Bose Acoustimass

[Jungleland]

I (or perhaps I should say my wife) like the idea of the Bose Acoustimass speakers by virtue of their size.

Anyone got any experience with them or comments regarding their sound or suitability for use with Sonos?

[Peter Hunsberger]

I (or perhaps I should say my wife) like the idea of the Bose Acoustimass speakers by virtue of their size.

Anyone got any experience with them or comments regarding their sound or suitability for use with Sonos?

Since Bose keeps coming up I can't bite my tongue any longer. Basically, just say no: they are too expensive compared to other better sounding solutions.

Confession: I'm a recovering Audiophile, it's been 10 years since I downgraded to a Bryston 4B and PSB Stratus Golds (from an expensive but finicky tube amp and custom corner horns that weren't compatible with getting married), but I've mostly stayed the course...

[RO53BEN]

Not sure where you're based in the UK, but I run Sonos with Bose in 3 rooms.

I have some older AM3s in the bedroom which sound fine and some Bose lifestyle connected AM5 style speakers in the lounge. I have some bose bookshelf speakers in the kitchen.

Sounds fine to me, but all sound is subjective and Bose tends to be a love/hate thing.

As a general rule, if the Bose sound good to you connected to a decent amp, then they'll be fine with the Sonos. All depends on your requirement and expectations though.

Where you based? Wanna demo?

You pay a premium for Bose kit. There are larger, cheaper speakers that sound good. There are speakers that sound better for the same money. But the looks of a speaker are important and if you like the design I feel it's worth a premium.

[Richie1957]

I (or perhaps I should say my wife) like the idea of the Bose Acoustimass speakers by virtue of their size.

Anyone got any experience with them or comments regarding their sound or suitability for use with Sonos?
Hi Jungleland,
I started a thread here at the forum and had some Bose questions also.
I saw that the online electronics site "Crutchfield" offered the Sonos system with the Bose AM3 system and wondered why I was not very excited with the way the AM3s sounded with my Sonos and posted to ask if anyone else found that bass was lacking for others as well.
Of course speaker sound is a very personel thing so where I didn't like the AM3s doesn't mean you wount like them.
After testing the AM3s, 201s and 301s, I decided to go with the 301s as they have an 8" woofer and 2 tweeters, 1 in front and 1 in back and also base ports in the back also.
So I am happy with the bass I get with the 301s not to mention how nice the reflected sound off the back of the system sounds when it bounces of the wall.
If you have the room behind somthing in the listening area, the 301s can almost be invisable if this is what you want and the reflected sound still comes out all over the place.
I also found that the AM3s little cubes were very strong and loud and covered up the little bass the module did put out.
For me, the 301s are not as harsh as the cubes but they still hit all the high frequencies very nicely.:)

[RO53BEN]

If you're going to a Bose demo store, ask if you can demo their new Wall/Ceiling speakers.

Whether you want any or not, just listen to them. I didn't want any before but I will be getting some now.

[Richie1957]

If you're going to a Bose demo store, ask if you can demo their new Wall/Ceiling speakers.

Whether you want any or not, just listen to them. I didn't want any before but I will be getting some now.
These are a good idea but I rent.:rolleyes:
Maybe when I buy a house (or when mom in-law kicks the bucket.:rolleyes:

[audiojeff]

The Bose compromise is all about the aesthetic. There's nothing wrong with that, every loudspeaker is a compromised design. You can have that look with better sound, but Bose doesn;t make it very easy. Their best sounding sattelites do not come with the AM series product. They are packaged with their most expensive Lifestyle systems, and they are called the Bose Jewel Cube. Their best sounding subwoofer and amplifier package isn't even sold through Bose retailers. Its part of a system called Bose Built InVisible, and is only available through a group of Bose certified custom installation firms. Geting these products from Bose is a bit of a PITA, but its worth it.

My favorite Bose replacement, the Tannoy Athena system (its not cheap either). For a solution on a more modest budget, try pairing the Anthony Gallo Nucleus loudspeakers (<$200 ea) with a good sub. I have seen the Velodyne DPS-10 online lately below $350.

[Richie1957]

As a general rule, if the Bose sound good to you connected to a decent amp, then they'll be fine with the Sonos. All depends on your requirement and expectations though.
Ben,
I found this to be different.
When I was checking out the AM3s and AM5s in the audio stores, I though they sounded fine hooked up to what ever amp they used to demo them.
One place had them hooked to the actual Bose small SA-3 100 watt amp with the remote controll.(Life styles I think)
But when I brought home a set of AM3s I was not impressed.
My thinking is that the sonos is only 50 watts and usually runs at half volume.
Where a regular receiver has a preset input, I was thinking that the Sonos might control the volume to its amp by controlling the input to the preamp.
Then I thought there is also the digital audio flatness thing going on maybe.
In any event, I got the Bose 301s and they have enough bass for me.:D

[ZaskarAZ]

I have the Bose Acoustimass® 10 home entertainment speaker system and use it solely for my home theater system. I would never use them for music as they just aren't designed for that. I know this may open up a large debate but IMHO: 99.9% of my music collection was recorded for two channels not 5.1, so I believe trying to play music through speakers designed specifically for 5.1 is really going to produce inferior sound. I am completely satisfied with them when watching movies. However, they just don’t have the mids for music.

[Jungleland]

Some interesting points of view - thanks.

And thanks also for the offer of a demo Ben but I'm in West London and I think the aesthetics are going to be a pretty important part of the decision whether we go for Bose or something more 'noticable'

I am sure an audition in a store will be enough.

Unless anyone here knows otherwise :)

[shevans]

I have a Bose lifestyle 28 system, which I am deciding whether or not to use long term with a Zoneplayer.

Aesthetics is brilliant, tiny speakers and a big box that can be stuck out the way, music that can fill a room (as long as you have a AM5 or better).

However the audio is just not as involving on my Bose LS28 as compared with a pair of Sonos speakers. Yes the Bose does have lots more bass, and you can listen to music all day as its fatigue free.

I doubt that you would be disappointed, just that when you hear a Zoneplayer connected to a different pair of speakers you may want more.

[audiojeff]

The Bose SA-3 amplifier is equalized for Bose non-amplifed loudspeaker systems (like the AM-5).

[TMC]

You could look at the Monitor Audio Radius R90s. I have a pair attached to my ZP100 in my kitchen. The quality of sound reproduction is very impressive from such small units. Also they seem able to achieve a remarkable amount of bass for such tiny speakers. I think I actually prefer them to my AE 105 floorstanders (the R90s obviously have less bass, but better definition).

In a larger room you might want to couple them with the R360 subwoofer. Or look at R270 floorstanders, which are very neat and sexy looking for floorstanding speakers.

[RO53BEN]

Some interesting points of view - thanks.

And thanks also for the offer of a demo Ben but I'm in West London and I think the aesthetics are going to be a pretty important part of the decision whether we go for Bose or something more 'noticable'

I am sure an audition in a store will be enough.

Unless anyone here knows otherwise :)


If you fancy some nice looking bookshelf sized speakers, then give Simon at Simply Sonos a call. Last time I dropped in he had a wide range of great sounding B&W speakers on his Sonos display.

I'd have bought some myself, but settled for the Bose I'd bought used for a great price of someone I knew.

[AV_Spyder]

You could look at the Monitor Audio Radius R90s. I have a pair attached to my ZP100 in my kitchen. The quality of sound reproduction is very impressive from such small units. Also they seem able to achieve a remarkable amount of bass for such tiny speakers. I think I actually prefer them to my AE 105 floorstanders (the R90s obviously have less bass, but better definition).

In a larger room you might want to couple them with the R360 subwoofer. Or look at R270 floorstanders, which are very neat and sexy looking for floorstanding speakers.

I'd second the MA Radius R90's. Great little speaker (not as small as a single cube bose), but sounds great. Even better when partnered with a REL Quake (same money as the R360 sub, but smaller)

- AV Spyder

[GoodGuyTX]

I have a Bose Lifestyle 48 and the JewelCube speakers. It's a really great system, but I needed a compact form factor and it was about the only thing that met my criteria. In my other house I have a regular system with JBL floor speakers. Sound quality is about the same considering the room types are totally different.

I have my Sonos connected to the Bose system and have yet to try it on the JBL speakers. I just haven't had the time.

The Bose systems are nice, but they are pricey. But the system I purchase did fit my requirements nicely.

For outdoors (it is at the beach house) I have JBL outdoor speakers at three different locations which I just move one of my ZP's and connect.

[buzz]

If they are available in your area, Canton makes some palm sized speakers that are quite nice.