Can anyone help me out?

I think you are 100% right, take him to listen to a couple of small systems if you can. Go listen to the bose system, have them turn that toy sub off so he can hear how bad those bose cubes sound without it. If they can't turn it off and still play the system then just stick a sock (bring one with you) in the port to block output, Play some music with the port sock in also. Have them play the other systems you listen to also with and without sub, he should catch on to which sounds better real quick.

BOSE???!!!!!!!!!!

Has your friend been living an oppressed anti-audiophile propaganda filled life under Saddam Hussein?

I can tell you that any company that spends more money on marketing than they do on everything else combined (including the cost of the products, research and development, and fixed costs such as bricks and mortar, plant machinery, salaries, etc.) is not a company that cares about making music...they only care about making money. They are targeting the vast numbers of Bozos who want a cute package that plays music and don't care about sound quality, soundstage, or sound advice.
Look at the following web page

http://www.intellexual.net/boseframes.html

and make sure that you focus on the materials that are used to construct the drivers. Every cone material has its own sound and the paper cones in Bose products are adequate for a pocket sized transistor radio but beyond that they are worthless. Yet Bose builds most of their systems around them. At least they're cheap to build.

Thanks for your feedback. I gave him the website and i hope that he checked it out. I'll see him Wendsday, Then i can tell you guys if you helped him out. I hope so.

Thanks again,

Tommy