Bose Acoustimass 10 vs...?

[The Tahitijack]

Often I read the Bose topics and find the so called "Bose Bashers" simply say Bose is crap and go on to list all the reasons why you should not buy a Bose product, lack of research, inferior materials, poor design, you get the picture. Quite often they pont out that you can buy better gear that will deliver deep but not muddy bass, clear mids and crisp highs. Most of the time the set-up compared to Bose cost more. No surprise there. In most cases price equals better performance and/or quality. Ok, if you had $900 to $1,000 to spend for a 5.1 sub/sat system that would out perform the Bose Acoustimas III 10 Sub/Sat what would it be and why?

[markw]

http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/pr...eater%20System and, as for the why, simply listen to the two in your own home.

There are other more expensive options but this alone will do the job.

Not counting, of course, impressing your friends with the magical, mystical "bose" logo that so easily hypnotize the media inundated unknowing that make up the bulk of audio consumers. Not unlike oncoming headlights do to deer.

For a little more you can get four of these :http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/pr...0Black,%20Pair and one of these: http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/pr...el%20-%20Black. That comes to the princely sum of around $380. Considering you have more than $600 left for a REAL subwoofer and speaker cables, do you really think you'll have a problem? Check out Hsu or SVS.

Believe me, this is not the end all and be all of all systems that outperform an Acoustimess system for $1,000 and under. That's kind of like shooting fish in a barrel.

[kexodusc]

In addition to the Athena's, 2 that I'd take over the Bose are the Energy Act line and the Paradigm Cinemas. I think the Energy's are the best of the bunch, but they're also the most expensive around $700-$800.
The Paradigms are decent, the sub is better than the Athena's for sure, the highs are a bit smoother, but not much. The Athenas are a better value though IMO since they're both so close in sound to me.

I don't really pay much attention to the small sub/satellite systems, but any of these will whoop the Bose. All one has to do is demo them.

Bose truly uses cheap, poor quality drivers in these things. It's unbelievable how they can charge so much. They do look alright though, I suppose.

To be honest, if you went from a TV sets speakers to a demo of the Acoustimas, you'd think they were the cat's meow...you can get decent home theater sound out of them. I'm sure many people are happy with them. But there's better options available.

[JeffKnob]

I have heard the HSU Research Ventriliquist speakers and HSU sub side by side with one of those Bose systems. There is a night and day difference. The HSU is much better.

www.hsuresearch.com

[GMichael]

There are these: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-0yNhJeL...2700&I=108PT5P plus sub

Or these: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-0yNhJeL...0&I=107RM6750T

Or these: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-0yNhJeL...0&I=107RM105PB

Or these: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-0yNhJeL...00&I=700P5PPS8

or these: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-0yNhJeL...0&I=700P5PPS10

And these are much better for $780.00: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-0yNhJeL...0&I=700P5PPS12

These are better at $300.00: http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-...em/KEFKHT1005S

For $800 you can have a receiver % DVD player along with a better set of speakers: http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-...RSR4600KEFPACK

Ditto: http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-...SR4500CANTPACK


Ditto for $500: http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/ONKPACK2


OK, you should have a few ideas and sources to check now. But this is far from all. Happy listening & shopping.

[L.J.]

R there rules........can I go used.......

Ok, lets see......I'll go the used route......is that cheating...........

All from audigon, in excellent if not new condition:

Energy( yeah, yeah, yeah so I gotta Energy think going) Ok start over

Front:Energy C-3 = 225
Center:Energy C-C1 = 175
Surround:Energy C-1 = 150

Total = 550.....that leaves 400+ for a used sub or DIY kit.

well.....do I win......whatdo I get.......

OK, no more drank for LJ....

[markw]

Often I read the Bose topics and find the so called "Bose Bashers" simply say Bose is crap and go on to list all the reasons why you should not buy a Bose product, lack of research, inferior materials, poor design, you get the picture. Quite often they pont out that you can buy better gear that will deliver deep but not muddy bass, clear mids and crisp highs. Most of the time the set-up compared to Bose cost more. No surprise there. In most cases price equals better performance and/or quality. Ok, if you had $900 to $1,000 to spend for a 5.1 sub/sat system that would out perform the Bose Acoustimas III 10 Sub/Sat what would it be and why?

Now, do you have any serious questions?

[Woochifer]

The key consideration in picking out these sub/sat systems is just how small you need the speakers. If size is not an issue, then you're much better off piecing together a set of four bookshelf speakers plus the matching center speaker, and then reserving about $400 for the subwoofer. Figure that a pair of Paradigm Atom will cost less than $200 a pair, and the Hsu VTF-2 or SVS PB-10 will run you $400 on the button. This setup will give you much better coverage of the audible range than the Bose Acoustimass system will provide.

By design, the Bose AM systems have large gaps in the frequency range between where the satellite units leave off and where the bass module picks up, and they purposely boost the midbass to cover up this flaw. The Bose AM does not use a real subwoofer because the AM bass module goes above 200 Hz, which is well into the directional frequency range. It does not go very deep either. And the single-driver design of the satellite units also means that they will tend to cut off the highs a lot sooner than competing models that use two-way designs with dedcated tweeters.

The Athena, Paradigm, and Energy models recommended by others use two-way satellite speakers. They are still smaller than typical bookshelf speakers and will still leave a frequency gap at the lower end, but not nearly as large a gap as the Bose systems and they still allow you to use a low crossover point of 120 Hz or below.

Another model to consider is SVS' new package system. They use bookshelf speakers along with their well regarded PB-10 subwoofer. It's new and not a lot of people have it yet, but SVS has a good track record, and the silk dome tweeters and sealed design used on the speakers are unique design features at this price point.

http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sbs.cfm

[The Tahitijack]

I like most of the comments. BTW my home theatre is supported by an M&K sub/sat system so the Bose AM 10's are not for me. A couple of qualifications. Most folks are not going to venture into high end specialty shops to seek out unknown brands. While Hsu is well known among audiofiles you won't find it on the shelf at the local audio retailer and won't be a system you and easily audition. Yes, you can piece to together used gear at a fraction of comparable new cost, but again the average non-audiofile consumer is not going to read magazines for 4-6 months let along shop around for uesed gear component by component or "trust" that unheard gear will sound fantastic when it arrives from and on-line e-tailer. So lets focus on speakers and systems that are easy to find in most major markets.

[emorphien]

Often I read the Bose topics and find the so called "Bose Bashers" simply say Bose is crap and go on to list all the reasons why you should not buy a Bose product, lack of research, inferior materials, poor design, you get the picture. Quite often they pont out that you can buy better gear that will deliver deep but not muddy bass, clear mids and crisp highs. Most of the time the set-up compared to Bose cost more. No surprise there. In most cases price equals better performance and/or quality. Ok, if you had $900 to $1,000 to spend for a 5.1 sub/sat system that would out perform the Bose Acoustimas III 10 Sub/Sat what would it be and why?

I think that's an interesting statement you made. I see it a lot too. Someone will come in and rightfully say Bose is overpriced garbage, and then recommend a more expensive system.

Out of the box I am sure the SVS home theater package (whatever its called) for $1000 will trample the Bose speakers, then add a decent receiver and DVD player which might total $800 to match that and you've easily destroyed the $3000-4000 Bose system.

There are plenty of other kits similar to that which can offer the same. Otherwise piece together your own speakers, you could spend $1000-1500 on that and then spend another $500 on source components. Ultimately the speakers will have the biggest impact on your experience, moreso than whether you choose the $300 H/K amp or the $800 NAD one. I'm a fan (and owner) of both H/K and NAD, and while the NAD will undoubtedly sound better, spending twice as much on your speakers or shopping around (auditioning) to find ones that are better for you will have the biggest impact.

Since I built my home theater about three years ago while I was in college a lot of prices have dropped on some great speakers and you can get all the speaker you'd need to easily outclass the Bose in sound quality and output for under $1000 these days. Receivers, CD and DVD players are up to you but a lot of people considering Bose would find a sweeter sounding deal if they spent even 500 on the receiver and a source.

Since you don't want to deal with Internet Direct dealers and want to know what you can hear out on the store floor, I'd take any Polk speaker setup and a Velodyne sub over Bose any day of the week in terms of sound quality.

[GMichael]

I like most of the comments. BTW my home theatre is supported by an M&K sub/sat system so the Bose AM 10's are not for me. A couple of qualifications. Most folks are not going to venture into high end specialty shops to seek out unknown brands. While Hsu is well known among audiofiles you won't find it on the shelf at the local audio retailer and won't be a system you and easily audition. Yes, you can piece to together used gear at a fraction of comparable new cost, but again the average non-audiofile consumer is not going to read magazines for 4-6 months let along shop around for uesed gear component by component or "trust" that unheard gear will sound fantastic when it arrives from and on-line e-tailer. So lets focus on speakers and systems that are easy to find in most major markets.

Crutchfield is fairly well known by the general public. But for the ones who don't know about them, the Infinity's I mentioned are also available from Circuit City. The Infinity name is pretty well known, and a trusted brand in the non-audiophile world. The average person could put together a much better system than Bose for much less if they only knew that Bose wasn't the best available. People tend to look at their high price and think, "you get what you pay for." So therefore Bose must be the best.

If they only knew.

[GMichael]

R there rules........can I go used.......

Ok, lets see......I'll go the used route......is that cheating...........

All from audigon, in excellent if not new condition:

Energy( yeah, yeah, yeah so I gotta Energy think going) Ok start over

Front:Energy C-3 = 225
Center:Energy C-C1 = 175
Surround:Energy C-1 = 150

Total = 550.....that leaves 400+ for a used sub or DIY kit.

well.....do I win......whatdo I get.......

OK, no more drank for LJ....

Hi LJ,

How ya doing buddy? Hope all is well. Liking the new bedroom system?

OK, enough small talk. I just have one more thing to say.

Decafe tastes almost as good as real coffee. k?

[L.J.]

Hi LJ,

How ya doing buddy? Hope all is well. Liking the new bedroom system?

OK, enough small talk. I just have one more thing to say.

Decafe tastes almost as good as real coffee. k?

Everythings great!......How's that house of yours coming along?

Ah, the good ol bedroom system.......sounds great. Kinda wish I went with the Bose 321 system though, for the superior SQ and space saving advantage that it offers. Did I mention it's on sale for ONLY $1104. Cant beat that. I'm sure if I shopped around, did a little research, and compared products, I would never be able to find better, so I just won't try.

Yes, decafe does taste almost as good!!!

[GMichael]

Everythings great!......How's that house of yours coming along?

Ah, the good ol bedroom system.......sounds great. Kinda wish I went with the Bose 321 system though, for the superior SQ and space saving advantage that it offers. Did I mention it's on sale for ONLY $1104. Cant beat that. I'm sure if I shopped around, did a little research, and compared products, I would never be able to find better, so I just won't try.

Yes, decafe does taste almost as good!!!

The house is not coming well right now. The inspector put in his report to our builder that the ground is unstable. Not sure what he means. And the inspector went on vacation so there's no way to find out until he returns. But it's a flat lot. No hills. No place for the dirt to slide off too. We're in a waiting pattern now.

Told ya that you should have gone Bose. Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?

[L.J.]

The house is not coming well right now. The inspector put in his report to our builder that the ground is unstable. Not sure what he means. And the inspector went on vacation so there's no way to find out until he returns. But it's a flat lot. No hills. No place for the dirt to slide off too. We're in a waiting pattern now.

That sucks!!! I hope all goes well for you guys.

Told ya that you should have gone Bose. Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?

Your right! I should have blindly walked into a store and threw my money at the first thing I saw. But silly me, I foolishly audtioned products until I found the best fit for me. Next time.......wait.......dang there won't be a nex time.

Hmm.... I got it.....Bose wave radio. I'll put one in the kitchen for wifee. She's sure to hear the $1400 worth of sound coming from this baby and how it's such a value.

[GMichael]

That sucks!!! I hope all goes well for you guys.



Your right! I should have blindly walked into a store and threw my money at the first thing I saw. But silly me, I foolishly audtioned products until I found the best fit for me. Next time.......wait.......dang there won't be a nex time.

Hmm.... I got it.....Bose wave radio. I'll put one in the kitchen for wifee. She's sure to hear the $1400 worth of sound coming from this baby and how it's such a value.

Thanks, we'll need all the luck we can get.

I made sure that we picked a design to lets the main system fill the kitchen with sound. This way she won't ask for a wave radio.

[JoeE SP9]

Often I read the Bose topics and find the so called "Bose Bashers" simply say Bose is crap and go on to list all the reasons why you should not buy a Bose product, lack of research, inferior materials, poor design, you get the picture. Quite often they pont out that you can buy better gear that will deliver deep but not muddy bass, clear mids and crisp highs. Most of the time the set-up compared to Bose cost more. No surprise there. In most cases price equals better performance and/or quality. Ok, if you had $900 to $1,000 to spend for a 5.1 sub/sat system that would out perform the Bose Acoustimas III 10 Sub/Sat what would it be and why?

What is it with you "Blose" lovers? If you have read anything at all on this site you are aware of the general feelings regarding "Blose". Do people like you do this just to start a brouhaha?
If you wanted advice you should just ask for it. Stop asking for alternatives to "Blose". Everyone on this site can give you several alternatives to any piece of "Blose" crap.

[jocko_nc]

Buy a whole bunch of Bose and use it to shore up the foundation...

[JoeE SP9]

Buy a whole bunch of Bose and use it to shore up the foundation...

It would hold up the middle but the top and bottom would be gone.

[GMichael]

It would hold up the middle but the top and bottom would be gone.

And here I was thinking it was a good idea.

[The Tahitijack]

Hay JoeE, thanks for setting me straight. Your response was exactly what I expected. Bose owners or anyone considering purchasing Bose are not welcome here. Any one asking a question is to be shouted down.

[GMichael]

Hay JoeE, thanks for setting me straight. Your response was exactly what I expected. Bose owners or anyone considering purchasing Bose are not welcome here. Any one asking a question is to be shouted down.

You are very welcome here Tahiti Jack. Stick around and ask more questions. People here do feel very strongly about Bose. But that doesn't mean that you should go away. You'll find that most of us do want to help. And we sure do have a few, uhm, let's just say, characters here. Me included.

[L.J.]

Hay JoeE, thanks for setting me straight. Your response was exactly what I expected. Bose owners or anyone considering purchasing Bose are not welcome here. Any one asking a question is to be shouted down.

Dude, you started a thread asking if for $1000 a system could be put together that would outperform said Bose system. All the responses seem appropriate to me. One only needs to do a little bit of research and audition and compare for himself. If you ask for the thoughts of others, that what your gonna get.

[Resident Loser]

Hay JoeE, thanks for setting me straight. Your response was exactly what I expected. Bose owners or anyone considering purchasing Bose are not welcome here. Any one asking a question is to be shouted down.

...a hatchery and feed the fish?

I own Bose stuff, but I don't recommend them or nearly anything else for that matter...

Bose is expensive due to their omnipresent advertising...

Some of their products are closed-end systems and are therefore incompatible with other gear...

The single, summing bass module (it's not a subwoofer) can be problematic when not placed correctly due to it's rather high upper limit...

That being said...they are usually simple to set up (particularly the 3*2*1 system), they are visually unobtrusive (high WAF) and the overall sound produced, while perhaps not up to audiopile standards, is enjoyable by most accounts...after all HT is only glorified tee-vee...and of course, the cache of saying "I have Bose" can be of some note...of course depending on who you say it to, it can elicit either ooohs! or a Bronx-cheer...

jimHJJ(...FWIW...)

[markw]

Hay JoeE, thanks for setting me straight. Your response was exactly what I expected. Bose owners or anyone considering purchasing Bose are not welcome here. Any one asking a question is to be shouted down.

After all, yuou're the one thst swung the gauntlet in the first place by asking a fairly self-evident* question. That's like asking people if you should jump off a cliff. You really expect morethan one answer?

*at least to those that know audio.