Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater How to convert the unconverted? BOSE owners

I typically ask them what they think of the system, and explain that is more important than what I think.

They sometimes ask what I have, and want to listen. I let them listen to my system, and answer questions they may have that deal with my system. But I am careful not to compare it to their's. I let them make comparisons, and if they decide they need to look at upgrades, graciously will offer help.

I see little value in demeaning a persons choices, especially if they are really proud of them. It is also helpful to know a bit about where they are coming from and heading to, audiowise.

It's funny you bring this topic up. IN my consumer behavior marketing class we were discussing the research that manufacturers do to find out if there product is in the consumers' awareness, evoked, or inert set. So as an example, the instructor asked the class to name the brands of Stereo's that we all knew (awareness set). I of course stayed quiet until people started slowing down with their suggestions (Sony, Pioneer, RCA, Bose, etc. were all mentioned). I mentioned NAD, Denon, Onkyo, Rotel, and adcom and then the instructor had me stop. I then told her that I could go on and on. After the list was compiled she asked the class to give here a list of our evoked sets (choices of stereo's that we would actually consider). Then she asked us for our inert sets (the choices of stereo's we WOULDN'T consider) I mentioned Bose, and half the class let out a gasp. Because of the class reaction, she had me explain myself. I calmly told here the any self-respecting audiophile or audiophile publication will never touch Bose speakers. I then explained how their extensive and intelligent marketing schemes (she loved this) have brainwashed the mass market to think that Bose is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I also stated that I was a former Bose owner and that Bose introduced me into the pursuit of higher fidelity, but Bose was to overpriced for the minimal quality they offer. The rest of the class had a "ya right" look on their face. Then one guy raised his hand and responded with, "I totally agree" and then the rest of the class just froze. After this, we moved on, but you could feel the tension in the room. If I couldn't drop probably everyone in the room, I probably would have been threatened. I must admit that I had a semi-snobbish attitude when I said it but I wasn't intimidated by any of my unknowledgeable classmates.

I thought it was a very funny episode. The even funnier part is that every one in the class graduates this spring or in the next year, so that means the entire class is essentially well educated, but very naive. It's funny, but at the same time, scary.

great story..

and if all those class mates are due to graduate next semester and start out on their 'new' life.. lets hope they remember that class discussion, and get some decent equip when the time comes.. at a minimum, you have at least opened the door for their minds to reconsider the expected norm.

fun read...

bigjohn

I like a lot of these responses.

I agree that avoiding being negative is a good idea. Two other things. First, demonstrate your system to him using material he is familiar with. Some people don't know what they are missing AND are receptive to new experiences and new ideas (you need both). Second, make it about you and not about him or his stuff. For instance, you could say "I've heard (or owned) Bose speakers; while I think they are great for some people, I have found that the system I have now is very satisfying for me. There is a lot of competition in the home audio/video market, and different people weigh certain attributes differently or perceive products in different ways."

I mean really, Bose is scorned because it seems overpriced relative to its sonic performance. I personally don't think Bose systems sound very good. HOWEVER, some people may justifiably place an ABSOLUTE premium on ease of use and/or speaker size. You cannot fault them for having different priorities. The problem seems to be when a Bose owner thinks he has purchased credibility or status in the eyes of people who have more than a passing interest in how things sound.

The other conversation I sometimes have with folks like this has to do with the science of speaker size. You know, it's a physics problem and size really does matter; there is no magic bullet relative to moving enough air around in your room for a satisfying experience. Bose shifts some of that burden by crossing over to the subwoofer at a relatively high point. TO MY EARS, that is distracting because the sound is more easily localized and seems less spacious. Again, your comments should be all about you and your ears, not him and his system.

I think James' approach is best, though. "Do YOU like it?" puts the judgement where it belongs.

This is a direct quote from Bose:

"The bass module that comes with the AM7 is NOT a subwoofer so you would have
to hook up a powered (non BOSE) subwoofer directly to the SUB OUT jack on your
receiver."

Nothing is worse than sticking your finger in somebody's eye who has just spent $3,000 on those little plastic bastids. A simple - "That sounds nice" and a grin will make everybody's day go much better.

Then you just need to hope he doesn't hear your setup and realize you've lied to him.

Of course, those Bose would sound pretty good after they have been broken in for 150 hours and if they were connected with top 'o the line Monster Cable stuff.

Very funny!
That is an appropriate place for such statements, eh? The "learning environment".

I have to ad that my neighbor has had his Bose system for a very long time and is looking to upgrade, and learn more about HT/Stereo in general.

It's very hard to me to just grin and say, yeah it sounds great. I feel like it's my duty to educate them, I feel like I am doing them a favor. If the guy just dropped $3k on a system I would never say it sounds like S__t, I am too honest sometimes.

Even people who want to learn about HT, have a hard time believing that Bose is no good. It's not really about Bose, any HTIB is a waste og money IMHO. If you want home theater, and only have $700, you might as well save your money until you have $2k or so, then you can piece together something pretty decent.

Bose does make some good products.

Their aviation headphones are used by many pilots, and thier noise cancelling headphones get praise.

Come to think of it.....I do not know if they are good or not.....so it could just be the marketing thing again.

For me, when asked, I try to give an honest thought, but keep it light.

Bottomline, if they can not hear the difference, it really is not worth explaining.

They have Bose, so their speakers are tiny. Have them bring over the speakers for an A/B comparison and see what they think then. You don't have to tell them their speakers are no good, let the speakers do the talking. If they don't hear it, then I guess Bose are perfectly fine for them and they can't/don't want to be able to tell the difference.