Bose Wave Music System - Platinum White

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Price: $919.00   

Bose Wave Music System - Platinum White Review

UPDATE DECEMBER 2011... 7 YEARS LATER WITH THE BOSE NEW WAVE MUSIC SYSTEM: Hard to believe it has been seven years since I wrote the review below. My Wave Music System is still going strong. The CD transport failed a few years ago, but Bose replaced it for fifty bucks, and it's hard to argue with that. And yes, I'm still a Bose basher, finding most of their slickly marketed products to be as overpriced and underwhelming as ever. So, has my enthusiasm for the Wave System dimmed over time? Let me put it this way...

I recently did some renovations in my living room and had to pack up my main audio rig during the process. I've upgraded that system since I wrote the Wave review--it's now based on about $45K in electronics and the speakers were recently ranked amongst the ten best speaker systems in the world. Not trying to impress here, just establish the point of comparison. And while renovations continued, I didn't want to be without music, so I moved my Bose Wave System from its place in the bedroom to the living room, where I listened to it on a daily basis. Did I miss my main rig? Of course I did, and that's not surprising. But what DID surprise me daily was how much musical enjoyment the Bose could provide even when compared to something approaching a cost-no-object system. Instead of thinking, "I can't wait til my main rig is up and running again," the thought that most often crossed my mind was, "You know, if the Bose had to be my only music system, I'd be okay with that."

Now, before anyone gets the wrong idea and accuses me of Bose fanboy insanity, let be clear: I'm not saying the Bose sounds like or even close to my main rig. It doesn't, nor should it at a tiny fraction of the price and size. But what I said seven years ago is just as true today, even when compared against such a system: the Wave Music System is extremely musical and just sounds "right," across a broad spectrum of musical genres. It has many sonic strengths and no obvious flaws that would detract from your listening enjoyment. As an added bonus over the years, its AUX IN port has allowed me to play my iPod and Squeezebox devices through the Wave System, and both sound really great.

Fair disclosure: my Wave System is (obviously) seven years old and I haven't listened to Bose's newest revisions of this model. Whether they have made changes in design or parts that might adversely affect the sound, I can't say. But assuming they haven't messed with a winner, the Wave Music System still gets five stars from me.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

Yes, you read that right. But before I get to the review, a confession:

As a life-long audiophile, I have long felt that Bose represented the pinnacle of overpriced hype and underwhelming sound quality. The true genius of Amar Bose, in my opinion, is that he has created a distinctive "Bose sound" that appeals greatly to mass market consumers who don't know any better. Spend some time listening to truly good audio systems, and you'll quickly realize that Bose is a high-priced, superbly marketed joke. And unfortunately, I have to live with Bose mediocrity on a daily basis in the form of a Bose audio system "upgrade" in my Acura MDX. (Which I was forced to take as part of the touring package.) It cranks out 'okay' sound at best, and is no where near as good as "stock" audio systems in some of my previously owned vehicles. The most positive thing I can say is that my Acura Bose system sounds better than the Bose system in my friend's Mercedes.

By now you should be getting the idea that I'm the last person in the world inclined to give a Bose product a compliment, no less a five star review. What happened? Well, I was looking for a compact, one piece music system for my home office. And in the world of audio, I realize there is no such thing as a free lunch--designing such a system requires that sound quality be compromised to various degrees along the way. So I certainly wasn't expecting this unit to sound anything like the $10K Sonus Faber speakers in my main rig. What I wanted was good quality sound that, muscially speaking, got the important things right, with no obvious "wrongs."

With these parameters, I quickly realized that there are not many systems out there worth considering. The Cambridge Soundworks 740 soon became my top contender, but I wasn't really happy with it. Yes, it's got bass to spare, but it's bass that I find to be somewhat out of balance with the overall sound, and there's simply no way to tame it. And so, begrudgingly, I decided to give Bose's "New Wave Music System" a listen--after all, I could return it if I didnt like the sound, which I fully expected to be doing. And yet, nearly a month after it arrived in my home, I'm here to sing its praises.

Simply put, the New Wave Music System sounds better than I ever imagined possible with a unit of this size. It's extremely musical and just sounds "right," (whether it be rock, hip-hop, jazz or classical) with many sonic strengths and no obvious flaws. It will easily fill an average-sized room with music, and there's no sense of strain as you push it to higher volumes. For many if not most consumers, the New Wave may be as much "music system" as you'll ever need. One of the downsides to the audiophile pursuit is that you increasing tend to listen analytically, rather than for enjoyment. With the New Wave system, I've rediscovered the pleasure of just popping in a CD and letting it play. I"ve also found both the AM and FM receivers to be quite good, as well.

I really like the sleek, compact design, though I suspect I'll be cursing the "no buttons" approach the first time I (inevitably) lose the remote. And, being always suspicious of Bose's motives, I suspect this design may have been driven by bean counters who saw a way to reduce manufacturing costs by eliminating all on-case controls.

Is it overpriced? Well, if you're the type of person for whom "good enough" is usually good enough, you may want to look elsewhere. But for a product that I truly enjoy using on a daily basis, this was well worth the price. And compared to the insanity of high-end audio, where a 1 meter interconnect can run 3,000 bucks, $500 is downright reasonable.

Overall, I give the New Wave a "Bravo, Bose!" and I'd encourage any audiophiles looking for a small second system to give this a listen. You can always return it within 30 days, but I'd plan on it being a keeper.

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