Bose is one of the most recognized names in audio. Bose's advertising is outstanding, but how about their audio systems? I took a trip to my local Bose dealer to put their Flagship, the Bose Lifestyle 48 to the test. It retailed for only $3,999.00. I will say that the sales people were very friendly and courteous, answered all my questions and allowed me to play all the music and movies that I brought with me to do my test. They couldn't tell me the specs on Bose i.e. watts per channel or frequency response of the speakers because Bose doesn't tell you those.
Looks The Bose Lifestyle looks great. One simple unit has a built in DVD player and its sleek, black and futuristic looking. All the channels are small unobtrusive cubes that can easily be hid in your home if you don't want unsightly large speakers around. A Bose Acoustimass module handles all the amplification and low frequency output. The Bose salesperson told me that the look of the Unit was Boses second most important goal, and I believe they have succeeded. For anyone that doesn't like all those gaudy bulky receivers and DVD players, this Unit can be slipped in anywhere and doesn't have that "Black Box" look to it.
Ease of Use The Bose is a snap to operate, one remote control lets you play a movie or cd, select between sources, raise and lower the volume, anyone could operate a Bose Lifestyle System. I understand that Bose's most important goal is to provide ease of use, and they have accomplished that.
Expandibility According to Bose salespeople, the ability to expand is Boses third principal goal. I asked about adding a DVD Audio Player or SACD player to the unit. The Bose doesn't have the six analog inputs necessary for that. I asked if you could add a separate subwoofer to improve the bass. Bose doesn't have a subwoofer output, you can't do that. I asked if you could use different speakers. Bose's acoustimass module is spefically designed to work with the little cubes, so no, you can't do that either. How is it expandable, I asked? Apparently, you can add speakers in other rooms. The Bose does have one optical input and 3 digital coaxial inputs. It also has analog inputs. The outputs are strange, there is a composite video out and an S video out. I asked about component video out, and I was told that they used some adapter to get component video out from the composite and S video out. Okay.
Sound Quality The number four goal of Bose I was told is sound quality. Stupid me, I always thought that sound quality would be the most important factor in audio equipment, but what would I know with all those ugly hard to operate black boxes in my living room hooked up to those awful ugly speakers. The salesman did allow me to go through my test.
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (dual layer SACD) I was certainly glad that the SACD I brought had a CD layer. Even the CD layer of this SACD rocks, so I thought it would be a fitting test. The heartbeat came in muddled and fuzzy. I could feel the bass, but it wasn't the rich tight bass I was expecting. The midrange sounds were decent, but even the upper frequencies lacked a bit. Dark Side of the Moon even in stereo is an incredibly well soundscaped album. The sonic stage creates a roller coaster ride for its listener. Umm, except the Bose system seemed to have it a little confused. I was unsure where the sounds were coming from. Although sound was coming from the left and right, it wasn't the neat precisely placed sound I had heard on the album during the 500 plus times I have listened to it since I was 15.
Anyway, let's throw in some jazz and see what a $4,000 Bose system can do with the voice of Diana Krall.
Diana Krall - Love Scenes (CD) Ah the smooth muddy bass of Diana Kralls quartet, and the sweet not quite so clearly defined sound of her voice and that beautiful clunky piano. Wait a minute!, even on CD, her bass player sounds rich and deep, and Diana's voice is smooth and creamy, and the piano is bright and clear. What happened? sigghhh.
Moving on to movies
Master and Commander The Bose lifestyle did handle the dialogue and the front sound stage of scene four, the attack quite well. I could clearly hear the dialogue, and although bass poor, the cannon effects were decent in the front channels. But what happened to the cannon balls whizzing past my head? Where was the ships cabin that exploded into a million splinters behind me? Where was the shaking of my chair as my ship was under attack by an enemy vessel? It wasn't there, and I missed it. The rear surrounds, even when standing near them, just did not give me that full sense of surround sound that should have been there. I believe that a large part of the problem is that the small satellite speakers just are not capable of delivering any real sonic information, and since the Acoustomass module was to my front, the little satellite surrounds were on their own, and just not up to the task of recreating dynamic surround sound functions.
House of Flying Daggers The bean scene is another of my favorite surround sound tests. The master throws beans one or two at a time into a circle of drums. The woman in the middle must listen for them to hit, and duplicate the rhythms. With a good surround sound system, this scene is great. You can hear the beans hit in front of you, to the left of you, and behind you! This is repeated as the woman deftly matches the drum hits beat for beat. On the Bose Lifestyle 48 I could hear the ones in front, thats it. I heard almost nothing from the rear. I was assured by both salesmen that the surround sound channels were indeed plugged in and hooked up, I just couldn't hear them. When I stood almost under one, I could very faintly hear the drums. I know from watching the movie at home, that this scene makes a lot of use from all channels (the reason I choose it to test systems).
Well what about bass response? The $4,000 Bose Lifestyle 48 won't let you add a subwoofer, so how low can that Acoustimass go? Again the salesman informed me that Bose doesn't give specs on their systems, you just have to listen. So listen we did to:
Finding Nemo I put in "Darla taps the tank", my favorite low bass response scene. (its scene 25 btw). If you read my review of the
Velodyne SPL 1000 series II subwoofer, you will know what this scene should FEEL like. On the Bose, despite the salesperson turning the system up four times and increasing the bass, just does not in any way shape or form deliver the bass that is in that scene. With good bass, when Darla taps the tank, you shake like you were in the tank! On the Bose, you just hear a little girl tapping on a fish tank.
When I told the salesmen my thoughts on the Boses' performance, he told me that the Bose is really more of a high end mass consumer product, and not really designed for audiophiles. It's for the consumer that doesn't want to have to turn on all kinds of different components or make settings for different inputs, it's for the consumer that wants a simple set up and a system that looks nice.
Well, I will give you this, the Bose delivers looks and ease of use, but if you want a system you can listen to, I can think of about a dozen different choices for less than half the price that will blow the Bose system clean out of the water. (one example; Denon AVR 1905 receiver $400; Pioneer 45A DVD video/audio SACD player $350; 4 Cambridge Soundworks M60 speakers $600.00, one MC300 center channel $300.00 and a Cambridge Soundworks 50 watt subwoofer $250.00; total cost $1,900.00) For a system this expensive, I was shocked at its lack of upgradeability and expandibility. The bass isn't just dissapointing, it is nearly non existent, with no hope of salvaging (because you can't add a subwoofer). The soundstage is poorly defined and the rear surrounds seemed almost non operational. I can say that dialogue was handled very well by the Bose. Music at low volumes sounded decent, but once you turn it up, everything falls apart.
Overall though for a system that costs FOUR THOUSAND dollars, the Bose lacks what people should truly be looking for in a quality sound system: SOUND QUALITY. If you want something that looks good, I know several galleries on Newbury street in Boston that can sell you an excellent serigraph by Kerry Hallam or even Pablo Picasso that will look beautiful above your much cheaper and better sounding but "ugly" stereo system. A nice serigraph will also cost less than the four grand for the Bose.
