Bose is Amazing!!!!

[Worf101]

It's amazing how they can take steps BACKWARDS and call them leaps FORWARD. My case is point is their ads for they new way Radio. It's main selling points are as follows....

1. New slim remote the size of a matchbook - Translation easy to wear out and way easy to lose.

2. No buttons to clutter up the look of the radio - So when you lose or damage the remote you now have to buy a new one from Bose or you have one expensive assed doorstop.

3. Slot loaded CD player. - Er yeah, and when the CD hangs up in there and you can't get it out you'll wish you had a tray instead...

The ignorance of people amazes me.

Da Worfster

[JSE]

I saw that exact commercial with the remote that's about the size of credit card and thought the exact same thing. What happens when you lose the remote? I am sure since we are talking about BOSE the remote is most likely a space-aged design with a nuclear power cell which cost only $99.99, sold seperately. What could be more freakin frustrating than looking at the wonderful Bose Wave system just sitting there and not a damn thing you can do to use it or even get your CD out.

JSE

[eisforelectronic]

Bose is amazing.......for !@#$%

[N. Abstentia]

Wow. All of those things are truly wonders of technology. How did they ever think of those things??

Oh yeah...that's the same stuff the car stereo companies were doing 18 years ago. Pardon me for assuming Bose came up with an idea on their own.

[Glen Rasmussen]

QUOTE]
I have had a bose radio since they first came out. The addition of a Cd to the face is a great ad on. The little remote I have never lost, velcro it somewhere. All in all it is a great little unit for bedroom, cottage etc. It has stood my test of time and torture. Razz

[midfiguy]

Hello everyone, long time no see... ...anyways.... my OPINIONS.

)BTW - I don't own any Bose Wave, or Cambridge Soundworks radio or anything, I have a $50 Sony Alarm clock with a CD player built in. For my better listening, I have a cheap pair of cheap Paradigms wired into the Bedroom and hung them off brackets, still cheaper than the cost of these radios and better sounding, but to each their own.)

1. The wave radio is not a bad product, it's just an overpriced product at the prices they are charging. Are they as bad as some say? No, not really. I mean, to compare it to a $5 GPX system or something like that like some people do is ridiculous. I think because it has the name Bose, people have to say it's the worst sounding thing in the history of products, and I think that's stretching it.

2. The remote is small, so what? There are PLENTLY of other products out there that have had small remotes (some even smaller) but no one complains about them (at least not to this degree). Why? "Because this product is Bose, so let me take everything to the Nth degree!" How about all of those car stereos that have even smaller remotes? And there have been other mini systems that have had remotes that small too. Hey, take care of your stuff and maybe you won't lose the remote. It's really that simple.

3. Yes, to have no buttons on the system is really stupid, but a great sales ploy as other people pointed out. BTW - the replacement remote is $9.99, not $100 as someone suggested.


In short, would I ever buy the Wave Radio? Heck no, to spend that much on a radio/CD is crazy. I'd rather wire (like my father did) a discman CD with tuner to the cambridge soundworks Soundworks system (he used it in the kitchen and put the tiny cubes upside down underneath the top kitchen cabinets, like those under cabinet radios), and put the little powered woofer under the island and put the discman on the counter, and the sound is WAY better than the Wave for about 1/2 the cost). But my point is, people just destroy Bose because it's Bose. Yes, they have many faults, but so do many other competitors, but no one goes nuts on them.

[Woochifer]

Worf -

You couldn't have said it better. When I saw that new "Wave Music" system (notice that they no longer call it the "Wave Radio"?) on TV, those same issues crossed my mind. What if I lose that dinky matchbox sized remote? Pretty easy to lose that thing in a vacuum cleaner I would think!

Also, I thought most people use these things as countertop radios or as alarm clocks. It's not like in the kitchen or on a bedside table, I'm going to want to go fumbling around for the remote when the unit is less than a foot from me. If the thing is inches from me and I want to turn the thing on, give me the on/off button! Oh and one more thing, where's the freaking SNOOZE BUTTON??? For $500, I would expect an alarm clock to have a gigantic snooze button that even the most hungover loser can find in the morning!

We already know that Bose is low on price/performance value, but this seems like a bizarre misstep for them because they've simplified things to the point that this clock radio isn't even very useful or convenient. For all of Bose's parlor tricks and overpriced gimmickry, the one thing that they've always done well is make things convenient and useful for the customers, by keeping things simple.

I mean, I think those Lifestyle systems are abhorently overpriced and underperforming. But, it's an all-in-one system, with no clutter, simple color-coded connections, simple setup, and some useful basic features that are all too often overlooked by receiver manufacturers such as RF remotes that can control the unit from a different room and a built-in music server with an intuitive user interface. For consumers who want plug-and-play simplicity, Bose is a good option, even though that simplicity costs a LOT in terms of both money and diminished utility as a consumer gets more advanced in how a home theater system works.

I also love how Bose puts that stupid "Wave" label on everything. I mean, why call it a "Wave Music "system? Oh yeah, no one will pay $500 for an "alarm clock!" I guess same reasoning stands for their "ACOUSTIC Wave" music system. $1,100 for a boom box? What a ripoff! $1,100 for an Acoustic Wave Music System? Sign me up!

[texlle]

My $299 5 1/2 year old JVC shelf system, that I never use, sounds infinitely better than that Wave radio piece of crap.

[Worf101]

Worf -

You couldn't have said it better. When I saw that new "Wave Music" system (notice that they no longer call it the "Wave Radio"?) on TV, those same issues crossed my mind. What if I lose that dinky matchbox sized remote? Pretty easy to lose that thing in a vacuum cleaner I would think!

Also, I thought most people use these things as countertop radios or as alarm clocks. It's not like in the kitchen or on a bedside table, I'm going to want to go fumbling around for the remote when the unit is less than a foot from me. If the thing is inches from me and I want to turn the thing on, give me the on/off button! Oh and one more thing, where's the freaking SNOOZE BUTTON??? For $500, I would expect an alarm clock to have a gigantic snooze button that even the most hungover loser can find in the morning!

We already know that Bose is low on price/performance value, but this seems like a bizarre misstep for them because they've simplified things to the point that this clock radio isn't even very useful or convenient. For all of Bose's parlor tricks and overpriced gimmickry, the one thing that they've always done well is make things convenient and useful for the customers, by keeping things simple.

I mean, I think those Lifestyle systems are abhorently overpriced and underperforming. But, it's an all-in-one system, with no clutter, simple color-coded connections, simple setup, and some useful basic features that are all too often overlooked by receiver manufacturers such as RF remotes that can control the unit from a different room and a built-in music server with an intuitive user interface. For consumers who want plug-and-play simplicity, Bose is a good option, even though that simplicity costs a LOT in terms of both money and diminished utility as a consumer gets more advanced in how a home theater system works.

I also love how Bose puts that stupid "Wave" label on everything. I mean, why call it a "Wave Music "system? Oh yeah, no one will pay $500 for an "alarm clock!" I guess same reasoning stands for their "ACOUSTIC Wave" music system. $1,100 for a boom box? What a ripoff! $1,100 for an Acoustic Wave Music System? Sign me up!

You're looking at this thing as a thinking, rational human being... that my friend is NOT what you're supposed to be doing. Now, put on your bliders, open your moth and insert the hook so they can land your $500 plus samolians.

Da Worfster

[Woochifer]

You're looking at this thing as a thinking, rational human being... that my friend is NOT what you're supposed to be doing. Now, put on your bliders, open your moth and insert the hook so they can land your $500 plus samolians.

Da Worfster

Yesssss Masterrrrrrr!

Bose is my friend, I give anything to my friend Bose. Wooch love Bose. Bose is Wooch's best friend...


Friends Don't Let Friends Buy Bose

[CharlieBee]

One thing NEVER mentioned in a Bose ad is the price. That is a good indication of and over priced, over hyped product.

Charlie

[Woochifer]

One thing NEVER mentioned in a Bose ad is the price. That is a good indication of and over priced, over hyped product.

Charlie

If I was going to charge someone $500 for an alarm clock, $1,100 for a boom box, $300 for a pair of "noise cancelling" headphones (that otherwise sell for less than $100), or $5,000 for an underperforming nonupgradable home theater system, I would want to hide the price for as long as possible too!

[Worf101]

Yesssss Masterrrrrrr!

Bose is my friend, I give anything to my friend Bose. Wooch love Bose. Bose is Wooch's best friend...


Friends Don't Let Friends Buy Bose

Nice graphic, watch the drool, don't get any in da wave radio.

Da Worfster

[Resident Loser]

...when YOU lose the remote, it's the manufacturers fault? Makes perfect sense to me...I mean if you can spill hot coffee on yerself, sue the company that sold it and WIN!!!...yep, perfect sense...

And IMHO, if you simply plop the unit down on your nightstand, the sound you get is the sound you deserve...the remote is all that "clutters" mine...as the unit itself is on a substantial shelf, positioned as per mfrs. guidelines(or as close as I can come, considering the shelf was there before the radio was)...given the relative "plug'n'play" ease and the approx. 1.5 sq. ft. of real estate it takes up, it seems to provide VG sound...I won't argue about the price but, that ease, WAF, integrating their products with your decor and obviously advertising costs, play a considerable part in what they charge. They are good in creating a certain cache for their products, that is undeniable.

I've seen many other mechanical units(with and without trays, etc.) jam-up, so that part of it seems like just so much b!tchin'n'moanin...

And as far as HT is concerned...he!! it's just another commodity(like digital) foisted on the public by the industry...whoop-de-doo!!! all just a load of cr*p IMO...planned obsolescence punctuated by a series of "breakthroughs" and for what? Bigger and louder explosions...To use your phrase...

"...The ignorance of people amazes me..."

jimHJJ(... and it always will...)

[JSE]

...when YOU lose the remote, it's the manufacturers fault? Makes perfect sense to me...I mean if you can spill hot coffee on yerself, sue the company that sold it and WIN!!!...yep, perfect sense...jimHJJ(... and it always will...)

That's not the point. The point is, if you lose the remote (which would be the person's fault not the company's) or if god forbid the remote stop working, you are stuck. You cannot do anything with the Wave system. There are NO buttoms at all on the box per the commercial. You just sit there and look at it until your new remote comes in. And, you CD is stuck as well. Of course you could always take the sledgehammer approach to get the CD out. So much for user friendly Bose.

JSE

[Worf101]

That's not the point. The point is, if you lose the remote (which would be the person's fault not the company's) or if god forbid the remote stop working, you are stuck. You cannot do anything with the Wave system. There are NO buttoms at all on the box per the commercial. You just sit there and look at it until your new remote comes in. And, you CD is stuck as well. Of course you could always take the sledgehammer approach to get the CD out. So much for user friendly Bose.

JSE

Sigh... saved me from having to re-point out the obvious.

Da Worfster

[Resident Loser]

...it's all just so much Bose b!tchin'...in my limited experience with the brave new world of new-fangled, too-lazy-to-get-of-my-@$$ electronics, many units have any number of features/settings/options which can be accessed ONLY via it's remote...the folks in Framingham don't have THAT market cornered...face it, given their orientation, market research probably indicated the direction they chose to take, Bose owners bein' what they are...and since no self-respecting audiophile would be caught dead with Bose, what's the big issue other than grist for the mill...

BTW, a quick look at the owners manual via their site, reveals it does have a "snooze" feature(which can be customized to suit the individual), it can wake you up to either a radio station or a specific CD track and, after a two minute call to Bose Customer Support, a replacement remote(which I have yet to lose---unless my wife puts it where it doesn't belong) is all of ten bucks! Horrors! the pain!...the expense!...if you buy the unit, get a second remote as back-up if you're that paranoid about imminent failure or loss...and out of curiosoty, just how many remotes have YOU had to replace...my score: zero, maybe I'm just lucky and the law of averages will finally catch up to me.

The only problem is the five bills it cost's...for some folks that's no biggie...

jimHJJ(...Bose is no good, and Polk sold out, and NAD ain't what it used to be...)

[Woochifer]

...it's all just so much Bose b!tchin'...in my limited experience with the brave new world of new-fangled, too-lazy-to-get-of-my-@$$ electronics, many units have any number of features/settings/options which can be accessed ONLY via it's remote...the folks in Framingham don't have THAT market cornered...face it, given their orientation, market research probably indicated the direction they chose to take, Bose owners bein' what they are...and since no self-respecting audiophile would be caught dead with Bose, what's the big issue other than grist for the mill...

Your limited experience seems to have left out the fact that clock radios and home theater systems are typically operated differently, and that their form factors follow different functions. A clock radio (which is what the Wave radio is) is mostly operated within arm's reach, a home theater system sits several feet from you. What you can easily reach with your hand without getting up, you operate with buttons on the unit. What you cannot reach with your hand without getting up, you operate with a remote. Why do you think all car stereos have buttons on the panel?

You're also making an awful lot of assumptions here about Bose's "market research". I give them credit for carving out some successful market niches for themselves by creating simple "plug and play" products, but this is one case where I think they simply outsmarted themselves.

Why are we commenting on this? Because Bose is advertising the thing night and day and none of us can get away from the freaking thing. As I type this, there's Wave radio ad right in the sidebar ------------------------->

"Performance: Everyone Can Recognize
Simplicity: Everyone Can Appreciate
Elegance: That Speaks for Itself"

BTW, a quick look at the owners manual via their site, reveals it does have a "snooze" feature(which can be customized to suit the individual), it can wake you up to either a radio station or a specific CD track and, after a two minute call to Bose Customer Support, a replacement remote(which I have yet to lose---unless my wife puts it where it doesn't belong) is all of ten bucks! Horrors! the pain!...the expense!...if you buy the unit, get a second remote as back-up if you're that paranoid about imminent failure or loss...and out of curiosoty, just how many remotes have YOU had to replace...my score: zero, maybe I'm just lucky and the law of averages will finally catch up to me.

Yeah, a dinky snooze button that sits on that matchbox sized remote. I don't know about you, but in the morning I'm rarely in a state of mind where I want to go fumbling around for a remote to turn the alarm off. A $500 alarm clock without a big fat easy to find snooze button? Forget that!

Also, how many of your other remotes are as small as the one that comes with that Wave radio? That Bose remote is small enough to drop down a vent hole or get sucked into a vacuum. I haven't lost any remotes recently, then again all of them are large enough for me to easily locate and not get dropped into a duct or vacuum cleaner. the only one I ever lost was a similarly diminutive sized one that came with a portable CD player. Took less than a month before that thing went byebye.

[Resident Loser]

...how to approach this?...well, here goes...

"...Your limited experience seems to have left out the fact that clock radios and home theater systems are typically operated differently..."

Gee golly wilikers, no?...really?...fancy that!!!...having never seen the commercial and/or without any familiarity with the radio's said purpose, the only folks I have ever seen refer to it as a "clock radio"(with all that it infers) are the dyed-in-the-wool Bose bashers. If I may quote from the owners manual(available for your perusal @ the Bose website), in addition to a few other placement guidelines, advises:

"To enjoy maximum performance, place your Wave Music System across the room from where you will be listening"

Doesn't sound like the mfr. expects the unit to be viewed as a clock radio(in the traditional knock-over-the-lamp-and-phone-to-shut-the-d@mn-thing-off manner)...There isn't any room for it to be sitting on my nightstand, so it's up on the shelf, out of harms way...with controls that can only be reached with a step stool. Buttons, we don' need no stinkin' buttons...

'...You're also making an awful lot of assumptions here about Bose's "market research"...)

Which is why I used the word "probably"...but given my scenario AND the placement recs, it seems to have a consistent ring of that probability...just an edumacated guess...

"...Because Bose is advertising the thing night and day and none of us can get away from the freaking thing..."

Well, pish-tosh...there are any number of things I find patently offensive, that creep into my conciousness, uninvited, via various media...we all have our crosses to bear...I simply hit "mute" or change channels...good thing I have a remote handy...

"...a dinky snooze button that sits on that matchbox sized remote...fumbling around for a remote..."

The remote is the size of a credit card and about as thick as three to five of 'em...it's shape(thickness-wise)easily tells you which way is up, regardless of whatever shape you're in AND the position of the required button is pretty easy to remember after about the second or third use...of course, YMMV...AND it has hit the floor with no tragic consequences...plus no broken lamps, etc. As I said, as long as my wife puts it where it belongs, finding and using it doesn't really tax my abilities...face down in the pillow and such...

"...That Bose remote is small enough to drop down a vent hole or get sucked into a vacuum..."

Well, I suppose...but, if you have holes big enough to drop the remote into, the size of the thing wouldn't be MY chief worry...with holes THAT big, I suppose another "possibility" is for a Venezuelan fruit bat to fly in and carry it off mistaking it for the odd block of guava paste...it could happen!!!...and I don't know about you, but I rarely use my shop vac with it's 4in. diameter hose to "tidy" the bedroom...or living room for that matter...

jimHJJ(...still seems like much ado about nothing...)