Tuesday 30 / April / 2024
A really outstanding aspect about American brands, among many others, is their marketing. The way they advertise is really outstanding. They come, they see, and they dominate. And it is not that they don’t deliver the goods; in most cases they do. But even if some don’t, their unique, better than the best publicity campaigns make sure they still remain on top and very much in demand.
I had been a great fan of Bose ever since I heard of the brand for the first time. From my earphones, to headphones, to the desktop speakers, each one wore the Bose moniker.
Like any and many others, I too was so fascinated by the audio brand and its magic technology, producing sound like no other. For me premium had always meant Bose; but only this far. What I went through in the recent past has seriously shaken my faith in the brand.
For the last few weeks I had been planning on setting up a home theatre at my place. And as obvious nothing else came to my mind other than Bose. Next thing, I ended up at the Bose showroom, and they gave me a nice demo with their best sounding home theatre system – the Acoustimass 10 Series V.
I was floored with the awesome sound: amazing bass, and superb surround like no other. I was getting goosebumps at the very thought of the system rocking my place and the pleasure I would seek out of the envy of my friends.
But to my sheer disgust, the unavailability of a matching A/V receiver halted my plans to make the purchase right away. Only now I realise it was a blessing in disguise.
I happened to bump in this friend, who is also a music junkie like me. I shared my home theatre plans with him, and without even asking, he bounced at me; “Do not buy Bose!” Startled as I was at his impudence, I sang all my knowledge about Bose, and it’s sound quality comparable to none.
Keeping his cool with the same intensity as I had lost mine, he asked passively, “but to which system you actually did compare it?” And I went blank. True, I hadn’t compared it to any; I just believed it to be that way. And though I still strongly believed in Bose being the best, I set out to do some market research, with the intention of proving my buddy all wrong.
I started with Bose itself. Visiting the Bose outlet, I enquired about the technical specs of the aforementioned system I was interested in, but instead of anything specific all I got were assumptions. To my utter dismay, I discovered Bose does not publish technial data like frequency ranges, accuracy, distortion levels, or power output for its systems anywhere – instruction manuals, brochures, or website.
A little more research revealed the tech specs are probably kept clandestine on purpose.
Check this: the frequency range of a high quality home theatre system should be 20Hz (lower frequency denotes bass) to 20,000Hz with less than + or - 3dB fluctuation in volume level and be able to output 105dB during loud peaks. DVDs and CDs are produced in mixing environments that match these specifications.
According to many industry experts, Bose Acoustimass speakers are only able to produce sound from the onward of 46Hz to 13.3kHz at + or - 10.5dB fluctuation, with a maximum decibel output of 85, implying Bose home theatre systems are not able to meet standard specifications expected for DVD and CD content.
Because of a frequency gap between the bass module and the cube speaker, the Acoustimass speakers lose all audio in the 200 to 280Hz frequency range, (the range of human voice). The Bose bass module is unable to reproduce frequency ranges below 46Hz while DVDs have bass down to 20hz. The large 10dB fluctuation in frequency accuracy results in inaccurate sounds between 280Hz and 13kHz resulting in sound being louder or softer than the original recording.
The cube speakers have a frequency range of 280Hz to 13.3kHz at + or - 10.5dB. Compare this to the 50Hz to 45kHz at + or - 3dB of the SKR-980 2-way surround speaker of the ONKYO HT-S9700THX, which I tested later on, and found out to be way better than the Acoustimass 10, and still cheaper than the Bose.
In common terms, the Bose Acoustimass home theatre setup nullifies a quarter of the audible sound originally presented by DVDs and CDs. The remaining three-fourth is presented with a high degree of error, up to 10dB louder or softer than originally recorded.
Through acoustic tweaks like the reflecting design that supposedly creates a larger sound stage by reflecting sound off of side walls, Bose is able to create the illusion of accurate and full range sound. However, this does not change the fact that Bose speakers are not accurately reproducing the sounds, and the created soundstage is artificial.
Audiophiles chastise it, and rightly so, for being too over pricey, and sub-par in sound compared to other not-so-popular audio bigwigs. However, one thing to note here is that Bose gained its ground by making things immensely easy for its customers.
The average music lover just wants exceptional sound without having to ascend the learning curve, and that’s where Bose seems to take the game away. Bose is of the very few premium acoustic brands which offer HIB (Home Theatre in Box) options. The rest have their endless lines of various components, and you are required to build your own custom set-up.
Setting up a perfect sound system is a very complex science, with delicate nuances and subtleties. With a perfect sound system, the listener must not be able to detect where the bass sound is coming from; the sound should be ‘non-localisable’. The listener should feel as if it is coming from all around, blending seamlessly into the musical fabric.
If one is able to locate the origins of the sounds, then either the system is poorly designed or the setup is not correct. Even a wrongly placed Sub could end playing spoilsport. You need expert knowledge to achieve this seamless integration between the subwoofer and satellites for a smooth flawless response.
Bose with its Acoustimass system, employing their patent port design, produces ‘virtually invisible’ loudspeakers by building a bass module that could be hidden anywhere in a room, and having small satellite speakers to reproduce the higher pitched notes, delivering an overall fuller sound experience, no matter even if a bit artificial.
Bose also adds very much to its appeal with its minimalistic designs and wireless setups (top of range models). Shifting the heavy woofers along with the sub woofer into bass module, Bose has been successful in hugely reducing the size of its surround speakers – or as Bose puts it: cubes, without compromising on sound quality.
To sum up, Bose is not the highest sound quality product on the market; it is more a package of design and convenience, which is quite appealing to a significant percentage of the market. Bose has even played the high-price-tag card to its advantage, creating an illusion of exclusivity to its products. Consumers, who are not entirely aware of the world of acoustics and the other options available, consider Bose ‘high end’.
As many Bose owners as I could get in touch with swore by it simply for the reason that it were Bose and believed it was the best. Most even didn't know what frequency range meant, or exactly what technology Bose employed for that class-apart sound that they claimed it to have.
Through high priced marketing, wide availability, and big time promotions, Bose has created a massive market for their speakers. Their state-of-the-art Bose showrooms equipped with demo-theatres create magic in controlled settings, playing only the content their speakers could cater well to. Common sense is not so common these days after all. Well played Bose.
