To Bose or not to Bose

[richyandkat]

Hello All,

Still trying to decide on what speakers to buy for my new home cinema system. After years of just watching movies through the average sound of the TVs in built speaker I've finally got the cash, and the permission, to treat myself! My room is approx 15x12ft and my budget for speakers and an amp is around £1000.

I'd really appreciate some advice on my choice of speakers and amp. Being the naive newbie to home cinema, I thought that Bose were always the speaker of choice so I'd thought about the Acoustimass 6 package. Then a brief internet search revealed to me that maybe they were not as good as I'd thought and that a lot of the price tag was for the Bose name rather than the product.

Can anyone please suggest any alternatives to the Bose package? I would prefer to have the smaller cube style speakers, I know that possibly I may be sacrificing some quality by staying small but I don't want big speakers sitting on my wall and in wall speakers are not an option.

Would be extremely grateful for readers views and opinions on this.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bigboss]

What about Kef 3005SE?

 

[bigfish786]

you can get a hell of a lot of stuff for a grand.

what kind of speakers are you thinking of?

full size, or lifestyle?

stereo speakers, or 5.1, or 7.1 or any other variation?

there are some excellent av amps around for 250-350 quid, so you really have a lot of choice.

 

[bigboss]

you can get a hell of a lot of stuff for a grand.

what kind of speakers are you thinking of?

full size, or lifestyle?

stereo speakers, or 5.1, or 7.1 or any other variation?

there are some excellent av amps around for 250-350 quid, so you really have a lot of choice.

The OP has mentioned preference for smaller cube style speakers.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Got some good packages here:

http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/c/packages_home-cinema-packages

I would go that route not Bose!

 

[DandyCobalt]

The KEFs are great. I have their ancestors in a smaller 5.1 setup in the house and am still pleased after many years.

Go for bigger speakers if you have the space, but you won't be disappointed with the KEFs.

The B&W MT50 are a bit more expensive but have received very good reviews too.

 

[jjbomber]

Hello All,

Then a brief internet search revealed to me that maybe they were not as good as I'd thought and that a lot of the price tag was for the Bose name rather than the product.

The Apple iphone5s costs £130 to manufacture and £549 to buy. It is the biggest rip-off brand in the world and sells by the bucketful. Don't worry about internet trolls and do your own thing. If you prefer the sound of other systems, then feel free to buy something else. But there is nothing wrong with Bose and they sell at a premium price for a good reason. They also hold their value very well, so the net cost is not so bad. I have had a couple of their products and found them excellent.

WhayHifi doesn't always get it right. The Oppo 105 giot 3 stars and yet is 5 star everywhere else and product of the year for other hi-fi magazines. At the other end of the scale it gave the ipad3 a 5-star write up and voted it best tablet. It was so bad that The Economist gave it 3 out of 10 and pulled the product after 6 months, even though they carried on selling the ipad2.

So take everything with a pinch of salt and do what's best for you.

 

[mmg]

Bose is very good for movies, not so much for music (unless you like all your music to be very bassy).

Keep in mind that you can't just connect the Acoustimass 6 package directly to your TV: you will need an amplifier.

I would personally never recommend an Acoustimass set: Bose speakers work best with their own amps. Connecting an Acoustimass set to a 3rd party receiver gives very bad to medium results, depending on the surround mode you choose. When you use a Bose amp, the speakers and amp are matched so it sounds MUCH better. If you can stretch your budget a little, try to go for the Lifestyle 510 system.

And of course: listen to the system before actually purchasing it.

 

[JohnE76]

Now I have a Bose Acoustimass 5, and I find it the complete opposite!

I think music sounds great on it, not bassy enough if anything. But when I put a movie on, I feel that when anyone's talking it sounds a little odd, music and fx sound great, but sounds as if people are talking into an old tin can! I thought that if I bought a matching centre speaker (Bose VCS10) that things would get a little better, but alas no.

I have recently changed my AV amp to a Cambridge Audio and it sounds a little better over my old Onkyo but still not right.

Now planning to change the lot and after hearing the CA Minx speakers in richer sounds, that's where I think I'm gonna put my money (as well as being very wife friendly)

 

[bigboss]

but sounds as if people are talking into an old tin can! I thought that if I bought a matching centre speaker (Bose VCS10) that things would get a little better, but alas no.

This was exactly my experience with Bose demo: dialogue clarity was poor.

 

[mmg]

Now I have a Bose Acoustimass 5, and I find it the complete opposite!

I think music sounds great on it, not bassy enough if anything. But when I put a movie on, I feel that when anyone's talking it sounds a little odd, music and fx sound great, but sounds as if people are talking into an old tin can! I thought that if I bought a matching centre speaker (Bose VCS10) that things would get a little better, but alas no.

I have recently changed my AV amp to a Cambridge Audio and it sounds a little better over my old Onkyo but still not right.

Now planning to change the lot and after hearing the CA Minx speakers in richer sounds, that's where I think I'm gonna put my money (as well as being very wife friendly)

That's actually exactly what I mean, maybe I didn't explain myself enough: when I said the Bose systems are good for movies but not so much for music, I was referring to the Bose systems that have a Bose amp (like the Lifestyle series).

With the Acoustimass, results may vary depending on your amp and surround mode. Metallic sounding voices is indeed one of the problems that I have also experienced, also a "muffled" sound. I find that you generally get the best results if you put the amp in an "expanded stereo" mode (called differently depending on the brand), where the amp basically sends the same signal to all the speakers. That being said, I've never heard an Acoustimass system that doesn't have one issue or another...

 

[mmg]

Now planning to change the lot and after hearing the CA Minx speakers in richer sounds, that's where I think I'm gonna put my money (as well as being very wife friendly)

I personally find the CA Minx speakers produce a very "thin" sound and I think the dialogue will not sound as full as it should with those speakers. I would recommend the B&W M1: they have a much fuller sound, are also aesthetically pleasing but they are more expensive.

 

[richyandkat]

Thanks for all the replies. It seems that, as with everything, personal taste/preference plays a big part in final choice. I'm still not 100% but I think I'm going to get the Acoustimas 6 package. I've heard it in the showrooms and i like the sound, but I also like the style of the speakers. One of the main conditions of approval to purchase a home cinema set up was that the speakers had to be small and not take up the whole room! The Bose speakers, I believe, look awesome. Some of the other cube speakers I've seen haven't had the same classic look to them that I want. Like I say, it's all down to personal choice, some say they sound too bassy, others say not bassy enough. I do appreciate the comments and advice though, so thanks again.

Now then, What about an amp? Any good ones out there sub £400??

Oh and what about cables, is it best to use the Bose cables supplied or get something different? Will it make much difference?

 

[jjbomber]

Thanks for all the replies. It seems that, as with everything, personal taste/preference plays a big part in final choice. I'm still not 100% but I think I'm going to get the Acoustimas 6 package. I've heard it in the showrooms and i like the sound, but I also like the style of the speakers.

Now then, What about an amp? Any good ones out there sub £400??

Oh and what about cables, is it best to use the Bose cables supplied or get something different? Will it make much difference?

Firstly, wel done on your choice of the Bose. The most important thing is to do what is right for YOU, not what is right for others. Use the Bose cables too, as it will cost you a lot to get any significant improvement in sound.

As for an amp, the Denon AVR-X2000 is currently £299 at Richer Sounds and £30 extra for a 5 yea guarantee. It got 5 sars here at £500. That needs to be on the sudition list.

 

[mmg]

Now then, What about an amp? Any good ones out there sub £400??

Oh and what about cables, is it best to use the Bose cables supplied or get something different? Will it make much difference?

You say you heard the speakers and liked the sound. I would suggest getting the amp you heard them on. Do NOT buy an amp on which you have not heard the Acoustimass package. As I explained, a lot depends on the amp and the listening mode, much more than with regular speakers. This is probably because Bose uses a lot of psycho-acoustics and this can go wrong with certain combinations.

Where I live there is currently a promotion for the Bose Acoustimass 6 + Onkyo SR313 for €999 (about £823). I don't know if it's available in the UK and I haven't heard it either.

About the cables: Bose uses a special system cable between the amp and the sub, so you have to use that cable. They use RCA connections between the sub and the speakers, so it's easiest to use the supplied cables. Otherwise you'll have to solder RCA connectors to speaker cable...

 

[i8nm3gp]

bose sound is a unique sound. it's warm, rich an airy and they perfect for any application. i have no problem with the brand though and if i had the money i would certainly without doubt put a 2.1 system in my bedroom. they really make some nice pricey stuff. pricey in a way that consumers will purchase other brands. you need a trained ear to be able to hear what you are looking for in a sound system. in the end, it boils down to your consumers needs. if you want loud then try the bose professional sound division.