hey guys i currently have have a 5.1 surround system going wich is athena asc1 center,asb2 fronts,and asb2 rears..i run them off my HK avr 330 reciever...although i like the way these sound as my home theatre system.....i have a chance at buying the Bose Acoustimass 10 Series II Speaker System at a very cheap price of $400 canadian including the speaker stands..i know on this site ppl dont realy like bose cuz its said there over priced and that they dont reveal the specs to the speakers....but putting all that to the side can how much would i be down grading in sound getting the bose system...please give me a more detailed answer then the usual 'BOSE SUCKS' comments..
I know the Acoustimass 10, as my parents have the older version (hangs his head in shame). This used a passive subwoofer which is about as bad as it gets, Bose or no Bose. The current solution is improved by having a powered sub thankfully so it is far more flexible than the old 10 (th eonly way to control the bass was to put a balled-up sock in the port).
Naturally, the satellites are the small, dinky items we all know and love the look of (kind of). They use spring clips to connect bare wire to them. It's not unusual for the wire to work itself loose and disconnect. The quality of the satellites is much better than the sub, being the same satellites as used in the 15, but they are a little limited in the treble (since they don't have tweeters) which loses the air or ambience of a recording.
I don't know the Athenas at all (not sold in this country), but I would be surprised if you got anything like the results you're getting now although I don't see a sub in your lineup, so you could get more (but not necessarily better) bass.
If you really want to go to a sub/sat system, I would save some more sheckels until you can afford one of the quality solutions such as M&K's K series or Kef's KHT 3005 (with the coolest looking sub on the market currently).
Sorry! Frank. - who is almost desperate to get his dad to upgrade, but knows it'll never happen...
LOL Jay you don't have to take our word for it, go ahead and buy that Bose system --- I guarantee you it'll make your Athenas seem like million dollar masterpieces!
If you want a more detailed answer go to the AVS Forum and search for the "Why Not Bose" thread.
Jay, I would suggest listening carefully to the Bose system. I've been listening to a lot of the 'beginner' 5.1 systems and would recommend Athena over Bose. My principal complaint with Bose Acoustimass is that there is a gap in mid-range, that ends up making the woofer sound hazy. To test, I play a track called 'The classic drum battle' from the movie 'Drumline'. In summary, none of the chain store 5.1 systems can make drums sound like drums. I have no complaints with treble, even though these cubes do not have separate tweeters. Actually, I think its the sharp treble that distinguishes Bose from Sony, Philips, Panasonic and the rest. I admit I started out with a Sony 5.1 The treble is what I believe catches attention and gives a feeling of 'quality'. There are probably niche uses for Bose products.. small room, low volume casual listening, for example. Sure, for that application, there are less expensive, and still better solutions available. The Athena speakers are nice, and I would require a lot of convincing to replace those. If you like the sound of the Acoustimass system, make sure you listen to it for a while using the kind of music you normally listen to. If you find it satisfactory, get it, and enjoy!!
This is not directed at any particular brand but Srinivas makes a good point. It's a well know marketing technique to bump the treble and bass because that's what catches people's attention first in the stores. It's been mentioned to consider the system that impresses the least on the first listen, but really, the only way to know is to live with it for a while.
The treble is what I believe catches attention and gives a feeling of 'quality'. There are probably niche uses for Bose products.. small room, low volume casual listening, for example. Sure, for that application, there are less expensive, and still better solutions available. The Athena speakers are nice, and I would require a lot of convincing to replace those. If you like the sound of the Acoustimass system, make sure you listen to it for a while using the kind of music you normally listen to. If you find it satisfactory, get it, and enjoy!!