Hello there folks,
I am a registered owner of BOSE speakers here in the Philippines and I guess its time to share out the real deal. This is to help our fellow hobbyist before purchasing BOSE.
Bose owners, Post your comments and suggestion’s here. We have the right to say something about these loudspeakers because we actually heard and experienced using them.
To start it all, here is the list of speakers I formerly owned from BOSE;
Acoustimass 5 series 3 – 2 swiveling cube speakers, magnetically shielded and has a little bit of weight. The bass module is not shielded and made of laminated MDF particle board, scratch proof. Rated at 200Wpc max, also made in Mexico, how bout frequency response? “NO IDEA”, but still I purchased this speakers from Eleksis in SM Megamall. It is originally priced at Php.25T and got a 5% discount because I paid it in cash, when I auditioned it a few times before I made my purchase. It really got my attention about the clarity and the design. It is small enough to fit my living room and loud enough to make my office mates mumble about its size vs. performance. It matched it with my YAMAHA RXV995 and boy it really sounded so sweet without the ear fatigue. Parties come and go in my place and my friend’s keeps coming back just to hear my AM5. Then I got the idea of adding a Lexus digital mic mixer for videoke. And from then on, we always have series of gathering and event’s in my place even without any occasion, just for the fun of singing. Then my urge to complete my HT 5.1 speakers come to arise. I finally scouted for additional BOSE speakers, after auditioning a few it came to my attention that due to limited model for 5.1 speakers I have no choice but to add only…
VCS10 – 2 twiddler drivers mounted in one ergonomically designed plastic enclosure, rated at a total 100W max, again no idea about its frequency. It is only one BOSE speaker that can be purchased solely for the use of a center speaker, in which, I purchased from ambassador app. in Glorieta, Makati. The first time I auditioned it, I’m not amused by its performance. It sounded flat and no dynamic frequency response, to make it short, the sound is the way that it looks, a loud speaker in a plastic box similar to a multimedia speakers, but due to its design and brand, I bought it, thinking it would perfectly matched my AM5, then the scouting for 5.1 goes on… until I also purchased…
Model 100 – each has a single full range star driver mounted again in an ergonomically designed plastic enclosure, rated at 80Wpc max, again no frequency specification. This is a surround speakers in which I also thought would blend and sound good when I complete my HT speakers…
So when I finally got all the speakers hooked up with my RXV995 and hear it, surprisingly I was very very disappointed. AM5 has no problem, but my right surround model 100 speaker was damaged. I forgot to set my surround setting into “small” and when BOSE replaced it, still I was very disappointed, I already set my surround to small, but still I can hear the plastic grill rumble and making unwanted noise, BOSE told me to minimize the volume of my surround, but when I adjust it to a minimum, I can’t hear it anymore.
Anyways when a dialog from a movie comes out from my VCS10, it sounded more like a voice coming from a plastic pail or should I describe it similar from a plastic multimedia speaker’s.
So when timbre matching problem started to become a “REAL” big problem, I started to contact the main BOSE service by E-mail. Telling them the problem I encountered. I asked them if ever they would produce a separate cube speakers that can stand alone without the aid of the bass module and can be bought individually. My reason for this is for expansion use. I also asked them if ever they would market out a powered bass module for the use on sub out or LFE. Guess what they told me? They told me that they will some how ask their Engineers to research about it.
I guess BOSE didn’t see the future of Audio industry and still they keep on developing speakers that has a limited expansion or they don’t manufacture speakers according to ISO/BPS (International Standard Org. / Bureau of Products Standardization).
When I finally realized this problem, I started to think about the limitations of this BOSE product’s and began to conclude that it is impossible to meet the demands of my HT, so I decided to sell the whole BOSE speakers for Php. 35T, fortunately my officemate bought it and used for his Videoke.
Then my obsession for BOSE didn’t stop, I maintained my Videoke and bought…
BOSE professional 402 – priced at Php. 31T after a few bargaining at ANG Brothers in Raon, each enclosure is weather proof and has a 4 full range speakers mounted in articulated array. And this time BOSE gave the frequency response 90 Hz to 16 kHz at 120Wpc RMS, but again a barrier arise, the 402 can’t be used without the 402c system controller, so I bought it for Php.15T. I matched it with my power amp QSC MX-700, it sounded good but it lacked bass frequency. So again I sold it.
My final word is “before you buy BOSE products better audition more, because there are more out there better than this product’s, but don’t get me wrong if you’re still in love with BOSE then get one but for me I’ve learned my lesson now”.