5 Reasons Bose is Going Away
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- In this video I will go over 5 reasons audiophiles love to hate Bose. If you grew up in the 70's through early 2000's the word Bose was synonymous with a good quality setup, often priced a bit out of reach for the average consumer giving it the illusion of high quality and providing the consumer with a sense of prestige for owning a Bose product. Boy have the tables turned. Let me know in the comments your opinion about the brand!
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0:00 Intro
2:47 Sound Quality
3:57 Parts and Materials
5:11 Price
6:03 Perception
7:07 Current State
#bose #bosespeakers #hifiaudio 
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I worked with Bose for many years, and Bose was never meant for audiophiles! 😉
I can understand why some people feel that the products were bad and some felt they were great, while being both right and wrong. 😀
They were the first ones at incentivizing marketing and advertising on other channels, but not on audio magazines (which makes sense, from a business point of view when you are selling products that are different).
From the very start, the Bose 901 worked on different principles (89% of the sound coming from the back, 11% from the front, no tweeters, an active equalizer which had to be looped in the amplifier, etc), and the first technical report and review made by a magazine showed how bad the numbers were (and how unimpressed they were with the sound quality), that Bose sued that magazine!
Bose didn’t win (of course, as the Magazine was only stating facts), but that left the audio magazine industry not keen to review Bose products.
If you’re used to JBL, B&W and other well reputed brands, it’s virtually unavoidable to be seriously disappointed with the 901’s.
While the Bose 901 EQ does help in getting a great amount of bass from all those 9 small drivers (with an interesting implementation of the bass reflex principle), there was just no way those drivers could get anywhere near 16.000hz, let alone the industry standard 20.000 hz.
And even 16.000 Hz would be “great”, if the drivers could do it (they can’t), or get near that value with some sonic integrity.
The Acoustimass sattelites wouldn’t go above 14/15 KHz, and this is if we consider the most useless dB range deviation.
BUT that’s not what Bose was all about. 🙂😉
Bose was about creating different audio solutions, and while the acoustimass concept would never reach the level of audio performance of a properly designed 2 or 3 way (relatively) large loudspeaker, it was an excellent trade-off for everyone who didn’t want the room visually dominated by loudspeakers.
The Wife Acceptance Factor played a huge role, but if we go back to 2010, TV’s had already a slim profile, and the old HiFi trend of large rectangular boxes was already fading away.
Look at what happened to big brands from the past like Onkyo, Pioneer, Marantz, Denon and many others, making joint-ventures trying to stay alive, and ultimately being sold to investment firms.
The market was increasingly shrinking, and there was no business for all of them (and this was even worse for so many English and USA based brands).
The way we listen to music changed a lot over the decades, and most manufacturers couldn’t keep the same old way of making audio products.
Back to Bose, some products were great by concept and performance, such as the original SoundLink Mini, the noise cancelling headphones, and other differentiated products.
They were groundbreaking and often shaped the future of the its category, which does means that other brands would make their own take on the concept, and sooner or later being able to do it better than Bose, and after a while, at a cheaper price.
There’s no way around it, and let’s keep in mind that Bose was always a small manufacturer when compared to the big ones (like Sony, which has been leading the headphone market, specially in the noise canceling field).
Bose has been in a huge downfall for some years now, and since Dr. Bose passing away (I’d say a few years before), Bose started collecting commercial failures in its product line.
The QuietComfort was huge for Bose and really started picking up sales after 2010, but the product and technology was already available since the late 90’s, or to put it simple, it was still a product and technology born under the genius “stubbornness” of Dr. Amar Bose.
There were a lot of bad sounding products (specially considering the price tag) from Bose over the years, so it wasn’t all great (it rarely is on any brand, although Bose capitalized a lot on the brand image that they created).
That always made Bose a very polarizing brand, on which either someone loved or hated (the truth is almost always in the middle 😉).
Bose has been on its downward path for some years, as can be seen for the massive layoffs in the last years (it started before the pandemics), and the professional product division was sold (just what its founder always tried to avoid, and one of the reasons for giving most of it to MIT).
Since 2010, Bose openly started an ambitious strategy of actually getting bigger and more mainstream, which I (and many others) felt that it wouldn’t be good over the long run.
And it wasn’t, since Bose never had the dimension to fight against the big brands (which always had a lot more financial resources), but left many “premium” customers unhappy, while trying to grab a piece of the mass market.
And that’s how Bose has been consistent at losing both markets, with several different CEOs trying to put the company back on tracks, which clearly isn’t working.
Interestingly enough, Bose isn’t as polarizing today as it was 20 years ago, which is also due to its lack of innovation and making things differently - which was always how Dr. Amar Bose successfully ran the company for decades.
That Bose hate from many was only possible because the brand had also a huge cult-following customers (think about Apple, Tesla and so many others).
When people are mostly indifferent about any brand, there’s no hate, but there’s not “love” either. 😉
I’d argue that most Bose haters (and lovers) are not the younger generation, because the brand has become mostly indifferent for them.
And although Bose will try to divert the blame on the pandemics/economy, etc (like most companies do when things go wrong), all the market shares don’t lie about one simple truth:
- Bose has been steadily losing market to other brands for about an decade, it’s not the market itself who got smaller!
On the subject of marketing, Bose was really good at it, but I say it as a compliment.
I worked for Bose most of my adult life. Bose WAS an awesome company to work for and had some great products. Since DR Bose passed away, their legacy products have been mostly discontinued and focus mostly on personal products and headphones. DR Bose must be turning in his grave today.
Thank you for what you have written here. Excellent. As an ex Bose customer back in the day I enjoyed reading it.
How to take a sound idea and do things different,the original concept of reflecting sound of the walls is what Bose was about back in the 70s 80s there unique speakers 201s 301s 501s 701s 901s etc was interesting and dare I say different the later products up to more recent have moved away from that original idea and trying to survive in a reduced market.
You miss the fact a shrinking hifi market means most brands have gone or are just hanging in there. Most teens and others use there mobile phone for music, Bose has revised its product range to survive,not because of quality but to focus on what the market wants.
Most people are listening to music on the go,bluetooth mobile phone, stand alone bluetooth spks covienence seems to rules that's why all hifi makers ,are clinging by there fingertips to the smaller market (us)that is left.
Ok, I can fully understand your point on Bose being overpriced and using mediocre components. However, those factors didnt stop me from owning three Bose sets (301-2, 401, and 6.2) which I still enjoy using. Of course I tried different speakers that audiophiles claim to be better. Interestingly enough, I ended up coming back to Bose! Why? Those "highend" speakers require a special equipment matching; otherwise they too can sound pretty bad. Bose speakers on the other hand arent so picky about the equipment matching and they can produce very nice sounds with any decent amplifiers. Sound is a very subjective thing and I often didnt like what those "experts" recommended on the hifi megazines. The Bose are good enough for my taste.
That was very well-written. You're 100% correct.
True it's all personal choice many of the so called best buys do not always fit personal taste for sound and look.
And other company's sold something very comparable for$29.99. All hype and voodoo
I could never spend that much money on a product and not know the specs, but that's just me.
You will not buy an RR auto
Have you ever tried LISTENING to MUSIC?
I had some nice 3-Way JBL speakers in the 1980s and my buddy shelled out thousands for a set a 901's. He was moving them around all the time but could never get them to sound as good as my much cheaper JBL's. He eventually sold them for a loss and bought some JBL's like mine. Lesson learned. Just because it is expensive, doesn't not mean it is good.
If I remember this correctly, back in the 90's, a pair of 901s would go for about $900-$999. The speakers came with an active inline equalizer, and if you wanted the full experience, you also needed the Bose 1801 power amplifier. That amp today can fetch about $1,500. Crazy stuff!
Correct, but we must remember that it doesn't just apply to Bose products.
I Can't Talk Too Much About Their Hime Audio Products As Much I Hate Them For Their Branding Of "Premium Car Audio" Upgrade In Automotive Industry. I've Owned/Own 2 Vehicles That Came With The Premium Bose Audio Upgrade And I Can Tell You They Are a Joke!!! My First Vehicle That Had The Factory Bose System Was My 1999 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi and My Current Vehicle Which Is A 2018 MAZDA CX-5 Touring w/Premium Package. Both Sound Systems Were Severely Lacking In Overall Sound. I Replaced My Front and Rear 6.5" Factory Door Speakers In My Mazda Along With The 3.25" Centerpoint Speaker With J.B.L. Aftermarket Speakers, Added a Kicker Keyloc Line Output Converter, Added a JL Audio 100w Mono Amplifier To Run a Rockford Fosgate 10" Bandpass Box And Now It Has HiFi Sound Quality When I Listen To My LG V40 ThinQ Phone With Built-In Quad D.A.C. Along With My Tidal Account. You'd Think With a Name Like Bose You Wouldn't Have To Go Through Doing and Spending All That Money But The Truth Is You Do Have To If You Truly Want Good Highs/Mids/Lows
I very much agree with you. I have a Bose Soundlink Mini 1, and I am always fascinated just how good the sound is for such a small and portable unit; I use it all the time and just replaced its ageing battery to give it a new lease of life. I got the original Acoustimass AM5's in the mid 80's which, in my opinion, sound great if not highly novel, hooked up to my Cambridge amp. I am no high end audiophile, although have a second decent system (Acoustic Energy speakers, REL subwoofer, Yamaha amp). I'll always love my Bose stuff for what it is and have no qualms against the marketing that hooked me in. Just looking at their website now, it's sad to see that their entire speaker range has vanished (301, 501, 601, 901 etc.), and the lack of any attempt to upgrade/innovate their previous lines.
I noticed that too that they don't have any good speakers of any size.
I just bought the Bose Wave Music System IV to listen to CD's with headphones (Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 80 Ohm) to capture a more in depth high quality sound experience. What do you make of it and should I return it? Thanks.
Maybe more of a status symbol? I looked at it as if you had Bose, you had a lot of money.
what's up brother Mike, do you know if the Bose 301 Series IV grills will fit the Bose 201 series IV speaker
Bose= Better Sound through Advertising. His BEATS headphone comment is spot on.
Sonos is the most overrated Audio Brand since Bose
I have a modest HT setup comprised of TCL 65R635 tv, ST300 Soundbar, rear Surround Speakers, and 500 Bass Module. Total invested is less than $2000 through some good sale prices at various outlets. I am not an audiophile and I hate wires. The system more than meetsy needs and sounds great to me. Now, if I have an actual HT room and a $10k budget, would I want Bose? Nope. But for me, what I have now is pretty damn nice.
Bought the Bose 5.1 Accustimass Series and really enjoyed movies. BUT... what it did for music was not so good. Missing frequencies/blurred soundstage ... Then, I bought separates and replaced Bose with SVS and Klipsch speakers for an AWESOME 5.1.4 system. Dramatic improvement! Great movie experience AND great music listening. Pinpoint accuracy. No missing frequencies. Flat responce. Dirac room correction is the cherry on top! **I believe that unless the systems are placed side by side, you may not hear what you are missing, especially with focal clarity.
Agreed! Now, all you need are two subs, and the bass coverage will blow your mind!
Dump the Klipsch obnoxious ear bleeders and get more SVS speakers.
I found bose audio products to be ok for background music , vague uncontrolled fuzzy bass and no real top end , smeared soundstage but still pleasent with certain music, BOSE is the best for people that just don't know 😉
You can buy way better speakers for the same price. Their speakers have a response bass that always sounds wrong and at best ok-ish mid-range. I don't like that their specs offer no detail on frequency response, sensitivity, etc.
Bose did some incredible stuff with some ultra cheap speakers....makes you wonder how they would've done with some quality parts? Their marketing had most of us fooled and those demos in the stores were pretty impressive too. Cool video, thanks for sharing
Dude I love your channel! Youre a legend!!!
Bose has a reputation of using electronics to overcome the sound of cheap speakers instead of just using quality parts in the first place.
I once attended a hotel "audio show" for the acoustic wave radio. Really smoke and mirrors hucksterism. I nevertheless saw a line of buyers as I left the conference room, so it was working. Also I left with a free compilation CD. A decade later, despite my protests, my wife bought the Bose radio as my Christmas present The CD player stopped working years ago. I don't hate Bose. It doesn't market to audiophiles anyway. (I'm barely mid-market).
I had the same radio, it played maybe 5 discs successfully then that was it. Could not read discs etc. etc. Became a big radio and paperweight !!
@@geraldmartin7703 I'vr known the Wave Radio since it came out, and it was always a very specific product - so much that it could only be sold by Bose itself (not Bose dealers).
While I beber felt tempted to buy one for myself, it did sound great for its size and age.
It came into the market way before any compact system, and while it was never meant for audiophiles, I remember how people were amazed by the sound of such a compact device.
Yes, it failed to impress anyone that heard the much smaller Soundlink Mini, but they were almost 2 decades apart. 😉
And this was the thing for many Bose products:
- Of course they had to rely on the electronics in order to produce that much bass from such small enclosures, and it was always a "fake" way of producing low frequencies.
It just didn't had the internal volume necessary for a somehow linear bass response at lower frequencies.
But instead of comparing it with a conventional audio system from the same price range, it could and should have been compared with similar sized products, because it was much easier to place inside a house or office.
Even small bookshelf speakers would take much more space, you would need two of them, and the smaller ones were terrible at producing bass at all.
Bose found out its market in there, and no one can deny that it was sucessful. 😉
Now fast forward to the last 5 years, and you'll see nothing memorable about Bose.
The competition caught them, and even surpassed them at lower prices...
...but Bose wanted to be "a big One", and often used Apple as an example!!
That was always a joke, because they were never THAT porwerful or big to play with the big ones.
Bose has been failing because they became too greedy.
The Soundlink Mini was probably the only real game changer in the last 10 years. That thing blew my mind when it came out.
But it didnt take long for others to copy the concept to the mainstream and make it better for cheaper.
The Soundlink Mini is still, in my opinion, the only best sounding bluetooth speaker they made. I briefly owned the Revolve Plus and was disappointed at how horrible it sounded, especially for being around $360 after taxes. Returned the speaker and ended up getting a Marshall instead.
SoundLink Flex sounds better and has better bass and treble.
I originally liked Bose products when I first heard them in the 70s, with the 901 and other direct/reflecting models. Fast forward 20 years later, my brother bought the Accoustimas modules/sub package. On a visit to his place, I immediately thought "WTF is this crap?" The sound was terrible despite expecting it to sound good because of what I had previously heard from Bose. This was even before the wide-spread revulsion to Bose had taken firm hold amongst audiophiles, so I was not 'conditioned' at that point yet to expect crap sound. I just knew to never consider a Bose product ever again.
This is true. I purchased the same system and I totally agree that it was absolute garbage and that is exactly where I put it when I couldn't tolerate it anymore. A complete waste of money.
I remember the first time I ever listened to a AM5 system and I couldn't believe my ears. The low end was crazy even for the size of the sub box. At that time I started to read about what made them different, and a lot of things make sense, neodymium magnets, exceptional acoustic designs, etc. Over the years with more and more names going into the sub/satellite arena, the HT arena and now the Dolby Atmos craze, their direct/reflecting principles are still present somehow. One thing I have never witnessed is a Bose system distorting. I think at some point in their design stage, they make sure to feed their systems with the highest possible input signal / pink noise and over emphasise certain frequencies or their harmonics specially on the low end area, to carefully build that "big sound" without compromising the mechanics of the transducer. The loudness contour when listening at low levels and higher levels varies in a non conventional fashion to protect the speakers from distorting and also, to make them sound big at low listening volumes. I have cranked up few of their systems, and you feel they could go higher in volume when they reach the limit. I think these non-linearities and limits are the reasons why a lot of people end up hating Bose sound or their products. I do like their approach, I think they were somewhat overpriced (nowadays is common to find more and more audio brands and items in the same price range!), but I get the majority of listeners love the simplicity of their setups vs. the quality they get. I have a Bose system that came built-in my car, and even when I wish to be louder sometimes, I like how it sounds.
Over the years Bose became more of marketing company then a innovative audio company. They have spent more money on marketing then their engineering. They have always been a product for the mass market. So their shift from speaker systems and their "lifestyle" systems to BT speakers, headphones and earbuds makes sense. The market for speaker systems has shrunk significantly. Having spent many years working in the CE industry and for a Bose dealer, I always felt their products were overpriced for what they were. You could easily find competitor products that would perform better for less money. The reason they have never published the specs on their products is that it would show that their performance lacks when compared to their competition. As a Bose dealer, you were required to display their speaker and system products away from their competition. Hence the reason for the dedicated displays on dealer's showrooms. They did not want to make it easy for a customer to make A\B comparisons. Also the demo material for their products was supplied to the dealer and were specially EQ'd to make the products sound as good as possible.
I think it really depends what kind of speaker you buy, I have a soundbar and it sound very nice
What sound bar do you have and did you try listening to similar products in the same price range from other company? I am also trying to buy my first sound bar for TV, not familiar in this area but I heard Sonos (arc) Samsung (q990c) Nakamichi (dragon) products are way better in quality for the same money?
Most people commenting about Bose fails to take into account some other aspects. One, Amar Bose was way ahead of his time. More than 5 decades ago he figured out that reflecting sound of walls can create interesting effects. Today, all soundbars work on the same principle.
2. Bose also has a pro audio division and some of their pro audio products are really good. Go and try the Bose S1 Pro.
3. In spite of ppl complaining abt Bose's poor build and materials, Bose products often outlasts supposedly better build products. My Bose Cinemate is more than 15 yrs old and still runs without a hitch. But my High End Denon AV Receiver stopped working after 5 yrs. I wish Bose continued to innovate.
Idk…. I always found it fascinating. I know I’m biased as I do love Bose and have grown up with seeing those classic acoustimass systems and going into the Bose store and seeing the reveal in the demo of the speakers being the small cube shaped. The sound was insane (granted I know it was a mock living room) but I had heard and seen other stores and big loudspeaker setups I was really impressed for the size. In high school I owned the old pair of non-noise canceling headphones with the cord, great sound for great entry level price. Had lots of friends with the sound link original and the newer variants all great little Bluetooth speakers.
Fast forward years later the house that I’m in now had one of the old accoustimass systems installed into the walls and the only thing left are the front L and R channel surround speakers.. for years I thought they were cooked and so did the previous owner until I found out they weren’t connected to the wires in the wall cavity. They’re all connected to our now very old Panasonic 5disc DVD surround and the Panasonic speakers that were originally for the L and R channel got repurposed for the Rear Surround L and R adding a little more sound in the back. The speakers are from around 96’ I think….. and absolutely amazing…… hooked the iPhone up for some hi res losses and the clarity and power is wild…. So ya 🤷♂️ old but GOLD baby!
If it sounds good to you and makes you happy, nothing else matters, my friend!
I have a pair of old, floor standing, reflective Bose speakers that are excellent (don't know the model). My old man has the Acoustimass set up (because of my mother!) and it is pretty poor. All treble and bass, no middle. I worked in hi-fi retail 20-ish years ago, and we sold Bose. They were so sure of themselves that you had to sign a massive contract, agreeing to all sorts, just for the privilege of selling their overpriced stuff. No surprise to me to see them going down the pan.
I think we have all experienced the Acoustimass at one point or another lol
I got a eight year old Bose iPod sound dock 10. I use it for computer audio and it’s really good for that.
If it works it works!
I've got a Soundock 1.0 and a Companion 5. What's funny is they sound radically different, despite both being Bose and from a similar time period (2010 ish). The companion 5 has the sub so it sounds "better" but there are no mids to be found. It's more scooped than a metalzone pedal. Meanwhile the Soundock lets you hear vocals and guitar solos, they're not buried in the mix. It makes me wonder if the Companion 5 satellites are wired out of phase or something...
Great commentary! Would love to see a deep dive on psychoacoustics.
I was always fascinated with Bose products, despite never really liking the sound. It was amazing how such tiny speakers could sound so captivating... but when you spend an extended amount of time listening you realize something sounds off.
Quite brilliant from a business standpoint. They basically made cheap drivers and flimsy enclosures sound decent using a variety of tricks. Such as long ports, bandpass enclosures to hide distortion, and equalization of certain frequencies to make the sound stand out. It's way cheaper to make a 5.5" bandpass sub box with MDF (Acoustimass) than a beefy 12" traditional sub. Using a combination of EQ and the bandpass enclosure, you could give that "sub" a bump around 50hz while cutting out all the low frequencies to minimize distortion. The average consumer would be impressed by the "bass" and how forward sounding it was for the size.
Also there is something in the reflection concept Bose focussed on to disperse the sound around the room,instead of conventional speakers with concentrated sound paths,Bose tried to bounce sound everywhere.
I have a Bose smart speaker, the thing can jam out, no questions asked and does have amazing clarity, but is it worth that price tag? I think so because I’ve had it for going on 3 years now and have never had any issues with it, nor is it showing signs that it falling behind in the times
Hello kind sir. If you have a minute to read this, I bought the 301-V Bose speaker because I thought hey a 8” woofer and a tweeter… an improvement over my full range speaker. Yet I heard the jbl L100 and god damn those sound very round and full. I was wondering if there was something I could hook up to my system to introduce that kind of sound.. is it reverb, a compressor, l100 jbl =4,500$
I was told that the build quality is cheap with Bose. I won’t say that the sound is worthless for a small room like mine. But if I played a sound demo of jbl l100 from RUclips , I think maybe it could reproduce some of the sound.
I was also told that the crossover in the 301 is bad and the tweeters and paper cones
What your recommend from soundavo ceiling speakers and amplifiers? 6!5 in
I have never had experience with that brand, so I can't really comment. However, they seem to produce more commercial type of gear.
I still buy Bose and have never been dissatisfied with their products.
Me neither!!
Same!
Their current offerings are still good. They just don't offer the high end products they had in the past. Even though vinyl has made a huge comeback and everyone is building high end turntables, Bose isn't producing any loudspeakers
Remember those little roommate speakers they had their own amp used to plug it into my phone they're probably about 4 in they would shakehe window from the bass
Bose connectivity to Wi-Fi suck I just returned by 900 for an arc and could not be happier
Bose had (and maybe still has) a nasty reputation of suing over negative reviews. In a notorious case Bose sued Consumer Reports over a single line in a critical speaker review. It's likely the reason reviews of Bose product are so rare in audio publications.
Bose had good products, but they were to commercial..............
That was 40 years ago for the 901 speaker.
No one reads audio publications, most will go to amazon to review.. bose can’t do shit about getting negative reviews there
@@66skate Try 56 years, it came out in 1968.
The only Bose speakers I ever owned were in an Infiniti car. They sounded good, but then again, so do most car stereos. One time I almost bought one of their radios that played CDs that had those sound chambers that made the sound perform better through the magic of tunneling trickery, but when I saw it in real life at a store, I thought it was much too expensive for a piece of cheap plastic Made In China.
I still remember those late night infomercials about the Bose Soundwave radio. The unit looked like it was made of Legos. Aaaah, isn't insomnia just wonderful?
After hearing AR speakers the sound of Bose sounded muddy. It still sounds like that today. Great marketing poor sound stage and muddy sounding. Nothing has changed.There are 20 speakers companies better than Bose. There are 40 headphone brands better than Beats or Bose.
There is something wrong here. Saying that the build quality of Bose speakers is poor is a bit strange, as there are millions of people who have used them for decades without any problems. Saying that the speakers have poor sound is also strange, as 90% of people like their sound, after having owned speakers from other brands and switching to Bose. Why is it important to say that Bose speakers do not play all frequencies, if their sound is more pleasant and less fatiguing than speakers from other brands. No brand survives on marketing alone as some say. If Bose is a giant company, it is because its products meet most consumer expectations. I already had KEF and Magnat speakers before buying Bose, and honestly at the end of the day, Bose speakers are much more versatile, less tiring and have a more pleasant sound.
Though bose sounds great but the technicalitiea in troubleahooting them is difficult. I worked as a tech support agent and there is not a day that there will be a customer calling about issues on their cd changers or wave wifi connections
bose have stayed the same since i was young, no development at all. and never a great value proposition. the first speakers they made i have no thoughts about, but interested in others take on them, 801 for example.
No development? Brotha, where have you been? Show me a system the size, power and clarity of the BOSE 650 at a cheaper price point. You can't!
@@williamcopeland2617 $4000? I would go with the new Sony surround HT setup and it is under $2000... All of the reviews on that system have been stellar. Downside on both systems, you cannot upgrade the subs.
@@michaelwright1602 That's a good system, no doubt. But at the end of the day I haven't come across any system the size of the 650 along with a better crystal clear sound for the price. The mids and highs are freaking incredible on it and the bass is very good, but not overwhelming too much. 👍
Am not an audiophile, but have a few different Bose headphones and find them quite good compared to others I’ve tried. Especially the noise reduction travelling in aircraft/indistinct noise. I’ve always found their speaker products too bass-y. Although I do have a Bose soundbar, but that was less than half price in an Amazon sale.
Their headphones are not bad. The rest..........
You must listen do Sony 1000x line, they sound a lot better and you still get reference noise canceling...
Yes, Bose noise cancelling was groundbreaking (it was already available in the late 90’s).
For many years, Bose didn’t have competition at all, because you had several better-sounding headphones, but none of them had noise canceling.
Fast forward to 2021, and you had a totally different reality, with other big names having the best of both worlds and added features. 😉
Competition leads to evolution. 🙂
Good background on the Bose story and the original sound concepts behind the brand,as someone who has owned 301s as well as other brands Allison acoustics,Wharfdale,Jbl etc,I am not saying they are best I have heard but they have a different approach to sound that appeals to myself and others the look of there speakers back in the 80s was unique 901s etc.
As for today's Bose pretty much going the way of most hifi company's ,less demand in today's world of stream to wireless ear buds and mobile phones or stand alone speaker.
I agree. We went from quality audio to lifestyle products.
@@mykandrew The last proper hifi Bose speakers I saw on a holiday to Florida in 2001 was a updated 601 and 701 speaker ,since then have not noted any further new designs apart from updated 301 and 201 speakers.
I am a Bose fan. Bose isn't going anywhere because there are enough of us to keep them around. I have been a fan of Bose since the 70's. Bose has never claimed to be audiophile and they aren't. There are times when I wonder what they are doing because they have released some duds over the years but I am and always will be a Bose fan.
Agreed
they r discontinuing so much good stuff they used to sell....this is a bad sign
@sunny787 not really. Seems like they are streamlining to only sell their best selling stuff
@@sunny787 The mass hifi speaker market is shrinking hifi company's also are shrinking lifestyle,earbuds,mobile phone streaming is were it's at for most a few die hard hifi people out there but hifi makers adjusting to their market.
@@soundscapefusions3101 Completely agree, I think upper-middle to high-end hifi is an ever diminishing niche market, as smaller/portable/lifestyle systems are the desire of the younger generations, let alone that the shelves are nowadays flooded with infinite choices of product.
I bought a pair of Bose Sunglasses last year. Only Bose product I have ever owned. I like them so much better than headphones. Don't go in your ears, can hear everything around me & have very good sound stage around my head. I wish more companies made similar products.
They do, there are a lot of companies that make that same product. Bose has done well with lifestyle products, and that's the only sustainable market they have.
I havent heard anything about BOSE recently. Used to see them advertising all the time but now you only see them in car audio. There used to have lots of products in best buy and other stores but not anymore just just see one in the corner away from all other speakers. Its like they are forgotten except for audio in cars.
25 years ago, I was an AV tech and my company set up employee meetings for BOSE for a while up at The Mountain. One of the meetings featured a home system that was set up in a corner for the employees to see and hear. Interestingly, we were told to play only chamber music through the system. A BOSE manager told us they sound the best with that kind of music. And the sound was quite good handling delicate, airy classical music. When no one was around, we played some rock through the system. It sounded horrible. It could not handle loud, dense music. I never considered anything made by BOSE after that demo.
I Love Bose and will continue buying their products. Still have my 301s and Bose Soundlink mini. (I collect speakers, from Focal, B&W, Kef, Etc..)
I just purchased a set of 301's series iv and 201's series iv that I'm still waiting to show up on my front porch. Many years ago I owned 301's and 201's series 3 and loved them. What is your opinion on the series iv?
@@Hats1976 More stylish design, but the high frequencies need to be raised a bit with an eq; especially arrund the 16 to 20 KHz.
I have a pair the L-1 model 2 and never disappoint!
I used them for my djay gigs and I get tons of praise on the sound
It produces!
If you are a DJ my dude you need those hulking JBL pro audio speakers. Probably one of the BEST DJ speakers I ever heard.
I have a well modified 2013 Mazdaspeed 3 with an OEM Bose stereo complete with a bass box that sits in my spare tire. Just this weekend my girlfriend said “Wow, nice stereo!” Previously she was annoyed with loudness of the 2x catless car but with the stereo turned up she was grooving
A buddy had an AM5 setup in college and it sounded good in a dorm room, but then another friend got a Cambridge Sound Works Ensemble system and the sound quality was so much better. Suddenly the AM5 sounded harsh.
My home theater set up is through Bose except for the subwoofer as I use Cerwin Vega. Everything is over 15 years old though and still going strong.
That's Your opinion ! I have a Bose sound system in my truck ,, I have 2 Bose 2.2 bookshelf speakers ,, I have Bose Series 45 Quiet Comfort Headphones ! I have a Bose Bluetooth Soundlink speaker ! And at 70 years old I have never been happier with the sound and the quality of the sound that I've gotten out of my Bose speakers, compared to any other speakers I've ever owned PERIOD
Sure they might be a little pricey ! But You get what You pay for !!!
I've several speaker brands, Bose 901 series 3 included which I bought more out of curiosity than anything else. The 901's have a wide soundstage and amazing amount of bass but when compared to my ESS amt-1's, I'll take the ESS any day and for that matter, most of my other speakers...but they look nice on their tulip stands!
They were pretty pioneering on noise cancellation no? Then theirs there professional products in aviation, cars, military, space, musicians, stadiums, outdoor, etc - too I think. Convenience sells and wins, AirPods? It’s the same situation.
Agreed which is why I'll never own Airpods. It's a product completely surrounded around hype 🤔
I agree with you! 10 years ago, when I was still a student the first time I saw mini soundlink I was amazed by its sound quality and size. I bought that and qc35 for comfort and noise cancellation which I also liked (until some thief stole it from my car). I recently bought revolve II plus and NC700 assuming there must be huge improvements in sound quantity after so many years, but I was so disappointed that the sound quality is still the same like years ago, especially with the high price tag they put. Not too bad but meh really just ok at best. I mean look at how fast tech products are evolving in specifications and quality each year, all they did seem to be making their products look fancy and marketing. I will return the speaker and probably stay away from Bose at least for a while. 😢
I also thought the Bose acoustamass sounded good when I heard it in a store years ago, until I heard stuff from other manufacturers. I was young and inexperienced but it soon became apparent to me that Bose was quite expensive and was not really competing to sound the best, just to sell the most. This is a company that didn't advertise in audio publications for a reason, audiophiles were not their target audience and they knew it. But to someone who did less digging and didn't care as much, it sounded great to them and they were happy! For people on a journey for better sound Bose was a not an option, especially for the budget conscious. I do think they had some neat ideas back then and it is too bad they all went away!
2:52 cracking on audiophiles is absolute gold😂😅🤣
Bought a new pair of Bose 301s in 1991. Put up with them for less than a year, then realized they reproduce a facsimile of music, not real music. Traded them in for JBLs and never looked back.
The 901is the best party speaker ever, they just go so loud without distortion and its cousin the 802 was a stunning PA speaker.
I recently sold my Bose cinemate 15. Couldn't enjoy a movie as voices were too low. It's ok for music but in this case I use the QC 35 which is a master piece ;)
I agree and disagree with you, respectfully.
Being an older dude, 55, I have had my share of all types of speakers and stereo/Audio equipment.
I heard a pair of 901's back when I was a kid and was blown away. I currently own a pair of 401.s, 6.2's and 201/s for my rear speakers and they sound great!
That being said, I guess I'm not considered a "true" audiophile because I would spend ten's of thousands of dollars on a pair of speakers. There are some systems out there that are over a MILLION dollars! No thanks.
I love when "audiophiles" say that Bose has no highs and then say that they are "too bright". Well? which is it?....LOL
My system sounds great and I have had several types of speakers as I said.
I'll stick with BOSE
But, you are correct when you stated that when BOSE went to mass marketing, it was over. I can remember that you could only buy BOSE, POLK, INFINITY, etc in a "STEREO" store. Mass marketing killed al that.
The only thing BOSE makes now in loud speakers is the F1's. Which do sound great!
BOSE needs to get back to the basics and start making loud speakers again!
Great vid
I definitely would love to own a pair of 901s, and I completely agree with you. If Bose went back to its foundation, they could change the game. I would back that decision. Sonos is booting them out of the overpriced lifestyle speaker market, so now would be a great time to shift their focus.
I use a SoundLink Mini for ham radio! Cheaper than a proper communication speaker, smaller, but a magnitude better. Only issue is that it needs charged. Great speaker though.
Bos used high and marketing to dup customers into paying too much for low quality products. I want to a demo and the sales person was both stunned, aggressive and demeaning when I said no. I bought a great system using Yamaha amp Klipsch speakers for less.
I’ve had a positive experience with Bose equipment over the years. Have noise-canceling headphones including a pair of wireless. Gave the wired ones to my daughter for use at school. Portable Bluetooth speaker and a desktop wave radio with CD. Well made and sound good for what they’re supposed to do. Never went with their home systems but came close in the late 90s and early 2000s. Chose Sonos systems for my TV soundbars and subs over Bose most recently. Have an individual 2.2 music only system with no Bose in my listening room. No changes are permanent but change is.
Bose was just named one of the top 10 brands in the U.S. “that people can’t live without” in 2022 by Prophet. They’re still doing just fine.
Prophet must've been paid quite well for those claims. Either that or the masses need to expand their horizons!
I have been extremely happy with my Soundtouch 300 bar, sub and wireless cubes for the rear channels. once its calibrated for the space and used in conjunction with Dolby Atmos. truly amazing sound stage for music and movies. I have Mcintosh equipment, Wharfedale, Bowers & Wilkins setup in the rest of the house for the main sound drivers, but I still love my Bose setup in the master bedroom environment.
Bose is now an entertainment lifestyle product, but they work okay and better than most of the competition - the 900 soundbar is really good, their headphones are reasonable and they will still be around
The direct/reflective principal is acoustically flawed.
Very solid assessment. I have a pair of 4.2 series II's that I've had for over 30 years. They are very decent to my ear. Too bad Bose didn't continue to enhance their better quality product lines and instead let them die of old age.
Agreed 👍
I have heard different Bose systems they all sounded ok enough but not my cup of tea. I have to say i had the change of playing with a Bose PA system in a theater once and i was impressed with how that sounded
I grew up with bose I even have a set of 4001s and 701s series 1 and a set of 802s it's all about placement with them I think they sound amazing and iv had other brands iv had a set of polk monitor 12s CV E315s and CV ls12s they all sound great for different platforms
Everyone is right in their ways and taste. Fair judgment from fair expectations (aka needs). Anecdotal experience not the same as double blind clinical trials. In medicine, physicians and patients DO NOT KNOW the treatment given till the final result and even then there are controversies.
I could agree with that. I just feel that if Bose had focused on Home Audio rather than lifestyle products, there could have been some really interesting innovations.
I have a pair of 301's that I use as extra's to my B&W's. I get a surround sound through my Cambridge amp. Sounds good.
I never smelled bose. I researched and bought and still use Sennheiser though. Great for music but lately I use them for COD
Their headphones are ok. I do prefer other brands, though. I feel like a lot of mainstream noise canceling headphones manipulate the tone way too much creating what people think is great sound but are missing out on dynamics and other characteristics that are hindered by the way these headphones are voiced.
Acoustimass system was such overpriced junk
the only feat with acoustimass is getting bass from that small driver, but the box was large, easily fit much larger drivers in there.
Agree but when it debuted in 1987. The Satellite/Subwoofer War was on.
True. While not a huge fan of Bose, I once owned a Bose waveguide system. Acoustimass to me was never in the same category.
i love classic bose kit like the 201s,301s,141s and 151s they sounded pretty good when had a good components running them and i totally agree when bose went the sub satalite speaker route thats when the sound quality was okish i personally find thats where bose went wrong im not a fan of their lifestyle kit
I've been looking at buying an old Wave System IV, now I'm not so sure.
There are some valid points in this video, but none of them is THE reason Bose is going away. That reason is failed leadership with a lack of vision. I once worked for the company, and can attest to a completely insular and disconnected leadership structure that openly admitted by way of a "better late than never" mea culpa that they had not paid attention to what the competition were doing because "we were Bose" and didn't do what the competition did. There are so many things irresponsibly wrong with that, but chief among them was that in the ensuing years, the competition had taken over the space that Bose had pioneered, and surpassed them in every other area.
When Bose rightly chose to shift focus from their decades-old stereo speakers to streaming, and headsets, etc, it was already too late. Companies like Sonos and Beats already dominated those spaces for better or worse, had become the default recognized brands, and Bose was left trying to play catch-up by planning for a future that had become the present, and for which they were totally unprepared.
They have/had really talented engineers who could do almost anything, were they allowed to. It all boiled down to an absolute failure of leadership over a number of years. Hubris is why they are in decline. The company will probably survive in some form. It isn't just an audio company. But, its self-inflicted wounds are bleeding out its audio business.
My Bose 321 GSX theater system is still pumping with deep bass in the background along with my sound dock 10, c5, sound link color. and my Bose Sound Touch 10. and I own a few JBL systems. I love Bose.
While it may be better than your TV speakers, that 321 GSX system doesn't really have "deep" bass - it is not a subwoofer at all but instead it's a "bass module". Try to play an actual deep bass 20hz signal (or a deep bass action movie) and see if you are able to hear anything. My guess is that if you're able to hear anything at all - that it'll be a bloated, wooly mess that lacks any type of definition. A true subwoofer will give you that real deep bass extension that will also be tight, well-defined, and accurate unlike Bose's "bass module". I urge you to shop around and stop wasting your money on Bose if you really value sound quality.
Thank you Michael!!!!
What about this Christmas present for my Stephen!!!!
I like this
Im own a Bose lifestyle T20 for my tiny room and i love it ...easy setup and small foot print 👍
I am an audiophile and yet I do not hate Bose. But their speakers did have a coloration that the average consumer likes their sound. Unfortunately their target market thinks they are a high-end brand. Many people think they are "the best". I only real complaint about their products is the iffy reliability of their electronics.
based on what bose charged you would think it was equipment built for Kings and Queens. I love Bose, but hated their prices. just absurd pricing. yet they sold lots of it.
Bose sells a lot of noise cancelling headphones. And while I wouldn’t buy their speakers, I love their wireless ear buds. Maybe it’s my ears, but most are so uncomfortable. Bose makes some of the most comfortable ear buds for my ears. And they sound great while I work out.
Their earbuds are great, however the market is saturated with earbuds nowadays.
@@mykandrew that’s true. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else wear Bose ear buds. I’ve only seen people with the noise cancelling headphones.
Graduated from college in the spring of 1977, got a job and used my first pay check to but 901 series III.. Just signed the check over to store. I think I paid about $650.00.
Sold them in 2010 for $500.00
I have a set of 901s I bought back in the 80s and still to this day they sound great and will blow and rock the whole house, they sound great at low volume and boy can they take a betting at high volume, I have not had any problems out of them since I bought them brand new, heck these speakers are around 42 years old and still sound great.
Good vid Mike. My experience with the Acoustimass system goes back 20 years. You're right; wives shouted 'Geronimo!!" when the large Kef Concerto speakers faded into hi fi history; satellite treble speakers seemed like manna from heaven to them; that's actually all you see with this system...if the bass unit is discreetly hidden. Then, the bass appeared to emanate from the satellites, a joy! As for sound, I've found it all I need, treble, mid range and bass. However, because of the bass standing wave principle, the room must 'fit' the satellite speakers...THEN play the Ramones and wait for the irate neighbours to shout!
Your intro sounds amazing on my Bose 301’s🤣
As it should. I like the 301s
@@mykandrew series iv for the win.
One thing I can say the company is in a major tail spin. Their IP was mostly built in Mexico Ireland and the USA, once they started the majority manufacturing to China oh how the cows will come home. Some of the older products were better than average, and now the home theater experience has shifted leaps and bounds with tech advancements they are pretty stale. If you don’t think all that “engineering” is not rolling out the back door at 2am you’d have to be crazy.
Agreed. Sonos took their place in the lifestyle market. So, it really boils down to innovation and creativity at this point.
I have Bose Wave Radio of 1998 model and its amazing. After 2000 Bose declined in consumer series. After 2000s not as good as early since 1980s to 2000
Appreciate your insight on Bose Mike 👍 subscribed.
Bose = Buy other sound equipment
☝☝☝☝☝❤❤❤
Ooo
Nice 🎷🎷🎷🎷
My dad has a bose 321 setup. Its awful. Been trying to get him to get rid of it for years now.
What planet did you live on in the '70s? Here on earth, the Bose speakers that people actually had were crap. I remember the one time I got to listen to a pair of 901 speakers, as I walked through an auditioning room on my way to whatever it was that I could afford. The song was Carly Simon singing "The Spy Who Loved Me" and compared to the 1-way whizzer cone speakers I had at home, it sounded good. Just not $5000 good, and at $1000 in 1976, their price adjusted for inflation is over $5000 in 2022 dollars. And that $5000 got you the two speakers and the necessary EQ unit that boosted the bass and treble to normal levels, but not the massive Phase Linear 700 amplifier that was running all-out making a SPL that was not earth-shaking.
No, what kids my age knew Bose for was the dirt cheap model 301 speakers that, combined with a bottom of the line Pioneer receiver and a sub-$100 record player, made up the average teen's stereo. IME the average teen was bad at detecting clipping, because most of those 301 speakers had non-functional tweeters. The 301s weren't bad speakers, but they were cheap speakers. At that price, ditching the direct / reflecting design would have made them better or less expensive.
While the 301 managed to hit a price point that appealed to the mass market, the direct / reflecting gimmick just didn't work. Bose were not the only brand to get it wrong, but were the only brand to not offer _any_ normal speakers. So the reputation was indeed earned. And when Bose joined the sat/sub craze a day late and a dollar short, that just solidified a reputation of being a fad-chaser without any real substance. I don't know how someone with Dr. Bose's credentials could get that so wrong, but he did.
I did not live on this planet in the 70's, wish I had. I am a child of the 80's lol
@@mykandrew see, I thought you looked a bit young to have lived in the '70s! Let me tell you, it was a great decade for hi-fi. But Bose just wasn't at the vanguard of the movement. Both direct / reflecting and sat / sub were just awful ideas that didn't work well at all for stereo imaging. It wasn't just Bose, I had a pair of BIC Venturi "flying saucer" speakers that had a unique look due to midrange and HF horns radiating a full 360°. They were awful.
I don’t consider myself as an audiophile, but my father was back in the day, and I’ve been serious about audio since my childhood. In 2009 I was a teenager and I asked my father an upgrade to my crappy Trust PC speakers, so we went to the local store. We did know nothing about PC speakers and solutions back then and, when we saw the Bose Companion 5, and listened to it, we thought it had to be a top tier. It looked and sounded very robust and I still does today! As years passed I’ve learned more and more about audio and I realized it was so far from Hi-Fi: the equalization is not ideal and the sound can sometimes be so dense it’s undesirable, but overall I am still happy with my Companion 5. It’s a great product for everyday casual listening, it’s solid and a nice standalone that you can fit wherever you want.
I like Hi-Fi so much but one’s whole life hasn’t necessary to be Hi-Fi.
I actually really liked their Companion's as well back in the mid 2000's. I upgraded to the Klipsch Pro media system shortly after. Both were great. You're right, not ever aspect of our live has to be or even can be HiFi. But if you ever want to build a solid system.... I can help you with that.
If you want a laugh, go to the bose site now. There is no 201 and 301. The surround and "environmental" speakers are stocked out! They have the headphones, earbuds, bedroom radio, one set of computer speakers, and some eyeglasses I didn't bother to investigate. Oh, and soundbars -- lots of soundbars. Even if I once liked their products, why bother?
got a pair of 901 s.4 in pristine condition sittin' right here! come borrow 'em, anytime. 🙂 FUNNY story how I got them...driving to my buddy's house on "garbage pickup day", I spotted a bulk along the road. Meanwhile, the garbage truck is just behind me. When close to see, it was: these fine 901s, a Velodyne CHT-12 subwoofer, an Onkyo big-ass receiver, & an Onkyo double-cassette recorder. Imagine my incredible Good Luck, friends!!!! wowzer...this old Italiano stuffed them into my Honda Fit faster than anything!!! :-) Sadly, I've not the Active Crossover-unit for the 901s. Anyone share how I might work-around or DIY-build of one, please!!! And...keep your eyes open for some similar "miracle" to come YOUR ways. Heck if it might happen!!! PS: units all seem Pristine, but I'm figuring to use the 901s as "mid-range", adding tweeters, with that Velodyne. Likely use a store-bought 3-way x-over from PE??? (any suggestions, otherwise? Thanks for any!)
Bose stuck up 2 fingers at the existing audiophile market, and he was right for doing that.
I'm not joking when I say that many Bose products sound better than stuff that costs 10 times more.
Harmonics matter, but only a few seem to realise.
Bose is pretty much the perfect analogy to Apple in the computer world. Out of the box, fancy design products, with not so shiny, most of the time unknown specs and a friendly user interface that appeals to no thrill, non hobbyst users. It has its market and always will.
I bought a portable Bose PA for a family club I work with. It is very easy to use and accepts pretty much any format. I wouldn't have bought it for myself but it's perfect for this use.
If you can get your hands on the 501 you will discover it has a very pleasing, comfy and punchy tone that sounds nothing like the original record. It wasn't meant to be hifi.
It’s funny to me, regarding “audiophiles” how they love the “sound” of a Neve console. Neve was all about coloration of audio through its transformer inputs etc. completely transparent sound doesn’t exist. So if Bose takes it upon themselves to please the average listener, with a custom crossover curve, sure its not linear, but linear doesn’t please the average consumer who might not know how to adjust his own EQ. When separate Bass and Treble knobs came about on amplifiers in the 70’s-80’s what did everyone do? Push them both to +10 of course. When that wasn’t enough boost, then came the “loudness” switch! Yeah we turned that on also. Perhaps everyone around this time period was experimenting, I think Bose was simply compensating for what everyone else was doing.
I have only owned their Bluetooth headphones and purchased them because they sounded best to me at the time and the controls,etc worked very well. Nothing to do with the name.
When someone mentioned “audiophile” loudspeakers in general it may cost 10-20-50k$ or even more indeed, the price will touch the sky and sure the quality of parts and drivers will follow an unfair and unjust description and the equation, btw the owners get what they paid for, not more not less.
"Like what Sonos does now" - I'm not so sure that's a good comparison. I've got a set of PLAY 5's and I would stack them up against a set of Bose 901's, minus the volume.
But I do agree I want to see Bose take to innovation again, I am excited about the atmos system they have with the full setup… 🤷♂️
If they can have a Rocky II moment I would be very impressed and happy for them.
You are exactly right, they should have built upon the 901
I've always liked Bose, have a couple pairs of 301's, and love the sound link mini, but have always thought they're a bit over rated. The day I picked up a pair of Bowers and Wilkins 640's speakers, was the day I realized, Bose don't sound as good as I thought.