I have read a lot in forums on why Bose sucks but this is the first time I have actually seen an article on it. I found it via digg and its an interesting 2 part read in which the writer who is a sound system salesman discusses why Bose sucks without going into too much confusing tech talk. Its a good read for anyone who thinks Bose speakers are good or for anyone who is thinking of buying Bose stuff. [Link]
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23 replies on “Why Bose Sucks”
Bose has the best quality sound in Lifestyle, 321 and wave radio systems but what sucks is the chinese speakers they are making for the computers and iPods
So now we just blame the chinese for the shity quality of Bose speakers.
Chinese do manufacture many things, for example iPads, iPods, almost every laptops or PC on the market are made in China, yet they are very well done.
And the chinese dont take decisions about how the are made, they just follow Bose´s policy.
I heard the Lifestyle 321 and its nothing special at all, its also not cheap, for the same price u can get a much much more decent setup. Even yamaha’s YSP1000 sounds sooo much better then the Lifestyle 321. You can check it out at dewalliah.
The wave radio also sucks, the Nakamichi Soundspace 3 alarm clock costs the same and blows it away by miles.
To paraphrase another well known quote, it’s all in the ears of the listener. I have many visitors which choose the Bose iPod speaker system over the sound of my home theatre system which has the Yamaha YSP1000 speaker system. My wife prefers the sound of her Sony mini-stereo system ’cause that is what she listens to all the time. As for radio/alarm clocks, the Cambridge Soundworks radio system blows them all away (or so I think ’cause that’s what I listen to in my office). To each his own!
bose sucks. even their car audio setups are shit and a bitch install aftermarket to.
i loves my 2.1 altec lansing pc setup, well, not much of an audiophile here! but coincidentially, here’s a link i ran into today:
Dell, Bose and Apple Have Most Trust Among Consumers, According to Survey – https://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=1609
well it is kef for me. great book shelf speakers. cant afford the floor standers …… yet
I opened different Bose speakers and i was shocked how cheap components and speakers they use!!!!!!!!!!!
Bose is way overpriced!!!!!!!
What a crap.
BOSE shops the retailers that sell their product and will endanger the job of a salesman that doesn’t present their product in a positive light by providing a report to the salesman’s manager. As an A/V salesman who cares about his clients, I truly hate this company.
Consumer Reports magazine once compared the Bose table radio and the Tivoli Audio table radio and gave the Bose a higher rating. But if you read the report they admit that the Tivoli radio sounded better (look it up). It turns out that the Bose radio had a remote and Tivoli did not which to me sure made Consumer Reports suspect. After all, one buys a radio for the best sound, right?
Bose’s reputation came from the 901 speakers (I owned a pair) in the late 70s but have not kept up with other speaker companies. Listen to a Bose system at very low volume and it becomes clear that most of what you hear is treble and bass. Consider that most music is found at midrange frequencies and you can understand that Bose is fooling your ears into thinking that you hear midrange.
Clever advertising plus a large presence in chain stores is how Bose sucks in most buyers. Don’t fall for it, listen to other systems and walk into a high end sound salon (They will not bite and will leave you alone) and listen to how speakers should sound.
Also Bose sued Consumer Reports for a bad review.. I think back in the 80’s. Thats probably another reason why they rated it higher.
Bose has been about smoke and mirrors from the get go. Even the famous (infamous?) 901 was designed to fool the ear. Their research is done to determine what non-audiophiles will perceive as good sound and to see how many corners can be cut to achieve this. If they made cars the speedometers would read 10 mph faster so you would think you are driving a fast car. It’s all about trickery and profit. The evil triumvirate of mass marketing: Bose, Walmart and Starbucks.
I can’t stand Bose. I’ve wasted a ton of money on Bose and didn’t get any of it back. So fuck you Bose and SMD for being a pathetic money-hungry company.
Crap speakers, Crap service, snooty, smooth talking salesmen who try to convince you otherwise…
Just CRAP!!!
USE YOUR EARS AND LISTEN>>> DON’T BELIEVE THE ADS!
Bose sucks because they compromise too much. The Wave Radio is a perfect example. Bose has been far too “size oriented” in the last 15 years at the compromise of quality. Yes, you can put bass in a small package by using transmission lines and bandpass enclosures, and these techniques are good, solid performers. But Bose pushes these technologies to the absolute outer limit of what is physically possible.
One technology, bandpass design, as used in the Lifestyles system is especially prone to the puffy, loose sound that Bose has become famous for. The Lifestyles systems truly are a wonder of overpriced garbage.
Older systems, like the 901 series, weren’t terrible – but far from the pricetag they demanded. In the end, Bose enjoys taking either the mundane or the tried and true and rebrands them as “waveguide technology” and “direct-reflecting loudspeaker design”.
What exact “better sound” research is involved by putting a little speaker pointing off-axis?
My parents got the BOSE 3-2-1 system and thought it was Gods gift to mankind. AT first I was excited but I couldnt beleive how OFF the sound was. The small front speakers deliver absolutley no highs and no kind of bass in any range. They are basically only good for soap opera dialogue. Then the subwoofer is loud but does not deliver the right kind of low end. In fact even people voices come out of the subwoofer which should never happen. Its like the sub only exists to fill out what the speakers cant, where as is a real system the sub should be expanding the range the overall system, not just masking its weaknesses. Meahwhile my parents think its the greatest system ever because its says BOSE on the front and the subwoofer makes all sorts of noise. Thats basically what the whole system is, NOISE 3-2-1 for $1000 dollars. They would have been better off with a $300 Sony receiver, a pair of Boston or Polk book shelf speakers for $150 and a mediocore powered sub(a true subwoofer) for $150. I fact that would probobly have been ALOT better for $300 dollars less.
I bought a Bose with CD changer for my husband at Christmas last year. It was the only thing he wanted. Cost over $800. He was so excited to finally get one. We played a CD and it sounded absolutely horrible–tinny, with no real range whatsoever. We put the same CD in a $70 Sony boom-box and–compared to the Bose–the Sony made it sound like we were in Symphony Hall. Needless to say, I was both sad and furious that Bose ripped us off with their tacky machine. We packed up the “system” and mailed it back to Bose. They even refunded shipping. That was the only good part about our experience with them. After that I read a bunch of scathing reviews online about Bose and their cheap paper tubes. Never again!!! I’ve heard that Tivoli makes a great radio–but it seems overpriced, and I don’t want to get burned again. I want to surprise my husband for Christmas with something GOOD this time. Any suggestions besides Bose?
This is to Cherry Carver..
I know this is post christmas of 2009, but not too late to buy a Sony Home theater HTS360 that comes with 5.1 channel receiver and speakers and auto set up feature that automatically sets the speakers as per the dimensions of your room. The system is not only for DVD but also for music. This is far far better than any Bose system I know of and your husband will respect and cherish your present for life time..
Bose does not even make afternarket car audio. They put it in factory gmcars/trucks ect. It does not even compare to mostly any aftermarket car audio fro alpine/boston/jl etc Bose is just like monster ton of marketing where they put there money. Ask any installer what he thinks bose car audio he will laugh. There home audio is good but way over priced just marketing again like monster i have a 500 Onkyo 5.1 blows bose bs 3 speakers system that my friend payed like 2000 for it’s all marketing there is so much better out there for price.
Dear Shyam, thank you for the great advice! 🙂
The attitude of bose shope in Kuwait is disgusting. I I truly hate this company.
The Bose Store in Park City, Utah sucks. The salespeople working there are liars.
Bose products are overpriced, middle-of-the-road sound quality, and of inferior manufacture quality.
Bose corporate, knowing that their products lack durability, are adept at blaming the consumer when the product falls apart.
Hey Bose! You suck!
Bose is by no means a quality speaker from sound quality to construction. I am a recording/mastering engineer and am used to hearing differences in speaker performance. Bose even attempts to sell professional products to studios but I have never seen a single bose component in any reputible studio. Believe spend your money(and lots of it) somewhere else.