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Bose Lifestyle owners????

4

4AU4LIFE

Legendary Member
Joined
16 June 2002
Messages
9,955
Location
Jacksonville
I'm thinking of getting a Lifestyle 35 since they are on holiday special.
The system is being discontinued because they are updating it and are clearing out the old ones.
I use my current home stereo for music and listening to TV but not much DVD action.
I am aware of the few updates they are doing for the Series II but don't think I want to spend the extra $700 for it.
Does anybody have any real world experience with this or any other Lifestyle system. Pros vs Cons.
I already have a Wave Radio so I know how great those sound.
 
92NSX said:
I'm thinking of getting a Lifestyle 35 since they are on holiday special.
The system is being discontinued because they are updating it and are clearing out the old ones.
I use my current home stereo for music and listening to TV but not much DVD action.
I am aware of the few updates they are doing for the Series II but don't think I want to spend the extra $700 for it.
Does anybody have any real world experience with this or any other Lifestyle system. Pros vs Cons.
I already have a Wave Radio so I know how great those sound.
Click to expand...
we have a LS25, ~9 yrs old, i think. great system, except the cd changer croaked a few years back. with our ipod/imac, this is now a non-issue since my music collection gets transmitted to the bose.

i'm not an audiophile, but my sense is there may be better value systems on the market today.

good luck.
hal
 
No highs, no lows, must be Bose... enough said!

Check out SVS http://www.svsubwoofers.com ... they are internet only. The bookshelf speakers are brand new and I haven't heard them, but they make the best subwoofers in the world, bar none. I have two PB12/2+s and they litterly will knock the wind out of you.... 134db on "Blackhawk Down" (Had a Army helicopter friend tell me that is actually what it's like standing next to a Blackhawk).

Also, internet only... http://www.av123.com/

Check out hometheaterspot.com or avsforum.com, you can do much, much better than Blows Lifestyle.
 
I agree with CL65. Bose is good if you've never heard a "good" surround system. You get decent sound from a small speaker and they're inconspicuous but listen to something good and you'll see they're subpar. I considered the top of the line Bose when I was upgrading my JBLs (good ones) and the Bose sounded much worse.
I'd stay away from theater in a box you can get at retail stores. Contact some professional sound system installers and look around the audio forums for some good speakers and they won't be much more than the Bose.
 
CL65 is on it, DO NOT buy Bose when there are so many good speakers to pick from in similar price ranges.

FWIW, I have Paradigm and have been extremely pleased. AV123 has very nice stuff as well, so does Axiom. Check out www.hometheaterfurum.com
 
I've got energy bookshelves and center speakers with minipods for my rear. the energy are great systems in my opinion for the price. i got my minipods for real cheap so use them as rears, that and they look really cool. do a google on minipods speakers.
 
I have the bose jewel cube system which is the $3000.00 system. I think it sounds really good for something that small and just one sub. If you want something hidden and has big sound then I think thats not a bad option. Nothing beats conventional system but the bose is not bad. Of course there are speakers for sale that are nice sounding for the same price but then you will need to buy the pre-amp and all the other components to get the sound you want and that adds up quick. I would not want to buy nice speakers and have crappy components to power it. Just like the nsx, you don't put crappy parts on it and ruin the car. But thats just my opinion, I don't think you will be dissappointed with the bose, just don't expect it to be something super high end.


For all you High end audio guys then you should know about Magnolia Audio and Video shown here http://www.magnoliahifi.com/ .
If you want total custom audio for home then look no further there.
 
Bose really does suck if you have heard anything else of better quality and for similar prices. I have heard the paradigm that White94 spoke of and it sounds great. I have Jamo and have been really impressed with them. The NXG Pro Series is less known, thus less expensive, but still sounds wonderful for a reasonable budget.

DDozier on NSXPrime owns an audio/video store that specializes in this and sells this. I would PM him and see what he could do. That is what I did and got a great deal. :wink:
 
No offense to any bose owners, but I actually agree with Hugh :smile:

I would opt for Athena point 5 or energy encore system over the bose. Heck you can even get a complete bookshelf system from athena, energy, paradigm, wharfedale, etc.

I saw the Def tech mythos too ... WOW they look great! Didnt get a chance to hear them though.
 
Just wondering out loud then.
If so many people don't have favorable reviews of them why is it that use see the speakers used in nice eating places, movie theathers, etc.?
 
donwon said:
No offense to any bose owners, but I actually agree with Hugh :smile:

I would opt for Athena point 5 or energy encore system over the bose. Heck you can even get a complete bookshelf system from athena, energy, paradigm, wharfedale, etc.

I saw the Def tech mythos too ... WOW they look great! Didnt get a chance to hear them though.
Click to expand...

Bose...hhhmmmm... they rock....NOT!....

I do own a full set of Wharfedales Modus Music 6.1 and It's been with me for over 5 years and they sound fantastic..I also paid less than $500.00 for a FULL set of towers..great find if you can still find them...

Mike
 
92NSX said:
Just wondering out loud then.
If so many people don't have favorable reviews of them why is it that use see the speakers used in nice eating places, movie theathers, etc.?
Click to expand...

I think perception has alot to do with that. I see them alot in retail stores and some eating places, but never seen a movie theater with Bose. Seems bose is perceived as Trendy/hip/nice and because of those reasons considered a "good speaker". A credit to marketing. For some reason a corvette comes to mind. :redface:

Heck, some people like the way the bose sound. I think on this forum, you have more discriminating opinions.
 
I definitely second SVS for a good subwoofer. I have the PB10 ($429) and it really rocks. It hits below 20 Hz (+/- 3dB) and sounds incredible. My *only* complaint is that there's no low band pass filter on it, so you need to use your receiver's sub out (which is usually filtered).

If you want a great looking and sounding system, you can use the SVS sub with Anthony Gallo's Nucleus speakers. Info can be found at http://www.roundsound.com/satellite-speakers.htm . They are a beautiful speaker that looks unique, yet can fit many decors. The stands are great looking to. Five speakers will run around $1000, plus $100/stand or less for wall mountings. (Note: I've only tested and seen these in a store, and they're on my wish list for the upcoming holiday.)

About Bose, I bought the AcoustiMass 3 system (two satellites and a sub) about 9 years ago, and promptly returned it. The "sub" was anything but non-directional. The sound quality was terrible compared to the store demos (which are set-up specifically to highlight the speakers). I couldn't work with them at all in my home, so I returned them and bought a real pair of speakers and a sub (Infinity RS-2000.2 and BU-1), which blew them away (and the Infinity speakers are currently my mains, sounding even better than the day I got them; the sub's been replaced with the SVS one, but is still in excellent condition).
 
I can understand about advertising and image and all but after it is all said and done, isn't the final product the 'proof in the pudding'?
I mean, if the product is over priced and doesn't sound all that good, wouldn't word get around and the product not sell? Regardless of if it was hip, all the rage, or the popular choice strictly due to the brand of it?
If it weren't a good product/system, why has it been around for so long?
I wouldn't think that people would buy it just because it is expensive so therefore it must be good.
It might sound like I'm trying to justify the reasons to buy it but I truly am wanting to make the best decision I can.
I do appreciate all the feedback I have gotten so far.
 
92NSX said:
Just wondering out loud then.
If so many people don't have favorable reviews of them why is it that use see the speakers used in nice eating places, movie theathers, etc.?
Click to expand...
(again, not an audiophile but...)

my sense is back in "the day" (ahem, when i was a bit younger), bose was toward the top of the list for relatively high end, consumer-oriented speakers - iirc, they were even sold as options in several american car brands (and, ahem, the nsx). they had strong brand recognition and market presence through strong distribution deals with big consumer electronic chains like good guys.

along the way, they produced "systems" that were packaged to look/sound relatively good for the expanding home entertainment market - especially for your average joe schmoe (me). all things considered (relative to taking the time to visit every stereo shop in a 100 mile radius), bose provided a pretty good, out-of-the-box, nearly invisible and trouble free high end sounding solution. naturally, they branched into commercial systems, creating attractive product offerings, pricing, installation, etc.

so that's my 2+ cents on how bose came to be thought by many as "the standard"... when, in fact, they may have set the midway standard without average schmoes realizing it. (to you audiophiles, these are *my* 2 cents and i realize both the truth and YMMV ;)

final thought: while we've all jumped in and given our 2 cents worth, what's most important is that you buy what works best for you - what we think matters not.

cheers.
hal
 
People buy Bose because they are cute. Pretty much end of story. The wife likes them, they do not stand out, they make decent sound for a lot of money, but a lot of sound can be made for a lot less money, just not as cute.

It is called WAF in the business. Wife acceptance factor. If you knew what it really took to get good sound, most will not accept the compromises. You need to listen to real speakers with real electronics in a real room, not in the middle of an isle in some mega store, or some wall of speakers that have a box with twenty buttons to choose what is best.

Bose will make a great background system for nice music at a dinner party or when you and the wife are alone for a change, but if you want something that will make soundtracks intelligible versus just loud, and make music interesting enough to actuall sit down and listen to it versus having it on in the background, then check out a local stereo store, not BB or CC or Fry's etc. There are some good ones in your neck of the woods, just ask friends or pull out the yellow pages, or even better go to Books a Million, find a copy of Stereophile or The Absolute Sound and open to the back where they list stores by state and city and go listen. Will they amaze you with $10 grand speakers? Yes, but then you can hear what you should be listening for when you look at the under $1000 setups.

All the above recommendations are very good. You need to have decent playback equipment (no $100 combo DVD/CD player running through a $150 receiver, sorry) to get the most out of them. Now that I have run down the big box stores, the upper limit Infinity surround systems ($750-900 for a 5.1 system) available at CC and BB are well reviewed in the above mentioned magazines. Both magazines also have websites with past reviews available for reading. Also check out Widescreen Review.
 
queenlives said:
i say if you want fidelity, buy a dog.
Click to expand...

:confused: the RCA dog?

how about a mutual fund:D
 

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