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Are these good speakers for an iMac...
- Thread starter levitynyc
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levitynyc said:
What you asked will do great. Again I bought creatures for aound 50 in the after christmas sale at target and i may get the companion 5's soon or ask for them for my b'day(its next month)
For what its worth, I have an old set of Bose Mediamates and I think they still sound better than most other speakers I have tried. I am not an audiophile but I think I have an ear for what sounds good. What I wanted was something simple and clean. I didn't want what looked like a giant space heater under my desk and I didn't want obtrusive neon light covered speakers. The Bose speakers are very unassuming and sound very crisp and clean. When it comes time to replace these, I will again look to Bose.
Comparing Bose to Apple is a huge insult. I'm not even going to waste time arguing this one.
And to the question one why people hate Bose? I hate seeing people get ripped off. It's called civic duty. It's called saving people money. And most of all--helping people realize that marketing does NOT equal substance.
And to the question one why people hate Bose? I hate seeing people get ripped off. It's called civic duty. It's called saving people money. And most of all--helping people realize that marketing does NOT equal substance.
Here's a loaded question:
Why don't Bose list the technical specs of their speakers?
To the OP:
Get what sounds good to you. Don't buy Bose just because the name brand. You should try to listen to them somewhere. Compare them to other speakers if you can.
Generally when you ask about Bose you'll get two types of people that respond. Those who very much dislike Bose for various reasons and those who love Bose and refuse to believe there could be anything wrong with them.
I dislike Bose because of what you get for the price, but I will give them credit for their noise canceling headphones. I was introduced to a pair recently and I have to admit that they sound better than my noise canceling Sennheisers.
In conclusion, if you get a chance to listen to them and think they sound good, buy them. If you enjoy them that's all that matters. But don't just assume that if they're Bose and they sound good they must be the best sounding speakers for the price.
Why don't Bose list the technical specs of their speakers?
To the OP:
Get what sounds good to you. Don't buy Bose just because the name brand. You should try to listen to them somewhere. Compare them to other speakers if you can.
Generally when you ask about Bose you'll get two types of people that respond. Those who very much dislike Bose for various reasons and those who love Bose and refuse to believe there could be anything wrong with them.
I dislike Bose because of what you get for the price, but I will give them credit for their noise canceling headphones. I was introduced to a pair recently and I have to admit that they sound better than my noise canceling Sennheisers.
In conclusion, if you get a chance to listen to them and think they sound good, buy them. If you enjoy them that's all that matters. But don't just assume that if they're Bose and they sound good they must be the best sounding speakers for the price.
DXoverDY said:
Ugh, OK. I'll break down into the semi-audiophile territory real quick. When you listen to music, you run into two schools of thought, "correct" sound and "good" sound. The two are not the same thing.
By correct, I mean sound which accurately reproduces the original sound or intention of the author if it was artifically created. This could be a note 2db above nominal at 200hz, or it could be something -10db at 15khz or millions of variations on that. If you can reproduce notes just like the author intended, you produce a "flat" return, generally between 40 and 20khz, where human hearing is good for most of that range. This is the "midrange" and not audiophile by any stretch of the imagination. Audiophile is where you get into the sound of the speaker itself, and how "fast" it sounds, or how it connects with the room. Some of that is real, some is not. Sound is uber complex to the point that it makes your head spin and gets real goofy, real quick with pucks and putting marbles on speakers and other crap I think is a waste of money. (4k dollar silver 2m cables. each.)
"Good" sound is a misnomer and this is where bose and other suitably cheap sound comes in. Many designers figured out a long time ago that humans are not terribly perceptive to some kinds of audible loss, and that you could use the lack of perception in a way to make speakers louder and lower cost at the same time. Bose does this through odd port designs combined with fairly poorly made woofers and or tweeters (for the cost savings). The effect causes a fairly steep dropoff below 60hz in most of their woofers, with a fairly large bump around 75-80hz, and then another dip above for a one note wonder. This gives you "thump" which your brain interprets as power, but not anything resembling what the original author intended.
The higher frequencies are similar in the way that certain frequencies are emphasized and others are toned down, all to increase output at the cost of accuracy. Sure it is loud, but so is a siren.
Many other manufacturers figured out this trick over the course of the years and have copied the bose designs to some level, but not the marketing. Nor do they have agreements with so many parts suppliers so they actually can't buy stuff quite so poorly made. THIS is why I say that any other speakers are better, for the cost. Those other suppliers who make "good" sounding speakers don't have the ability to charge more, so you get more bang for the buck by going with them.
Now as for "my bose speakers sound fine", I am sure they do, to you. This is because you haven't compared them to anything else. If you drove a yugo to and from work every day, and so did everyone else, you would think you had a great car. Just imagine one day you saw a friend with a ford aveo, that cost less than your yugo with a few more features and comfortable seats. Sure, it isn't a corvette or ferrari, but if it is cheaper and better but still gets you to work? Shouldn't you go that route or are you just going to tell people they are wrong without truely understand how they could be right?
You guys just haven't compared your bose to other speakers, and that my friends, is a d&mn shame.
orangezorki said:
Not all MacBook owners would agree with you on this one. Look, Bose is not crap. It works for it intended market. I own Bose products and I am happy with them. Many people buy Bose products and have them for years and years. You can find a lot of vintage Bose speakers still in use.
The only reason I compared Bose to Apple is because both of them have the same theory on product styling and compact design. Bose was the first company to make speaker systems attractive. Before Bose came out with products like the Wave Music System, Lifestyle, Jewel Cube speakers, 321 system, etc, speakers were big and ugly. Now everyone has copied the small satellite - low freq. module system.
Dr. Bose is not an idiot. His ideas about speaker design are way outside the box. Some love the way they sound...some don't. When you start to tweak with air chambers...speaker placement...enclosure design different things happen. Some say it colors the music too much, but some love it. I don't know I guess speakers are a personal preference like any other consumer product.
Bose does tend to charge more...but then again you have to consider the fact it is a private company. No stockholders...and a big chunk of the profit is re-invested into all kinds of engineering projects including those outside of speaker design. How about the fact that many Bose products are Made in the USA? Labor is not cheap here. I turned over my new Bose Wave Music System and I was in awe when I saw "Made in the USA" on the bottom of it. It is a very high quality product when it comes to compact stereo systems. Even my Acoustimass 16 system in my living room is a mixture of USA and Mexico components. Look at almost every speaker built anymore...MADE IN CHINA. Everything Bose has (except for their computer speakers and headphones) is built in North America and several products are Made in the USA. Even Apple builds almost everything in China anymore. You could argue they should leave the US and move all production to China because it would lower the price of the product, but look at a Chinese radio and the quality difference is huge not only in product, but in sound.
Look Bose is hardly perfect, but I get sick and tired of people who bash the brand when they would never own it in the first place. I have never told anyone that Bose is the best in the world. Bose sounds good to me. I like the way it works and I like the quality of the product. It's my money and my choice. If you think that is a stupid choice...oh well...at least I am very satisfied with it.
mkubal said:
Go find some interviews with Dr. Bose...he will tell you why they don't. They don't design on the merit of technical specs. He says you could post technical specs all day long, but in the end what matters is how the product sounds to the human ear. True...as was posted above...Bose does focus on the frequencies the human ear can hear and not on the ones that the human ear cannot hear...but if you can't hear it...then why focus on it??? Bose speakers are designed by studying the ear and then adapting the speaker design to best maximize how the human ear hears. Now I am not saying that is the right or wrong approach. That is the approach he and his engineers take. If you don't like it, then don't buy it.
tarjan said:
I see your points but when you talk about these #s(dbs, khz,hz,etc.) my eyes glaze over. I want good to great sound. I don't want to buy endless components. I don't want cables everywhere. I want easy setup. I am not a big fan of huge unnecessary amounts of bass - which what I notied that bose does not emphasize that all too often. I don't brag about my "setup" and would not know where to begin. I do brag about my LPs though and I do notice a huge difference in the quality from LPs to cds (LPs far superior).
SpankyPenzaanzI am not a big fan of huge unnecessary amounts of bass - which what I notied that bose does not emphasize that all [I said:
If you want the best speakers for music you would never choose a sat/sub system, but if you want a sub/sat system that will still do ok with music it is pretty hard to beat the Acoustimass system. There is one reason for this. It's not to do with the speaker quality or the bass module quality...it is because the Bose system handles it's own crossover. When you set up the system you have to run the cables from the receiver to the bass module then to the speakers. I know...it is a weird set up. Every Bose sat/sub system uses this and only Bose. Instead of fiddling with the crossover at the reciever you just set it as low as possible...then let the speaker system do the rest. I am not an audio expert, but the most complaints I read when it comes to sat/sub systems is you can never seem to get the crossover right and end up with very mixed results...basically a confused speaker system. The reciever can't tell what the best crossover is for a certain speaker system, but the Bose system can.
Other then the self handling crossover...your right...the other systems probably have better drivers in them...
Now with that said...there is no sat/sub system in the world that is perfect for listening to music. If that is what you want then look around for some stereo towers.
SpankyPenzaanz said:
Actually one of the best listening experiences I have had was with LP's playing through a high powered amp powering classic Bose 901's. The person I knew actually had a sound room that was acoustically correct for the 901's and fed them a lot of power (which is what they need to sound good). I can't tell you any #'s on the system...all I can tell you is it sounded amazing. When you closed your eyes it sounded like being at a concert. I have never seen anyone say they "like" the 901. They either love it to death or hate it with a passion and that's the way it's been with Bose's flagship speaker since it came out in the 1960's.
Abercrombieboy said:
The Bose 901's seem to be the only speakers "audiophiles" like. They are an amazing speaker system. They were geared towards creating a concert like sound in your living room (11% directed, 89% reflected). They were the first product every sold by Bose, in 1968 in fact.
Bose also reinvests 100% of it's profits into R&D because it is a private company, has no stock holders, etc. They're the kind of company that has just as many engineers as they do lawyers.
Also, Bose stores are something of the same idea as the Apple stores. Odd eh? Someone is claiming the companies are so unlike each other but really... Apple and Bose are really similar if you look at things.
Again targan... if you care so much about how your music and audio sounds... by all means... buy what you like. My point all along has been to buy what you like. If he likes the sound, let him buy them. It's not your ears, or your money, so stuff it. It's his ears, and his money and despite your best efforts, I doubt he'll jump to the dark side and join the "audiophiles" who just like to argue about what speaker and receiver sound the best. Get a clue, he just wants to listen to his music and movies in a better sounding setup than his existing speakers. Let it go, move on, go back to reading your audio magazines and spending your money on stuff you like.
Oh, and yes. Dr. Bose is a really cool guy. I got to meet him in fact. Great guy, lots of fun to talk to. Very passionate guy.
For the record I have Klipsch Pro Media 4.1's and love them. I paid $225 for them about 3-4 years ago.
And yes as stated above. The acoustimass module does all the crossover work. The system knows what the speakers are capable of producing and what the acoustimass module is capable of producing. Thus, it knows better than the receiver how to break the signal up. This is true of pretty much all of the systems that get plugged into traditional receivers (Acoustimass 3, 5, 6, 10, and 16, and previous AM setups).
Plus, I've yet to see a home theatre system that adapts to your room. If you get the chance, check out the AdaptiQ in the Lifestyle systems. Every store has a theatre and they demonstrate the technology. Works great in rooms with high ceilings, hardwood floors, lots of windows, etc.
Sorry but considering the ease of use, compactness, capability, expandability, performance and price, there's really no system that compares. The sheer fact that Bose is a well known brand and is a profitable company speaks for itself. If people didn't like it, it wouldn't exist now would it?
"Again targan... if you care so much about how your music and audio sounds... by all means... buy what you like. My point all along has been to buy what you like. If he likes the sound, let him buy them. It's not your ears, or your money, so stuff it. It's his ears, and his money and despite your best efforts, I doubt he'll jump to the dark side and join the "audiophiles" who just like to argue about what speaker and receiver sound the best. Get a clue, he just wants to listen to his music and movies in a better sounding setup than his existing speakers. Let it go, move on, go back to reading your audio magazines and spending your money on stuff you like."
Hah, you guys are incredible. Read it AGAIN, take a few minutes to understand what I am saying. You can spend money on bose, which is fine, but you are WASTING money on it. Get the same thing from any other manufacturer at 1/3rd of the cost. This is not an audiophile peice, I am not suggesting audiophile just that you are trying to justify your own waste of money and not feel stupid for skipping lower cost items. There are plenty of decent choices at a very reduced cost without any additional cables, that you seem to be so concerned about.
(btw, please at least take 3 seconds to spell names properly.)
Hah, you guys are incredible. Read it AGAIN, take a few minutes to understand what I am saying. You can spend money on bose, which is fine, but you are WASTING money on it. Get the same thing from any other manufacturer at 1/3rd of the cost. This is not an audiophile peice, I am not suggesting audiophile just that you are trying to justify your own waste of money and not feel stupid for skipping lower cost items. There are plenty of decent choices at a very reduced cost without any additional cables, that you seem to be so concerned about.
(btw, please at least take 3 seconds to spell names properly.)
tarjan said:
The funny thing is most of these systems that you claim are just as good as Bose for 1/3 the price end up in the dump in a couple of years. I know plenty of people that have used a Bose set-up daily for 20+ years. My uncle has one of the orginal Acoustimass systems and other then replacing a couple of recievers over the years the speakers which were bought sometime around 1988 still work excellent. I know other people with 321 systems that are at least 5 years old and still going strong, where a lot of the cheap home theater systems usually either burn out or the integrated DVD player dies in a year or two. I don't mind paying more for something that I will have for years and years.
Also, most of these budget brands have terrible customer service. Bose has great customer service and will do whatever it takes to make you happy. I have called different consumer brands companies (including Apple) and Bose is the best when it comes to helping you. The stories about Bose standing behind products out of warranty is no lie. They do it all the time.
tarjan said:
When I bought my powerbook 4 years ago, I had this same arguement with my cousin abouyt apple vs dell. I find it ironic that you are asking for someone to listen when your are not open to the otherside of the arguement. Maybe I don't want to take a crash course in acoustics to understand why product x is TECHNICALLY better than product y. Why would I care about sounds that the human ear cant hear anyways? I want out of speakers what I want out of a computer. It is also why dumped a PC and got an apple - the saying 'It just works'. No hassle, no worries, open the box power it on and go.
You can plug in turn on and go with a multitude of cheaper bose alternatives. If anything Bose is much more akin to dell in this situation, though that is not fair since dell actually makes good products.
Also, you still haven't read what I wrote. I did not say that you couldn't hear, just that your brain interpreted things as "louder" which some people think of as "better". There is a big difference, and when you compare correct vs good directly you will understand. If you never compare, you are destined for mediocrity with muddled sound and lots of loudness.
Also, you still haven't read what I wrote. I did not say that you couldn't hear, just that your brain interpreted things as "louder" which some people think of as "better". There is a big difference, and when you compare correct vs good directly you will understand. If you never compare, you are destined for mediocrity with muddled sound and lots of loudness.
There's nothing like a blind A-B listening test--or viewing test, or taste test--to settle such matters for each individual.
tarjan said:
I read and I comprehended which I don't you have been doing with anybody elses arguments that differ from yours. I never compared bose to apple or dell I said this situation is simalr to an argument I had with a stubborn unyielding person who refused to listen. I never sought to change your mind on anything. I DO AGREE with you on the louder is not better and that is premise to my whole music listening.
I think that I irritated a few people with my post about Bose build quality. What I was trying to say was that I get the impression that Bose is overpriced for the quality of the components and design - not that it is not put together ok.
David
David