Bose Wave Radio/CD - opinions please.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have made the important parts of this post blue so that people in a hurry can ignore the waffle

At the risk of influencing the replies I am going to reveal at the start of this thread that I have already bought the above mentioned device (I just haven’t recieved it yet)

I have never had what hi-fi enthusiasts would call a decent music system in all my life. I currently play music through my PC which has two 40 watt speakers (I think) with no sub-woofer. Basicaly they produce boring sound, even when good music is playing.

Once when I was at my dads and dared for the first time to try an enya CD on his multi-thousand pound music system. I was blown away! This CD which sounded mundane on my PC sounded so amazing on my dad’s system. It was like the music was being fed directly into my brain! It was not the volume that amazed me (any old crap can play music loud) it was the sheer euphoric quality.

Ever since that day I knew that I must one day buy a very expensive music system.

Roughly a year later (today in fact) I was sat at work…after wracking my brain at the time of writing this post I can’t, for the life of me, remember how the conversation got onto Bose Wave Radio/CD, but from ‘music system’ being at the back of my mind to 15 minutes later I had bought and paid for one online! (in other words I had decided to fork out £410 after 15 minutes of ‘sales pitch’ from my colleague and my own vague memory of hype of this thing)

Then I started browsing through reviews on various websites (but mainly www.epinions.com) Most of the reviews said the thing was very good, producing amazing sound from such a small object, a bit pricy but worth it. But there were a few bad reviews. Saying it was good but no match for a full-blown hi-fi system (even an average one) They got me worried. Hence this post.

So what I am wondering is - how far between ‘boring PC speaker music’ and ‘multi thousand pound heavenly hi-fi system music’ is the Bose Wave Radio/CD?

If it is far from the ‘multi-thousand pound heavenly hi-fi system’ then is it at least pleasurable?/worth it?

2

I will admit that I have never heard said system. I am however, an insane audiophile (1000 bucks of monster cable alone, nuff said), and I would have a hard time putting that tiny thing in the same league as a carefully pieced component system. I don’t care how clear the speakers are, they are too small to create any type of dynamic frequency range. There also doesn’t appear to be any eq, or if there is, I’m sure its very rudimentary. There is no way that system could offer 1/10th of the features or flexibility its bigger more expensive brethren can. That being said, I have heard for a mini system, that its a good unit.

3

My opinion is in here, along with a few others.

So, what World eater said. It’s decent for a mini, but it’s overpriced for the sound it offers.

4

Ok,

There are several Bose corporate employees that belong to this board. I was one of them until I was laid off 3 months ago. I have a severe hatred for Bose because of this but I do like their products. Let me tell you what I know from working in their headquarters and seeing how R&D operates.

Bose makes very good sound systems that fit a niche. That niche is very small systems that simulate how a good larger stereo system should sound. I say “should” because the engineers are bucking the laws of physics to get a good sound out of a small package. It can easily be beat by an audiophile that has thousands of dollars to spend and loads of space to put a system into. That is not something that they are trying to target.

What they want to do is have a plug and play system that sounds good out of the box and does not distort sound. I believe that they have done that even though it is extremely expensive for what it does.

What they have done is made an extremely good small stereo that will fill a kitchen or living room with good sound for $499 dollars. It cannot replace a huge stereo for a party etc. It is a quality component for a rather hefty price. Most people adore them if they use them as intended.

5

Thanks for the replies so far. Some followups…

  1. In your opinion is it very likely to be better than playing my CDs through my PC with a £60 pair of speakers (with no sub-woofer).

Is it likely to be better or worse than a standard hi-fi system of the same price (I ask because one reply said a more expensive system would produce better sound, but did not mention a similarly priced system)

6

The Bose will blow your PC away.

And a $499 mini or midi set by another brand may sound just as good or better than the Bose. It may not be so small or well-styled, though.

The thing is, it’s all personal. Go to a good HiFi shop, and listen. Be sure to bring your own CD’s.

7

The Bose will definitely blow your PC away. I have the Wave radio (no CD) and even I can notice the difference.

The only real difference I can see between my Wave radio and the system in my living room (which was more than $500 but under $1000) is that the living room has five speakers placed around the room. If those speakers weren’t spread around the room,but instead were placed next to each other, I don’t think that system would sound as good as the Bose.

8

Well you could pick up a decent 80 watt or 100 watt receiver for $199 - $250, a cd player for $149 - $200, and some decent sized speakers for $149 - $200. I think that would beat the Bose, just on speaker size and speaker spread alone.

9

but even the cheapest total you mention is $500, the bose is less than that in the USA isn’t it?

10

If space isn’t the concern, but you’re just looking for the best system for a low price, I wouldn’t recommend the Bose. Their products are overpriced, and while many people think they sound great, if you do a side-by-side listen with other good equipment in the same price range, you’ll be blown away by the difference. IMO.

I say this as someone who owned a number of Bose speakers, including their top-of-the-line Bose 901’s, which I thought were awesome until I heard other speakers in the same price range in a good listening environment. Then I couldn’t stand them. I paid $1800 for them, and sold them for $250. No one would buy them at a higher price than that.

Here’s what I would do. First, find yourself a good used receiver from a company like NAD or Harman/Karden. These receivers can be picked up dirt cheap now because people are trading them in for home theater AV receivers that have all the video and surround processing. You should be able to find a good one for a couple of hundred bucks. Maybe $300 at the outside.

Next, buy yourself a pair of Paradigm Titans for $209 list (probably can be had for maybe $160 or so). These speakers are phenomenal, and represent perhaps the best value in an inexpensive speaker you can buy.

Now you’re up to maybe $360 or so. Get an inexpensive DVD player, and you’ve got a sub-$500 system that will simply blow the Bose Wave Radio away.

Better yet, this system is expandable as your tastes and budget allow. Buy a subwoofer, and you’ve got a really good system with plenty of bass response that will rival the sound of many multi-thousand dollar stereo systems. And if you want to get into Home Theater, the Titans will make good surround speakers, or you can buy three more Titans and get an excellent, well-balanced five-channel audio system.

There are other speakers in this range as well, all of which will perform substantially better than the Bose setup.

If you want to read some reviews of these speakers, check out Paradigm’s Reviews page.

I have no affiliation with Paradigm, other than being a happy customer of their speakers for about a decade now. I’m about to drop about $4000 on their reference speakers for my home theater. I can’t say enough good things about this company and their price/performance.

Oh, and don’t let ANYONE suck you in to spending huge money for fancy cables. They are worthless. Get yourself some good 12ga or 14 ga speaker wire from Home Depot or Radio Shack. It should cost you no more than $20 for your speaker wire. That’s all you need for speaker connections. Salesmen will try to convince you otherwise, because their margins on cables are huge and they often get spifs or extra commission for selling them. They may even believe it. But no double-blind listening test has EVER shown a difference between plain old lamp cord of a suitable gauge and the most expensive oxygen-free buzzword cable available on the market.

For interconnects between receivers and CD players and such, get yourself some Radio Shack Gold interconnects, or something equivalent. Anyone who pays more than $20-$40 for an audio interconnect cable got ripped off.

11

(Owner of a Bose Wave CD)
You can get a better system for les money if you look, you can get a better system for the same price, you cannot get a better system for the same size and footprint.

I love mine, I use it as an alarm clock and my sole music playback system (aside from my terrible computer with its 7 year old speakers). I find that it is more than adequate for my apartment life, it will fill my 1BR with enough sound but not to the point of annoying the neighbors.

The snooze on the remote that is the size of a credit card is a Teeeeeny bit too convenient though :slight_smile: If I really need to get up, I make sure the remote is not in its usual place right where my outstretched hand will hit it on awakening!

12

Actually, you can get a smaller and better system for the same price: a good pair of headphones and an amplifier :D. But then again, the price would be pushing it once you get a decent source.

13

I’m not an expert, but I lived with a professional audio installer for a couple years, and he pointed out the huge amount of advertising Bose does. This greatly affects the cost.

He pretty much refused to deal with Bose, saying that he could always find something better for the money. It was the bane of his professional existance, educating clients out of their desire for Bose.

14

Hmm… I’m surprised to see several people who are pleased with the sound of their Bose.

My parents bought me one a few years ago. I almost immediately sent it back. Sure, it produced more sound than my $15 clock radio, but it didn’t sound any better.

15

Well, you can connect the Bose to external speakers, as I have done for parties. It’s true that the Bose doesn’t get too loud on it’s own, but to me it’s the perfect system for someone living in cramped quarters. It’s a terrifically reliable alarm clock, too. I think the Bose is definitely worth it, and if you really want the big sound, buy external speakers along with it.

16

What Sam Stone said.

H/K and NAD make excellent integrated amps for $200 to $300 new. In addition, I’ll throw in a plug for my favourite brand Rotel. English engineered, Hong Kong made. A more aggressive and clear amp than the more warmer H/K and NAD. Equal in quality, but it might be a nice comparison. Cambridge is another brand worth listening to.

Speakers, there’s nothing more personal than speakers. Paradigms are excellent. I hooked my Rotel set up to a pair of Tannoy Mercury M3’s (big-ass picture!). Clear, hard sound without overemphasis on the bass - something a lot of mid-budget speakers do, IMHO.
Hey, some people will spend $1000 per speaker on a pair of Dalis, which I think are utter crap in every price range. Other speaker brands worth a listen: JBL, Kef (if you’re into warm sounding speakers), and Wharfdale (although I think they’re a tad too heavy on the bass).

http://www.tannoy.com/index.cfm

17

As a confirmed “audiophile” (and I cringe when I say that), I can honestly say I’ve never heard a Bose product that I really liked.

That having been said, your Wave Radio does what it was designed to do. It was designed to conserve space, be ergonomically friendly, look nice on your desk, and put out sound. If you like the way it does those things, it’s worth what you paid.

To the main points of your OP:

**Saying it was good but no match for a full-blown hi-fi system (even an average one) They got me worried. **

There is no need to be worried. The Bose is, of course, not a match for “a full-blown hi-fi system”–but if it were a “full-blown” setup you were looking for, you wouldn’t limit yourself to $500.

**So what I am wondering is - how far between ‘boring PC speaker music’ and ‘multi thousand pound heavenly hi-fi system music’ is the Bose Wave Radio/CD?
**

On such a sliding scale, the Wave is much, much closer to PC sound, Bose’s hyperbolic advertisements notwithstanding. The problem with such comparisons is that they simply aren’t fair–even if the Wave were engineered with high-quality parts and drivers.

At around the $500 mark, Denon makes a really nice little mini system with companion Mission speakers. I’ve heard this particular model (though not in an optimum setting), and it really impressed me for its size and cost.

Also, Acoustic Energy makes the Aego 2 system, which can be used with a PC. While I have not personally heard the Aego, it’s received pretty good press.

So yes, there are products of better quallity for the price than Bose, but none that are as user-friendly or aesthetically attractive. And when you get up into the multi-thousand-dollar level, you really start to miss ergonomically friendly designs! Plus, as long as you stay away from Bose’s sub/sat systems, you’ll be fine.

18

Got a wave radio. Like it for the money/ease/size/features. Sounds good enough. I’m sure you will enjoy it.

Like everything in life, if you over-analyze long enough, you will always find better options. Nice thing about the wave radio is you take it out of the box and it does a great job. If you are listening to PC speakers now, you will think you have a $2000 system when you hear it.

Enjoy!

Gato -(thoughts of a music-lover who works at an “audio-phile” company who is sick to death of “audio-philes” who determine how good something sounds by the complexity and cost and how it “sweeps” on paper. As an expert I work with, who’s name is immediatly recognized in the audio world says, “Its not how it sounds, its how it sweeps” and about Bose specifically, “They sound great, but sweep for shit”.):confused:

19

Gato, what does “sweeps” mean? I haven’t been involved in the audiophile thing in a while and don’t recognize the term.

20

What makes this alarm clock more reliable than a $10 clock from Wal-Mart? I have had the same POS clock radio for 9 years and it still has the right time on it and it wakes me up every morning.