I know you all hate Bose but...

[ForeverAutumn]

I have an old Companion 3 multi-media system hooked up in my home office. I bought it about 8-ish years years ago when I was working from home so that I could plug my portable CD player in it and have some tunes while working. I've replaced the CD player with an iPod dock, but up until tonight the system worked great and had some pretty decent sound for a small room.

When I tried to use it tonight I found that the pod that turns the unit on and controls the sound wasn't working. Without the control pod the speakers are useless. I went on the Bose website to look into ordering a new pod but couldn't find the part. So I called them, not expecting anyone to be there, but just looking for their hours so that I could call back tomorrow. To my surprise, I got a real Customer Service Rep who could transfer me to a real Service Tech. This was at 9:15PM EST!!!

After a bit of trouble shooting, the tech thought that the problem is bigger than just replacing the pod. He suggested that I send it in for repair but since the unit is so old I would have to pay the flat rate for the repair. Before I could say, "no thanks, it's 8 years old, I'll just replace it", he told me that the cost, including tax and shipping, would be $114. They would completely recondition all of the parts, replace anything that needs to be replaced and return it to me like new with a full one year warranty.

Seriously? I asked. Yes, he replied.

The retail cost to replace this unit with the comparable new version is $289, plus tax. Instead, I can get my unit totally repaired with a full warranty for only $101, plus tax. It seems like a good deal to me!

I have to say that so far I'm very impressed with the service that I received tonight. My brother has a similarly good Bose story to tell with regards to an old home theatre that he had. I still have to send the unit in and deal with the repair, but so far I'm liking their service model.

To bad they are overpriced crappy speakers. With this kind of service and a good product, Bose could rule the world!

[harley .guy07]

If Bose would take that customer service model and put into speakers and products that were truly as good as what they say then they would be a contender. Paper cone tweeters that are bright and paper cone woofers with foam surrounds and cabinets that are not dampened at all or very little and the fact that they charge a premium for this is not very good in the minds of audiophiles. I have heard plenty of Bose speakers in my audio travels and the 901 is the only one that caught my eye or ear to say it more direct. It was a speaker that at first was interesting until about 10 minutes later after I put one of my CD's in the player. their demo disks play to their strong point and miss their weaknesses which I caught with my own music. There are still some audiophiles out there that swear by the 901 and that is cool with me its just that they don't do it for me. That does not mean their customer relations dept. isn't good.

[Raj J]

yes, I agree!
Bose if experienced in the same line of low end gear such as Pioneer, Technics, Kenwood and the like those famous stereo rack / cabinet systems in the 70's & 80's...- Bose is fantastic! out of this world... obviously.
But when their prices are compared, to those systems one would think Bose is highend since it defintely sounds better and costs a lot more. When compared to high quality brand, not even high-end, Bose falls very short of performance.

I have first hand experience with this, as one of my very first pair of stereo speakers was infact the BOSE 301 series 3 and then the 901 series VI. driven with NAD electronics and the like, until I heard Paradigm & Energy speakers... I gave away the Bose to my vege grocer at the market, 7 hey guess what after a few reconing and parts replacements, he's loving them! they sit outside his store pumping out distortion hung in chains specially made by Bose; anyway he seems to be enjoying his music and so do the customers.
there is one model a cabinet type called the 501 that plays fairly decent, this he keeps inside the store. anyway we are going a long way back here around 1986/87...

for the money Bose is defintely a no go for me; but hey if there are people who want to pay for that stuff and think Bose is great, good on you! as long as you're enjoying your music so be it!
enjoy your music and have a good one!
cheers, RJ

[thekid]

A lot of my earlier posts here on AR oftened defended Bose. As I said then and I say now many people criticize Bose seemingly as a right of passage into the real world of audio. The most common comments usually involve their quality and price. Those are valid assessments IMO for their all in one systems which run several thousand dollars and not deliver a full range of sound. I would disagree with those characteristics for their stand alone speakers which I found were built as well as many other speakers on the market today and their price is middle of the road. Now if you want to criticize them based on their performance, that is valid and warranted. Until I finally listened to some better speakers I did not realize that Bose speakers are neutral to the point of being lifeless.

Most people looking for speakers have limited options or do not want to take the time to find quality gear. Couple that with great marketing and customer service like FA experienced and you have a recipe that will keep Bose in business for some time to come.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Until I finally listened to some better speakers I did not realize that Bose speakers are neutral to the point of being lifeless.

Kid, I must say I have never heard a Bose speaker that sounded neutral. They all sound colored to me, and I think the direct/reflective nature of the design contributes to that.

[RGA]

Bose's original 901 had a following and some very good reviews by industry heavyweight reviewers. The concept is not a bad one but difficult to set-up for the average user. The problem with a lot of interesting designs like omni-directionals is getting them to actually work in the average room and have some consistency room to room.

Interestingly in the blind sessions done at Hi-Fi Choice one of the Bose models - 305 I think it was actually did well enough to get recommended. It did have users note its colourations and somewhat odd soundstage but it did get recommended. Bose 901s I still say do pretty well when they are in a pub because the sound projects very wide out into a large space - so as a background noise kind of speaker they tend to be less grating than other choices - the pub here uses a Klipsch that drives me crazy - even though that same speaker in a normal listening room I like a lot more than the 901. So they have their pluses. And as a pub owner if it does the job and you get good customer service you can write off the expense anyway so who cares if it's 3 times the price of what it should be.

Still the biggest complaint is that you can usually do so much better than Bose for a fraction of the price not that Bose sound is terrible. Just that it is generally terrible for the amount you have to pay. And the Acoustimass was just terrible - it would be terrible for $400 or Terrible for the $1500 or whatever they were charging. The Acoustimass was likely where they got their bad reputation from - not so much the 901.

[harley .guy07]

I will also add that most of the people I have met that love Bose usually live in smaller towns that only have Best Buy's or other stores that sell budget audio components and these people only get exposed to the budget level components and Bose seems to target these markets because they know that a lot of people will like them compared to the junk that most of these stores carries and these people have never heard of the brands of equipment that we own or have had any chance to hear any of it and with that in mind that is why Bose is the best in their mind. I have had several family members and friends that have only been shown the budget market Best Buy or mass market stuff and Bose hear my system or one of my other friends higher end systems and their mind almost automatically changes when exposed to components of this caliber and even though most of them say that personally they would not invest that kind of money into their own systems they do day that it does change their minds that Bose is the Best available. It works in Bose's favor to sell their products in the places it does because their are no products in most of these stores that give them a serious run as far as sound quality but Bose is usually the most expensive speakers offered in these types to stores.
The other part of the equation is that Bose is starting to specialize in all in one systems that are easy to hook up and use and for some people this is very tempting instead of having multiple components that they have to hook up, learn to use and know how to set up the speakers for the right sound. While it is true that the speakers in Bose all in one systems also need to be installed the right way and in the right room placement to sound their best they design their stuff small enough to easily do this in almost any room and this appeals to many people especially ones that have difficulties learning to use audio and video technology or simply do not want to take the time to learn them. I just think they are going for a different market of people than the typical audiophile that likes technology and has the know how to set this stuff up.

[ForeverAutumn]

It works in Bose's favor to sell their products in the places it does because their are no products in most of these stores that give them a serious run as far as sound quality but Bose is usually the most expensive speakers offered in these types to stores. ...

I just think they are going for a different market of people than the typical audiophile that likes technology and has the know how to set this stuff up.

All of that is very true. Bose is a marketing machine. They know their product, who their target market is, and how to reach them. A true audiophile likely won't give Bose the time of day but they aren't going for the true audiophile market.

Most consumer's will believe what they're told without challenge. Bose counts on that and they spend a fortune on marketing their product to convince people that it's high-end. Since most people don't want to make the effort to do their own research, it works. But where Bose does stand out, in my recent experience, is service. If they can market their product successfully and provide outstanding service then they deserve their success.

Too many companies spend lots on marketing but then, once you've bought their product, don't give a rats ass about servicing it. This does not create good client relationships or repeat business. But honestly, after dealing with Bose on my recent problem, if Bose fit the bill for a future purchase I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Bose product. And...I'll go one step further...I'd even pay more for it (within reason) knowing that they provided this type of service.

An unrelated example: Almost three years ago I bought a Cuisinart popcorn maker. It came with a three year warranty. After 16 months, it broke. I took it to their service dept (luckily in the same city as I am), they took one look at it and replaced it. Then last month it stopped heating up properly, I took it back again and this time they repaired it. As a result of this great service most of our other small appliances are now Cuisinart and the ones that aren't will be replaced with Cuisinart when the time comes.

On the other hand, we bought a Haier dishwasher. It broke after 13 months. Even though we had paperwork that said it had a 2-year warranty, Haier told us that was an error and our model only had a 1-year warranty. I'll never buy another Haier product.

So, my point was and still is, service matters. Why don't more companies realize that?

[j dan vignau]

My experience with Bose was with the 901. I sold this speaker with B&W. When the Bose sales rep came by our store and heard our setup, comparing the 901 with the same priced DM14, he was furious, asking us if we wanted to remain a Bose dealer. He actually said, "How do you expect to sell the 901 when comparing it directly to THAT speaker?".

This happened all over the country and now Bose does not allow comparisons. They are turning to Bose only stores to sell their crap because they do not want a comparison with speakers that produce bass and treble.

Having said that, my Mom loves her Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole on her Wave Radio.

A person's choice in audio equipment is determined by his musical preferences, and vice versa." DanV

[GMichael]

Glad you had good service with your Bose FA. It's probably part of their brilliant Marketing strategy. A little good word of mouth never hurt any company. It all adds up to the mystic that Bose is the best. Another smart move that others could learn from.

[Hyfi]

Glad you had good service with your Bose FA. It's probably part of their brilliant Marketing strategy. A little good word of mouth never hurt any company. It all adds up to the mystic that Bose is the best. Another smart move that others could learn from.

Due to the fact that their gear is so heavily over priced, at least they use some of it for support.

J Dan's response was interesting as to the fact that you will never get to hear their stuff side by side with real gear since they moved to the Bose Store setup.

I'm betting that a Tivoli table radio sounds close to a Wave.

[GMichael]

Due to the fact that their gear is so heavily over priced, at least they use some of it for support.

J Dan's response was interesting as to the fact that you will never get to hear their stuff side by side with real gear since they moved to the Bose Store setup.

I'm betting that a Tivoli table radio sounds close to a Wave.

No doubt. Another great move by their Marketing team.
They may not make the best, but they sure do a great job of making it seem that way to the average Joe. Their product is just good enough to make the masses say, "Wow! That is so much better than I thought those tiny cubes would sound." The general puplic thinks that Bose is the best. The 2% of the population that knows better is an acceptable loss.

[JohnMichael]

When I sold audio we stocked AR, JBL and Bose. You made more money selling Bose than the other brands. We sold Phase Linear Amps and kept the largest one hooked up to the AR 9's. We would torment the Bose rep by playing music through the AR 9's and as our pant legs were fluttering from all that low bass he would still insist the bass of the 901's were more accurate. The rep and our best salesmen had totally convinced themselves that Bose was best.

I am glad they stand behind their products. They sure sell a lot of product. I looked at the larger wave system but I found the sound bright and no tone controls. Nice looking product but it would need to have sound I like.

[harley .guy07]

Yeah I wished that they sounded as good as they looked or fit in the room with there cube speakers because the idea is a great one they just do a bad job of pulling it off in the likes of Dynaudio and other brands handing their a%^ to them as far as sound quality. My father which is getting older fell into the Bose trap with their AM-5 sat sub system and has loved it all these years but he doesn't pay much attention to the newer stuff coming out and does not listen to music any more that often but in the 80's he loved these speakers but I think he liked them more for the fact that he could get full range sound from 2 little cubes and a woofer box but he still runs them and they are reliable but not to my tastes when it comes to serious listening. He has heard my system and likes it but his hearing has faded to the point that he does not know the difference he is hearing.

[RoyY51]

My experience with Bose was with the 901. I sold this speaker with B&W. When the Bose sales rep came by our store and heard our setup, comparing the 901 with the same priced DM14, he was furious, asking us if we wanted to remain a Bose dealer. He actually said, "How do you expect to sell the 901 when comparing it directly to THAT speaker?".

This happened all over the country and now Bose does not allow comparisons. They are turning to Bose only stores to sell their crap because they do not want a comparison with speakers that produce bass and treble.

Having said that, my Mom loves her Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole on her Wave Radio.

A person's choice in audio equipment is determined by his musical preferences, and vice versa." DanV

When "The Good Guys" (now defunct) first opened down the street, I was a regular browser...bought a few things from them too. I got to know one of the salesmen pretty well, and when I asked him why Bose had its own open-air kiosk on the showroom floor instead of being in one of the listening rooms with the other major brands, he said: "Our contract with Bose states that it HAS to be this way; the first thing you see when you walk into the store is Bose...and you can't do a direct comparison with any of the other equipment."

They are, indeed, a marketing juggernaut.