Speakers: all-time worst

--Master: "The speakers of a GOOD STEREO are yoked together and in step." --Disciple: "Yes, Master. But what are the speakers of a BAD STEREO like?" --Master: "In the sound of a BAD ONE the sonics seem to veer this way and that as the speakers keep changing step, like two draught animals refusing to pull together." --Disciple: "Are these two draught animals like the speakers of a Bose acoustimass system?" --Master: "Yes."

Pops I remember well the Polk SRS/SDA from the 80's and could not disagree with you more! Their bad rap is well earned. The bass on that speaker was horrendous and really overpowered the rest of the frequency range. Tonal balance was all wrong. Regardless of the SDA circuit being removed, I can't imagine too much of an improvement on the big speaker, the one that looked like a 6' coffin. Now that you remind me of it I would probably include that speaker among the worst especially for the 3k they were charging for it at the time. I did however like the smaller one in the SRS line that mounted on a bookshelf speaker, can't remember the model #. At the time around 1986, I did an audition with a pair of Fanfare speakers a 3-way design. The speaker was direct order from the manufacturer and offered a 30 day money back warranty. I was considering the stand mounted Polk at the time and wanted to do a comparison side by side. At 339.00 a pair the Fanfares (I can't remember the model name) handily beat the whole Polk line including their monitors and the SDA series. Even the salesman had to admit to it. I still have a pair of the Fanfare Preludes a 2-way which I used to use as surround speakers, they still sound quite good for their modest size. While we are on the subject does anyone remember the funny looking speakers that had wings on the bass, midrange and tweeter modules from a company called Tennessee Sound Company? They were the only speakers I can recall that Stereophile (Dick Olsher, I believe) throughly trashed. The company shortly thereafter went belly up.

I am in total agreement. Bose has no idea what good quality speakers are. I have a friend who loves his Bose 301's based solely on the fact that Consumer Reports recommends them. Are you kidding me. Is Consumer Reports a true judge of audiophile quality in a speaker. I think not. The fact remains. Bose speakers don't produce accurate sound. The Accoustimas system is extremely overpriced. For the same amount of money that they are charging for the Accoustimas systems, you can get yourself into some very nice sounding high quality gear.

One more Bose story: in the early 70's, I purchased one of the first pairs of B&W DM6's to be imported into the US. With a Luxman integrated amp and a decent moving coil cartridge or my big reel-to-reel, they sounded better than any of the dozens of speakers I had auditioned. Put it this way: the YAMAHA NS-1000M's were my second choice! Went out with a nice (not good, but nice) young woman at the time, and we went to a rockin party featuring a sound system consisting of Bose 901's driven by Phase Linear electronics. The thing was deafeningly loud and terrible. My girlfriend was tremendously impressed, and later quizzed me why I hadn't bought a really good stereo like the one at the party? Although some of her other orifices were more suitable than her ears, the relationship didn't last long!

Until this day I thought I was the only one who felt this way about Bose !!! I Remember in college ( UND ) back in 1983 a radio station played there sound system for an outdoor party between the dorms ( In the courtyard ) 4 Bose 901's. I am the only person in the world, besides the others that were at the party, who actually heard Bose 901's that sounded good. I was really DRUNK.