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.
Another life long bose basher here, and for good reason! Many years ago (1990) I bought a Bose acoustimas system. It was stereo and in the store it sounded AMAZING I bought one and took it home and it sounded tinny, flat and cheap. I found out that Bose charges a ton to pay for their marketing. They still use PAPER speaker drivers! I returned that acoustimass system and years later tried the 1-2-3 system (2 years ago) I hooked up the new system and was underwhelmed. My Sony 60" XBR TV speakers sounded just as good. I returned it to the Bose store, sweraing to never buy another Bose product. (I did buy some Tri-Port headphones which were VERY muddy and bloated sounding)
Well, 2 weeks ago I was in a bose store and I saw the Wave Music System and the new Acoustic Wave System. The guy in the store told me the new (larger) acoustic wave system was their best stereo system. I bought one for $1079 and took it home. It sounded HORRIBLE. Harsh, flat and NOT spacious (this is the larger acoustic wave) at all! I felt ripped off. It was ugly, cheap looking and sounded horrible. My Tivoli Model 1 sounded better. Not as loud but better. Off to the Bose store I go to return it.
(Let me also say that 3 years ago I owned a $25,000 STEREO only system with super high end tube amps, pre amps, a $5k CD player, etc. It was my dream system that I had to sell last year as I was having some money issues. I REALLY missed my system.)
So I return to Bose and look at the little, smaller Wave Music System. It sounded spacious, big and had a depth to it that was very pleasing. It sounded MUCH better than their so called "BEST" system. I was shocked that Bose would make a $1079 product that sounded BAD and much worse than their $500 system. I decided to take on home in Graphite to give themn one last chance. Took it home, set it up and WOW! It looked great on my table. Very nice look and I LOVE that it has no buttons on it. PLugged it in....
This is what I have been looking for! Deep, BIG, spacious, room filling sound with just enough Bass. It sounded AMAZING on piano music, jazz, classical, vocals, big band...I then threw in some rock consisting of AC/DC, KISS and even metallica. It sounded VERY good. Not as good as with the other music but still had bass, and sounded very very good. I WAS FINALLY HAPPY WITH A BOSE PRODUCT!
Add to this the alarm function, the auto dimming display and small size and you will think that $500 is a deal. I bought the large backlit remote for $39 to go with it the next day. The Bose Wave Music System IS a GREAt sounding system. Those who bash this new version never heard it, period. Remember, I came from a $25,000 system and nothing made me happy until this system. NOT that this is in any way better or even comparable to my $25k system, but it kills the larger Acoustic Wave, the Tivoli model 1, the Boston Acoustics $500 set and the Cambride set. (yes, I tried them all)
If you wanted a Wave system but are afraid of the bad reviews, don't be. This new version is WONDERFUL and fills my house with rich, clear, deep sound. Throw on some Ricky Lee Jones, Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra and be amazed at the huge sound coming from this litle box!
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I bought one Bose Wave Music System to compare it with my Henry Kloss 88cd and Cambridge Soundworks radios. It is better, period. I bought the Bose for use at work at Eagle Laundry, Horn Lake, MS where I have a Cambridge Soundworks radio playing all day. When I did the first comparison at home I could no longer enjoy the Henry Kloss at my bedside so I had to order another Bose for work. I could not part with the new Bose. Yes it's that good. The clarity and definition of voices and music is open and undestorted. It's as if the radio itself dissappears and presents only the wonderful sound of the music. Great features like auto dimming display which is fully adjustable continue to entertain even when the unit is off. No battery needed 48 hour memory in event of power failure saves money. Those 9v duracells are getting pricy. I was afraid I would not like to use only the remote for snooze control, but it has not been a problem. The ramp up wake-up alarm volume is also pleasing. This is a very refined, high quality, compact (it was smaller than I expected) multifuntion radio/cd/mp3 player. Very intelligent. The radio reception was fine with some adjusting of the power cord to get the stongest FM signal. My old radio required an external antenna. AM reception was great. My biggest problem was that one Bose Wave System was not enough. Also, Bose is a top drawer, first rate company. Just look at www.bose.com and you can see for yourself. Forget about the price for once and treat yourself to something special.
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I've had my Bose for about two years. I'm very glad to have received it as a present because, despite some of its fine features, it certainly does not merit the hefty, comparable-to-a-small-home-stereo price tag.
I like its design and its sound.
I don't like the following "features":
1) It is the most sensitive CD player I have. It will not properly play a number of CDs, especially CD-Rs. If a disc is slightly thin, the unit will either not accept it (you have to give it a push) or not eject it (you have to open up the unit, turn it on, hit "eject," and pull the disc out). This is especially annoying when my $70 boombox plays them without a problem. Refurbishing by Bose did nothing to change my unit's sensitivity.
2) It is not programmable! It doesn't program songs at all. The best it can do is "shuffle," "shuffle repeat," "repeat track," and "repeat disc." The cheapest boombox these days is programmable.
3) The lack of buttons is annoying: I found I had to order a second remote ($10) and keep it by the box. When I called Bose about this problem, the tech suggested getting the second remote and added that a lot of people had done that. My boombox is more user-friendly (it has buttons as well as a remote).
One can argue about the merits of elegance vs. user-friendliness. But the lack of programmability and the oversensitivity of this box make it a poor buy, in my opinion.
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Dear Bose:
I have wanted a Bose wave audio system for a long time. It always sounds wonderful in the store and I finally bit the bullet for the $500 and bought one recently. It looks great.
I was absolutely horrified, however, to find out -it never occurred to me to ask the salesperson, and why should it? -that while you have all kinds of options for time (which I don't need), clock radio functions (which I don't need) and random playing of tracks (which I may use twice a year)... there is no bass/treble control for CDs. What genius made this decision?
Engineering varies enormously from one CD to another, and more importantly, EARS vary from one person to another. I don't like too much bass, and much modern engineering over-emphasizes bass. As I get older I will be losing some of my ability to hear the higher frequencies, and your system doesn't allow me to do what every cheap boombox on the market (and your own car systems, which I have) would permit -alter the "tone" characteristics.
When I called the salesman to inquire, all he could say was (1) this is the first complaint he's heard (which I find quite remarkable), and (2) there's an automatic feature that plays the bass more strongly if you're listening to hip-hop than if you're listening to classical.
I can't tell you how crushed I am about this engineering decision. I can't imagine anyone who takes classical music seriously (I know there aren't many of us left!) not having a problem with it. The only way I can think of to account for the alleged lack of complaints is that they are using your product just as a clock radio, and for their "real listening" they use something else. I wanted to use this for "real" listening because it looks great, takes up little room, and has great (if un-alterable) sound. My clock radio costs $50; I wouldn't pay $500.
With a heavy heart -because there really isn't another product anything like yours in looks or other aspects of sound -I'm returning it. I wanted you to know why.
