Bose AM6-III Speaker System - am I stupid?

[Bucksatan]

K..haven't purcahsed an audio system in the last 10 years. I looked at these tiny things at FS and they sounded great. Salesguy told me i didn't need a receiver with that setup...is that true?? Also, he quoted me several different prices. Should these be in the $1000 range? He said $1200 in the store, but the web site says $949 this week. Am i looking at the wrong set up? Also, i am i barking up the wrong tree?? Will i be happy with something less?? My room is about 15' x 18' with stone walls and i'm not really into super booming movie watching, i'd rather have something that sounds crisp and defined. I currently have and older Kenwood speaker system with massive floor speakers and a matching surround speaker set up, being powered by a Sony amp- one of the first surround sound systems that came out i guess in the early 90s. I am really lost here and unfortunately i get easily impressed when i see something new. Am i on the right track?

[57]

Bo$e is not highly recommended, or accurate. You should be able to find other small speaker systems for less money and better sounding, but a lot of people do buy into the Bo$e "psychcoaccoustics"

[farscaper]

Just search this forum using "bose" as the keyword. Lots of information for you to read. It should clear up all your questions.
My opinion: Bose speakers are one of the most expensive paper speakers you can buy. To much of Bose's money goes to marketing rather then the actual product.

As for those small cube type speakers. Their frequency range are so limited that "piercing & distorted" are better descriptions of what I hear. If you don't mind the size of bookshelf speakers, then thats the way to go. Many people on this forum have been happy with the new Athena speaker packages that FS carries. Most are half the price of the Bose.

[biglyle]

Read this

http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

[salem70ca]

Very well spoken review.

I was looking at this a one time but doing alot of research the experience ht guys hate bose.

I feel more confident with my choice of the paradigm cinema series.

good on your hunt

[I_Want_My_HDTV]

Check out Klipsch's Cinema 10 system. It will likely outperform anything Bose offers. I have used RSX-4s as surrounds and currently run an RW-10 sub. They are all excellent.

Avoid the RW-8 sub. It is much lower quality. Some of their other speakers use horn drivers. You may or may not like horn drivers. Many people don't.

[hdtvman]

I've had a Bose system for about 5 years - they were a gift by a well intentioned girlfriend. They are okay on regular TV but not great on music or DVD's. If they were $100 then they might be a good buy but for the money they are not.

I have them on my Denon 3803. My boss has an almost identical set up as mine except he has Paradigm speakers. There is no comparison, especially with music. His sounds so much better than mine.

Using the frequency sweeps on the AVIA disc you can definately hear the gaps in the frequencies that the speakers cannot reproduce. I live in a condo and the lack of frequecy response is appreciated by my neighbours. LOL.

They are small and easy for non-enthusiasts to hook up. That's about all I have to say about them that is good.

There are many widely varied opinions when it comes to speakers. In fact speakers are probably the most controversial subject in the home theater world because it is very subjective (more so than picture quality). It comes down to what sounds good to you in the end. The best advice I can give you is to listen to familiar source material on several different systems. Bring at least one CD and one DVD (that you have listened to many times) with you when you audition the speakers. You will be surprised at what you hear (or don't hear) listening to these familiar sources. The salespeople won't mind and it shows that you care about your purchase.

I will be upgrading my speakers in the future - as soon as I pay off my new Plasma.

[Al58]

Originally Posted by I_Want_My_HDTV

Check out Klipsch's Cinema 10 system. It will likely outperform anything Bose offers. I have used RSX-4s as surrounds and currently run an RW-10 sub. They are all excellent.

Avoid the RW-8 sub. It is much lower quality. Some of their other speakers use horn drivers. You may or may not like horn drivers. Many people don't.

What is the ballpark cost on the Cinema 10?? I have a Bose AM-10 system that I got from A&B Sound at dealer cost. It is fine for what I paid, but might be interested in looking at the Klipsch system.

[Michel]

I have an accoustimass AM16 as you can see in my description below... It sounds great for the price I paid ($759)...... I would have never paid what the price is which is $1799 I think.... It is just that it was a new Best Buy store in my area and the staff had no idea what they were doing....Long story but I ended up paying that low price for it. If I would have spent over $1000, I would have picked something else.... so imagine for $1800... Bose AM10 is not worthed nor the AM6.....Better speakers are available for that price but as someone pointed out, speakers is quite a personal choice. far more than picture quality...Until I can spend more, I'll be happy with the Bose....

[kenw]

Check out the Definitive Technology Bipolar Towers. The BP8s and BP6s have great sound for both music and movies. If you want more bass, you can add a subwoofer. An alternative (more costly) are the DefTech Super Bipolar Towers, 7006, which include built-in powered subwoofers. You can read specs and reviews at www.definitivetechnology.com.

I had a Bose AM-III system which sounded great initially, but after extended listening it was more distorted and lacked clarity.