Need a new system, wife Bose38, me Denon 2805, what to do

[macvidguy]

Hey all,
Just registered...finally...useful info and members. Pardon my form since I am new...but I'll learn fast.

Finishing the basement and I need a new system. I have a projector (NEC 105x) and need a receiver, DVD, speakers for now. I am forward proofing as much as possible for all video, audio, and PC solutions since I will have the opportunity to wire as it is being built.

The wife just got pitched a Bose Lifestyle 38, or 48 from a but kissing sales guy. I was thinking a Denon 2805 and some speakers in the 1K to 1.5K range for 5.1 (wired for 7.1 but have to budget somewhere now)

The new Infinity's ES250 looked cool for the back, automatic 2 extra speakers...any thoughts?

[Lex]

If she gets the Bose, divorce her. lol. Then again, if you get the Denon, she might you. Hmmm, what to do.

Go with the higher fidelity unit, and let the chips fall where they may. Remember to check CAT for cables when you are ready. See user comments in the cat forum.

Whatever speakers you go with, try to keep the rears and mains as close as possible to one another.

Lex

[Kevin P]

If you can swing it, get both and do a comparison. Then return the Bose system since your Denon with pretty much any speakers is going to sound light years better for less money.

Whatever speakers you go with, try to keep the rears and mains as close as possible to one another.

Just to clarify, choose speakers that are sonically close (when I first read that, it sounded like place the rears close to the fronts in the room). Ideally, the same speakers all the way around, or at least the same brand.

[H.T.C]

Hi and welcome, the members are nice with a good deal of knowlege that can surpass other forums.

I was going to say how about horn loaded speakers {great for cinema} like klipsch or off thier website jbls ht home speakers which are horn loaded but they start at 500.00 per pair and i think they have to be bought at a high audio shop because they are not at a best buy,whichever you chose due what they already said which is voice match the speakers all the way around.

Oh and fine catcable speaker wire like the cattails.

[Gordon Moore]

If the appeal is small form factor speakers....there are many on the market that will run with the bose that offer better value (you may want to look into in-wall speakers if you need to find a compromise with your better half. Best to find out what it is your wife liked about the BOSE system (I'm guessing it was the cube non-intrusive speakers). BOSE isn't bad....just enormously overpriced for what you get.

Great marketing....bad value.

[David Meek]

Mac, welcome to The Guide. :welcome:

Unfortunately Bose puts a lot of its effort into marketing their products. If they allocated more effort to producing better speakers, they really might be "the" 1000 lb. gorilla. Also, Bose systems are ridiculously priced for the performance you get. They (especially their stores) set up their products in a controlled environment that maximizes what their speakers do well and minimizes their deficiencies. If you listen closely to a Bose system, you notice an emphasis on the mid-range which is where - VERY generally speaking - most of the sounds occur in a movies. Think dialog, emphasis music, doors closing, dogs barking, etc. They don't have a good presence in the treble and bass. They do blend well together giving the impression of an immersive soundstage. If you listen closely to a "better" system, you'll - again, generally - hear more bass and treble information and all the information you hear will be cleaner with more natural sounding detail. Also, IIRC once you buy a Bose system, you are stuck with the Bose system - there is no mixing and matching capability if you want to upgrade later. I could be wrong on that last point, but it was an issue with their products at one time.

Gordon brings up a good point. If your wife can't sonically distinguish between the Bose and other systems and you need to stay will "environment-friendly" speakers there are several choices that will out-perform Bose. Gallo is one brand that comes immediately to mind. Check out the Nucleus Micro HT system.

Good luck. We'll be here if you need us....

[Andrew Pratt]

Right there are a lot of options that will give you better sound for less money and still be small if small sized speakers are important. Gord's recomendation on inwalls is solid too as you can get some pretty nice sounding inwall speakers that would work really well as surrounds. They can be used up front as well and work great for movies but their stereo performance for 2 channel music isn't usually as good.

For the receiver side in keeping with the low profile look Bose offers I'd strongly consider something more along the lines of the Rotel RSDX-02 (details here). Its a nice sounding compact unit but somewhat limiting on inputs that you'd find on a full sized receiver..but to be fair that's not the market its aiming at. Anyway my point is that for similar money we can get you into some gear that will easily sound WAY better then the bose cubes. Remember Bose's slogan should be "Better sound through marketing"

[macvidguy]

Thanks for the input and confirmation.

That's exactly what I was looking for!!!! Ammo.

Great input, and you guys got to the main piece...requirements. She likes the Bose for the simplicity (Receiver, DVD, and IPOD/storage) of components in one unit. Part because of the size, and part because of the cables...arrggghhhh it's going into a custom inwall cabinet with rear access...she won't see the cables.
Limited on the upgrade is the big point I have been going with. The cable runs home run to the built in (under the stairs) if I go Denon. If I lose and go Booze...errrr mean Bose...then they all home to the Sub since they are custom cables. Which means to be smart I still have to run wire back the the cabinet any way. The one thing that will seal the deal I just thought about (while typing the last line) is the option for seconday zones via their amp...cha ching...more cables....cha ching....and 2nd remote...cha ching.
If that has to be run from the sub, vs the Receiver component...via Bose Link that will make the dual coax/dual Cat 5 that I have for every phone panel in the house a nice waste.
Good stuff...thanks a ton.
Mac. I will keep you posted...if we do get the Bose...I may have to lie to save face.

[Andrew Pratt]

Well I don't think you have to go bose even with those requirements as I'm sure your wife will like the looks of some of the alternatives that still offer better sound for less or equal money. Take her to some places that actually have the Rotel unit in stock and see what your wife thinks of that option. There's also the Panasonic digital receivers that are only a few inches high paired with a matching slim DVD player would be nice looking and discrete.

For speakers find a place that sells Energy and show her the Energy Take 5 series (details). They come in black or white and are "bose" like in size and function...but they sound M U C H better and have been very well received by the HT community and trade mag's etc. There's also the Encores (details) that are a little larger sized but still pretty small. They'll sound a little more full then the Take 5's but might be a little too big for her. Both should come with wall mounts like the bose cubes do so they're similar in that regard as well...oh and did I mention they're very affordable

[purplepeople]

For what they are asking for the Bose 38, get yourself a Blue Sky monitoring system. It is less money and it is exactly what they are using in the small studios at Skywalker Sound. And just in case your wife doesn't think she can tell the difference... buy some good movies now and take her around testing components with you.

ensen.