Maximum PC

I mean, come on...$250 for a 2.1 unit, when others are clearly HALF that price like the Logitech Z-2300s and the Klipsch ProMedia series? Jeez...I mean, not only is Bose clearly out of the league in terms of price points, but I certainly don't see any real advantage between the Companion lineup and those other two. All three are high-end 2.1 system speaker solutions, all of them most likely are THX certified, and the sound quality, at least to my ears, don't seem like that there's anything that separates one from another. So why does Bose think that they can still get away with price gouging, and not understand that the economy just doesn't allow for that extra $$$? Come on, Bose, get with the times at hand, will ya? Nobody has hundreds or thousands of $$$ anymore to throw at you, and if you really value your speakers, you'd have a heart with those who wish to have them at a price point that everyone can tolerate.

Well, if they are still in business then someone is purchasing them .

Some people have tons of money and just insist on getting "the best".

Obviously you research your stuff before you purchase and not just spend the most amount of money possible. Not everyone thinks this way.

Hate to break it to you Hack, but Bose is far, far from the best. I'm with 8Iron on this one, in that it's really over priced stuff, and you can do better for far less. Bose just has a reputation, that's all. But having said that, it sounds like we are the educated ones and know better anyway. Your opinion is best felt by spending your money on better sounding equipment elsewhere.

It's like the fools who pay $80 for a 6 foot HDMI cable, when an off brand cable can be had for $10 and provide the same picture and sound quality.

AJ

bose is junk. not that THX certification means anything anyway, but nothing bose makes is THX certified (someone feel free to correct me on that).

people that buy bose are after the "cute" speakers or the name. certainly not for the sound quality. there is a reason bose never ever list specs. its because their stuff is a joke.

Yeah Bose definitely price gouges, mostly because they've somehow ended up with a good reputation. However, they DON'T make junk. However, what they do make is generally competitive with Sennheiser and Klipsch offerings that cost half as much. For example, I have a pair of Sennheiser HD280s, which cost around $100. I acquired for free a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort 3 Headphones, which are $300 cans. From reviews, specifications, and my experience, the sound quality in the two is nearly identical, both are incredible. But for noise cancelling, you pay $200 more? Give me a break... I would never have paid for them if I hadn't gotten the pair of phones for free.

You'll notice you will only see Bose ads in magazines that have nothing to do with stereo or home theater. You'll find their ads in mass market magazines, like Popular Science, Reader's Digest, Parade, etc.

People with any knowledge of high quality sound reproduction stay away from Bose.

umm.. ok. I wont argue. sound is subjective. if you like em, more power to ya.



there ya go.

bose tends to shape its sound (what they call "active EQ"), hiding its deficiencies. its made to sound "nice." some people like that sound. but really listen and youll notice a lot is missing.

if you like the "bose sound" buy something one tenth the price and play with the EQ. poof! instabose.

I know, that is why I put "the best" in quotes .

Probably should have put more emphasis on that I guess.

Price points of products is half profit making and half mental.

If you had a choice between similar products and one was selling for $150 and the other was selling for $350 you might think that the $150 product was inferior in some way since if it were equal to the $350 one then they should be the same price.

Conversely you might think the $350 one is superior. So Bose is using this to represent having a better product than they have.

If you guys find Bose is overpriced, what about Razer Mako speakers?

Personally I feel that THX is just a standard in which manufacturers follows.
Same thing goes with the ATX standard color codes found in our PC mobos, cable accessories.. etc!

Well, Bose have been seeling their name, same goes to B & O, Nakamichi, or those emphasize on lifestyle solution rather than sound quality, value for money.

Just like years back to late 90s when Creative acquired Cambridge Soundworks, the 2.1 range of speakers had hit mass consumer prices (affordable mainly those 2.1)

Just wait till one of these days when any of you guys strike rich to buy over Bose and we get to enjoy affordable prices !!

Advertising on those lifestyle magazines is a kind of strategy in attract those w/o much of knowledge but wanted something to compliment with their expensive furnishings!

We can't say who's right or wrong, sound and looks are very subjective to every individuals. Personally I like to own those big speakers but space in my house doesn't permit.

As for those with deep pockets, big houses, mostly like to get all these lifestyle products;
Big LCD screen (wow! wah! )
Small little speakers, sleek looking console players (AV) (wow!)

When they played a disc with the THX screen (usually found on those starting) sounds up then squeak!!!! (ha ha ha)

I'm still very satisfied with my Creative Cambridge Soudworks Digital 2.1 (changed the internal cables) for the last 10 odd years!!

Month bump, but oh well right?

You're missing it Gazer. If you had two sets of speakers that spec and test exactly the same, but one is $200 less...it's no longer relative or suggestive. That's Bose in many cases.

THX isn't a standard that's followed either. THX is tested AFTER they're built, and Lucas gives them a stamp of approval or doesn't. There's no guidelines what-so-ever to meet THX standards, because there are none. So if anyone set out to make a THX rated product, they're just hoping for the best. So yes, it's like ATX because you don't have to follow it and can be labeled ATX proprietary like Dell is known to do.

Brand labeling is just one of those things the ill-informed flock toward. If a Denon, Marantz, and a Sony sit by each other on the shelf at $400ea; the average consumer will focus on the Sony. Bose is a known name and has this same affect on consumers. Just watch what people walk out of stores with.

this household has 14 bose speakers, mostly lower end (no computer specific speakers) but we have 8-141s, 4-201s, and 2-301s. you can talk about price all you want, its each individuals ear that determines how they sound, not your ears for me.

now for price, i paid well under half price for all of them, new, end of life, special sales at Fry's. and am quite happy with the sound. although the 141s are a little weak, but i knew they would be, and they suited the purpose.

i have owned many different speakers over the last 40 years from voice of the theaters, cerwin vegas, KLH, on down and i like the bose sound.

use creative headphones, and logitech surround on the computer, and i like those as well.

Have you heard high-end Klipsch speakers, gm? Just wondering, because it seems to me like they blow away anything else I've ever heard. And I have a friend who has a pair of Sennheiser HD 580s... just amazing sound.

one of my old neighbors built a pair of kit klipsch, the huge ones with 24" horns. they spent about 3 months in my house after he moved to ND then came back for them.

they take power, my 60w kenwood setup found it hard to drive them properly, the more modern ones are 3-4,000 dollars "each" now days. they added mid range speakers and they sound great. wish i had room for a pair. newer speaker design has brought down the power requirements to a reasonable 100w on the new ones.

one example http://cgi.ebay.com/KLIPSCH-KLIPSCHHORN-FLOORSTANDING-SPEAKERS-/280501516233?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item414f3177c9

Personally don't like horn speakers.

It's wide dispersion makes it hard to really focus!

Prefer something like Legacy Audio's range of speakers;
http://www.legacyaudio.com/index.php?It ... &item_id=4

well the bigger horns are more likely to be found in a theater, than the home. my old cerwin vega speakers had horns also, just smaller. and easier to listen to.

and just for comparative purposes, put your 200 dollar cans up with these http://www.moon-audio.com/Grado_Headphones.htm you can get a nice grace headphone amp around 16-1800 bucks. http://www.moon-audio.com/Grace_Design.htm

to me, computer high end, is still low end. and bose is by no stretch of the imagination, the most expensive, logitech makes a streaming amp that is close to two thousand dollars. but it is on sale. http://www.moon-audio.com/Logitech.htm

I have a 2.1 Bose speaker system. It sounds incredible and I purchased it at Costco (Canada) for $99 Canadian
If you want Bose speakers they are a item that is regularly in stock and less expensive than from the store

Please stop the thread necromancy!