bassix,

i totally agree with you on the performance and quality of bose. i've been a bose loyalist for years

in the 80s, i had the 501s and in the 90s, graduated to the acoustimass system, for which i have never been sorry! in fact, when i went on longterm travel for work, i knew i couldn't be without my music, which had to have great sound (long term travel can be a drag without it), i brought along my wave/cd.

recently, i upgraded my computer and since i spend so much time working on it, of course there has to be entertainment, right?!? you got it... bose was wise enough to bring back the multimedia speakers!

i am one happy chick

peace to the planet and lots of cool grooves!

I see many Bose loyalists here, and yet I can't help but notice that in many of the audiophile groups that I've lurked on, Bose is constantly ridiculed, though I've never found an explanation as to why this is. I don't have much experience with Bose myself.

Hey gwenn,
I have Bose 501's too. Like you, bought my system 10 years ago - still sounds great - gosh time does fly.

Kat - I hear Mirage ads on the radio - wondered about them - sounds like you have a great system. On another note, you live in New Haven correct ?

Tony - way to go with the whole house !
Great sound in every room . My parents bought their Bose system at a factory outlet store - they stock new as well as the returned " try it for 30 days" at a discount . Good advice for shoppers!

Nathan - I'm kinda hooked on the sound Bose gives- I too have heard " negative" comments NOT that those comments would change my mind - what sounds great to one may not to another. I don't have many co -workers who listen to c- jazz - I'm workin on em though - they pop into my classroom and say who's that ? Oh NO...... let me tell em!!

Thanks everyone for your views- very cool.

Tony...no offense taken and I was exaggerating. Actually some of the smaller cars are limited in the size of a speaker you can place in the door panels. Before I put the subwoofer in it sounded good and loud but not great. The subwoofer added a fullness to the whole sound that can't be achieved any other way. It's a modest, single 10" box..not too overbearing. I don't care for heavy, pulsating bass common in Rap music either so I keep it toned town enough to add that fullness but not to the point of overkill.

cheryl-

yeah, it runs pretty deep! i totally forgot the bose sound system i had to have when i ordered the new car. so way

love driving with the tunes

NathanA.....maybe they were comparing models in different categories, e.g. Home theater systems are not like Stereo systems....each speaker has its own special features and they can only be evaluated by an expert according to its capabilties and merits (price included as well)..those critics just love to pick on a great brand then turn the issue into a never ending discussion.

[This message has been edited by Joel (edited February 07, 2002).]

I am a 2 channel/stereo type. Not big on movies or the SACD/DVD-Audio surround sound.
In my primary system I have Magnapan 1.6/QR w/Vandersteen 2w sub. In another system, I have Vandersteen 2ce's. Electronics are Bryston, Threshold, Forte 44, B&K 442 Sonata, and Rega-Planet 2000x2.

Several people have hit on what makes a good system - it is what sounds good to you over a long period of time. If you listen to your system and tend to get listening fatique or want to lower the volume, then the system isn't right for the room or for you. One post I ould like to modify is that if you do go to audition speakers, take a couple of different cds with you (a familiar one with female voice, one with good bass player plucks or drum kit and one with brass in quite passages to see if you can hear the air blowing through the instrument).

I'm not a Bose fan. Owned 901's 22 years ago but feel my listen has matured into better sounding stuff for the money. Bose is a great marketing company though. And, if they sound right to you in the setting you put them in, then they are the right speaker.

This is a great post. There is some great audio equipment out there and it doesn't have to be megabuck stuff. Look at what Henry Kloss (who just passed away) did to enlighten the mass population. Yes, I owned the large Advents while in college. His recent venture is Cambridge Audio, selling directly to the consumer, has some nice products. I think Best Buy carries some of their product line. For those who will go on a listening/buying spree, good luck and enjoy.

I have a Bose system in my car. The sub-woofer is decent (no thumping or vibraryons for me!) , and the speakers are mounted in the 4 doors and there are 2 "filler" speakers in the space just to the left & right of the dashboard.

I think when we go into the audio store, many people probably haven't been there in a while. It's easy to be amazed by the new technology, I know that I am still impressed, and I frequent my local audio stores. I am really enjoying the DVD recorder that I bought a few weeks ago! the downside is that I have about 20 wedding videos that my friends would like me to convert to DVD - and there never seems to be enough time to do it!

With respect to the Bose systems, I do think it's incredible that such a tiny system packs such a wallop. But for music, I prefer a wider frequency range - which is why the Bose system wasn't right for me.

Mirage speakers are great for my ears, but there are other mid level priced manufacturers. In addiiton to Cambridge Soundworks, Mission, Boston Acoustics & PSB make a nice product, too. I say mid level, because if you look into THX certified systems, you can easily spend $5,000- $8,000 on a PAIR of speakers. I consider mid level to be $1200 - $2500 a pair. The newer Mirage & Boston Acoustic towers package the powered subwoofer into the tower.

As for the advice about listening with your favorite CD - that's good advice as well as to bring music with a female voice (to test the higher range and to make sure the speaker is free of sssss sounds) and funky bass (to hear whether the bass gets all fuzzy) and the brass (air blowing indicates that the imaging is precise). You can use high piano notes or violins to sub for the female voice. Beware if the salesperson keeps resetting the eq on you for each music type. For example, the classic "smile" on the graphic equalizer will mush out the midrange on some speakers.

Another way to gauge frequency response is to look at the specs on the speaker itself, that way you know what you're paying for in that really pricy speaker!

For example 20 Hz to 20 kHZ at +-0.5 dB means that there is a half a decibel audible deviation from perfect across that range. The +- dB deviation is important, it will tell you how consistent the speaker is across the whole range. Try to stay away from manufacturers who don't give you the deviation, because the speaker might have ugly sounding dips and spikes.

For a speaker which is rated at 68 Hz to 21 kHz at + - 3dB, this means that the speaker cannot really reproduce deep bass & could use a subwoofer to get down to the low frequencies that enhance a home theatre setup. It will be accurate in the upper bass (up to 500 Hz), the midrange (700 Hz to 4 kHZ) and the entire treble ( 4 to 20kHz)

OK, enough techno-rambling, Good luck and happy hunting on your audio shopping adventures!!!

And Cheryl, yes, I live in CT, grew up in the New Haven area and now live just east of Hartford. For a little while, I lived in Montreal, a city that is just fantastic. That's why I return for the jazz festival.