Nousaine wrote:
The number one problem with Bose is not their sound, which is passable,
but that the exact same thing can be had via Cambridge Soundworks for
a couple of hundred dollars.
I, for one, don't think so. It is true that Cambridge does have some high-value
content systems but the cost-reduction is evident upon inspection.
You may think so, but actual testing and analysis of the speakers
verifies it.(actually taking them apart)
Is it so hard to believe that CSW would make a legal "clone" of the
design and market them for a more sane 3-5 times over cost as
opposed to 20 times over cost?
That's a good reason; but frankly the chances of returning a Cambridge product
for warranty is quite high.
Well, actually, my parents have a CSW 2.1 system on their computer
and it's been great for the last 4-5 years. The CSW higher-end
models are actually good values in low-end audio - much better than
Kenwood or Sony or these other "HTIAB" systems.
For $800-$1000, she can get a full setup that will sound several times
better. Tannoy and KEF, for instnace, make very good minisystems,
as does Energy.
I like those systems but, frankly,they are in the same league sound-wise.
Now I KNOW you are smoking something. The KEF system is true
dome tweeter/woofer setup in each surround and it's measured
at +/-3db with no gaps in response. It also has a real 8 inch
subwoofer.
Oh - they also have integrated mounts in each speaker, which
the Bose do not. Add the stands to the Bose and suddenly it's
no longer a tiny thing.
And, besides implied longevity, and well-known sensitivity losses.what
difference does this make?
Did you even LOOK at the charts in that link that was posted?
Even you could see that it's well - nasty. 13.5K high end?
I can buy a $20 4 inch speaker that goes up to 15hkz cleanly.
Screws instead
of glue to hold it together.
I've never seen any modern loudspeaker cabinet held together with screws. As
for drivers and I/O terminals the most common problems I encounter are drivers
or terminals loose in particle board cabinets by having stripped screws in
particle board that "weren't glued" to the cabinet.
The thing is the drivers. can you take them out and replace them
or are they glued together in such a manner so as to make them
user-repairable.
IFAIK Bose manufactuers many of their own drivers and would have a lower
internal cost. So what? Wjy does the end-user care one way or another?
Fine. You pay $1300 for $100 in parts. Enjoy.
No, these aren't high-end soundsystems, but they are a step up.
From what? I would agree that I could; assuming you too, put together and
install a better sounding system than joe-average walking the streets, for a
given price than one would pay for a Bose.
The CSW line is a step up from Bose and typical HTIAB systems. It's
not close to a real system, though, that you could actually build
with $1300. $1000 will get you a very nice 5.1 setup, and $300 a
decent basic receiver.
But few non-enthusiasts could do likewise. And even fewer would be able to
install it. That's the magic of Bose ...... sell people what they want; (small,
nearly-inviisible, smartlyy styled) not what might be best-sounding to
enthusiasts or preferable to salesman of other products.
The Tannoy and Kef are smaller, visually. Kef has styling that is
amazing. So does Norh - the tiny ones look great in a corner.
As for nearly invisible, most small systems require a mount which is
ugly and almost the size of the speaker.
http://www.norh.com/products/prism/index.html
The 3.0 Prism is perfect and angled to fit in a typical corner.
http://www.norh.com/products/prism/gal.html
They look very attractive as well - huge WAF.
* Single full range driver
* Frequency response: 75Hz to 20,000 Hz.
* Maximum constant power is 20 watts
* Sensitivity 87 dB
This is what Bose should be able to do - as these are $199 a
pair, shipped(no tax). 4 plus a center($275) is $673.
Add a decent subwoofer and you're at $1000-$1300.