Alternatives to BOSE WAVE III System?

Vital

My wife got me Bose wave III system for my birthday. Exactly what I need - good looking portable cd player that's not a "boombox".

The only problem with this bose piece is that there's no bass and sound gets "noisy" when loud. I do realize there's only so much bass without a subwoofer so I'm not looking for a 5 star restaurant at McDonalds prices but is there a better option? Willing to add a few hundred bucks if needed but better sound at higher volumes and deeper bass would be nice.

Mikey081057

#2 pencils thru my ear drums

Inspector 24

Smart **** answer: Anything but Bose for 1/3 the price maybe?

Serious answer, if you've got to have 'No Highs, No Lows, Must Be BOSE' the Acoustic wave is a big step up in sound.

Or maybe http://www.polkaudio.com/woodbourne/d/1041C3015
I heard it at CES, though I'd personally never spend $600 on such a thing, seemed nice for what it is.

But in these prices you could buy an inexpensive integrated and a couple decent speakers and get arguably better sound.

Nightfall

For a few hundred you could put together something with Monitor 5 or 7's, even if it's with a cheap AVR or a vintage integrated/receiver. That's how I look at it anyway.

How portable does this need to be? I bet these would do better, you'd just need a CD player.

http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-ProMedia-Certified-Computer-Speaker/dp/B000062VUO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1440052385&sr=1-1&keywords=klipsch+promedia+2.1

cfrizz

Good lord people, did you miss the fact that he wants something portable???

mhardy6647

Sangean and Tivoli both make some very nice radios -- generally mono, but compact, EQ'd to decent sound at even moderate volume levels, and good radio performance as well.

We have a Sangean in the kitchen. It fills the downstairs with sound when asked to do so, sounds good, and will receive WBZ-AM in Boston (120 miles away) day or night, too -- as long as I turn off the LED lights in the kitchen :-P

EDIT: FWIW, this is the one we have. Obviously it is not stereo, though,
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/spcialty/3281.html

txcoastal1

http://www.peachtreeaudio.com/deepblue2.html

I'm enjoying this unit

MrBuhl

I was thinking Woodbourne too - but you may want more than just a bluetooth speaker.

I've heard these - and we use a version in my hotel. Not a bad sound, but not what I would consider good bass either. http://www.tivoliaudio.com/products/hi-fi-systems/portable-music-system-three-am-fm-bluetooth-white.html

For the cheap price, (check the refurb Polk Store on eBay) my Camden Square is a nice sounding bluetooth speaker at moderate volumes honestly.

That Peachtree looks like a winner!

Emlyn

If looking for an all in one CD player with an am fm tuner these days, the market is pretty small. Most systems are streaming now.

Not really anything wrong with the Bose for what it is, which is an old school table radio/cd player that apparently still sells well.

If looking for better sound, you may need to consider entering the world of streaming audio, whether from a Bluetooth or network device. There are dozens of systems that do that in many price ranges.

EDUBAG

audioengine has a couple of things that might work for you. the a5 and a2 powered speakers are well reviewed also they have a new bluetooth speaker that is supossed to be the a2 with bluetooth together in one body. has an extra input and seems rather nice and portable enough.

www.audioengineusa.com no affiliation

currently own the a2 and are great for what they are. surprisingly good!!!

ambiophonics

Find a used Cambridge Soundworks CD88. A wonderful table radio designed by Henry Kloss. It has a built in subwoofer, CD player, good radio tuner, and aux input. I've had several of these over the years and they provide room filling sound and excellent bass output.

WLDock

What sources are you after? CD, radio, files, etc? Direct connect, Bluetooth, etc?

Depending on what your needs are.....a Bluetooth device mated with a MP3 player, phone, eyc might work? ...for less money.

The Harman Kardon Onyx Studio is a nice sounding and room filling unit with a very surprising amount of bass. Check out the TONS of reviews on the net, youtube. Also check out their other products....defiantly products worth listening to, Odd shape but battery powered and portable.

And if you are good with connecting a player to a speaker vs. the portable wave system concept...and you 'really" want to jam on the go....the Marshall Kilburn Portable Bluetooth Speaker is a MUST listen to! As well as the JBL, and the Klipsch.