Are Bose any good /

amandstu

I am thinking of getting a good radio with good speakers that will also play music from the PC.

Bose start off around 500€. Are they a good idea or would I be paying a bit for the name ?(I am not an audiophile snob but a good sound is worth paying for).

Slaphead07

Bose are an absolute joke. Style over substance and not great style either. They are to be avoided completely.

Digital Solitude

I stand corrected, I would have thought they were one of the most recommended brands :pac:

fred funk }{

Digital Solitude wrote: »

I stand corrected, I would have thought they were one of the most recommended brands :pac:

They are.

Digital Solitude

fred funk }{ wrote: »

They are.

Ah here, for good or bad then so?

I've been out of the audio thing for 3 or 4 years now but they were definietly one to go for at that time.

amandstu

I was just wondering in terms of value for money. Has their reputation allowed them to charge high prices ?

Can I get more or less the same product from another reputable name at a lower price?

Slaphead07

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Ah here, for good or bad then so?

I've been out of the audio thing for 3 or 4 years now but they were definietly one to go for at that time.

They're dirt. I would be an audiophile but not a snob. I accept most people are happy with a decent system but go into a genuine hifi shop and ask if they stock Bose. Once the laughter stops, and this could take a while, you will be pointed to serious alternatives.

BOSE are very good at marketing, a lot of people believe they are top end systems even when they get them home and hear them in a normal environment. I have to assume people convince themselves that a well known name + serious price will always = quality. This has never been true.

amandstu

So what alternatives are there? What should I be googling foe?

Slaphead07

amandstu wrote: »

So what alternatives are there? What should I be googling foe?

For high end stuff at your budget I'd suggest you use your PC as radio and music source and go for B&W MM1 speakers or A5 Wireless System with AirPlay - talk to Cloney Audio on those ones.

If you want to drop cost (and quality) visit places like Power City or DID and see what they have to offer.

Red Alert

Bose have a controversial reputation about them for a few reasons. Ignoring people saying that they're either great or crap, the key thing is that most of their systems and speaker packages have a very particular sound of their own, and are in no way neutral. The mids and upper bass are quite pronounced. They are also not cheap, and some of the materials used to build their speakers (paper cones for example) are surprising given that they operate in a higher price bracket.

The key thing is to buy what suits you and what sounds good to you. No amount of advice beats going and actually hearing a few different combinations played with the music (or other material) that you like listening to. For what it's worth my two favourite pieces of sound equipment currently are my Naim stereo and also my Bose Wave radio that I keep in the bedroom.

Don't forget that you could stream radio from the PC, which would open you up to a number of different options from both Bose and other manufacturers. One system that I have heard good things about is the AudioEngine A2+ but I haven't yet been able to find a set for a demo. It includes a USB DAC and can play from an AUX input too.