Question:
Are Bose speakers the be all and end all regarding speaker sound quality?
I had a demo of the Bose Acoustimass 10 setup and was totally blown away by the sound quality.
It is totally superior to my current setup (Sherwood amp, Jamo / Sony 5.1 speakers and Paradigm PDR10 sub).
I was amazed at how good the sound was out of such tiny speakers.
Does anyone own a Bose setup?
Are Bose speakers the be all and end all regarding speaker sound quality?
Um, no.
What is the best quality in your opinion?
Budget?
Around about £700 - £800
I was looking at the Bose Acoustimass 10 home theatre set.
But I have also heard a nice KEF setup aswell, both sounded excellent.
I liked the Bose as the speakers are so small and the sound seemed so clear.
I basically want to junk all of my existing setup (see top post), and get a totally new one.
Are you talking £800 for speakers and amp?
Bose tends to be all higher and lower frequencies and nothing in the way of mid-range. They can sound great in a shop but are pretty inadequate for the money. Style over substance.
Bose = poo.
http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html
Ive got the Acoustimass 5 as my front speakers, never been happier, people say they are over priced but I am more than happy with the sound/ setup, go for it m8! i think you can get a part exchange on your old setup as well in some places
KEF speakers are pretty good when using a decent amp. If it's a small setup (similar to Bose) that you need, have a look at the Acoustic Energy Aego P5.
Views differ on the absolute sound quality of Bose. Personally, I dislike them for all but their appearance.
There is a more tangible issue, however. Bose satellites can only be used with a Bose woofer. So, you have no upgrade path (aside from junking the lot). Whereas separate satellites and woofer allow you to upgrade one or the other (typically, the woofer) when future funding allows.
Further, a separate sub will give you more flexibility in tuning - adjusting levels and roll-off frequencies, to suit your listening room, avoid resonances, etc. Bose has no such ability.
Take a listen to Energy Take 5.2. IMO they sound streets ahead of, say, the KEF eggs. And then try swapping the Energy subwoofer (which is IMO less impressive than the satellites) for something else (on a budget - perhaps the Rel Quake).
Spend a good hour or two in a dedicated demo room listening to stereo MUSIC (yes, music - not home cinema material) with which you are familiar, on different speaker setupss. Sevenoaks Sound and Vision are a reasonable place to start.
Why music - well, as the guy from Sevenoaks validly said - you instinctively know how a piece of music should sound, so, if it is 'wrong' you'll recognise it. Whereas, do you really know what a huge explosion (or other home cinema 'sound') should sound like - and, if it was 'wrong' could you tell?
Reading that article, it seems that Bose aren't very popular. The reviewer (if you can call him that) states that Paradigm is a much better buy, but my PDR10 I think is awful.
I had a Sony Sub which was only 45W, but had a better frequency cut off, sounded better than the PDR10 (albeit quiter).
I have just been to Roy Pollard near me to listen to a Bose system, it sounded good, the guy in the shop said that both Bose and KEF were very good makes of speaker and that either brand would be a good buy.
Decisions decisions...
Does anyone have anything positive to say about Bose?
Originally posted by Captain_Chaos
Does anyone have anything positive to say about Bose?
Bose probably do.
The girl in the Bose shop.. i mean 'Outlet' near Canterbury is worth a go. :D
If money was no object, what would you guys suggest?
*hides her Bose speakers* :nuts:
Originally posted by LV426
There is a more tangible issue, however. Bose satellites can only be used with a Bose woofer.
erm. ****.
I have the accoustimass 10 setup. I can confirm however, that the subwoofer is total and utter pants. How it carries the name 'subwoofer' is beyond me. This bass box, for want of refraining from swearing, does not have a .1 input and takes all its 'bass' signals from the satelities and the amp settings on large. I took it back to the shop because I thought it was faulty, but no, its supposed to be almost inaudible. So what I did was replace the speaker wire that comes with the bose kit with normal wire, replace the bass box with a real subwoofer (I bought an eltax for £150. I know its probably poor but I live in a flat and my livingroom is small) and I wired up the 5 satellites as you would in a normal system. It works fine.
However, As for the sound quality. I like it. The basic accoustimas system has no low range at all, but the middle to upper and upper is just great. I think its really rather good for the size of the speakers. The most important thing about them is that they pass the wife test.
Would I buy the accoustimass 10 again? No. The bass box is just too poor, but the satellites are fine. The problem is finding something as small that can give you the same quality. There are some out there. I found it real tough finding any though. There were some gallo sats at 3 grand that were as good as the bose's. I also tried the kef eggs but they were nowhere as clear as the bose sats.
In summary, if you can just buy the sats on their own for a good price, then go ahead and get a separate woofer. Just dont bother with the accoustimass kit.
Originally posted by *Tiffany*
If money was no object, what would you guys suggest?
Personal opinion always counts for a lot when buying speakers.
Assuming that
a) money actually IS a factor
b) you want something that is close in 'smallness' to the Bose
I think the Energy Take 5.2 satellites take some beating - but the matching sub is poor IMO.
As for using Bose satellites with another sub - I'm sure it does actually work, but the frequency range of the Bose satellites is more limited than that of others; and many/most/all other subs don't come UP far enough to meet the LF rolloff of the Bose sats - a Bose "sub" actually handles more midrange than others do. So, at best, you end up with a gap; at worst you may end up killing the sats by overdriving them with LF they can't cope with.
Originally posted by LV426
Personal opinion always counts for a lot when buying speakers.
Thanks for the reply :)
I want to replace my current set-up, so I have been lurking here the last week trying to get some ideas - I don't mind paying for quality, I just haven't a clue, and I prefer word-of-mouth recommendations, so thanks again!
Personally I think the the Anthony Gallo Micro's are the best sounding small speaker i've ever heard. Others swear by the Kef Eggs but for me it's the AG's. I think I have an ear tuned to prefer high frequency sounds. Bats on a summer night sound quite loud to me. My wife can barely hear them! Best advice is definitely the "listen using music you know" comment.
I've not heard the AGs. I was initially impressed with a friend's 'Eggs' but I went for an audition in a shop with another friend, where we compared the Eggs with the Energy's.
We listened to the Energy's second. Honestly, not a word of a lie - it took about 2 minutes to decide not to bother re-connecting the Kefs.
You MUST audition. Use others' opinions to help decide on a short list, but then find out for yourself - using stereo music (rather than Home Theatre material) - preferably something you are familiar with.
Originally posted by Ron Hill
Best advice is definitely the "listen using music you know" comment.
Originally posted by LV426
using stereo music (rather than Home Theatre material) - preferably something you are familiar with.
I will do that... I have the perfect music in mind too :D
Thank you both :)
Where can you buy the Energy Take 5.2 speakers from?
Sevenoaks Sound & Vision have them. I'm sure others do as well.
Originally posted by Captain_Chaos
Does anyone have anything positive to say about Bose?
Like many I'm no great fan of Bose. The gears alright I suppose its just the price in no way reflects the quality. They are a company that spends huge amounts on advertising which I suppose explains it. What I will say is if theres one thing that bose do well (not that they do it that well) its the speakers.
I've never auditioned Bose, though I was never impressed with the system that a friend's parent owned when I was at school.
I have, however, auditioned the Energy Take 5 (not 5.2) and had two criticisms which prevented me from buying them. Firstly, as has already been mentioned, the sub was pretty poor. Secondly, the centre and L/R speakers were not timbrally matched. There is a scene in Leon where Gray Oldman starts speaking off screen to the right and is then cut to centre of screen. His voice sounded very different from the two different speakers. Hopefully they have fixed this with the 5.2 but something to check for when auditioning. I ended up getting the Mission Cinema 6-pack which was better in every way except cosmetically.
_
Originally posted by Ron Hill
Personally I think the the Anthony Gallo Micro's are the best sounding small speaker i've ever heard.
Damn tooting! I've become an Anthony Gallo junky since getting a 5.1 Micros setup, adding an A'Diva soon to go 6.1!
www.anthonygallo.co.uk
Lovely speakers the Gallos, but they're overpriced for what they are IMO.
not sure about that, bose now they ARE overpriced for what they are.
Originally posted by James45
not sure about that, bose now they ARE overpriced for what they are.
Now that we do agree on
:)
i have the bose acoustimass 10 series 3, connected to a sony str-db1080. the sound is absolutely amazing. music very good, and movies just blow u away.
test them out with ur favourite movie scenes and music, i'm sure you'll be impressed
Originally posted by Underscore
I have, however, auditioned the Energy Take 5 (not 5.2) and had two criticisms which prevented me from buying them. Firstly, as has already been mentioned, the sub was pretty poor. Secondly, the centre and L/R speakers were not timbrally matched.
I haven't done a direct a/b comparison, but I believe the 5.2 is substantially improved over the original 5. Come to think of it (I actually have "5's") I must have spotted this at the time I bought (some years ago) because I actually have a set of 5 identical satellites - my centre is the same as the other five.
And I never had the Energy sub. Mine is a Definitive Technology item, which I may well upgrade sometime.
Music, very good with Bose - I doubt that somehow....
Last time I listened to a bose acoustimas 10 in Sevenoaks I thought theye were broke.
Honesly, the sound was that poor.
Marketing over music.
Surprised no-one's mentioned the Acoustic Energy Aego 5 package yet, comes with 5 identical sats, a sub and a DD and DTS decoder/amp.
no idea what the sub's like but the sats are amazing for their size (they are VERY small indeed). Whole lot comes in at £500ish IIRC.
http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/products/aego/aegoloudspeakers.html
EDIT: superfi have it for £499
http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/1314
I had a demo of the Bose Acoustimass 10 setup and was totally blown away by the sound quality.
It is totally superior to my current setup (Sherwood amp, Jamo / Sony 5.1 speakers and Paradigm PDR10 sub).
I was amazed at how good the sound was out of such tiny speakers.
Does anyone own a Bose setup?
Answers:
Are Bose speakers the be all and end all regarding speaker sound quality?
Um, no.
Answers:
What is the best quality in your opinion?
Answers:
Budget?
Answers:
Around about £700 - £800
I was looking at the Bose Acoustimass 10 home theatre set.
But I have also heard a nice KEF setup aswell, both sounded excellent.
I liked the Bose as the speakers are so small and the sound seemed so clear.
I basically want to junk all of my existing setup (see top post), and get a totally new one.
Answers:
Are you talking £800 for speakers and amp?
Bose tends to be all higher and lower frequencies and nothing in the way of mid-range. They can sound great in a shop but are pretty inadequate for the money. Style over substance.
Answers:
Bose = poo.
http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html
Answers:
Ive got the Acoustimass 5 as my front speakers, never been happier, people say they are over priced but I am more than happy with the sound/ setup, go for it m8! i think you can get a part exchange on your old setup as well in some places
Answers:
KEF speakers are pretty good when using a decent amp. If it's a small setup (similar to Bose) that you need, have a look at the Acoustic Energy Aego P5.
Answers:
Views differ on the absolute sound quality of Bose. Personally, I dislike them for all but their appearance.
There is a more tangible issue, however. Bose satellites can only be used with a Bose woofer. So, you have no upgrade path (aside from junking the lot). Whereas separate satellites and woofer allow you to upgrade one or the other (typically, the woofer) when future funding allows.
Further, a separate sub will give you more flexibility in tuning - adjusting levels and roll-off frequencies, to suit your listening room, avoid resonances, etc. Bose has no such ability.
Take a listen to Energy Take 5.2. IMO they sound streets ahead of, say, the KEF eggs. And then try swapping the Energy subwoofer (which is IMO less impressive than the satellites) for something else (on a budget - perhaps the Rel Quake).
Spend a good hour or two in a dedicated demo room listening to stereo MUSIC (yes, music - not home cinema material) with which you are familiar, on different speaker setupss. Sevenoaks Sound and Vision are a reasonable place to start.
Why music - well, as the guy from Sevenoaks validly said - you instinctively know how a piece of music should sound, so, if it is 'wrong' you'll recognise it. Whereas, do you really know what a huge explosion (or other home cinema 'sound') should sound like - and, if it was 'wrong' could you tell?
Answers:
Reading that article, it seems that Bose aren't very popular. The reviewer (if you can call him that) states that Paradigm is a much better buy, but my PDR10 I think is awful.
I had a Sony Sub which was only 45W, but had a better frequency cut off, sounded better than the PDR10 (albeit quiter).
I have just been to Roy Pollard near me to listen to a Bose system, it sounded good, the guy in the shop said that both Bose and KEF were very good makes of speaker and that either brand would be a good buy.
Decisions decisions...
Answers:
Does anyone have anything positive to say about Bose?
Answers:
Originally posted by Captain_Chaos
Does anyone have anything positive to say about Bose?
Bose probably do.
Answers:
The girl in the Bose shop.. i mean 'Outlet' near Canterbury is worth a go. :D
Answers:
If money was no object, what would you guys suggest?
*hides her Bose speakers* :nuts:
Answers:
Originally posted by LV426
There is a more tangible issue, however. Bose satellites can only be used with a Bose woofer.
erm. ****.
I have the accoustimass 10 setup. I can confirm however, that the subwoofer is total and utter pants. How it carries the name 'subwoofer' is beyond me. This bass box, for want of refraining from swearing, does not have a .1 input and takes all its 'bass' signals from the satelities and the amp settings on large. I took it back to the shop because I thought it was faulty, but no, its supposed to be almost inaudible. So what I did was replace the speaker wire that comes with the bose kit with normal wire, replace the bass box with a real subwoofer (I bought an eltax for £150. I know its probably poor but I live in a flat and my livingroom is small) and I wired up the 5 satellites as you would in a normal system. It works fine.
However, As for the sound quality. I like it. The basic accoustimas system has no low range at all, but the middle to upper and upper is just great. I think its really rather good for the size of the speakers. The most important thing about them is that they pass the wife test.
Would I buy the accoustimass 10 again? No. The bass box is just too poor, but the satellites are fine. The problem is finding something as small that can give you the same quality. There are some out there. I found it real tough finding any though. There were some gallo sats at 3 grand that were as good as the bose's. I also tried the kef eggs but they were nowhere as clear as the bose sats.
In summary, if you can just buy the sats on their own for a good price, then go ahead and get a separate woofer. Just dont bother with the accoustimass kit.
Answers:
Originally posted by *Tiffany*
If money was no object, what would you guys suggest?
Personal opinion always counts for a lot when buying speakers.
Assuming that
a) money actually IS a factor
b) you want something that is close in 'smallness' to the Bose
I think the Energy Take 5.2 satellites take some beating - but the matching sub is poor IMO.
As for using Bose satellites with another sub - I'm sure it does actually work, but the frequency range of the Bose satellites is more limited than that of others; and many/most/all other subs don't come UP far enough to meet the LF rolloff of the Bose sats - a Bose "sub" actually handles more midrange than others do. So, at best, you end up with a gap; at worst you may end up killing the sats by overdriving them with LF they can't cope with.
Answers:
Originally posted by LV426
Personal opinion always counts for a lot when buying speakers.
Thanks for the reply :)
I want to replace my current set-up, so I have been lurking here the last week trying to get some ideas - I don't mind paying for quality, I just haven't a clue, and I prefer word-of-mouth recommendations, so thanks again!
Answers:
Personally I think the the Anthony Gallo Micro's are the best sounding small speaker i've ever heard. Others swear by the Kef Eggs but for me it's the AG's. I think I have an ear tuned to prefer high frequency sounds. Bats on a summer night sound quite loud to me. My wife can barely hear them! Best advice is definitely the "listen using music you know" comment.
Answers:
I've not heard the AGs. I was initially impressed with a friend's 'Eggs' but I went for an audition in a shop with another friend, where we compared the Eggs with the Energy's.
We listened to the Energy's second. Honestly, not a word of a lie - it took about 2 minutes to decide not to bother re-connecting the Kefs.
You MUST audition. Use others' opinions to help decide on a short list, but then find out for yourself - using stereo music (rather than Home Theatre material) - preferably something you are familiar with.
Answers:
Originally posted by Ron Hill
Best advice is definitely the "listen using music you know" comment.
Originally posted by LV426
using stereo music (rather than Home Theatre material) - preferably something you are familiar with.
I will do that... I have the perfect music in mind too :D
Thank you both :)
Answers:
Where can you buy the Energy Take 5.2 speakers from?
Answers:
Sevenoaks Sound & Vision have them. I'm sure others do as well.
Answers:
Originally posted by Captain_Chaos
Does anyone have anything positive to say about Bose?
Like many I'm no great fan of Bose. The gears alright I suppose its just the price in no way reflects the quality. They are a company that spends huge amounts on advertising which I suppose explains it. What I will say is if theres one thing that bose do well (not that they do it that well) its the speakers.
Answers:
I've never auditioned Bose, though I was never impressed with the system that a friend's parent owned when I was at school.
I have, however, auditioned the Energy Take 5 (not 5.2) and had two criticisms which prevented me from buying them. Firstly, as has already been mentioned, the sub was pretty poor. Secondly, the centre and L/R speakers were not timbrally matched. There is a scene in Leon where Gray Oldman starts speaking off screen to the right and is then cut to centre of screen. His voice sounded very different from the two different speakers. Hopefully they have fixed this with the 5.2 but something to check for when auditioning. I ended up getting the Mission Cinema 6-pack which was better in every way except cosmetically.
_
Answers:
Originally posted by Ron Hill
Personally I think the the Anthony Gallo Micro's are the best sounding small speaker i've ever heard.
Damn tooting! I've become an Anthony Gallo junky since getting a 5.1 Micros setup, adding an A'Diva soon to go 6.1!
www.anthonygallo.co.uk
Answers:
Lovely speakers the Gallos, but they're overpriced for what they are IMO.
Answers:
not sure about that, bose now they ARE overpriced for what they are.
Answers:
Originally posted by James45
not sure about that, bose now they ARE overpriced for what they are.
Now that we do agree on
:)
Answers:
i have the bose acoustimass 10 series 3, connected to a sony str-db1080. the sound is absolutely amazing. music very good, and movies just blow u away.
test them out with ur favourite movie scenes and music, i'm sure you'll be impressed
Answers:
Originally posted by Underscore
I have, however, auditioned the Energy Take 5 (not 5.2) and had two criticisms which prevented me from buying them. Firstly, as has already been mentioned, the sub was pretty poor. Secondly, the centre and L/R speakers were not timbrally matched.
I haven't done a direct a/b comparison, but I believe the 5.2 is substantially improved over the original 5. Come to think of it (I actually have "5's") I must have spotted this at the time I bought (some years ago) because I actually have a set of 5 identical satellites - my centre is the same as the other five.
And I never had the Energy sub. Mine is a Definitive Technology item, which I may well upgrade sometime.
Answers:
Music, very good with Bose - I doubt that somehow....
Answers:
Last time I listened to a bose acoustimas 10 in Sevenoaks I thought theye were broke.
Honesly, the sound was that poor.
Marketing over music.
Answers:
Surprised no-one's mentioned the Acoustic Energy Aego 5 package yet, comes with 5 identical sats, a sub and a DD and DTS decoder/amp.
no idea what the sub's like but the sats are amazing for their size (they are VERY small indeed). Whole lot comes in at £500ish IIRC.
http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/products/aego/aegoloudspeakers.html
EDIT: superfi have it for £499
http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/1314
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