Bose Advice Needed!!

[admin_exported]

First post on here and I know I'm setting myself up for some stick admitting that I've bought some Bose gear......

I have recently bought five BOSE Cube speakers, they are double speakers and I think that they are "Lifestyle" ones. At the back of the speaker housing they have a button that pushes in to connect the cables.

(1) The cubes didnt come with a Sub and I know I need one. If I stick to BOSE, is it only the "Lifestyle" series of Sub that I should be looking at? Does it matter what "Series" etc? I've seen some of the Subs are "powered" and some of the earlier ones are not, what should I go for?Do I "have" to go with a BOSE Sub or could I theoretically go with a KEF or similar unit?

(2) My idea is to run the audio of my TV and connect my SONY seperates system through these. I guess I will need an AV Receiver to do this and although I'm not the expert, I dont think that I "have" to have a BOSE one? If I didnt go for BOSE any suggestions of which one I should go for? I've looked at Richer Sounds and there are a few around the £200 level, a couple of SONYS, YAMAHAS and ONKYO, any suggestions? Should I be looking for some specific, or trying to avoid something?

(3) The system is going into a new extension which was recently built. I installed cables in the wall and they are ordinary good quality HiFi cables not BOSE. The cubes that I have bought look as if they can take a "bare" wire but what about the other end? Do they go into the AV Receiver or the Sub? Will I need to get phono plugs on the ends or does the Sub / Av Reciever take a bare wire?

(4) I have a feeling that if I use a BOSE Sub, that the cubes connect to it directly. If that is so, assuming I dont use a BOSE AV Receiver, what do I use to connect the Sub/Cubes to the Receiver? What kind of cable?

I know there are a few questions, so my apologies and thanks in advance.

David

 

[Frank Harvey]

Hi David, welcome to the forum from a fellow David 🙂

I don't think you'll find anyone seeking just the bass module of a lifestyle speaker system, but if you're lucky enough to find one, any bass module from a Lifestyle 18, 28, 38, or 48 will work with your satellites. I'd recommend the 48 bass module as this uses three bass drivers.your satellites will plug into this bass module, but you'll need the 'umbilical' cable that runs from the bass module to the AV receiver. the satellites use bare wire, but use a phono plug at the bass module end.

It would be possible to use a sub from another manufacturer, but you'll need to find one that can deal with higher frequencies than normal - most sub's are fine up to 100Hz, but many are not particularly good above this frequency as it's not something they've been designed for. Also, because the satellites will need to be plugged directly into the AV receiver, you'll need to fond one that allows a high crossover point - ideally up to 200Hz to be safe, as they'll need to be crossed over between 150-200Hz, depending on the room and the volume needed.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey David, Thanks so much for the reply and advice. Okay so I need to find a "Lifestyle" Sub and I have actually seen a few on Ebay over the past few days. I'll keep looking for a "48" as per your advice.

David any suggestions of what AV Receiver I ought to look at? I didnt want to spend a fortune and have seen on Richer Sound's Website quite a few below, or around,£200. Any you think might be suitable? What would you buy?

Thanks again David for taking the trouble to reply, its much appreciated.

David

 

[Anonymous]

David, sorry, one other thing....

In your first paragraph you mentioned that the Satellite speakers plug into the Sub, but in the second para you talk about them plugging into the AV Receiver.....have I got this wrong?

 

[Frank Harvey]

In your first paragraph you mentioned that the Satellite speakers plug into the Sub, but in the second para you talk about them plugging into the AV Receiver.....have I got this wrong?

The cables for the satellite speakers all run back to the bass module, then a dedicated 'umbillical' cable runs from the bass module back to the AV receiver. Everything works in the same way as a normal speaker system, but it all passes throughh the bass module first.

 

[Frank Harvey]

While the Bose speakers aren't particularly hard to drive, I'd still get the best receiver you can. You could look at the Onkyo TXSR608 or TXSR508, Yamaha RXV667 or RXV467, Pioneer VSX920 or VSX820, or Denon AVR1911 or AVR1611. All of these are outgoing models, so even though their rrp's would normally be about £350-500, you should pick one or two up for anywhere between £250-300. It's just a case of making sure that whichever receiver you go for has the features you want, but the 608, 667, 820, and 1911 should have most of the features you'll need, as these all originally retailed for £450-500.

 

[Anonymous]

David, bless you. Thank you so much for taking the trouble to get back with your advice.

Its really appreciated!!!

David

 

[Frank Harvey]

No problem at all David, anytime 🙂