Bose home theatre


With the passive subwoofers on the entry level Bose systems am I going to get the bass out of it I want without an amp? Also, if I go to the digital 5.1 and the right/left speaker outputs on teh sub don't specify front and back, will I get the true digital surround? I know these are basic questions, but I would really appreciate some help.
pepolkcd36
Hi Pepolk, I also am not familiar with which specific system you have, but I would doubt that passive subs in general will give you the low end you are looking for - unless you are driving them with large high current amps- from your question I think you are not, and especially if it is one of the Bose type subs. It won't be ideal (clean and fast) for music bass/ percussion and will be fat and muddy for explosions/dinosaurs walking, etc. In general the bose stuff is very fat and boomy down low. Bose does a great job marketing, and many people are very happy with their stuff. If you are happy, then you are right in your system. On the other hand, if you have not yet purchased the system, and I am not sure if you are talking about the Acoustimass stuff or one of the Bose complete HT systems including the processor and all, I would highly recommend looking at some other options. For pure sound production you can do a lot better for the money. If the aesthetics are of paramount importance, there are still several good options. I don't want to go too deeply into it here, but if you want , feel free to email me and I'll give you a few of my thoughts. If you already own the Bose stuff, then enjoy it. Most audiophiles poo poo Bose, and please try to look aside from the Bose bashing that will probably follow in this thread. I personally think you can do alot better with a little looking. That said, I owned a pair of 901s back in college and loved them for that time in my life. So I guess back to your question, I doubt you will get good bass from them . In additon, if they are passive, in a 5.1 system, you will need as seperate power supply (amp) for them as most sub "outs" are not amplified by the receiver and certainly not by a preamp/processor. Another concern is that the sub may not take a dedicated amp "in". Look at the back and see what type of connection it has. Hope this was helpful, and feel free to email me. Happy listening.

Todd
I hate to be negative, but I absolutely agree with Justy's thread response about Bose. Please do yourself a favor, and compare their stuff to ANY other competing Home Theater equipment manufacturer. You will be shocked to how substandard the sound is on the Bose stuff.(If you are not concerned about sound quality though, then Bose is an intelligent choice. They have good looking units and cool looking speakers, and you can tell people that you have a Bose system, and actually get respect most of the time). Bose IS the benchmark company,when it comes to marketing and name recognition. They are THE ONLY audio manufacturer that make 300 to 600 percent margin on their offerings (we are talking about really, really cheap parts and components, as compared to their competition). They do NOT serve their customers, when it comes to giving them the most bang for the buck, instead they give their customers the most bang in the butt! Again, sorry to slam your particular purchace decision. Please do not take this personally. Both Justy and I are just trying to help people understand what this Bose company is all about. Consider this, Bose could sell the equipment that you purchaced for 25 percent of what you payed, and still make a profit! It just aint very good stuff at the price they are asking.
I'm with justy and ehider on this one. Bose is just hi and low sound and the low sound is muddy, boxy. You can do better at any price. And if you like the tiny speakers, their are other companies that make great sm speakers. I recently listened to the Bose sylus ???(retail $3,000) at the tweeter store, against a very inexpensive system they had setup in the same room. The bose really did suck, Sorry. But simple to use...