Alternatives to BOSE CD player please

Inactive

Mr_Oink wrote: »

But if you watched it on QVC, listening to the demonstration on your own TV, can you explain how the sound quality could have been any better than that of the TV/system you currently own?

I think that post from penrhyn was tongue in cheek sarcasm.:)

Dreamnine

Bose offers over-priced junk for idiots who wouldn't know good audio if it smacked them in the chops.

home_alone

Dreamnine wrote: »

Bose offers over-priced junk for idiots who wouldn't know good audio if it smacked them in the chops.

What a load of rubbish

googler

home_alone wrote: »

I have a bose wave cd dab and three other more expensive and bigger systems the bose quality leaves them all standing, just my opinion.

The other three are...???

[Deleted User]

I challenge someone to find a Bose SoundDock that rivals the portable one, in terms of build quality, battery life & sound quality.

I kid thee not, on full volume, when the power is unplugged, not even a blip in sound quality/volume.

googler

home_alone wrote: »

I have a bose wave cd dab and three other more expensive and bigger systems the bose quality leaves them all standing, just my opinion.

Please tell us what the other three systems are.

googler

home_alone wrote: »

I have a bose wave cd dab and three other more expensive and bigger systems the bose quality leaves them all standing, just my opinion.

OK, last try -

What are the three other systems?

grumpycrab

I bought a Creative Soundworks which is a CD player with good qulaity sound. But they're not sold anymore. Could try Ebay, e.g. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150548381979

But this looks a bit expensive for "used".

Owain_Moneysaver

penrhyn wrote: »

I recently watched a Bose Wave system demo on QVC and was amazed at the sound quality.

The hi def tellies look pretty smart as well.

But do you really want a stereo that blows out candles? :eek:

alexjohnson

poppy10 wrote: »

No Highs, No Lows... Must be Bose!

Don't get taken in by the shiny advertising, Bose products are terrible quality, you can bet much better equipment for a fraction of the price.

This is not true and you need to split these two statements.

The quality of Bose components is very high. Can you get better? Yes. That is not the same thing as saying Bose quality is poor; it is not. The Wave (and I do not have one) is actually a very well-reviewed unit. The iPod dock is the best-seller and it is also very well-reviewed.

You can absolutely buy equipment that sounds better than Bose for the same money: this is (almost) indisputable.

What you cannot do (easily) is to buy equipment that performs like Bose equipment and that looks as unobtrusive. So, for example, one classic red herring is to say that in a Bose surround sound system, the sound produced by the tiny tweeters (small speakers) doesn't compare to what you would get from a "decent" speaker. This is absolutely true and is a basic function of physics. And if you want a living room that looks like a branch of Dixons, you will get better sound for the same money (or the same sound for less money). Audiophiles find it incomprehensible that anyone might choose otherwise and some kind of victory for "marketing." In reality, they're just not talking the same language and if you really value hi-fi fidelity you probably wouldn't buy Bose, but if you want small neat attractive units with very good sound but aesthetic considerations too, then you might. "Better" is not a useful word here: it's like saying a Porsche is useless for the school run or whatever.

The Wave is expensive but to get a one-box system that doesn't have flashing lights that looks good and sounds great is very hard. It's a market dominated by boom-boxes, iPod docks, and souped-up clock radios.

£500 for the Bose is a lot. But looking quickly at John Lewis I'm not loving the alternatives. You can get Pure units for £90 but the sound will be tinny in comparison. The Roberts systems are probably OK - I've never heard them but they'll be well-made. The other one that comes to mind is a Tangent Cinque for about £170. I have the Quattro - an internet radio - and it sounds good but it has a user interface maybe not from hell but certainly not one I would recommend: nasty little buttons and what have you. It does sound good. If you are happy to have separate speakers Denon offers really great little "bookshelf" systems: John Lewis has one for £350 and I'm sure it's brilliant. But it will also have trailing cable and will really need you to separate those speakers.

The upshot is if you want a small attractive unit you have options but you will have compromises. The idea that the Bose Wave is a rip-off on the face of it is (in my opinion) not obvious. From the next responses to this thread I see your frustration and I wouldn't worry that you're being a mug. I'd be interested in other people's opinions though but practical suggestion are more useful than tired assertions.