Bose Wave Music System - Platinum White by BOSE
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Digital camera reviews of Bose Wave Music System - Platinum White
Digital camera Review: Five Stars from a Bose Basher
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, you read that right. But before I get to the review, a confession:
As a life-long audiophile, I have long felt that Bose represented the pinnacle of overpriced hype and underwhelming sound quality. The true genius of Amar Bose, in my opinion, is that he has created a distinctive "Bose sound" that appeals greatly to mass market consumers who don't know any better. Spend some time listening to truly good audio systems, and you'll quickly realize that Bose is a high-priced, superbly marketed joke. And unfortunately, I have to live with Bose mediocrity on a daily basis in the form of a Bose audio system "upgrade" in my Acura MDX. (Which I was forced to take as part of the touring package.) It cranks out 'okay' sound at best, and is no where near as good as "stock" audio systems in some of my previously owned vehicles. The most positive thing I can say is that my Acura Bose system sounds better than the Bose system in my friend's Mercedes.
By now you should be getting the idea that I'm the last person in the world inclined to give a Bose product a compliment, no less a five star review. What happened? Well, I was looking for a compact, one piece music system for my home office. And in the world of audio, I realize there is no such thing as a free lunch--designing such a system requires that sound quality be compromised to various degrees along the way. So I certainly wasn't expecting this unit to sound anything like the $10K Sonus Faber speakers in my main rig. What I wanted was good quality sound that, muscially speaking, got the important things right, with no obvious "wrongs."
With these parameters, I quickly realized that there are not many systems out there worth considering. The Cambridge Soundworks 740 soon became my top contender, but I wasn't really happy with it. Yes, it's got bass to spare, but it's bass that I find to be somewhat out of balance with the overall sound, and there's simply no way to tame it. And so, begrudgingly, I decided to give Bose's "New Wave Music System" a listen--after all, I could return it if I didnt like the sound, which I fully expected to be doing. And yet, nearly a month after it arrived in my home, I'm here to sing its praises.
Simply put, the New Wave Music System sounds better than I ever imagined possible with a unit of this size. It's extremely musical and just sounds "right," (whether it be rock, hip-hop, jazz or classical) with many sonic strengths and no obvious flaws. It will easily fill an average-sized room with music, and there's no sense of strain as you push it to higher volumes. For many if not most consumers, the New Wave may be as much "music system" as you'll ever need. One of the downsides to the audiophile pursuit is that you increasing tend to listen analytically, rather than for enjoyment. With the New Wave system, I've rediscovered the pleasure of just popping in a CD and letting it play. I"ve also found both the AM and FM receivers to be quite good, as well.
I really like the sleek, compact design, though I suspect I'll be cursing the "no buttons" approach the first time I (inevitably) lose the remote. And, being always suspicious of Bose's motives, I suspect this design may have been driven by bean counters who saw a way to reduce manufacturing costs by eliminating all on-case controls.
Is it overpriced? Well, if you're the type of person for whom "good enough" is usually good enough, you may want to look elsewhere. But for a product that I truly enjoy using on a daily basis, this was well worth the price. And compared to the insanity of high-end audio, where a 1 meter interconnect can run 3,000 bucks, $500 is downright reasonable.
Overall, I give the New Wave a "Bravo, Bose!" and I'd encourage any audiophiles looking for a small second system to give this a listen. You can always return it within 30 days, but I'd plan on it being a keeper.
Digital camera Review: Good reproduction fo speech;music rather disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
I enjoy waking up to soft music wafting over my head!. Speech over the air waves is very clear. I am rather disappointed in the quality of instrumental reproduction. For $500 I was expecting a little more.Digital camera Review: Good sound but defective design
Summary: 3 Stars
The sound is good. The price is a little bit high. Given the price, I would expect there are some buttons on the unit so that I can operate it without a remote. But some guy at Bose think it's a 'feature' to not to have buttons on the unit. It's not a problem until you cannot find your remote. That's happened to us when one day my wife brought it with her on a trip but forgot the remote. I think bose realized this issue since newer versions now have buttons. My point is: not having buttons on the unit is a defect, not a "feature", as claimed by someone probably from Bose. The sound is decent. But it's never a good idea to have a system that is dead if the remote is missing or broken.Digital camera Review: Good, but not the best for the $$$
Summary: 3 Stars
Lets be frank, the BOSE system is definitely an overpriced product. So, it is OK product that performs so so... it is also $500. If you really would like a system that sounds 100 times better and costs slightly less, I would look into the Tivoli Model 2 with the Tivoli subwoofer addition. I have tried both systems, and was only satisfied when I got my Tivoli Model Two. The Tivoli Model Two is definitely going to be classic and a system people talk about for years... mark my words. What can I say, it was designed by Henry Kloss, one of the most important sound engineers of our time. I have the new ipod dock with remote hooked up to it and it sounds amazing! Keep in mind that this is a system for people who like to LISTEN to music. True Hi-Fi... not another boomy window shaker system. The Tivoli system has incredible sound separation a really impressive sound stage. Oh and did I mention that it is really cool looking? It has real wood cabinets, minimal solid design. And hey, it does not have the look of a bedside alarm clock!
Hopefully I have just saved some of you true music connoisseurs the headache of having to return their BOSE products... or not. Yours faithfully, Sonic Boom.
Digital camera Review: Great Sound in a Small Package
Summary: 5 Stars
I had always thought of Bose as a strong competitor in the audiophile category going back to the days of their original 901 speakers. However, their sound was always a little too "bright" for my taste. This all changed when I moved to a smaller home four years ago and realized I would need smaller less obtrusive equipment to serve as a surround sound system in my space constrained den. The LifeStyle System 25 (no longer made) was just perfect - balancing my need for quality sound and space saving. Recently, my wife purchased a Bose Soundock to go with my Ipod mini. On further thought, I realized I would be better off with the new Wave System since it would be multifunctional. Well, its now setup in my living room and is providing amazing sound, great through all tonal ranges. Obviously, its not a multispeaker, acoustimass subwoofer system, so such a comparison would be unfair. But, this small system produces high quality sound that is room filling. Easy to use and setup, small in form factor, and easy to move from room to room if you desire. Works well with mp3s, the ipod, and radio too. My only complaint is that like other Bose systems, it is a bit bright and there are no user controls to allow more base. But, hey, the great size factor will provide some limitation. Finally, I bought mine in a Bose store. They were very helpful. I wanted the dark gray which they were out of. So they gave me a white unit and told me they will call me when the gray one comes in next week and let me swap out the white one. Thats what i call standing behind your customer.