Let me begin by saying this post is not truly about Bose but rather about purchasing products based on brand perception instead of reviews, results, and actual experience. Bose just happens to  be a perfect example of companies people assume are the best, a fact that is far from the truth.

Bose runs a series of television ads that border on the edge of “annoying infomercial” only avoiding this distinction by marginally higher production qualities and the occasional B-list talking head. The most prominent product advertised, and I’m sure Bose’s most profitable is the Bose Wave Music System. The commercial details how the small radio can fill a room with rich sound, cutting to a smiling elderly couple who don’t even have to turn their hearing aids up to appreciate the rich Bose tones. The MSRP for this lifesaving product? $499 for the base kit, $598 including an iPod dock, and $748 for the multi-CD changer. The fact that people willingly pay this for an oversized clock radio is mind-blowing to me. This will be made painfully obvious when compared to a comparably priced system.

Recently, my father purchased a pair of Polk Audio RTi8 floor standing monitor speakers for $298 for the pair. He hooked this up to his $67 Sherwood receiver and old CD player (any DVD player will work perfectly as well). This came to a total cost of $365, $130 less than the basic Bose Wave Music System. To defend the Bose system, these speakers have a MSRP of $840 but there remains one key difference. Fry’s Electronics sells the RTi8’s for $149 a pair while Bose will not discount their product (again it should be noted that the Fry’s price is not a constant price but essentially a bi-weekly sale price). The RTi8’s have 2 6.5” mid/woofers and 1 silk 1” tweeter (plus the bass port) on each speaker. This gives you a lot of clean sound. The Bose, on the other hand, has two small speakers though this is difficult to determine as Bose refuses to publish specs on their products.

Refuses to publish specifications? It get’s worse, Bose refuses to let audio review magazines publish opinions and findings on their products. The reason is that all Bose products severely distort the highs and lows of music to produce an edgier more “in-your-face” sound that initially sounds pleasing but quickly stresses your ears. Furthermore, the tones are completely off from what the original recording sounded like. These poor audio qualities carry over to all Bose products including their pricey earphones and ear buds.

Still, Bose is commonly considered one of the best audio brands and less expensive than those crazy audiophile systems. While it is true that clientele of Bose is older and often sporting degraded hearing, this is only an additional reason to save money and invest in a cheaper system. Offerings fro Polk, Klipsch, JBL, and Infinity provide equally priced but vastly superior systems while Sony, Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, and Boston Acoustics provide cheaper but comparable (and generally better) options.

Morale of the story, don’t believe advertisements. Be sure to research your purchases — especially pricey products like speakers. Most important, go somewhere where you can listen. Bring some music you like and try to find a quiet store (not Best Buy, HiFi Buys is usually a safe bet) to listen and then find the price by researching online. Do your homework and you’ll end up with more for less and please tell your friends the same.