# Can my Bose radio be repaired? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 30, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023 "2014-09-30T22:09:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/21 "2014-10-01T22:11:35Z")
I’m psyched for you, good luck. I’m going to keep **SmellMyWort** ’s link in the back of my mind–you never know. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/22 "2014-10-02T00:01:26Z")
Plan B might be to get a “universal” remote - something like a Harmony ought to work. There are other brands of programmable remotes, but Harmony seems to know how to control anything on the planet. AFAIK, their prices start at around $50. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/23 "2014-10-02T00:09:41Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > I know, I know, Bose products are derided all over the internet as overpriced junk. But I liked mine, it worked very well for me. There are few Bose products that are not very good to excellent. The problem is that there are equally good products for 20% of the price, and astonishingly better ones for the same price, as established by decades of fairly unbiased testing and consumer surveys. Bose is well aware of their Cadillac pricing strategy - and I chose Cadillac as the exact equivalent here. Why else do they go to so much work to bury the price in the fine print, even on the Order Now! type ads? Just thirty-six payments of $12.93 billed to your credit card. A bargain! ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/24 "2014-10-02T00:24:00Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > There are few Bose products that are not very good to excellent. > > The problem is that there are equally good products for 20% of the price, and astonishingly better ones for the same price, as established by decades of fairly unbiased testing and consumer surveys. > > Bose is well aware of their Cadillac pricing strategy - and I chose Cadillac as the exact equivalent here. Why else do they go to so much work to bury the price in the fine print, even on the Order Now! type ads? > > Just thirty-six payments of $12.93 billed to your credit card. A bargain! You know, I spent a fair amount of time online trying to find comparable products for less cost. A lot of time, actually. What I found was pages and pages of self-righteous, self-identified audiophile, people writing spittle-laden posts about what a rip-off the Bose brand was. It’s like something all the trendy internet kids feel they must do. You know what I _didn’t_ find? Not. One. Single. God. Damn. recommendation for an alternate product for “20% of the price”. Not one. At all. So, **Amateur Barbarian** , or anyone else with a similar spiel, bring it right quick, or shut your trap right now. Because I am going to be either fixing or buying by the weekend. That is the day after tomorrow. And right now, Bose looks like the best deal. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/25 "2014-10-02T00:51:48Z")
Okay. If you think $4-600 is a fair price for a plastic tabletop radio, I won’t argue with you. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/26 "2014-10-02T00:55:32Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Okay. If you think $4-600 is a fair price for a plastic tabletop radio, I won’t argue with you. Actually, $250, if you have been following along. Do try a little harder, going forward. And I have more than once in this thread alone asked for constructive alternative suggestions; which believe me I would love to hear about. But alas, you have none. Thanks for playing, though. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/27 "2014-10-02T01:23:15Z")
If it _has_ to be a one-piece, small radio system, Bose is one of the better choices. But audiophiles criticize them because for the same price, ($350 for the radio, $500 for the one with CD if you don’t have a trade-in) you could get better sound (better stereo separation, better bass & treble extension, overall better quality) from a pair of bookshelf speakers hooked up to a stereo receiver. Here’s a one-piece Ipod/Bluetooth speaker that has much better sound quality than the Bose radios, but no radio: [http://www.amazon.com/VISO-Wireless-Digital-Speaker-Bluetooth/dp/B005VKZLR6](http://www.amazon.com/VISO-Wireless-Digital-Speaker-Bluetooth/dp/B005VKZLR6) Perhaps you could stream radio stations from a smartphone? It was originally a $600 system, but this version is on clearance for $250 because it has an obsolete 30-pin Ipod dock. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/28 "2014-10-02T01:26:19Z")
Bose is known for its noise cancellation and digital signal processing (DSP) technologies. To my untrained ear, every Bose system I’ve heard has been quite remarkable in sound quality. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/29 "2014-10-02T15:22:57Z")
**Chiroptera** , here are a few alternatives to consider: [Sangean](http://www.amazon.com/Sangean-WR-5-FM-RDS-Table-Top-Walnut/dp/B003XQLUGQ?SubscriptionId=0K76CZ6RCX2Y05HSNPR2&tag=sppwtb-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B003XQLUGQ&ascsubtag=table-radioshttp://) [Tivoli](http://www.amazon.com/Tivoli-Audio-M1BTSLC-Bluetooth-Cherry/dp/B009DJO02S/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1412263211&sr=1-2) Most reviewers really like the sound from the Tivoli even though it’s mono (even the audiophile types); since you’re not going to get much channel separation from speakers 8" away from each other this may be a viable option for you. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/30 "2014-10-02T16:03:50Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Actually, $250, if you have been following along. Do try a little harder, going forward. Thanks for confirming the “I spent a ridiculous fortune on \_\_\_\_\_\_, therefore it must be a correct decision” trope. You haven’t substantiated the $250 price except that “some sellers” gave you that while you were trying to negotiate a new remote or a repair. I do the math on most Bose product ads I see, because I am perpetually annoyed at their concealment of the price in fine-print X times Y times Z plus a service charge. I haven’t seen a Bose tabletop radio for less than about $300 in quite a while, and the “premium” ones easily tap $5-600. IOW, got a cite for that $250? > [@](#): > > And I have more than once in this thread alone asked for constructive alternative suggestions; which believe me I would love to hear about. > > But alas, you have none. Thanks for playing, though. I have a Boston Acoustics tabletop radio I’ve used as a clock radio for over ten years. Even with a single speaker, it has sound that mildly astonishes me every time I turn it on. It has the clarity and range of some of the better audio racks I’ve owned. I think I paid $105 for it. BA apparently no longer makes anything but speakers, and Bose has pretty much locked up the Really 'Spensive Tabletop market, but if I were in the market, I have no doubt I could find a perfectly acceptable unit significantly under Bose pricing. But thanks for being played. Bose loves youse guys. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/31 "2014-10-02T16:31:37Z")
You should go ahead and take there offer for a trade in at $250. Why? Because even if you find a remote or get yours fixed you still have a 13 year product. The glue that holds the speakers together is probably getting ready to give at this point, it’s 13 years old. For half the price you originally paid you get an updated version of what you had, that’s really quite a bargain and a sign of company that stands behind it’s product by providing excellent customer service. I don’t see how anyone can spin this as being played. :dubious: You’ll end up getting another 13 years out of the new one if you can keep those dogs under control. 🙂 Let us know what you decide and why, it is after all your call. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/32 "2014-10-03T13:05:03Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Thanks for confirming the “I spent a ridiculous fortune on \_\_\_\_\_\_, therefore it must be a correct decision” trope. > > You haven’t substantiated the $250 price except that “some sellers” gave you that while you were trying to negotiate a new remote or a repair. I do the math on most Bose product ads I see, because I am perpetually annoyed at their concealment of the price in fine-print X times Y times Z plus a service charge. I haven’t seen a Bose tabletop radio for less than about $300 in quite a while, and the “premium” ones easily tap $5-600. > > IOW, got a cite for that $250? > > I have a Boston Acoustics tabletop radio I’ve used as a clock radio for over ten years. Even with a single speaker, it has sound that mildly astonishes me every time I turn it on. It has the clarity and range of some of the better audio racks I’ve owned. I think I paid $105 for it. > > BA apparently no longer makes anything but speakers, and Bose has pretty much locked up the Really 'Spensive Tabletop market, but if I were in the market, I have no doubt I could find a perfectly acceptable unit significantly under Bose pricing. > > But thanks for being played. Bose loves youse guys. No cite, I called Bose and that’s what they told me. If you don’t believe me you can call them yourself and pretend that you have a broken radio and see if they tell you the same thing. Or maybe the CS person just really liked my voice. 😃 And yes, I ran across BA in my search for cheaper alternatives to the Bose, but as you say, Bose seems to have a lock on the market. Also, I’ve never denied that the thing is overly priced. Just that it’s really worked for me, and the $250 exchange seemed like a pretty good deal. Until… I’ll post update separately. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/33 "2014-10-03T13:15:02Z")
Update, in case someone has a similar problem and runs across this thread. : It appears the remotes are model-specific and the one to mine has been discontinued. I contacted several eBay sellers and online electronics stores and couldn’t find one. I was told that Bose, however, still sells them. Hmmm, the nice CS person never suggested that as an alternative. :dubious: He was so excited about the exchange deal he could give me. So I called them back, and with shipping and taxes, the remote was all of $15.85. The place SmellMyWort suggested charges a flat fee of $199 for many standard repairs (including for my radio). But then! I took another look at my radio and realised the hinged lid with the buttons on it was ever so slightly tilted. I pressed it down so it was flush, and voila, all the buttons made contact and were functional. The CD player no longer works, but that’s OK; I rarely used it. I only use the thing for a wake-up radio set to NPR/classical programming. So, fixed well enough for my purposes and no charge. Which is the best possible outcome. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/34 "2014-10-03T13:35:25Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Update, in case someone has a similar problem and runs across this thread. > : > It appears the remotes are model-specific and the one to mine has been discontinued. I contacted several eBay sellers and online electronics stores and couldn’t find one. I was told that Bose, however, still sells them. Hmmm, the nice CS person never suggested that as an alternative. :dubious: He was so excited about the exchange deal he could give me. So I called them back, and with shipping and taxes, the remote was all of $15.85. > > The place SmellMyWort suggested charges a flat fee of $199 for many standard repairs (including for my radio). > > But then! I took another look at my radio and realised the hinged lid with the buttons on it was ever so slightly tilted. I pressed it down so it was flush, and voila, all the buttons made contact and were functional. The CD player no longer works, but that’s OK; I rarely used it. I only use the thing for a wake-up radio set to NPR/classical programming. > > So, fixed well enough for my purposes and no charge. Which is the best possible outcome. Cool, I don’t believe that you would have been happy with the remote IMO. My mom hates the remote and has to have buttons. I offered to get her a new one (without buttons) and she said no she would just stop using it if it came to that. Happy to hear it worked out for you. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/35 "2014-10-03T13:40:05Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Cool, I don’t believe that you would have been happy with the remote IMO. My mom hates the remote and has to have buttons. I offered to get her a new one (without buttons) and she said no she would just stop using it if it came to that. Happy to hear it worked out for you. Yeah, I never used it and over 13 years and two moves, it’s long gone. Hey, I could have asked if I can buy your mom’s remote from her! 😉 Last time I had a car stereo installed, the thing came with a remote. What? If I’m driving, the controls are right there. Why the remote? /sidetrack ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/36 "2014-10-03T13:42:24Z")
another alternative. Sony also puts great sound with many features in a small package. there are a number of models and a price range so you have to pick what might work. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/37 "2014-10-03T14:56:33Z")
**chiroptera** , superb resolution for ya, congrats! Proud of ya! Now that THAT’s over, **Si Amigo** , your post from late yesterday morning was spot on (about the age of the unit). All your points were dead on the money. You can’t believe how difficult it is to shake off that “I gotta fix this. It’s fixable, right?” mentality. I didn’t want to immediately chime back in to agree, for fear of muddying the waters further. Funny, the dogs have been strangely quiet this whole time. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/38 "2014-10-03T15:07:20Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > No cite, I called Bose and that’s what they told me. Okay, so you’re talking about a special replacement cost, not a retail price. (And, AFAIK, there are no discounters for these products. So, rather apples and oranges argument; happy to let it go. > [@chiroptera](#): > > But then! I took another look at my radio and realised the hinged lid with the buttons on it was ever so slightly tilted. I pressed it down so it was flush, and voila, all the buttons made contact and were functional. The CD player no longer works, but that’s OK; I rarely used it. I only use the thing for a wake-up radio set to NPR/classical programming. Sounds like the, um, $45 unit I had for years, also with a CD that failed early on, also permanently set to NPR classical, that had excellent if not top-line sound. OTOH, it only played for about two minutes a day and my ears weren’t sharp anyway. 😃 > [@chiroptera](#): > > Last time I had a car stereo installed, the thing came with a remote. What? If I’m driving, the controls are right there. Why the remote? > /sidetrack Because many people who put high-end sound systems in stand around outside at street gatherings and the like and want to show off their boom car. For no particularly good reason, it migrated down through the product tiers. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/39 "2014-10-03T15:22:51Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Okay, so you’re talking about a special replacement cost, not a retail price. (And, AFAIK, there are no discounters for these products. So, rather apples and oranges argument; happy to let it go. > Sounds like the, um, $45 unit I had for years, also with a CD that failed early on, also permanently set to NPR classical, that had excellent if not top-line sound. OTOH, it only played for about two minutes a day and my ears weren’t sharp anyway. 😃 > Because many people who put high-end sound systems in stand around outside at street gatherings and the like and want to show off their boom car. For no particularly good reason, it migrated down through the product tiers. Yah…and it did not escape my notice that Bose was clearly still going to make a profit by selling me a new one at half price, those bastards. The CD player worked just fine BTW, until the dogs crashed the unit. Because the lid now sits slightly crooked, the CD won’t play (CD player is under the lid/control panel.) Maybe I could get it to work by putting something on the lid to keep it closed and level. Thanks for the explainer on the car audio remote; I just got a cheaper system and was bemused by the remote. **burpo** , thanks! Dogs are behaving today, despite getting no morning walkies - raining like stink and I didn’t feel like slogging through thunderstorms. And Diane Rehm is back in my bedroom, quietly burbling on about something. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023/40 "2014-10-03T16:33:23Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > The CD player worked just fine BTW, until the dogs crashed the unit. Because the lid now sits slightly crooked, the CD won’t play (CD player is under the lid/control panel.) Maybe I could get it to work by putting something on the lid to keep it closed and level. I’ve had several units where the lid was a functional part of the CD mechanism, and they’re all crap, from the $30 units up to those overpriced Bose things. I am not sure why the makers cut that particular corner and don’t uncouple the decorative/dust lid from the actual CD clamping/centering mechanism. I really would expect Bose to do a better job on that point. Yeah, dogs. Bet yours don’t add up to 300+ pounds and like to scamper when it’s bedtime. _Sigh_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-bose-radio-be-repaired/700023.md?page=3)