynicism here) then I really admire that. I'm a great fan of this sort of thing.

Hi

Yes, it is true and if you really like blind testing, and are not being sarcastic, I would recommend you doing the same thing!

You don't even need to hide the speakers!

I initially started my room without even having the speakers hidden and most people wouldn't even realise of which speakers the sound was coming through!

Hilarious...

If you have a few spare speakers kicking around do the experience yourself!

Put the lot very close to each other, and get someone without a mind set on speaker manufactures to do the test!

You obviously should use exactly the same receiver, but if that is an issue you could always do a bit of DIY and setup a relay system to switch between the different speakers!

That is what I did before I got the second receiver!

... I know.... Bad idea, but was just for the test and it was good contact relay System

You will be surprised with the results!

Now, I wonder if there is anyone around with experience on the other not so great sound system B&O

I don't want to divert the topic but if anyone has deep experience with these systems, please let me know as I do need some help with my system and since I am not a dealer on B&O as well, it is hard to get technical info!

Thanks

 

[Shivam]

Hi

Yes, it is true and if you really like blind testing, and are not being sarcastic, I would recommend you doing the same thing!

You don't even need to hide the speakers!

I initially started my room without even having the speakers hidden and most people wouldn't even realise of which speakers the sound was coming through!

Hilarious...

If you have a few spare speakers kicking around do the experience yourself!

Put the lot very close to each other, and get someone without a mind set on speaker manufactures to do the test!

You obviously should use exactly the same receiver, but if that is an issue you could always do a bit of DIY and setup a relay system to switch between the different speakers!

That is what I did before I got the second receiver!

... I know.... Bad idea, but was just for the test and it was good contact relay System

You will be surprised with the results!

Now, I wonder if there is anyone around with experience on the other not so great sound system B&O

I don't want to divert the topic but if anyone has deep experience with these systems, please let me know as I do need some help with my system and since I am not a dealer on B&O as well, it is hard to get technical info!

Thanks

I have heard B&O a few times and I found it better than Bose most of the times. Actually I liked the sound of Beolab9 which I got a chance to hear, a few days back. It was slightly bass heavy but the vocals were clear. Though in my opinion similar sound could be had at a lower price too.

If you have more than the required speakers in your listening room, they sometimes behave as membrane bass traps and can alter the sound signature of a system in the room. Apart from comparing I don't suggest having any spare speakers in the listening room.

In my opinion, B&O have improved their image from a 'high end Bose' / lifestyle system in the last few years. Bose on the other hand started off with speakers like 901 and has now has become a brand to keep away from.

 

[arj]

B&O have actually managed to operate in an area of Lifestyle + Audiophile while bose does not even try to play the audiophile game. as mentioned above I have a 8 year old AM3/VCS10 based HT with an Onkyo and is pretty good enough for my needs.

I have neen using a B&O A8 earphone for more than 5 years now and use it during travel with the ipod/ipad/iphone combo..its pretty good. thats the only thing i could afford when I walked into a B&O store many moons ago

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Hi

Yes, it is true and if you really like blind testing, and are not being sarcastic, I would recommend you doing the same thing!

Absolutely. But many consider blind testing to be dirty words, and are not even convinced when it is advocated by senior engineers who actually design the stuff. The guy who wrote my link above is a senior man in Harmon. As well as being a real engineer, I would imagine that he must be more than a bit of a corporate honcho to have reached those heights. Advocating that its all magic, you can't tell what you're listening to unless you can see it, and nothing can be measured, would probably be a much more popular line with the marketing department.

Nobody is going to convince me to buy Bose, and, I guess that nobody is going to convince me to by B&O either. Yes, I have prejudices, and looks, names, and even price, do influence me, as they influence us all, even, as Mr Sean Olive points out, professionals within the hifi industry!

It's not as if I'm trying to make it compulsory! It's even unlikely that I'll seriously do it when next purchasing a hifi component. We should recognise our prejudices and shop with with them, and everyone is entitled to enjoy the experience their way. But, if a final arbiter is required, then there is only one.

 

[Dreamc]

Absolutely. But many consider blind testing to be dirty words, and are not even convinced when it is advocated by senior engineers who actually design the stuff. The guy who wrote my link above is a senior man in Harmon. As well as being a real engineer, I would imagine that he must be more than a bit of a corporate honcho to have reached those heights. Advocating that its all magic, you can't tell what you're listening to unless you can see it, and nothing can be measured, would probably be a much more popular line with the marketing department.

Nobody is going to convince me to buy Bose, and, I guess that nobody is going to convince me to by B&O either. Yes, I have prejudices, and looks, names, and even price, do influence me, as they influence us all, even, as Mr Sean Olive points out, professionals within the hifi industry!

It's not as if I'm trying to make it compulsory! It's even unlikely that I'll seriously do it when next purchasing a hifi component. We should recognise our prejudices and shop with with them, and everyone is entitled to enjoy the experience their way. But, if a final arbiter is required, then there is only one.

It is a pleasure to read your writings!

It shows tha you actually not only know what tyou are talking about, but understand the points taken above!

Thank you

 

[thebanik]

Just to share a very recent incident.

A colleague of mine was looking to build a home theater setup to whom I suggested to go for auditions of Onkyo, Denon HTIBs, and in one of the conversations I did drop in the hint of staying away from Bose.

But ofcourse his first stop was in Chroma or some such store, where he heard the crop of Sony's and Phillips HTIBs. Was mildly impressed by the Phillips and might have had bought it if not for my advise. Since he was in a Gurgaon Mall, stepping out of Chroma, he saw a Bose showroom, call it Marketing or whatever, even after being completely ignorant about audio and technology he has heard of Bose and regarded it as a very good brand. He was mightily impressed with Bose sound quality but the HT system he auditioned was out of his budget at 1.5L (his budget is only Rs. 30-35K). His next stop in the same mall was a JBL showroom where he auditioned HK134 reciever and some cheap JBL speakers, but it completely broadened his horizon and was completely blown off by the dialogue clarity and the overall experience. And all this was within his budget of Rs. 30,000.

The subject (my colleague) infact had not heard of any audio brands other than Bose hence he did not have any bias (if any it would have been for Bose). In my mind this just proves yet again what everyone keeps repeating, Bose may not be a bad option but they are highly overpriced and can be easily beaten in performance by even the cheapest of entry level HT setups from audiophile brands.

 

[rajadeep]

Banik almost identical incident happened with my friend too ... Now on my advice he is gonna buy a Yamaha or HK avr with good speakers that too at even 1/3 the cost of Bose...