[geowak]

I think this IS the best!! Prepare to WANT!

http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_STATIC_PAGE_EVENT&url=/shop_online/wave_systems/wave_radio_ii/index.jsp

[whubbard]

Ya know... its fun to bash Bose, but I have a question for you all...
Does anyone know a system this compact and this easy to use that sounds comparable to the bose and is under $400?

Its easy for us to mock them on sound quality, but at the same time the Wave is small and very easy for people to use. We have to give them credit on that front.

-West

[jimdgoulding]

I hear ya, Hub.  A friend of mine and his lady use their Bose radio in their small kitchen.  They are casual listeners as opposed to serious listeners, you might say.  Old Bose has a place in the industry.  And he's figured out right where it is.  I expect that speaker array he has for wall mounted TV's is probably a good seller, too.  Smart fellow.  When his famous speaker first came out, I remember a Pacific Stereo salesman sayin to me, every "head" wants a Bose.  Funny.   

[Doublej]

Ya know... its fun to bash Bose, but I have a question for you all...
Does anyone know a system this compact and this easy to use that sounds comparable to the bose and is under $400?

Its easy for us to mock them on sound quality, but at the same time the Wave is small and very easy for people to use. We have to give them credit on that front.

-West

I don't think it's possible to find something that sounds comparable to Bose  but if I were looking for alternatives I would go to Target, Costco, Walmart, etc. and look at the small systems from Teac et al for under $100. There are hundreds of them out there, many of them labeled as  ipod systems. It shows you how much margin Bose has in their products.

There are a couple folks on AC that think the $400 Polk unit is phenomenal.

[Brown]

One day at the mall,we decided to checkout the Bose showroom. While we did not listen to 2 channel music the surround system they had set up was quite impressive. Couldn't see the speakers [ the wife loved that] the components were small and sounded great. The system was NOT inexpensive, around $5000 without TV. They had less expensive systems as well. The salespeople were not pushy, answered all our questions and were knowledgable. 
  They certainly have marketed their product properly. BTW the movie looked great and sounded wonderfull.

[warnerwh]

For 350 dollars you can buy an integrated amp and tuner or a receiver and a pair of used PSB, Paradigm or Polk etc.etc speakers that sound MUCH better and have change left over.  Also this gear will not depreciate nearly as much. This system is not small but if you want a table radio you're not too concerned about sound quality anyway. 

I could never take a table radio seriously because the amount bof compromise necessary is obviously too much to have anything resembling quality left, at least imo.  Table radios are for background music in which case I'd rather have a gorgeous vintage table top tube radio instead. For that much money you could buy a very nice one and lose little or nothing on it if you sell it.

[ipy]

One day at the mall,we decided to checkout the Bose showroom. While we did not listen to 2 channel music the surround system they had set up was quite impressive. Couldn't see the speakers [ the wife loved that] the components were small and sounded great. The system was NOT inexpensive, around $5000 without TV. They had less expensive systems as well. The salespeople were not pushy, answered all our questions and were knowledgable. 
  They certainly have marketed their product properly. BTW the movie looked great and sounded wonderfull.

I agree, the system's small footprint, aesthetics &/or WAF will be likely high on Bose's main selling points.  I wouldn't mind this system to be in my HT or casual listening set-up  ...

[doug s.]

Ya know... its fun to bash Bose, but I have a question for you all...
Does anyone know a system this compact and this easy to use that sounds comparable to the bose and is under $400?

Its easy for us to mock them on sound quality, but at the same time the Wave is small and very easy for people to use. We have to give them credit on that front.

-West

i have heard that "system";  quite painful to listen to, actually... i agree w/others about finding other stuff for $400 or less, that would sound better.  hard to spend $400 on a system that would sound worse, imo...

ymmv,

doug s.

[mfsoa]

The thing that bugs me is the claim that it sounds better than a system 5 times the price. Lets see, who thinks they could take a $2000 budget to Agon and see if they can outperform the little tabletop CD player?

[Thebiker]

As a confirmed Bose hater, I still give the devil their due.  They find a market niche and then climb onto the back of one of the world's best advertising campaigns and whip it to the finish line.

Joe Average (or most non-audio junkies) will see all the ads everytime he picks up a paper or magazine and hear folks like Paul Harvey plugging it on the radio and think, "hmmm, must be OK if someone like him likes it".  Small footprint, high WAF and decent (not necessarily good) sound makes their product a good seller.  They also advertise on many classical radio stations, so many casual listeners that listen in their cars figure it would be good at home as well.  Face it, if you haven't heard better you don't know what you are missing.

So, yeah, their markup % is high from a production standpoint, but everyone who buys a Bose product has to help pay for all that advertising.

Walt

[geowak]

The system looks the best when you take the 360 degree view.

Hey...I had the 901's and they were fun to own, I'm not really knocking Dr. Omar Bose. And did you know he has spent a vast amount of his profits on an automobile suspension system has has been working on for over 30 years!

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=dr.+bose+suspension+system&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title#

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=103183

Go Dr. Bose.....

[whubbard]

A few people proposed systems ... but they were all bigger in order to get them to sound better. And to give bose 'some' credit, I do believe there iPod dock system sounds much better others having personally compared them. Also the whole point is that many bose customers don't really care if there is something better sounding out there, they want looks and size. As much as we all care about the sound, they care about the looks.

So maybe I should rephrase, is there something out there at that size, that looks good, that sounds the same or better or a bit worse (since we have said they prefer looks to sound?

I just think bose has there customers and they sell well to them. For that, they deserve credit.

For 350 dollars you can buy an integrated amp and tuner or a receiver and a pair of used PSB, Paradigm or Polk etc.etc speakers that sound MUCH better

My point exactly, at least 3 components, and buying used...the majority of Americans don't want to deal with all this....

-West

[TONEPUB]

I love my Meridian F80, but it's way more than $350...

[JohnR]

I don't know about the wave radio thing but I'm continually surprised by how many people I know that buy Bose (or B&O). Unfortunately when I am asked a question like "Say, we're thinking of buying this Bose (sub-sat) system for $700 (AU), just wondering if you had any better suggestions." I sit there for minute frowning in concentration, and then I say something like, "Well, you could build these pretty good speakers for that price from a kit... I'm not sure what you'd do for amplification though, let me think about that for a while... you would need to stand them out in the room about here and..." And bingo, I think I just won Bose another sale 

[planet10]

Tivoli?

And if you can diy, a little tripath amp (Trends , Sonic Impact), an iPod, and a set of microFonkens will just destroy the Bose.

dave

[maxwalrath]

Tivoli?

And if you can diy, a little tripath amp (Trends , Sonic Impact), an iPod, and a set of microFonkens will just destroy the Bose.

dave

Add a trends or SI and lots of $200 speakers and you'll be doing better for the same price, diy not necessary although probably will give better sound for the buck.

[Russell Dawkins]

So maybe I should rephrase, is there something out there at that size, that looks good, that sounds the same or better or a bit worse (since we have said they prefer looks to sound?

I just think bose has there customers and they sell well to them. For that, they deserve credit.

-West

as mentioned, the Polk Audio i-Sonic 2 improves on Bose in sound and features: http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/isonic/buynow.php

The i-Sonic 1 plays CDs and DVDs as well.

If Bose were 1/2 of their typical prices I might have some respect for them.
I was looking for an iPod boombox the other day and the salesman immediately tried to up sell me to Bose. I had come in intending to buy a $200 unit (Harmon Kardon) and he started by scoffing at it and taking me to the Bose display. They had two stacks of about 100 units each of the two models they were currently promoting, and they had a small semi-static display with a mock up iPod. Most people take their iPods with their own music when shopping for these things, but with Bose, you had to listen to their promotional recording, so you were denied the opportunity to make any kind of valid assessment of the sound because the music itself was unfamiliar (and probably EQ'd to flatter the characteristics of the particular speakers in the unit being demo'd).

This small and sorry-sounding device was being sold for $350. It wasn't even remotely in the same universe as the $200 Harmon Kardon, sonically. Pathetic. 

[lcrim]

Bose is noteworthy not for the equipment but for a marketing approach that artfully deceives the consumer into believing that they are buying quality.  The stuff is junk w/o exception and they don't permit comparisons in their showroom.  If you want a decent table radio, they can be found but that will tke  more effort than the average consumer is wiliing to undertake.
When I'm asked about Bose I give my opinion that you can easlly do better for less cost.  I've never found any converts however.
I wish I could find another line of garbage to peddle and borrow their marketing techniques.  Thats not exactly an original thought'
What is amazing is that this site is now so mainstream that we're getting apologists for Bose.

[WerTicus]

BOSE are second to none, in marketing!

There is nothing wrong with ripping off stupid people for lots of money, it would just not do to let them keep it.

[whubbard]

What is amazing is that this site is now so mainstream that we're getting apologists for Bose.

Ouch! Look, the deal is that I don't actually use Bose products...Well actually I use there in-ears for working out becuase they fit better than any others I have tried, but thats all. With that said most other people I know aren't good with figuring out technology. All I'm saying is that Bose does a good job marketing to them, and again, I'm not saying the products sound good! I just know a heck of a lot of people that have trouble even working with receivers, for example I spent a while on the phone last night with a relative explaining how to use an one.

So maybe I should rephrase, is there something out there at that size, that looks good, that sounds the same or better or a bit worse (since we have said they prefer looks to sound?

I just think bose has there customers and they sell well to them. For that, they deserve credit.

-West

as mentioned, the Polk Audio i-Sonic 2 improves on Bose in sound and features: http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/isonic/buynow.php

This small and sorry-sounding device was being sold for $350. It wasn't even remotely in the same universe as the $200 Harmon Kardon, sonically. Pathetic. 

The polk sells for $499 MSRP ($399 on Amazon) while the bose sells for $299 MSRP ($209 on Amazon)...I'm pretty sure thats a big price difference, about double.

The Harmon Kardon is again more expensive. It is $349 MSRP ($274 on Amazon).

-West