Why People hate Bose

[sbg]

I think the thread should not be closed, Hemant, should be given an opportunity to reply.

V.

And Let them not "continue" to the reciprocate each other, as I see it there are bout 2000 trips to this thread who all too want their share of B..e(love/hate)

 

[abhi_jollyguy]

Bose multi-media companion 5 is the multimedia speaker set which got rave reviews and EDITORS CHOICE award in almost every review I read till date on net.

P.S.: I have never heard any BOSE Speaker before nor even I m praising BOSE. This is what I have read about this speaker set till now on almost every review site.

Thank You.

 

[ssf]

As one grows older and a wee bit senile, 'hate' will seem like a strong word to use, especially at something which is supposed to bring us a lot of joy and happiness as AV.

I have had the pleasure of listening to the Acoustimass 5 or so at a time when I was bombarded by friends telling me how good BOSE is. A friend of mine was selling his friends mass for 25 odd grand and he wanted me to give it a listen. Choice of music, Heavy Metal. Good amp, Yamaha if I remember correctly, but when cranked up, I was almost begging him to switch it off. A situation similar to my wife reaching for the remote when the Sax gentleman in a Santana concert on iConcerts goes on a solo run on my Sony Mini and custom built speakers housing 10" drivers. :lol:

Why people hate Bose, I don't know and maybe they should not. Not just Bose but most things. I would say, if we can log into sites and post and discuss, we can access the world of information that is available to us to make informed decisions and not buy based on marketting.

So, lets like or not like and drop the 'Hate'

 

[Kittu]

Well said ssf.

 

[gobble]

So, lets like or not like and drop the 'Hate'

But still ... the time is ripe for a "Why people hate Me" thread. I protest!

-G0bble

 

[rajudhs]

i was owning a BOSE until recently and sold it off.

My experience is
- BOSE is good at BASS.
- but when it comes to music as such, its not really versatile.
- BOSE is good for Pure POP/DISCO songs and Indian Film Music (here BASS plays major role)

when i listened to ROCK MUSIC on a BOSE it sucks big time :-(

since i am ROCK listener mostly sold it OFF and i am happy

 

[jaudere]

Hmmm,
Hemant,take my word. Ignorance is a bliss. Dont waste ur energy on this topic. OP Will still like Bose & Gobble will still hate it.

Its like i like to eat baida curry with kheer. Because i like it, i eat it. I dont go on asking others why they dont like it. Its matter of tastes. If OP Liked Bose,great. But he asked for trouble by starting the thread. If the thread was 'why people hate Sony',it would have been a straightway discussion. But he touched a sensitive issue.

By the way , Although i have never heard Bose myself, the number of hits this thread is getting tells me that people are still interested in Bose or what others say about Bose. Making a good product is one skill. Selling it at very high price is another skill. May be Bose is much better at second although it may not be bad at the first skill.

I have no complaints at all if they dont give specifications. Everyone on this forum knows how specifications can mislead. When specifications are available,people discuss how 30w /ch of brand X is better than 100w/ch of brand Y. People are happy with 9w RMS/Channel Topping. I am happy with 20w/ch Philips. My artis s6600r 5.1 system has SNR>60(!!) But i can hear only signal & not noise at the volume level which i use.

To give an example, if there is anterior wall myocardial infarct ( heart attack) on ECG, We tell patients so & most of them accept it. 1% want to go into unnecessary details when they dont know the basics of ECG. My answer is simple 'I can not teach you something that i have been learning & practising for 15 years' . If a system is giving me adequate loudness without distortion, why should i ask abt RMS Power?

By the way, Gobble, although i have not heard Bose myself, going by experiences of my friends about Bose & your posts, your Bablu auto driver seems to be audiophile of a kind. He has picked up a 'reverse lemon'( I mean something very good in a bad lot) in that Sweety amp.

 

[gobble]

Hmmm,
Hemant,take my word. Ignorance is a bliss. Dont waste ur energy on this topic. OP Will still like Bose & Gobble will still hate it.

...

By the way, Gobble, although i have not heard Bose myself, going by experiences of my friends about Bose & your posts, your Bablu auto driver seems to be audiophile of a kind. He has picked up a 'reverse lemon'( I mean something very good in a bad lot) in that Sweety amp.

I don't hate Bose ... Its more like I love to hate Bose ... small difference but perhaps it explains my post

The good part about such Bablu's is they are more interested in your reaction to their audiophile pursuit than extracting extra fare from you at the end of the journey.

--G0bble

 

[Kevian]

Bah...can this thread be locked?

 

[prankey]

Hi Sups

I was hoping nobody would ask me that ... I mean the thing still gives me nightmares. Sigh! But let me try and give you some highly subjective impressions -

Ever sat in a Rickshaw where the backseat space has been taken up by two huge wooden speaker boxes (the space where one normally keeps ones stuff behind ones back)? The thing takes up so much space that the backseat is permanently tilted a little forwards making the passengers feel almost doubled up in crouching position. hyeah:

Then the driver, rather than keep both hands steady on the handle for safe and alert steering, will also try to impress you in the middle of the road by playing DJ, tilting down with a thumb and forefinger perpetually on the volume control of some "Sweety" Amp or similar brand or make. Typically it will also be decked with flashy LEDs but let us stick to the aspect of sound here.

The shrill piercing sound of the tweeters have the same effect as a roughly handled ear bud might in your ears, while the hollow Boom of the woofer make your entire body tremble in resonance with the metal body of the rickshaw - although some call the effect as vibrating in "harmony" with the music And the sound always has a perpetual Doppler effect with a progressively flattening pitch - as if the sound source is moving away from the listener at high speed! hyeah:

Crash! Boom! Tinkle! Aaaaa ... Shriek! <vocals> Crash ! Boom! Tinkle! Aaaaa ... Crash ! Boom! Tinkle! Crash ! Boom! Tinkle!

Now close your eyes and imagine the tiny satellite Bose speakers on the walls are replaced by 5 such Rickshaws hanging vertically in your lovely living room with the windowpanes vibrating with the "Rhythm" and "Flow" of the "music" !! hyeah:

And the Demo ... Sssigh! The memory of that day is now faint but it went something like this -

Me: "So this is the SubWoofer?" quizzically ...
Salesman: "No sir! That is the Bass Extraction Additive Module"
Me: Pausing, puzzled ... putting two and two together after an initial stun effect - "Same thing .. right? A Woofer!!" I urge with resurgent confidence ...
Salesman: Exasperated and in a condescending tone ... "No sir this is not a Woofer! It is called a Bass Extraction Additive Module Only"

That night was an unusually warm night, as I lay in bed till 3am unable to sleep ... Watching the cobwebbed blades of the ceiling fan turn rather slowly with a creaking noise, due to low voltage, I suddenly realized I was feeling a chill ... like my blood was turning cold!

The chastising tone of the salesman and my humiliation at the store haunted me and I kept hearing his condescending voice again and again in my head ... "Repeat after me - Bass Extraction Additive Module ... Bass Extraction Additive Module" Bass Extraction Additive Module" " ... his voice seemed to echo over and over.

Before I realized what was happening .. reality blurred into the haze of dreams ... A huge low frequency burring noise of a spaceship deep in outer space (30hz and whereabouts) filled my auditory senses (think opening shot of Star Wars in Widescreen VistaRama projection). I walked down the aisle from the Captains bridge, making my way towards the loo ... desperately wanted to pee ... suddenly I noticed the door to my right from the corner of my eye, lost in thought I had just passed it without realizing. A sigh escaped my lips as I turned around and grabbed the handle and gave it a violent twist .. and Whooosh! I was sucked into outer space ...!

Round and round I spun, my screams silent in the vacuum of space ... I tumbled around in ether ... like I was in a spin dryer of a front loading washing machine ... A spaceman tethered to the ship tried to reach out to me ... but soon he reached the end of his tether and gave up ... something was sucking me away from the ship with alarming speed ... into the horrifying blackness of outer space ... the millions of stars that dotted the dark fabric of outer space, a silent and indifferent witness to my existential threat.. was it a Black Hole pulling me ..?!! I looked over my shoulder as I spun ... far out in the darkness where even light seemed to vanish and stars sucked in ... it was not a Black Hole!! ... it was ... a humongous bass-reflex port of a Bass Extraction Additive Module!! Suddenly I realized the low frequency sound was not emanating from the spaceship ... it had been coming all the while from this huge and dark Bass Reflex port that was looming progressively closer and was sucking me in ... along with the light of the stars .. and the stars themselves ... !!

I survived that nightmare without a heart attack .. but I am terrified of re-living that dream ... been a nervous wreck ever since ...

Hey do I have too much time on my hands ... ?

I gotta rush to office now.

Cheers
--G0bble

actually , i hate myself -

i was such a self-satisfied fool before that singular event in my life-

before this event i was full of myself - i had powerbook G4 - airport express - airtunes -technics amplifier - technics rack- technics loudspeakers - and even used Bose system - four double cubes and one piston subwoofer- i was king, man!

i also had a sony mini compo system - which i thought was superb - with better clarity of vocals than either the bose or the technics -

i also used ipod with sony MDR headphones - and they were so fantastic -

and then one day -

i went to Cochin - and listened to the Rethm speakers at Kakkanad - and my world fell apart-

i felt like such a fool having wasted the better part of my life having listened to bull dung-

bose - is bull dung - and one will only know it when (as square wave sez) when you have moved on and known better -

I COMPLETELY AGREE with Gobble and Shershah and SALUTE their way of COMMUNICATING the most important fact we might be missing here.

Across the globe, there are two major companies who are currently FOOLING the customers with FANCY TERMS like what Gobble has pointed out! Bose and Apple. That is how they have built their brand names and are market leaders in their own space (mostly ignorant, but brand conscious customers). I am brand conscious to the CORE. I EVALUATE brands and more importantly their PRODUCTS before falling for them. Despite mostly owning Samsung and Yamaha, I will NEVER say that these brands make the best product for ME! Whenever I go for a purchase, I THOROUGHLY EVALUATE the products especially comparing with others NOT NECESSARILY in competition. Like I may evaluate a Rs.10k tower speakers and compare them with Rs.100k towers and Bose Lifestyle products. Budget is not the major concern for me, however VALUE FOR MONEY is.

If I find a 200k speakers giving me the satisfaction for being at that price range, I MAY fall for it despite me evaluating a 10k one besides it to understand the difference and VALUE PROPOSITION.

Most of the people I have seen who go for Apple and Bose are those who want to run away from the time constraints or are not COMPETENT enough to EVALUATE the products and wish to instead go with the mass to INSURE their purchase (more like a "BHED CHAAL").

Saw that latest Ad of iPhone? "If you don't own an iPhone, well, you don't own an IPHONE". They themselves admit that people buy MORE because of the NAME and not because of the VALUE PROPOSITION it offer.

Apple never sells a hardware or permit others to CLONE it. They never sells software platform alone for a third party hardware. WHY? Because its EASIEST for them MANUFACTURE, OPTIMIZE, TROUBLESHOOT and MARKET such products. No brainer that they ahead among most of the competition while other competitors are too busy addressing issues among various combination of hardware and software platforms!

Talk of Bose, they would NEVER release even the BASIC specification of their products like what kind of drivers are housed within their speakers, their SPL and Frequency response curve, power handling. Not even power output of their products! They just want you to buy a product purely based out of PERCEPTION and BRAND NAME instead of CONFUSING you with those specifications (and giving an opportunity to EVALUATE these products). INSTEAD of those INDUSTRY STANDARD Specifications to evaluate a product, they use FANCY TERMS like Gobble has highlighted to DUPE the customers. In few words - Bose ISOLATE their products from others by using such unknown terms like "Acoustimass" or "Bass Extraction Additive Module" :yahoo: making us wonder that Bose is "DIFFERENT" hyeah: They support their argument through other FANCY technical DOCUMENTATION while STILL hiding the basic SPECIFICATIONS!

I know my words may not suit some and they may trigger another round of bashing and abuse. However, being an experienced and honest user of such products, and am closely observing these two companies on how they manufacture and market their products in the last 17 years.

 

[anm]

Regarding apple, it is true people want to have because of the brand value and being more expensive. But it does have lot of quality. And though I do not have iphone/ apple laptop, I have appletv and ipad2 and they both are quiet good in what they are supposed to do (time pass )

However:
Not releasing software/ OS for all platforms, or hardware for any other OS to run is more of a question of focus. You spend less time resolving bugs and issues for third parties and stuff you can not control. It is also a very brave and risky decision for a business leader, as it means leaving out a lot of potential revenue streams.

 

[sbg]

Regarding apple, it is true people want to have because of the brand value and being more expensive. But it does have lot of quality. And though I do not have iphone/ apple laptop, I have appletv and ipad2 and they both are quiet good in what they are supposed to do (time pass )

However:
Not releasing software/ OS for all platforms, or hardware for any other OS to run is more of a question of focus. You spend less time resolving bugs and issues for third parties and stuff you can not control. It is also a very brave and risky decision for a business leader, as it means leaving out a lot of potential revenue streams.

Naa, naaa ...
"My" take on apple will be like this - an Analogy. (ok this is why "I" hate apple).

"I" have Purchased a Gas Stove.
For your kind information this has a special "Port" which plugs in into various utensils, for example,cooker, kadai, pan ... List_of_food_preparation_utensils). And to use any of this utensils on this gas stove, the manufactuers are supposed to pay $5 as "apple TAX". and once this is approved , and is available in the apple market you and "I" can purchase this utensils.

So..... ,"I" got a cooker too.

My wifeee say she wants to prepare khichdi, so I go out and get water,Rice,dal, salt, 2 Steel Plates(high side walls) ,Spoons.

Now wifeee start cooking, Starts the Gas stove, put all ingrediants in the cooker and leaves it to cook and we watch Avatar on my Home Theater.

20 minutes pass by
SURPRISE!!!!.
you know what, the cooker is "Off" - which is connected to a special port on the stove.

Why! , you ask "Me"!



Because , You have NOT used apple Approved "water",
apple Approved "gas ligher",
apple Approved "Rice",
apple Approved "dal" ,
apple Approved "ghee",
apple Approved "salt",
apple Approved "Bowl" to wash the rice,
apple Approved "Lip Guard" ( your food prepared will not taste good),
apple Approved "mouth wash" ( your food prepared will not taste good),
apple Approved "spoons" ( your food will not go into mouth in the right proportion),
apple Approved "costers",
....
....



...
This is the reason the Gas Stove will get damaged and not perfrom as intended.


This is apple's business premises.





NOTE:
the emphasis on I : this is not related to apple product. Now a Days People get confused generlised as patented/copyrighted.similar to the use of "mouse".What is reffered to here is the first person "sbg" in this post.

 

[just4kix]

^^^ He! He! So true.

I have purchased many BDs that come with a digital copy. I am unable to transfer the digital copies to my iPod. Why?

- I need an iTune Store Account
- So I created an iTune Store Account - still no go
- Why is that? Because I purchased the BD in USA (or rather ordered it from Amazon, USA); so I need a iTunes US account with a US address and US credit card

I mean WTF? Granted that there are ways to get around the problem. But why am I strangled with archaic policies? I purchased an item fair and square. I should have the right to use it.

I am an Apple basher now.

 

[gobble]

Talk of Bose, they would NEVER release even the BASIC specification of their products like what kind of drivers are housed within their speakers, their SPL and Frequency response curve, power handling. Not even power output of their products! They just want you to buy a product purely based out of PERCEPTION and BRAND NAME instead of CONFUSING you with those specifications (and giving an opportunity to EVALUATE these products).

Exactly what ticked me off from Bose !! I think in my quest for humor, I forgot this aspect of the showroom experience I had. I now recall walking away with the feeling that chasing the brand would be like a swindle, infact a little agitated that they refused to tell me rms rating for speakers, impedance, crossover setting etc for that kinda money!!

Thanks to Prankey and all the people who have tried to look through the superficial nonsense and understood the gist of my post, and for considering me as a useful member in the long term despite the Gibberish. I think a few of you might have a valid point about also writing some sensible posts along with some fun. Well I am glad to tell that I have 3 upgrade projects lined up starting this month - after a prolonged period of induced stagnation as I struggled to decide how to navigate the upgrade path without becoming a consumerist "victim" in the market. Will open new threads as the events unfold.

Perhaps all my posts should be accompanied by a poll for "Did you find this funny ... or useful ... or both?!!" ...

--G0bble

 

[avidyarthy]

@ Gobble ........... make love ... not war !

Good to see you getting out of stagnation ... err, hibernation. Could this have a connection to the latest happenings .... stumbled upon something interesting !!!!!!

 

[jaudere]

Does that mean knowing the specifications makes a system sound better (or worse)?

Before joining HFV, I never used to bother about specifications. I listened to the sound & sound only. Now i go into details like

watts(whether or not specified over entire frequency range),channel separation, SNR, Transformer,cooling method, remote motored or not,speaker sensitivity,Ohms, speaker sensitivity,frequency range of speakers,two way vs 3 way, CROSS OVER points,T-S parameters,preamp,DAC,Interconnects .....

The only specification I find useful is the ohm of readymade speakers. It ensures that i am not going to overload my amp.

Am i unhappy to know all these new things? No. Getting new information is always enjoyable for me. In addition, I can boast to know more details than others despite being a doctor. ( I have used the knowledge to build speakers as well)However I wont do a mistake to judge a system based on its specifications rather than performance.

I am not backing or opposing Bose because i have never heard them. I personally feel that not telling specifications is better than giving some false specifications. People are used to 60/80/100w per channel and SNR Of 100+. Now if Bose is 5watt/ channel & SNR >50 and if they declare it :no one will even bother to do audition. If they declare some inflated figures, people with intermediate knowledge will say the specifications are false. So how does that help Bose either?

Believe me, people are just blinded by specifications. Even though specifications are important to experts in that field, a person like me (and many others on forum)who loves listening to good music rather than boasting about the specifications of my system, the specifications hardly mean anything.
Like I said, when i tell relatives that their patient is having a major heart attack all they should understand is that the patient has something life threatening
& should be immediately attended. Why should they anytime in life bother about ECG Paper speed,standardization,axis,ST Elevations?Is that going to change the diagnosis or management decision?. They are always allowed to have second opinion of doctor of their choice but not the opinion of a lay person.


,

 

[just4kix]

Quite a lot of specifications are like a financial figures of a company's annual report. Only some figures such as Net Profit, Dividend per share, etc. are important. Then again whether that companies stock is giving you any joy is the most telling factor of all.

So, ratings of speakers do not really matter much as long as they are giving you the pleasure. Someday, you will discover, even better stock scrips, err.. speakes, and then you can switch if you like.

 

[gobble]

Does that mean knowing the specifications makes a system sound better (or worse)?

Believe me, people are just blinded by specifications. Even though specifications are important to experts in that field, a person like me (and many others on forum)who loves listening to good music rather than boasting about the specifications of my system, the specifications hardly mean anything.

,

Surely not for a person who just buys consumer goods and enjoys them uncritically. For somebody who likes to tinker, mix and match retrofit, try a new gear in the mix/chain, and who knows he is not going to be satisfied with the new acquisition after a period of time when the initial euphoria has does down - this becomes not just an intellectual hurdle. It creates a trust deficit between consumer and producer that cannot be overcome subsequently, once it has set in.

-G0bble

 

[malvai]

Surely not for a person who just buys consumer goods and enjoys them uncritically. For somebody who likes to tinker, mix and match retrofit, try a new gear in the mix/chain, and who knows he is not going to be satisfied with the new acquisition after a period of time when the initial euphoria has does down - this becomes not just an intellectual hurdle. It creates a trust deficit between consumer and producer that cannot be overcome subsequently, once it has set in.

-G0bble

very well put... that is one major problem with manufacturers like BOSE.

once the consumer becomes a little more up to date on specs, the taste becomes a little more refined the said consumer gets a 'trust deficit' with the brand.

But them, there are many undemanding consumers, to whom this NEVER becomes an issue in their lifetime.

so i guess BOSE is cleverly marketing to this majority who don't have any interest in finding the promised land of audiophilia...

 

[gobble]

so i guess BOSE is cleverly marketing to this majority who don't have any interest in finding the promised land of audiophilia...

Rightly said, I came to the same conclusion. It can seduce the masses, but for those that know to look out for the warts and all before dipping their finger(s) ... the aspiring audiophile will be cautious not to indulge (invest) in such risky behavior and fall for those flaunted charms and short term enjoyment.

Bose is like a heavily made-up Tart !!

-G0bble