Ok, here's the question. In terms of HT companies where would you rank Bose speakers. I'm a car guy ( you see me on that forum alot) and Bose in cars suck. Is it just misinformed people who think Bose is good because I have yet to hear a good one but people swear up and down they're good.
Bose - the triumph of marketing over engineering...
Bose use cheap nasty plastic drivers, cheaper nastier cabinets, hopeless connections, lousy electronics (in their subs). But I will admit they're very pretty, and generally pretty reliable (which is a surprise).
Sonically, Bose is characterised by a pleasantly inoffensive sound. It's very safe, never engaging, a bit warm and cuddly - very pipe and slippers.
Competition: given the size of their dinky satellites, there's not much out there that directly competes with Bose. Most systems have bigger drive units which makes the satellites larger but which usually makes them better. It also depends on which Bose system you're considering, or to put it another way, what your budget is. One of the best value for money packages you can buy is the Focal Sib & Cub package. Focal (JmLab to some) have been around in both car and domestic audio for a very long time. The Sib/Cub system is cute (though the satellites are not tiny) and works well - and can be driven by any halfway decent receiver such as an Onkyo TX-SR606. Very good combination.
Also check out Orb Audio for cute systems, as well as Anthony Gallo systems.
It's interesting that a car audio person thinks Bose sucks too. It gives me some hope that all is not lost in the world.