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If you are a music and sound lover, you would have noticed the constant disdain of Audiophiles towards Bose Products. Audiophiles are usually people who are very passionate about sound quality. They are very enthusiastic about sound quality.
So, why do they dislike Bose products? Does it mean that Bose products are inferior? Find out the answers to these and more as you read along!
So, Why do Audiophiles dislike Bose? Some of the reasons why sound enthusiasts do not like Bose are:
- Bose is about lifestyle
- Bose Devices are not produced for Audiophiles
- Bose Artificial Sound Quality Controversy
- Problem of Perception
- High cost
- Expensive parts
Having listed them out, let’s get into them in more details
Bose is about lifestyle
Audiophiles despise BOSE because it is more about lifestyle than sound. They’re a poor man’s Bang & Olufsen in terms of market positioning.
Looks and other forms of appeasement win over the sound. Think of a world where the only cars associated with performance were civics and mustangs, and Porsche, Ferrari, and Lamborghini were unheard of.
That’s kind of how it is with BOSE because the typical individual has no idea what high-end means. This, I believe, is what upsets audiophiles: people who “simply don’t know.”
I will add, which I rarely see mentioned and goes against the norm, is that BOSE is usually not terrible for the money. Given the design limits, they can produce a decent-sounding speaker.
Their engineers maximize the sound quality with low-cost drivers in small enclosures. They have no desire to be hi-fi or “high end,” preferring to offer a large quantity of merchandise at a low price to generate a large amount of income.
It’s impossible to dismiss it. Focal, Dynaudio, Wilson, and the like don’t stand a chance in sales, while the smaller companies are constantly battling to stay afloat.
BOSE speakers are usually not poor in terms of sound. They appear to comprehend midrange presence and rolled-off highs and lows, which may turn off novice audiophiles, but is closer to good sound than you think.
The majority of BOSE automotive audio systems sound great, often better than some more expensive big-name manufacturers.
Of course, I’m only comparing OEM systems; a good aftermarket system falls into a completely separate category. A $2000 BOSE vehicle system is a safer choice than a $6000 B&W system, if not outright superior; this is usually due to better equalization rather than better speakers.
Bose Devices are not produced for Audiophiles.
Bose is well aware that audiophiles despise them. Bose’s products aren’t made for audiophiles, either. We can see this in Bose’s commercials, geared toward people who like music as a hobby rather than a passion.
Bose is famous for its noise-cancelling headphones, wireless earbuds, and now bone conduction eyewear. It’s clear that Bose doesn’t give a damn about what the audiophile community thinks, and that’s OK.
After all, Bose will continue to profit from satisfied consumers, and audiophiles will be able to build their hi-fi sound systems.
There’s no need to despise Bose if they can meet most people’s musical needs. Audiophiles should be audiophiles, and Bose should be Bose.
Bose Artificial Sound Quality Controversy
One of the main reasons many sound enthusiasts do not like Bose is because they believe that the sound quality of Bose speakers is designed to sound artificial.
However, this is not true. Suppose you are familiar with Bose audio devices. In that case, you will agree that the company spends a lot in designing and producing their audio device, all in a bid to make the sound output as natural as possible.
To achieve this, the Bose research team devotes a lot of its time studying how the human brains perceive sounds to make their devices produce sounds that are as natural as possible.
Bose has the data to know what most people want to listen to, so it concentrates on creating the best sound signature for the greatest number of individuals.
They understand that most consumers are uninterested in hearing a replica of high-quality audio. Most folks, to be honest, can’t tell the difference.
Audiophiles can distinguish between a bad and a superb sound system. Audiophiles are also very sensitive to what they are listening to.
Audiophiles aren’t interested in hearing Bose’s take on what “sounds good” to the average person. They prefer to hear music the way the artist intended it to be heard.
Problem of Perception
People are willing to pay a premium for Bose items because they exude a high-end, sophisticated atmosphere. As a result, some customers believe they have joined the audiophile community when they have little to no comprehension of what it entails.
This is likely the most fundamental reason why audiophiles despise Bose, even though Bose is hardly to blame.
This is simply a side effect of the prevalent forms businesses utilize nowadays. A corporation promotes a product by partnering with high-profile celebrities or luxury airline companies.
After acquiring a product, customers can’t help but feel that they’ve gained a little prestige. The same may be said with Bose devices.
High Cost
In case you are thinking…..Why are Bose’s goods so pricey if they’re so bad? The answer is Advertising. There’s a reason why Bose has become a household name for audio. Bose spends a lot of money on marketing, advertising, and visual design.
Bose, like Beats, has been accused of selling subpar products at exorbitant prices because customers are paying a premium for the name.
Expensive Bose Parts
Bose does not need to employ what audiophiles would consider high-end components because its primary focus is on creating “excellent” sound.
For a fraction of the material cost of a proper audiophile system, their products may sound amazing to the common individual.
Audiophile forums frequently discuss and criticize Bose for not openly publishing speaker information on product listings.
Some interpret this lack of clarity as a sign of distrust, which is understandable. “Why should we buy a product if we don’t know what it’s made of?” is an often debated subject.
Audiophiles have an issue with this because several audio manufacturers on the market offer far superior sound quality.
Despite this, they are frequently less expensive than comparable Bose products. As a result, audiophiles often believe that Bose systems are not worth the money for absolute music quality.
Trending Searches
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Why is Bose popular despite the dislike by Audiophiles?
The real issue is marketing! Not just to the consumers directly, but also to large retailers such as Best Buy (where Bose, Beats, and Sony are the main players in the market) and upscale shopping complexes where Bose has its own stores.
Not to say their specifications are mediocre; they are probably much better, and their noise cancellation platform is well-regarded.
If you’re a music fan, you’ll notice that everyone and their brother’s dog seems to have headphones on offer these days (dogs have a great hearing of course). With so much available, and so much of it of high quality, Bose faces stiff competition.
Are Bose Speakers Overrated?
Well, it all depends on how you see it. it’s a generalization to say so, but yes.
At any given price point, there are many other speakers that are far better, from many perspectives: measurable sound attributes (Bose continues to refuse to release any audio specifications for their products), the flexibility of application (many Bose speakers only work with other Bose components), materials quality, and long-term value.
Bose retains its advantages in terms of size (those satellite cubes are tiny) and strong brand. This latter is maintained by significant marketing expenditures, the expense of which, of course, is reflected in the products.
Others have pointed out that Bose invests in research and development. This may be true, but it’s also misleading: a lot of that research is focused on discovering ways to make products that “wow” people in demonstrations and in stores, rather than products that sound realistic or successful in real-world situations over time.
Bose’s strategy is mostly based on psychoacoustic techniques (famously a boost to mid-bass frequencies that makes for an impressive boom in the store that quickly wears thin at home).
Portable Bluetooth speakers are one area where Bose does hold up to the competition; this is an area where design compromises must always be made, and the Bose speakers do this as well as anyone.
Their noise-cancelling headphones are still the gold standard, at least in terms of comfort and cancellation, despite lower-cost competitors getting closer. Both of these arguments can be used to support the cost increase.
So, while the Bose name isn’t an automatic no, it’s best to ignore the hype and consider other options, especially for speakers.
Why Do Audiophiles Dislike Bose – Conclusion
In this article, I identified many reasons why many audiophiles are not fans of Bose. For some, it is because of sound quality, for some, it is because of the cost.
Irrespective of people’s opinion about the company, their products are relatively cheap compared to the pricing. Also, Bose speakers are manufactured and engineered using some of the best materials, this makes them very durable and capable of producing quality sounds.
