Bose lovers unite! (Or the end of audio retail as we know it)

rooftop59

Pretty interesting read I thought...

https://hometheaterreview.com/are-you-a-bose-hater-get-over-it/

halo

I have a Bose Soundbar 500 in my living room under the TV & it sounds much better than the built-in speakers on the TV.

Emlyn

That article seems to have provoked a lot of comments in its comments section.

There are still four standalone Bose stores in my area. Never been in any of them but I do remember their stores used to be in far more shopping malls. Closing all of them is a sign of the times and a reflection of how people purchase things. People will still be able to get their Bose fix inside big box stores though.

The history of their call the lawyers and sue mentality when attacking perceived criticism and competition is illuminating. I had forgotten about that. I must admit they have made some good products over the years including decent car stereo systems. Their products may be better now than ever before, especially their headphones.

Willow

I think this quote from the article says it all "they are the single best multi-channel marketing company perhaps in the entire global economy"

not speaker company, not AV company but marketing company. I guess the cost of paper is catching up to them.

pitdogg2

Bose has ALWAYS been known as a great marketing company.

Viking64

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVIWpwMOtz0

daddyjt

While not a Bose fan myself, it is worth recognizing that Bose has brought millions of people closer to their music, and greatly enhanced the enjoyment of music by those same millions. This is something we, as audiophiles, should celebrate - not scorn. After all, it’s far easier to drag someone into our hobby that currently enjoys high(er) quality audio from their Bose car stereo/headphones/sound bar, than from a ho-hum factory car stereo, no-name earbuds or built-in speakers on their tv.

Just my .02

Inspector 24

I hate Bose in home speakers, the sound is...well Bose. But they provide a product people love and is functional in their lives. Their car stereos are some of the most consistently good sounding of all I've heard, speaking from 15+years in the automotive industry repairing all makes. I love their noise cancelling headphones. IMHO they are the best combo of noise cancellation and sound quality and have made flights so much more enjoyable. And have you tried the new outside the ear tech? Pretty awesome.

Bose has often been at the front of industry trends, I agree with the article, them closing all their retail stores is a strong indication of where the industry is going. The middle is getting cleaned out, leaving the high end expensive nice products, and the cheap entry level stuff that to the average consumer sounds as good or better. Bose wins because they put what people perceive as amazing sound into a tiny package that fits anywhere and is convenient and easy to use.

Also when you put 400+ watts through a jewell cube they play really really loud for about two minutes. I used to work at a Bose store, loved blowing up the leftovers.

rooftop59

daddyjt wrote: »

While not a Bose fan myself, it is worth recognizing that Bose has brought millions of people closer to their music, and greatly enhanced the enjoyment of music by those same millions. This is something we, as audiophiles, should celebrate - not scorn. After all, it’s far easier to drag someone into our hobby that currently enjoys high(er) quality audio from their Bose car stereo/headphones/sound bar, than from a ho-hum factory car stereo, no-name earbuds or built-in speakers on their tv.

Just my .02

Bose indirectly put me down this crazy audio journey. When my mom gave me a nice chunk of cash for my birthday in my late 20s, my wife suggestion I buy a bose system (we had a terrible Sony HTIB). I went to best buy and sams and listened and of course the way they set it up, if you have no experience it sounds awesome. But I was going to have to save for quite a while (broke grad student) so I started looking online for used options on ebay and amazon. That led to me reading customer reviews, which led to me reading pro reviews, which led to the decision that a sub-satellite combo from Polk would be a much better option...I bought Polk monitor 30s and never looked back.

So thanks a lot, Bose!!!

mhardy6647

The 201 and 301 weren't bad at all.

deronb1

mhardy6647 wrote: »

The 201 and 301 weren't bad at all.

My first speakers were 301 series ii. Had em on a mantle paired with a Technics 45x2 wpc receiver, linear tracking TT and dual cassette deck. It sounded really good and got me hooked.

PSOVLSK

I also had a pair of 301 that I enjoyed. Bought them at Sears for $200. Once I upgraded the fronts, the 301 became my surrounds. Arguably the best surrounds I’ve ever had. The “music everywhere” (Bose marketing) really worked well in a surround sound application.

rburgess714

I had these from 89-2000 until the bass driver just fell out while in the middle of a party. My how my taste has evolved.

Upstatemax

Emlyn wrote: »

I must admit they have made some good products over the years including decent car stereo systems. Their products may be better now than ever before, especially their headphones.

Bose never actually made car stereo systems. They simply licensed their name. Most of the “Bose” car systems were made by Clarion if I remember correctly.

Inspector 24

Upstatemax wrote: »

Emlyn wrote: »

I must admit they have made some good products over the years including decent car stereo systems. Their products may be better now than ever before, especially their headphones.

Bose never actually made car stereo systems. They simply licensed their name. Most of the “Bose” car systems were made by Clarion if I remember correctly.

Fixed it.

Polk uses Vifa tweeters, the car you're driving wasn't manufactured by the manufacturer, other than being particular and sharing random trivia, was there a point besides stimulating curiosity? It does make me wonder if the likes of Mark Levinson, Bang & Olufsen, and the other premium car audio platforms manufacture their speakers, or have Clarion et al. do them as well? Anybody care to google that while I wait 1-3 days for a response?

mhardy6647

source: www.radioshackcatalogs.com (1974)

Radio Shack didn't make their own receivers in the 1970s...

and...

pro wrestling's not real

Inspector 24

mhardy6647 wrote: »

source: www.radioshackcatalogs.com (1974)

Radio Shack didn't make their own receivers in the 1970s...

and...

pro wrestling's not real

Good share! I played with one of those receivers a LOT as a kid.

Upstatemax

Inspector 24 wrote: »

Fixed it.

Polk uses Vifa tweeters, the car you're driving wasn't manufactured by the manufacturer, other than being particular and sharing random trivia, was there a point besides stimulating curiosity? It does make me wonder if the likes of Mark Levinson, Bang & Olufsen, and the other premium car audio platforms manufacture their speakers, or have Clarion et al. do them as well? Anybody care to google that while I wait 1-3 days for a response?

Ahh, your panties are all twisted...

I mentioned it because he pointed to products that he specifically felt that BOSE did well. So yes, I found it worth mentioning that Bose actually had nothing to do with the stereos besides hammering out a licensing deal, and that’s probably why you felt they sounded good.

To answer your other question, yes.

Pretty much all name brand stereos in automobiles are simply rebranded equipment from other manufacturers.

One of the only manufacturers that I know of that actually supplied upgraded and branded stereo equipment for automotive use was Dynaudio, for Volvo. However, once Volvo was sold to a Chinese firm Dynaudio stopped supplying to them.

At least for the drivers, the amps were B&O Ice amps if I remember correctly.

Inspector 24

Panties have knots that have knots! 😄