have bose cube speakers - need subwoofers

[peteman68]

My brother gave me two bose cube speakers from a system he bought about 10 years ago (first lifestyle series?). They have a special cords that connected them with the subwoofer (an rca connector to the subwoofer and a special plug for the back of the cube). My question is which bose subwoofer would work with these? Are there cross over or other issues that would make them incompatible with certain subwoofers? Looking at the connecters, they have an rca type jack that would go to the subwoofer but all the subwoofer I see just take bare wire - could I just clip off the rca and connect directly. Thanks.

[Kevio]

Why did your brother withhold the subwoofer?

[N. Abstentia]

Yes you have to have the bass module (it has nothing in common with a subwoofer...not even close) designed to work with the speakers. The bass module has the crossovers and the light bulbs inside (limits the signal going to the cubes so they don't toast) that the cubes require.

Or better yet, pitch them and buy better speakers such as a $100 set of bookshelves. They will sound 1000 times better and you'll be much happier.

[bobsticks]

12 hours into it and I'm impressed with everyone's reatraint.


Good job, team.

[02audionoob]

Being a team player, I'll decline to contend that the BOSE 3-speaker system would be outperformed by <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7705307&type=product&id=1138085354138&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=7705307">Insignia</a href> bookshelf speakers (however true it might be) and simply suggest searching Google for pictures of the cube speakers to see what bass module is in the picture with them. Then set about shopping for that bass module, with craigslist and eBay being the most-likely options.

Google search for BOSE photos (http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=acoustimass%20bass&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi)

[GMichael]

Being a team player, I'll decline to contend that the BOSE 3-speaker system would be outperformed by <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7705307&type=product&id=1138085354138&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=7705307">Insignia</a href> bookshelf speakers (however true it might be) and simply suggest searching Google for pictures of the cube speakers to see what bass module is in the picture with them. Then set about shopping for that bass module, with craigslist and eBay being the most-likely options.

Google search for BOSE photos (http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=acoustimass%20bass&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi)

I agree on all counts.

peteman68,
Good luck with your search. And welcome to AR.

Mike

[Invader3k]

Yeah...you need a Bose bass module, which is totally different from a regular subwoofer. Maybe check ebay for an Acoustimass 5 bass module, if you are really set on using the Bose cubes.

Basically you would connect the cubes to the bass module, via a proprietary RCA cable, and then the bass module would connect to the receiver/amp.

[spasticteapot]

Hock 'em on Craigslist, and buy something vintage. My father managed a pair of the same mid-sized KLHs his father still uses for $40 on eBay, and I sold a later pair of Bose cubes I bought at a garage sale for $4 for $80. I once managed a pair of Mordaunt-Short 5.20s for $1.50, but that was through a combination of good luck and obsessive searching.

Remember, while new speakers are better than old speakers in almost every way, you can get some of the better vintage stuff for boom-box money.

[hydroman]

I imagine it would real hard to find someone selling just the bass control module.

Ebay the cubes and buy something you can use... Like good bookshelf speakers (see above).