Quote Originally Posted by vdogg429
true 5.1? im pretty ignorant to that. the bose 38 isn't a true 5.1?? i like it because it is compact, i dont want something with gigantic speakers all over the place ya know? but i dont need it to be those tiny cubes either. it will be mostly for video games but i want it to have great music as well as quality surround sound for movies, i.e crisp dialogue and sound effects etc etc
First of all, run, don't walk back to the Bose store. I remember reading a complaint online that they have a no return policy, even on unopened boxes, but that may just have been from a disgruntled customer (they have many). Anyhow, do try to return them and listen to the sound advice from the people here. There are some excellent choices for speakers and receivers listed. Most of us don't like to admit it, but we've all been victimized in one way or another by Bose, cheap HTIB systems, or White Van scams - after all, this is how many of us ended up here.

More generally, I was thinking of how vdogg's dilemma ties in with our discussion in the Mutiny on AR thread that Peru started. Many people looking to buy a surround sound system have no avenue for information about their options. It's pretty much BB, CC, Bose, Frys, and to a lesser extent Walmart, Kmart, and Target. That is really a shame, because that limits their options tremendously. Many of the higher-quality manufacturers we have come to appreciate over the years offer very reasonably-priced entry level systems that are still leagues above the mainstream stuff.

What is really discouraging is that many people would never know that there are specialty shops with better gear. The BB-CC-Bose marketing machine is so pervasive that it eclipses the higher-quality manufacturers. If you don't know what brand to choose and you do an online search for a receiver or speaker, for example, the higher-quality brands will almost never appear at the top of the list. We have to remember that Google is advertising-based and so is the phone book. Those who can pay for the biggest adds (Bose) and the higher search engine rankings are the ones that the average customer sees first.

This is where AR needs to play a leading role. There was a lot of discussion about what the role of this forum should be, and well, what we are doing here in this thread is exactly what it should be. Likewise, the advertisers here, of all places, should be those manufacturers that don't make the top of the Goggle searches or have the convenience of a full-page add in the phone book. I see Axiom and a few others here and there, but there should be far more. After all, isn't that what vdogg is looking for when he comes here for recommendations?