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Brands that you hate

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jsrtheta

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Not really on the ripoff thing. Litigious sure, but what major corporation doesn't employ that bullshit legally? There are decent commercial versions per friends of mine who installed such, but IDK. I certainly these days don't even consider this brand for anything. They have excellent marketing according to several friends' wives :)

ps to be fair, many of the males can't tell any differences in the Bose limitations either....but IME it's more the wives' decision before going bigger/better....

Incredibly cheap drivers, crap parts, nothing but midrange, and that's crap, too.

And no, most audio corporations don't sue willy-nilly like Bose. They are legendary for frivolous lawsuits, and have been for decades. They sued Stereo Review over a review in the '70s, taking it all the way to the Supreme Court. And that's when I first heard of them, in the '70s. Since then they've sued competitors at the drop of a hat.

I practiced law for 30 years, and I know from litigious. And Bose is LITIGIOUS.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to change my name and move, because they'll have a process server over here by close of business tomorrow.
 

escksu

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I have a healthy hate for certain brands of speakers.. Bose is at the Top of the list.. Maybe because people claim they are high end.. anyone here who love them?

I like bose as lifestyle products but not for audio.
 

JSmith

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not for audio
This is about all I would buy from them;

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JSmith
 

JJB70

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I will be the minority here and say I don't have an issue with Bose. Is it a lifestyle brand which sells on being perceived as a high end aspirational brand by people not really into audio? Probably, but they are hardly unique in that, and that doesn't mean their products are bad. I wasn't a fan of their speakers in the old days but for what they are their wireless speakers and soundbars are pretty good and their noise cancelling headphones are superb. And they are not ridiculously expensive these days ( though that may say more about the rush into expensive headphones than about Bose). While I wouldn't call myself a Bose fan they have an impressive pedigree in terms of research and development and I have to say that the people I know with Bose products are overwhelmingly positive about them.
 

Daverz

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Bose and Monster for their litigiousness and dubious products.
 

badboygolf16v

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Bose headphones are great, objectively, as verified by Amir. I bought a Bose omni lifestyle speaker for a family member, it sounds great. They make some excellent products. So I think some of you guys are barking up the wrong tree.

Wilson, Transparent etc - have at them.
 

jsrtheta

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And after everything I said, eBay just emailed me and told me "Time to upgrade! Get the best from Bose!" They gotta work on that algorithm...

Oh, and as a bargain hunter, I often check out the auctions at Goodwill (don't laugh - I've seen Krells and Accuphases on the site). For some strange reason, they get a lot of Bose donated to them there.

I'm sure it means nothing...
 

Brianc

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Oh, and as a bargain hunter, I often check out the auctions at Goodwill (don't laugh - I've seen Krells and Accuphases on the site). For some strange reason, they get a lot of
Me too. But Ive only bought from Goodwill stores and through Amazon. They have auctions?
I rarely find anything good in the stores anymore. Too many resellers. I did score a Martin and Logan sub a year or so ago (which I resold, ha).
 

JeffS7444

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"Hate" is too strong a word for me, but I purchased Bose Soundlink Bluetooth Speaker II and Soundlink Mini speakers, measured a hefty bass boost and limited high frequencies when used indoors, and thought they might be better-suited for use outdoors. Products were otherwise pretty nice, save that the magnets on the SBS2's wraparound leatherette cover tended to pull off the speaker's metal mesh grille. Sheer output from Soundlink Mini was pretty impressive, with solid 50 Hz output. If Bose had offered a way to switch to flatter eq setting, I might still be using the things today.
 

jsrtheta

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Me too. But Ive only bought from Goodwill stores and through Amazon. They have auctions?
I rarely find anything good in the stores anymore. Too many resellers. I did score a Martin and Logan sub a year or so ago (which I resold, ha).

Yes. Here's the site: https://www.shopgoodwill.com/

As far as I can tell, these Goodwill outlets just put the crap out on the floor. The good stuff goes on auction. Right now, the Orange County (CA) Goodwill has two McIntosh MC-250s that are being fought over. I've seen a lot of Arcam, NAD, Hafler, Rega, you name it. Also a lot of Golden Age Pioneer, MCS, Sansui, Kenwood, etc.

To be sure, most of the stuff you wouldn't go near (RCA, Symphonic, crap like that), but there are usually pearls amidst the swine.

The stores vary, too. Some will not even check if the thing turns on, others check full functionality. So read the descriptions carefully. But they all have photos, so you can check for warts and other damage.

I've bought stuff that was pristine, and stuff that looked like it barely survived the Blitz. Shipping costs can vary wildly, too.

But it's worth checking every day. My last purchase was a 45 watt Niles SI-245 in "like new" condition and it performs flawlessly. $35.00.

Happy hunting!

(BTW, you can find great deals on photo equipment, too. )
 

LightninBoy

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I assume that any product from these brands are garbage until proven otherwise ...

1. Bose (except headphones)
2. Klipsch
4. Dell
 

Katji

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Dislike / Distaste / Distrust ...

Schiit Audio
[you must be joking]
[If I buy it and it turns out to be crap, you know what your friends will say... ]

OINKyo

Anything that has "Research" in the name,
like Audio Research [Like, hmmm, I hope you finished the research before you put the product on the market. Or maybe there'll soon be a new improved Mk2 version, after you'd got further with the research.]
 

UniPolar

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Audio :: Anything marketed by sound united - they scooped up so several 'name brands' ( though most of them were possibly failing... )

Consumer:: Amazon - mainly because of the 'search' function which inserts 'paid ads' and includes products not related to the search..
 
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DACslut

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I have traditionally had bad luck with anything Sony except for their speakers.
 

ahofer

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Hate’s a strong word, but the expensive cable companies are morally bankrupt.
 
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