DIYprojects.info

Arfa Daily · Guest

I have no particular desire to 'set light' again to this highly emotive and
contentious subject, but having just had one on the bench, I feel that I've
got to have one last stab at defending the little beast ...

It's only problem was that it was a bit iffy at playing CDs, due to a worn
laser, which was literally 5 minutes work to replace, due to the simple and
serviceman-friendly construction that is employed. It looked as though it
had given stirling service over a number of years to its owner, judging by
the amount of dust in it. There was no indication that the owner was in any
way displeased with the way that the unit worked, or sounded.

Once it was fixed, I took the additional time to give it a subjective
evaluation, just to see if I was wrong in my belief that these Waves *do*
work well. You may recall that when I was arguing this with a group
contributor a couple of weeks back, I contended that the sound was "stunning
both in its overall quality and spatial definition", a statement that I was
later castigated for, despite trying in as many ways as I knew how, to
qualify it as being compared to similar sized portable and semi-portable
items from other manufacturers, and not multi-thousand dollar 'reference'
systems with $11,000 speakers on the end. So let me try again with regard to
the word "stunning". I used it in a colloquial way rather than literally, to
mean 'enough to take me by surprise'. I accept that 'American' English tends
to be a bit more literal than 'British English', which may have led to my
intended meaning being misconstrued.

So, what did I find this time? Well, despite the howls from the usual
suspects to the contrary, I would still like to compare this to portable
units, as it is a similar weight, has similarly spaced speakers of similar
size, is overall of a similar size, has similar functionality, and runs from
direct line power, as most general portables also do, and as most owners
actually run them, as the cost of putting 8 D cells in them is prohibitive.
The only thing it lacks is a carrying handle, to make the task of moving it
from room to room, just that little bit easier.

I played a variety of CDs in it, from Pavarotti to The Scissor Sisters, and
sorry folks, but I am going to stick to my guns on this one.

Compared to similar units - that's not stacking systems, not reference
systems, not single or multi-piece bookshelf systems, not the best mini hifi
that Electrical Barn Inc can offer - I still believe that the Wave Radio
delivers superb sound. It might not give you the best (perceived) sound
quality per buck, but by the same token, I don't believe that the claims
made by Bose for this item, are too far out of line, allowing for marketing
hype, that we discussed at length, last time.

The sound that it delivered on all of the material that I tried on it, was
crisp, full bodied, well-defined spatially - within the obvious constraints
of speakers separated by only a few inches, but remember that we're still
not comparing to anything *other* than similarly sized units - and most
certainly didn't lack in bass, given that the drivers are only 3" or
whatever. In fact, when I wound the wick up, the bass shook the bench, and I
could quite clearly 'feel' the bass punching me in the chest. The amount of
air that the speakers were shifting, was enough to blow out a candle. Now I
know that I am not an audiophile, but 35 years of repairing hifi has left me
with an ear that's not too bad, and even with the volume elevated to a level
that would be ridiculous in most listening situations, those same little
speakers gave a very creditable performance in terms of perceived
distortion. I would have said that the unit would withstand 'party' use
without any problem.

So where am I now on it all ? Just about exactly where I was before, I
think, and that is that I still feel that the Wave Radio delivers basically
what it claims, and could hold its own against bigger better systems in
*some* instances. I have no more or less interest in it as a product, or in
Bose as a company, than I did before. I still don't think that for me, Bose
products are particularly good value for money, but then neither is a
Ferrari, or an Armani suit, unless you've got sufficient money that it
doesn't matter to you. I don't believe now, any more than I did before, that
Bose as a company, set out to lie to and deceive the public.

Understand that this is all a personal opinion, including my feelings about
the sound of the Wave Radio, and does not address any of their other
products. Despite what some on here might believe, we all have a right to
our opinions, defended or not.

OK then, get your Doc Martens on, and start kicking ... d;~}

Arfa

William Sommerwerck · Guest

Mr. Daily, I think you're deliberately ignoring the issue. It's rather like
defending Thomas Kinkaid's wretchedly awful paintings by saying you like his
brushwork.

The issue is not so much the sound quality of the Wave radio, but the way
Bose promotes it. I assure you, if Bose did not advertise the Wave radio the
way it does -- with gross misrepresentations and outright lies -- we would
not be discussing it here. The Wave would simply be one other overpriced
mediocrity.

If a business misrepresents or lies about its products or services, those
who know better have an obligation to speak the truth. Bose has no special
right to be protected from criticism.

As I've said before, most people are ignorant, not cloth-eared. Give them a
choice between mediocre sound and good sound, and they'll generally choose
the latter. (I know, because I've seen it. *) Bose's advertising and
marketing is designed to reduce the probability the customer will ever make
such a comparison.

The dealers are guilty, too. They're not allowed to discount Bose, and
they're obliged to demonstrate Bose products in a way that complements the
customer's prejudice to buy Bose. When you make a guaranteed 40% (I assume)
on each sale, and you need to turn a profit to stay in business, the
temptation to carry mediocre products from a lying manufacturer must be
overwhelming. **

I believe Bose's product design and marketing are directed at women. Women
don't like hardware in "their" living rooms. The smaller the product, the
better. And women seem to have a strange inability to operate any kind of
mechanical or electronic device. So the Bose's simple remote control is
appealing. ***

Hell, man, I ain't buying _nothin'_ that was designed for a _woman_.

The Wave probably has better drivers than those in most all-in-one
portables. But they don't work well, because they should be mounted on the
top of the radio. You can demonstrate this for yourself simply by tilting up
the radio a few inches. You should hear a big reduction in overall
coloration. If Bose is so knowledgable about audio, why wasn't this obvious
flaw caught and corrected?

Sorry, no. BOSE LIES. And that needs to be repeated over and over.