Bose Infomercial

Over the years, I've read comments in audio reviews and other publications noting the mediocre quality of the audio equipment often owned by professional musicians. The "explanation" sometimes offered is that musicians hear the music clearly in their head, and don't need great sound systems to compensate. If that's true (and I'm not sure it is anymore), and Herbie Hancock is pushing Bose equipment, then it would be interesting to see what kind of system Herbie owns.....

I am sure Herbie got a nice ckeck. It always has struck me, even when I was a teen-ager and that was about thirty years ago, that it was thought to be a good idea to market "high fidelity" sound over television. Certainly any demos that Herbie did to show the difference between typical sound systems and the vaunted BOSE system would be limited by the sound quality of the television medium, which by definition, should be inferior to the Bose system. That would certainly invalidate any comparisons they do on TV. I guess most people just aren't as suspicious as I would be, audiophile or not.

I like the spray on hair in an aerosol can and the pasta machine that looks like a "Play Doe" toy I had as a kid.

Blbloom I like his (Ron Popiel) Rotiserrie; "Set it and Forget It". Kind of like the Bose system.

Tubegroover, I'm laughing here, but that guy is laughing all the way to the bank. My mother stays up late at night and buys that stuff.

"you can fool some people all of the time, all people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all of the time"

well, i went in to my local bose store for a demo and there was herbie, giving a listening session to a couple of blue-haired ladies so i guess the check for the infomercial isn't big enough. either that or A. he's REALLY into Bose gear B. it wasn't herbie.

I will say this about the music wave clock radio, you can get an obscene amount of sound out of the thing considering what it is. We use one for the 4:30 a.m. reveille on duck huntin trips, usually something like 'Runnin with the Devil' from Van Halen I. There ain't no sleepin' through that mess; worth every penny I think.

Bob Bundas - The part about fooling some of the people ALL of the time is "all it takes baby" witness Mr. Popiel, he's just so excited and everybody wants in. "I just bought one for my daughter and....." enthusisam, that's the ticket because people want a piece of it.

Same with Bose. To those that haven't, if you get the opportunity go to one of their outlets and listen to the spiel and their demo. You may go away laughing but you'll probably have more energy than when you walked in the door.

Reminds me of the selling of Geratol on Lawrence Welk.

wirehead: If all of you are talking about the wave radio from bose that I think you are. It acually has only I speaker in it, so how can bose state they have true stereo sound? Unless true stereo has changed, it's with 2 speakers. Another way for bose to rip us off. And are you guy's kidding? No one even half famous is going to do a commercial for free. Bob Villa presses sears craftsman tools, Gee I wonder who pays his bills? It's funny though, I really don't know any builders who use those tools? I would rather spend $300 on a sony tabletop mini stereo with 2 speakers, a cd player, a tuner, and even a remote.

Several months ago I ran an ad by Bose that was, well, sickening. I love Bose, really. They are the Darth Vador of audio. Best of all the people who buy his stuff are proud to own it and seem to like it a lot. A friend of mine just got a Mercades and couldn't wait to tell me how much he loved the sound. Perhaps in car audio he is right.
Needless to say none of the guys, or gals, in this thread will ever be fooled. It is up to you to spread the word and make sure that the manufacturers who deserve to stay in business make enough $ to keep the doors open ! Needless to say we can't leave it to the dealers. Most of them want to sell to established audiophiles not create new ones !Invite a friend over and let his ears hear the difference. Better yet, start a club and begin something that will make a real impact. End of sermon.

Is it me? I get the feeling we're in "The Twilight Zone".

Stokjoc I enjoyed your sermon, so here's a funny story. The best salesman at our local "better" audio shop is a personal friend. When he really wants to sell prospective high-$ customers on some quality 2 channel sound, he demo's first at his store, then he brings them over to my house. We put them in the sweet spot & then proceed to demo. Jaws invariably drop wide open & the sale is made, though the equipment that they're buying is not usually even similar. It just shows them the in-home potential of high quality gear; then they simply "must have this" for their own.
There's nothing much in it for me; mainly the personal satisfaction of sharing & spreading 'love of the hobby'. Have made a few friends in the process though, & sometimes these get-togethers turn into pretty good parties too. Of course I have received some preferential treatment at the store as compensation for my efforts; the least that they can do, but it all works out