Bose

[NMH]

Agreed about Sennheisser headphones.
A pair of KEFS were the best speakers I ever heard in a sound room, but they were very expensive (though the best, they were not the top of their range actually). The 'commercial' Kefs you see in those slim towers for around £200 are not the real deal - just an affordable range.

I invested in a BOSE satellite system in the end - the speakers were small and in-obtrusive yet packed an incredible punch with decent quality imaging (still spanked by the Kefs, but there ya go). The price was right, and I had many years of music out of that setup.
Currently, for convenience sake I run Mordent Short speakers from my QUAD amp - chosen for the projection and size compatibility for my living room (the smaller old KEFS I had briefly to compare with them, were too small to hold the volume and still put it forward properly).

Happy with BOSE, would go for KEFS if the price was lower.

 

[Albion Dan]

What does that make me with an iPod with Bose 'phones then?

Seriously, beyond my headset I know little about Bose but Apple is NOT style over substance. Please do not confuse great design and user friendliness with 'style'.

There are much better mp3 players than ipods in terms of reliability and life expectancy. There are much better pcs/laptops than Macs.

Saying that I actually have an ipod because its easier in terms of the amount of people that have them/itunes/chargers etc.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

There are much better mp3 players than ipods in terms of reliability and life expectancy. There are much better pcs/laptops than Macs.

Saying that I actually have an ipod because its easier in terms of the amount of people that have them/itunes/chargers etc.

See, even the doubters cant keep away from Apple products

 

[Cian]

Sennheiser headphones, Mission studio monitors. Generally wouldn't even consider Bose, but...

Have a Bose Wave Radio/CD player here I got given for fixing someones PC (f***ing expensive thing to give away, but he'd replaced it with something posher and very much not table top!). Sound is very, very good but it needs to be kept away from walls or else it actually sounds muted and worse than a cheap Pure DAB.

 

[Juan Albion]

Obviously, from your insightful comments into the value or otherwise of the Bose brand.

Obviously that might be because I don't have any Bose speakers but I am interested to hear what other people make of them to aid in future purchasing decisions. Is that really so difficult to grasp?

 

[Porky]

I have always noticed that in their TV commercials they never ever quote the price of their product.
I recall the advice of an audio officiando who said never mind what woofers tweeters and other bells and whistles a system might have, if it sounds good to you, that's all that matters.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

YouTube - GRAMMOPHONE - Rowan Atkinson - Not The Nine o'Clock News

 

[Northstander]

BOSE is good but nothing as yet can touch my Sennheisers

 

[Johnny Crumplin Football]

Well, pleasantly surprised with the responses. Cheers peeps. Think I will check out the Sennheiser headphones and see what they are all about.

 

[NMH]

Addenda;
It has been said by many audiophile, that the most vital part of a sound system is the speakers, and that's where to focus most of the budget. This is understandable and I would agree with the sentiment, but of course one still shouldn't spend so much on the speakers that the amp and player/s* they get are total shite.

Rack systems always have weak points, but sometimes brands like Sony and Yamaha will get it right on the whole.

*players being CD players, where the bits and oversampling factors will effect the quality of sound - Tape players where the heads and available controls make the difference - and turntables, with tone-arms and cartridges/needles.

 

[beorhthelm]

agree with that NMH, but to put it another way, the whole setup needs to be in balance. no pont having the greatest speakers/amp etc if the other bits are shit.

oh and dont believe the hype and snake oil. £100/m cable will not make any difference, just dont use bell wire either. its comical some of the stuff thats flogged to audio nuts, often defying physics.

 

[Man of Harveys]

Sennheiser headphones are damn good too. They're almost a cliche of German goods' durability : I dropped a pair of mine outside my house once and somehow failed to notice them for two days. When I found them and plugged them in again, they worked right as rain, they still do. It was like that scene in Sleeper when Woody Allen fires up the cobweb-covered VW first time.

 

[bhafc99]

Linn system and amps.

Sennheiser for headphones.

Perfect.

 

[NMH]

Of course, none of this bunkum is going to be any good, if you don't play music worthy of such equipment!
This little number is about the apex, which would even swallow eBay if listed;

[yt]nyukBw3lQs8[/yt]

 

[ady1973]

I have had a BOSE docking station for my i-pod noe for a number of years. I can't fault it, superb sound quality.Would love to have a lifestyle system for the rest of the house but will have to wait for that one

Maybe we should get BOSE for Falmer, that would get the ground rocking before the game with a proper tunes being played

 

[Lush]

agree with that NMH, but to put it another way, the whole setup needs to be in balance. no pont having the greatest speakers/amp etc if the other bits are shit.

oh and dont believe the hype and snake oil. £100/m cable will not make any difference, just dont use bell wire either. its comical some of the stuff thats flogged to audio nuts, often defying physics.

True, true. I trotted into the local hi-fi shop about twenty years ago with a few quid to spend and knowing very little (still don't). Bought a nice little Creek amp, some Ruark speakers, and some cable that wouldn't look out of place powering a speaker at a Motorhead gig.