Bose Lifestyle 48’s Worst Nightmare: A System With Small Speakers for the Same Price
This video shows an example of a system that you can get for the price of the $4000 Bose Lifestyle 48, and blows the LS48 away.
Every time I hear this system, I am amazed. I actually have to walk up to those little speakers to make sure it’s them playing and not some bigger speaker next to them!
Beginning at 5:25, theres a slideshow that simply shows all of the systems main components. Sorry if it seems a little boring. But, at 5:54, theres a picture that shows all of the systems main components together. Speaking of which, excluding 2 of this systems surrounds (which are not essential), this system has just as many essential components as the Lifestyle 48 does. The LS48 has 5 speakers, 1 Acoustimass module, the media center, a VS-2 Video Enhancer, and the remote; 9 components total. This system has 5 speakers (excluding 2 surrounds), 1 subwoofer, the A/V receiver, a Blu-Ray player, and the remote; also 9 components). So much for the Lifestyle 48 having fewer components than a component system.
Anyway, here are a few major flaws with the Lifestyle 48.
-The Lifestyle 48 has a regular progressive-scan DVD player. Unless you have a very, very high end DVD player (which cost over $4000 themselves), that can up-convert a regular DVD to the point it rivals Blu-Ray (and dont even begin to think the Lifestyle 48 can do this), there is no excuse a $4000 surround system shouldn’t come with a Blu-Ray player. And, if you were wondering (or didnt know), Blu-Ray players can play regular DVDs. Furthermore, I was told by some Bose salespeople that they do not see their systems coming with built-in Blu-Ray players in the foreseeable future. WTF?
-The Lifestyle 48 has 5.1 surround sound. Even most of the least expensive A/V receivers on the market (about $200-$300) have 7.1 or 6.1 surround sound. Yes, most movies right now have only a 5.1 soundtrack, but these receivers have Dolby Pro-Logic IIx, which converts a 5.1 (or even a stereo) soundtrack into 6.1 or 7.1 (whatever the receiver has).
- The LS48 has the AdaptiQ sound calibration system. But, the performance of this system compared to the LS48 would be that the AdaptiQ wouldn’t help, for this system’s performance is so much better. Heck, my A/V receiver doesnt even have an auto calibration feature, and it still blows the LS48 away! (This Yamaha receiver does have a calibration feature, though).
-The Lifestyle 48s Jewel Cube speakers, yes, are VERY small, and are very loud for their size. But, would you buy a system to admire its super-small speakers that have big sound, or would you rather buy a system with speakers that are a couple inches bigger, but sound MUCH better than the smaller ones (and costs the same price)?
-The Lifestyle 48s Acoustimass module, well, should be called an Acousticlusterf**k. It has 2 5.25 in. drivers inside of it that are supposed to handle almost all of the low sounds. 5.25 in. drivers are what the size mid-range or mid-bass drivers should be; not subwoofers. As mentioned in the video, it cant play as low as a subwoofer. Also, it produces sounds a subwoofer SHOULD NOT play; dialogue being the main thing. This means that wherever you put it, it would sound as if voices were coming from that location if you listened carefully. Sure, the voices may seem a bit omnipresent, but when in real life have you ever heard voices sounding omnipresent? (So much for Boses lifelike sound). Voices should come out of the speakers only, and nothing but low bass should come from a subwoofer.
The Lifestyle 48s remote is actually kind of cool; it uses radio frequencies instead of IR. However, although Bose claims its a multi-brand remote that can control some other non-Bose components, it can only control basic functions of those components. This means that you will probably still need to use the remotes for your other components to use every feature they may have. The Logitech Harmony One remote this system has, however, supports and gives you full control over almost every electronic media device under the sun (through following a simple online setup through Harmonys website). It may not have the cool RF control the LS48s remote has, but it will limit your remotes to one.
Anyway, if you’re considering buying the Lifestyle 48, or if you think Bose is “the best” or “really good,” think again and go listen to something like this. Heck, even a system costing 1/4 of this (using the same Cinema speakers) would blow away the LS48.
Also, note that because this is a component system, theres a number of ways you could build it. If you’re set on spending only $4000, exchanging the Fathom for a Paradigm Seismic-12 subwoofer, which is about $500 less (and still annihilates the Acoustimass module) would do fine. But, that Fathom makes that extra $500 TOTALLY worth it. Just about anything you could do with this system would make it sound better than the Lifestyle 48.
FYI, I do not work for or endorse any of these companys products.
Duration : 0:6:22
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read more magazines! Get equally good stuff for less!
BOSE=”No Highs-No …
BOSE=”No Highs-No Lows” …….Dated/overpriced/ugly(this is subjective of course)/horrible image/colored sound/terrible mids/very cheap materials/no clean bass to speak of……..BOSE= “Better Sound thru Research”?…..no…BOSE=”Better Sound thru Marketing”LOL:)
@falkenlaser Let me …
@falkenlaser Let me guess.. did he try to tell you that the Bose acoustimass bass module was a better ’subwoofer’ than the JL Audio Fathom??
@falkenlaser Yes, …
@falkenlaser Yes, but these are not just any 1 inch paper drivers…. These are BOSE 1 inch paper drivers… We take the finest trees and grind them with the silk of angels dress robes – to deliver a Sonic Clarity that…. *cue M&S music*….
Seriously, if BOSE would spend less money telling people how good their speakers were, and more money actually MAKING them good, we could have a world class company here.
haha, tell us how …
haha, tell us how it goes.
LOL I get to go to …
LOL I get to go to a Bose dealer tomorrow! I’m still thinking how I’m going to mess with them….I know for dang sure I’m going to show them the collage of the audio components in my other LS48 video (the one with big speakers, and I’ve perfected that system; it now has 4 ADP-190s, and a Logitech Harmony 800), and ask them how much they think it costs. LOL I wonder what they’ll say when they find out it costs as much as their Lifestyle 48! “Rivals the sound of bigger, more expensive systems.” BS
Hey man, your …
Hey man, your videos are great! I like your views on monster and bose as they are actually correct! Subbed!
Great story. I know …
Great story. I know what you mean, although the sales people selling them near me are a bit snotty. So I don’t feel sorry at all. I love making them justify the price though!
I mean, it …
I mean, it seriously was a joke. When I thought of its $4000 price tag, I really felt sorry for the people that bought into the hype.
Anyway, the next weekend, I was back at this dealer. One of the salesmen there was demoing a system that had:
4x Paradigm Cinema 70s
1x ” ” CC Center
A $500 Velodyne subwoofer
A $200 Sony receiver
The whole thing was being sold for $1000. And OMG I could not believe how it sounded! It was 10x better than the Lifestyle 48, and it even had small speakers!
Oh man do I have a …
Oh man do I have a story for you!
The day before I went to a Bose dealer to hear a Lifestyle 48, I listened to a $2000-$3000 Paradigm Cinema system at this dealer, plus I’ve been used to hearing my family’s $1500 or so Wharfedale surround system, and my 2 Paradigm Atom monitors. Before I heard the LS48, I was thinking maybe I’d be proven wrong; that maybe it was good. But, when I actually heard it it was WORSE than I though it’d be. I actually felt sorry for the salespeople; they were so nice.
honestly it would …
honestly it would be easy to spend $1000.00 on a system that would blow the Bose away. Bose is garbage anybody who has worked with audio products would tell you that.
Yes, I’ll message …
Yes, I’ll message you soon.
But, to reply to your comment here, yes, Bose will let you bring your own media to play on their systems. However, the speakers are still 3 ft. in front of your face and isolated from other brands (this really applies to the Bose boutique stores). It’s still an unfair demo. So, don’t take any of those demos seriously. But, when I did hear the Lifestyle 48 at a Bose dealer, I was shocked; it was worse than what I expected it to be.
Um, I do agree …
Um, I do agree about the 7.1 thing. However, if you really think about it, well, as far as I know and have heard on HD Nassion there really aren’t too many actual 7.1 movies. So, is there really an actual point to it at this point?
Well, I do agree …
Well, I do agree with that too. However, if you go to a Bose store or even a store like Tweaters, you can bring your own DVDs and test them. I’d message you so we could go deaper into this, but I don’t know how to do it. I’m new to this. Can you please message me?
Actually it’s the …
Actually it’s the lightsaber fite. Um, I didn’t mean make another youtube vid either. Sorry for being so slow to sqay things. I meant that if you could and if you find the disk, could you please Email me a recording. I fully understand and agree with you that it would be better to hear them in person, and I can do a dealer search, but as I’m blind it’s hard for me to go anyware. I mean that in the sence that it’s hard to find someone to volintear.
So basically, Bose …
So basically, Bose is not out there to sell good audio products. They’re out to sell mediocre audio products, but make them appear to be very good through extremely good marketing. Pricing them high, while at the same time saying they rival more expensive speakers, makes them seem like a good deal, but at the same time gives them prestige. And, most people only know Wall Mart-priced speakers, so when they think Bose, they think expensive, and they think it’s a good deal.
Bose also has their …
Bose also has their own stores, which is where their highest-end products are. In these stores, there’s no other brand to compare them to at all (this is probably why this is the only place they keep their highest-end products, for they know they’d fail if put in front of a cheaper brand).
So, Bose sells their products at the dealers like a as-seen-on-TV product. It looks good on TV, but not when you actually use it.
…..At stores that …
…..At stores that sell other audio brands (like Best Buy), the Bose products are separated from the other brands, so you have no fair way to compare them. Their systems are also set up to where the speakers are 3 ft. in front of your face and behind you, with the volume turned up really high, and with music and/or movie clips that they have selected. This basically means they’ve set you up in an environment in which it’s an unfair demo.
Anyway, if Bose …
Anyway, if Bose were to make their products like ones in the video, they’d have to use more expensive parts, which would decrease their profit on their systems. And that’s the thing. The way Bose works is that they make extremely mediocre products (seriously, I heard a $1000 Paradigm Cinema 70 system that sounded 10x better than the Lifestyle 48). But, they sell them through very aggressive marketing. They’re the only audio company that runs TV and radio advertisements….(Cont’d)
I highly doubt Bose …
I highly doubt Bose would ever change their products. You see, considering what the Lifestyle 48 is made of, and the outdated features it has, Bose is probably making a 90% profit off of it. Watch my other video on the Lifestyle 48. It shows this pretty well.
But, I do take it …
But, I do take it that chapter 45 is the end scene (when the clones attack, which is pretty much the only good scene). I’ll definitely have to find that movie and play it on my system
Oh yes I LOVE Star …
Oh yes I LOVE Star Wars. But, that’s interesting you mention Episode II, for I heard in a review on Paradigm’s highest-end subwoofer that in Ep. II, the bass note from when Senator Amidala’s decoy ship blows up in the beginning is huge. So, I took it to the audio dealer to hear on their f113 Fathom, which is an INSANE subwoofer (but that explosion wasn’t as good as I thought; I’ve heard that subwoofer make it feel as if your seat has exploded). But anyway, now I can’t find it
Why not tell Bose …
Why not tell Bose these things. Let them know.
Oh, I didn’t mean …
Oh, I didn’t mean music. I meant a bit of a movie. Do you watch Starwars? If so, and if you have it, chapter 45 of attack of the clones will do.
I do believe that …
I do believe that he should share his feelings with Bose themselves. In fact, with his permision, I was think of letting them know of these vids. Just so they’re aware is all. This could help inprove the products.
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