Bose Lifestyle owners????

[SilverStone05]

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.

well, why do fords and chevys keep selling? people that are too lazy to do their own research and buy whatever is comfortable to them. you'll never see a ford or a chevy on anyone's most reliable list or ever see anything remarkable about them pointed out, but people keep sinking money into these poorly made underperforming vehicles.

I do think bose is rubbish. Its overpriced....there are NO...and I mean no highs, just a bunch of muddled mid range that they claim to be bass. clarity is awful.

As for their home theater approach...in modern day formats each channel is discrete and FULL RANGE....you can't get full range out of speakers the size of a child's blocks. Physics will not allow 2 inch speakers to play 20Hz bass notes.

Go with separates.

 

[4AU4LIFE]

So I could pretty much just go to Sound Advice, BB, CC and get a product that sounds as good or better for about 1/2 price?

 

[SilverStone05]

Well I wouldn't go that far. In some instances, yes, i'm sure it could be done. Do NOT buy home theather in a box. It totally defeats the purpose of today's sound formats. As I said before, tiny monitors will not produce bass that is expected out of each and every channel in a dolby digital setup. In a true 5.1 or 7.1 setup all channels should be rather large floorstanding speakers sans the subwoofer.

I've always bought second hand high end pieces....krell, adcom, acurus, mcintosh....speakers as well....martin logan, thiel, nht, etc etc.

Go take a look on Audiogon.com.....you can surely piece together an amp, preamp, cd player and a set of 2 speakers for less than what you'd pay for the lifestyle system which if memory serves me correct is about $3000. (shudder)

 

[bsudiro]

Yes .. audiogon is a great site to look for audio components, and you can find much better stuff than the Bose stuff. You may think that they look costly at first, but what you get is worth much more than that 'thing' called Bose.
I'm using Paradigm speakers myself, and loved it!! I think even using the lower end Studio 20's as front and back surrounds will give you an excellent value (Can get them used for about $600-$700 a pair).

Good luck on your search ..

Cheers .. Gus

 

[OutbackKY]

I'm no audiophile, but I do know that people listen to music in a variety of ways. To some, music is just audio wallpaper, something that fills empty spaces, and is not meant to be the main attraction. For them, a simple radio or media player is fine - heck, a jam box would suffice their needs. The other end of the spectrum are those that seek every last detail from the music, and therefore need better equipment capable of delivering each detail clearly and musically to be satisfied.

Before deciding on what equipment you need, you must decide what your main listening "mode" is, i.e., are you a close listener, or just want music in the background to fill the silence? Somewhere in between?

What kind of music you mostly listen to is also a determining factor. The demands of acoustic music (orchestral, bluegrass, solo piano; no electrified instruments) are much different than those of electronic music (country, rock, newer jazz; electric and synthesized instruments).

The last factor, and one not to be overlooked, is the environment where you will be listening to your music. A room with very few sound-absorbing elements will make the sound coming from your speakers more harsh, and even potentially irritating. A room filled with sound-absorbing materials softens the sound, even muffling it to varying extents. The same set of speakers will sound different in every environment. Even the direction the speakers are facing has a huge effect on how they sound.

To answer your questions on Bose systems, let's look at their strengths and weaknesses. Bose is best at reproducing acoustic music at low to moderate sound levels. Their enclosures are small, making them easy to hide. They are generally easy to install. This is why you see them in many restaurants, where no one is listening to them closely. Bose will likely be fine for you if your listening habits are not critical. However, they don't reproduce as wide a range of frequencies as many other speaker designs. Their bass units are often tuned, reproducing one (somewhat) low note much lounder than the rest. They don't usually reproduce the highest notes accurately, if at all. (Telltale examples are cymbal crashes: do they sound like sssssssssssssss or more like zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz? Ssssssssssssss is better; Bose often sounds like zzzzzzzzzzzzz) Therefore, they're not best at reproducing electronic music, or any music at moderate to loud volumes. If you're a close listener, you can do better than Bose, often for less money.

As a fairly close listener, I've noticed that during Alan Silvestri's Suite on the Forrest Gump soundtrack, there is a point when you can hear someone in the orchestra turn their page of music. There is another piano/orchestral piece I like where you can hear when the pianist lets off the sustain pedal because you can hear the felt hammers come off the strings. When listening to The Eagles, can you pick each person's voice out of the multiple harmony parts? Do you care enough about your music to listen that closely?

I've typed too much here, and there are others on Prime who are better judges of equipment than I, so I'll quit after a couple more comments. Remember that the speakers are the largest variable in how your system sounds. They are NOT the point at which you should try to save money. If at all possible, try a couple sets of speakers, and take them home to audition them where you live. Play a variety of music types through each set, at every volume level. Keep what sounds best for the bulk of your listening style.

Good luck, and happy listening!

 

[Dave Hardy]

I will throw in my 2 cents. I think Bose is OK for what it is, which is a mass market, easy to install, easy to setup, and easy to hide system for people who want background music to sound better than a $200 bookshelf system. Bose serves that purpose well. I wanted higher performance, and I've never been a fan of all-in-one stuff as it seems there are too many compromises. I pieced my system together as budget allowed. I started off with my TV running through a bookshelf system. From there, I bought a mid-grade reciever and a 12" mid-line sony sub. Bought these both for $400 on clearance from BB. Ditched the bookshelf unit and used it's speakers with the reciever and sub. Next upgrade was speakers. I bought Infinity Alphas (Hi-end consumer grade) from Crutchfield's scratch and dent page when crutchfield stopped carrying them. The clearance, coupled with S&D price cuts, meant that I got what would have been around $1800 worth of speakers for around $600. So all told, I've got about a grand in my system. It sounds similar to a bose lifestyle system at low volume, filler music level, but it blows bose away at high volume music or movie levels. The main music that is listemed to is metal and hip hop. With (4) 8's and (1) 12", it will pound out bass that makes my living room sound like a lowrider, but the bass is tight enough that the double kick drum in metal is crisp. It's got great highs, and a nice presence.

My next upgrade is probably a better reciever - one that has better video handling and also that allows me to tune the EQ. The current one only has EQ presets, which really isn't tuning. Still, for a $1000 system I'm really happy with it.

 

[MJK]

Yes .. audiogon is a great site to look for audio components, and you can find much better stuff than the Bose stuff. You may think that they look costly at first, but what you get is worth much more than that 'thing' called Bose.
I'm using Paradigm speakers myself, and loved it!! I think even using the lower end Studio 20's as front and back surrounds will give you an excellent value (Can get them used for about $600-$700 a pair).

Good luck on your search ..

Cheers .. Gus

This is fantastic advice IMO. I have Studio 40s/CC/20s and would not trade them for anything in the price range I have heard. My advice is spend your money on mains and the center first, and secondarily on surrounds and subs.

 

[T Bolen]

Does anybody have any real world experience with this or any other Lifestyle system. Pros vs Cons.

Hi Maurice - I put in a Lifestyle 18 this year from Sam's .
For my application, I found it to be almost perfect for the money. Good enough sound to satisfy me, and really tiny components that are easy on the decor. Our lake house did not have a great deal of space for components so this worked out very clean.
On the con side, my wife surprised me with a nice set of Bose outdoor speakers for the porch as a Father's day gift. Little did she know that in order to use them I had to but a SA-2 expansion amp ($250) and another remote control($50). Bose-the gift that keeps on giving.
After griping about all this just for porch speakers, I went ahead and did the expansion and now I must admit that it is a really cool system that allows the porch speakers to be on a completly different source than the living room. In other words, teenage daughter and friends can listen to a radio station outside while the lovely Mrs B and I watch a DVD in the house - cool...

I will be at the lunch meet in Orlando Sunday if you want to talk more. Good luck.

 

[ediddynsx]

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.

I am not offended nor do I endorse Bose....I am simply stating that they are pretty decent for what they are as far as home entertainment goes.....the stock speakers in the nsx suck! so i know..........I have the jewel cube system and it rocks pretty hard and sounds good.

 

[Patdeisa]

Here's some interesting reading on their sub/sat systems, if you haven't seen it: http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

 

[4AU4LIFE]

Here's some interesting reading on their sub/sat systems, if you haven't seen it: http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

Wow, that is pretty interesting stuff. I didn't have time to read all of it right now but get the gist of what it is saying.
I am pretty much made the choice to pass on getting this system after reading all this bad reviews.
Sad to because I always thought so highly of them. :frown:

 

[queenlives]

Wow, that is pretty interesting stuff. I didn't have time to read all of it right now but get the gist of what it is saying.
I am pretty much made the choice to pass on getting this system after reading all this bad reviews.
Sad to because I always thought so highly of them. :frown:

my add'tl 2 cents:

* delaying this purchase to better educate yourself may well be a wise choice

* (i could be wrong on this, but) it's unlikely you'll suffer any/much price increase on same-vendor purchase after the new year... consumer electronics pricing still seems on a downward trend, all things being equal

* never let others make your decisions for you. educate yourself and make your own decision based on your parameters - you're the one living with them.

happy holidays.
hal

 

[LeftLane]

FWIW - I had a Bose Lifestyle system, bought for the very reason mentioned earlier - my wife didn't want massive speakers, and I wanted something easy to set up. What a waste of money that was. Bose is very similar to Monster Cables - a lot of marketing, a lot of advertising, and products that don't live up to the hype. Every Bose system I've had in cars has sucked, and so did the home system. You'd be better off going a different route, I promise you.

 

[heathbar0]

IMHO buying speakers is like buying a TV.(unless your somekind of audio video guru.)
Let me start by saying I have very few hobbies; cars & Audio/Video
I have 3 sets of Bose acoustimass speakers for backround music around the house.
3 Sony tv's from 13" to 36"xbr
I also have a dedicated home theater with a 110" Stewart filmscreen with a Runco projector, Energy speakers, Denon power, Bla Bla Bla.

When buying a TV you look at 20 different TV's at one time in the store, they all look different, some better some worse. After you buy the one you like you get it home, there is nothing to compare it to. Could you have bought the cheaper one without noticing the differece when you got it home?

I wouldnt notice the difference.

When you go to listen to 20 different speakers at one time in the store they all sound different, some better some worse.
Are you gonna notice the difference when you get it home?

I think if your buying for backround music I think satellite sytems are great. There inconspicuous, and produce the music you like to hear.
If your going to sit down in front of the speaker and do nothing but listen to your favorite movement form Beethoven's 9th, maybe you should check out the Martin Logan, and McIntosh websites.

Good Luck!
Remember what they say about opinions...