I have posted to this thread 3x and it never takes!!

I say its not worth it.

Bose = crappy components with a lot of marketing.

The sayings are: Bose Blows! and ..... no highs, no lows, must be bose.

The tivoli or Boston acoustic units are much better.

Oh, the sound system in my Vette is bose and it sounds worse than the one that i had in my first car.... a 1983 Renault Alliance.

Seriously, it's that bad. I wanted to replace it, but that meant I had to rip and replace everything because the bose system is all proprietary.

The fact that you can get bose in a ferrari 599 blows me away. It sounds SO bad. There are some musical pieces that I listen to where entire instruments are not heard. I had it checked, so I know it's functioning. It is just that muddy.

My wife's MDX has an incredible sound.

I know this is isn't related to the wave, but it adds to my opinion of how bad Bose is.

If you ever get a chance, take apart a wave stereo and look at the speaker. It's right out of a 1980 Chrysler k-car.

Marketing, marketing, marketing. Bose is just like grey goose vodka. A cheap product marketed very, very well.

just my .02

I have the Bose Wave Radio - without the CD. I've had it since 1994 and it's as good today as it was then.

I'm biased because I like the sound of Bose products. I Have the original satalite cubes from when they first came out and a set of 901's. I also have the 101's in my boat and backyard. I have the 3-2-1 system in my bedroom tv setup. I would not own any other speaker.

As far as the Wave Radio, I think it sounds great and is perfect for the office or bedroom. It definately would not take the place of a home system but everyone who has listened to my wave radio has been impressed. The nice thing is the quality. You don't have to play it loud to hear it, but it does loud pretty well too.

I had a friend tell me that it was a rip-off and then one day we put his radio next to mine. He now has a Bose Wave with the cd.

I would not waste the money and get the optional multi-cd piece. I think it's ugly.

"Its decent but way overpriced" means Bose is a POS.

This sharp 1-bit system (don't underestimate it)

http://shop.vendio.com/bargain88/item/2006206871/?s=1228044965

...and these Axiom M3 speakers

http://axiomaudio.com/m3.html

Will blow away any system under $1000.


If you need any more convincing on 1-bit digital amplifiers:

http://www.goodsound.com/equipment/sharp_sdnx10.htm

Yes, the only thing Bose is great at is marketing IMO.

If you are looking for a better option in a mini/shelf system, check out the following:

Arcam Solo (pricey, but awesome).
Denon D-M33s
Denon D-M37
Yamaha MCR-E600
Onkyo CS-V720S
Onkyo CS-325
Nakamichi Soundspace 5

If you like the Wave Radio form factor (at the expense of sound quality) check these out:

Cambridge i765
Onkyo CBX-300

What specifically is so terrible about Bose sound quality anyway? The Bose haters come out of the woodwork every time this subject comes up and it's frankly rather annoying. Do you guys really like your bass to shake your internal organs or your treble notes to split your skull? If so, get a $100 equalizer and make the classic "V" shape with the sliders. There ya go. Frankly, that kind of sound does not impress me. I'm more about a balanced sound with fidelity to the original recording (which is usually good) being important. Bose is actually pretty good at this. Are there ways to get other systems to sound "punchier"? Sure. My primary home system is a Kenwood-based setup with some mondo Cerwin-Vegas and a couple of Polk Audios. It can easily sound more "b1tch1n" than a Bose system. But honestly I enjoy the fidelity of the Bose system more...

Is the wave radio worth $500? Probably not. But is it total junk like some here would have you believe? Nope. It's a pretty good little piece of equipment. I recommend you try it out and see if it's something that will work for YOU rather than listening to a bunch of self-appointed experts who are really only good at spouting their own opinion or regurgitating what they've read in the latest Crutchfield catalog to impress their male friends.

I like the Bose stuff and I ain't afraid to say so. I also like my Kenwood stuff.

My .02... When I was much younger and didn't know better, I was in awe of the 901s power capabilities (and they will play loud, properly driven) and have heard virtually all of their classic speakers. 901s, 501s, 301s, etc. (including their cube systems), and imo, I'm from the "Bose blows" camp for home audio systems :). That said, I had a Nakamichi/Bose (lots of small, strategically placed drivers) system in my SC400, and it was probably the best car system I've ever had. YMMV...

My thoughts
 

I would like to answer your question.

When I look at the component quality of the bose equipment I am usually staggered by how cheap it is. I am not a super high end audio-phile, but rather a person who enjoys clear sound.

When I was looking into getting speakers I would listen to them all. Eyes closed, and have the store's A-B them, eliminating the ones I didn't like the sound of. Bose never made it past round 1.

I ended up initially with Boston Acoustics, and then B&W's (which I still have).

To me there is NO comparison in the sound quality. None. The bose is a muddled mass of sound. The B&W's are crisp and alive.

Then you look at the quality of the components. Bose speakers look like dashboard speakers from the 80s. BA and B&W speakers ooze quality.

But, when it comes to speakers it's all about the sound. The bose, in my opinion, don't have it.

I mentioned earlier that my Vette has a bose system. It is truly the worst stereo I have had in at least 15-20 years. It is that bad. It's not a source thing either, the CD, XM, and ipod all sound horrid in there. There are entire instruments that you cannot discern in that car. I take the same source (ipod or disc) and play it in the wife's MDX, or even more sad, my Porsche's stereo (which is an Alpine unit from the jurassic period with some Polk speakers), and there is no comparison. NONE.

The Vettes with the standard, "non-premium" sound system actually sound much better.

With sound its all about your ears though. If you like the sound, then enjoy it. Personally, I do not.

There is a reason I love my Porsche, it is about quality and performance. The bose is about marketing. Two totally different things.

I know I rambled, but I hope that addresses your question.

Oh, and the bose system in the vette is calibrated to produce all kinds of bass (sloppy as it is). I turn it down. You mentioned that we might like it bassy and loud. I like fidelity, the bose doesn't produce it.....at all.

+1 on t951's assessment. the build quality and more importantly sound clarity isn't there in a Bose. is Bose the worst out there - no. but for the price range they market themselves in, they are one of the worst IMHO. Bose is like AOL. Great if you don't know what you're doing and gets you "in the game." however, once you realize its limitations, you'll never look back

Try reading this before you buy Blows A.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/home_electronics/bose.html

I think their products are incredibly overpriced and overhyped but I'm not surprised by people who swallow their marketing and buy them without comparing to anything else.

Do you think the Bose in your new Porsche sounds good? Go sit in a new BMW or Lexus. Do you think the Wave sounds good? Listen to a Tivoli, BA or the myriad of much lower priced units from Sharp, JVC, Sony etc.

You like the Bose outdoor speakers? Try listening to B&W, BA or others. You like their headphones? Did you try Sennheiser or Grado?

Do you think your Bose home system sounds good? You must have an incredibly tin ear. Listen to anything comparably priced. Or cheaper.

Bose is probably the only manufacturer who won't provide specifications for their products. If you want to get a Bose unit repaired good luck. Their EQ curve boosting the mid bass region makes you think might be hearing something below 100HZ. You aren't. The upper region dies at 15000mHz. Cymbals become mud. But there are advantages: Your dog will never be upset if you up the volume. And there won't be any base boom that might annoy your neighbors.

If you want high quality sound for less money you must listen and compare. If you do you won't buy a Bose. I promise.

But I do love their commercial depicting an idiot who can't figure out how to plug in a speaker wire. That's their way of saying you're the customer for us! How many of you who bought the Bose picture yourself as that guy???

So you're saying it doesn't work - for you and your particular tastes. That's a fair assessment. You know it's funny about the speaker materials - I went through something like this a while back on my 944. I "upgraded" all the factory Blaupunkt speakers (original ones, cloth/paper cones that would normally be considered "crap" at first glance) with new Blaupunkts that had polypropylene cones and looked a lot more solid. They sounded like ass. The sound quality was actually better with the chincy looking original ones from the 1980s. Weird. Never would have expected it.

FWIW I've heard a number of systems that are better sounding than the Bose setups, but they're also 2x and 3x the price. I guess it depends on how important it is to you. For me and what I do as mostly a "casual" kind of listener who likes good-sounding music (but isn't looking to open a 48-track recording studio) it's just fine. Again, just one guy's opinion though.

yes it depends on your expectations, I use Skull Candy headphones which are widely critisized for being more marketing than substance. The only times I use them are when I am snowboarding or mountainbiking so wind noise is always present. For me the price and fit were more important than the ultimate quality of the headphones.

For home speakers I have B&W 602's because my expectations in that setting are much higher and I am typically more focused on my listening. When I bought the 602's I listened to other speakers (Bose, CV) and the difference was night and day.

I use B&W 801s with sub at home for stereo upstairs and 804s for home theater with sub for front and rear downstairs. I also use their side and center speakers downstairs (forget the numbers) and use them outside (replacing an old set of Bose's). I LOVE them. But I also have an old set of JBL 4311s in the family room. I A/B'd those with 901s 30 years ago and still love them- they're like less capable B&Ws- that rich and open sound.

BTW don't ever listen to Wilson Audio. Or Revel. Much less Dynaudio. Your ears will want what your wallet can't give.