Are you talking about Bose in general, or the Bose stores set up in big shopping malls that entice you to come in and buy surround systems off the shelf?

Regardless, yes, of course there's a world of choices out there, most of which sound quite good, even at entry level. I'm not a bose hater (can't wait to see the flames coming out after your initial post, though, hehehe....).

These days, there are so many people getting into the home theater and surround market, you should be able to see & hear many alternatives. Electronic Home magazine is one place to start (tons and tons of products in there, from receivers to speakers, etc.), ditto for Residential Systems magazine. Both have products, information, and ideas for a home surround system that doesn't have to include Bose.

As for semi-pro stuff, you just have to follow your ears. There are lots of pro-sumer systems out there that will deliver quality audio to your studio workspace or home listening environment (or both) without breaking the bank.

IMHO, Bose stuff has been way over-priced for years (which might account for such virulent hatred by so many audio pros), and I'd avoid it in principle. You can do much better, cost-effective-wise with standard, off the shelf stuff for the home from the big players like Panasonic, Onkyo, Sony, Kenwood, just for starters. And you can get much better gear for your studio setup in the pro audio world.

Oh there are a few reasons why I wouldn't go with Bose. I'll bite my tongue.

If you want to spend the same amount of money, buy a component system and stay away from the proprietary Bose setup.

Joe's right, you can find something elsewhere. My personal favorite for entry level is JBL's matched with a good Yamaha receiver.

I am looking around for something whether new or used for a 20'Lx 10'Wx 8'H detached Garage, I don't want the noise to carry outside of the Garage too much especially the bass, I simply cannot afford a Bose system so I am looking for something much cheaper which can give a similar effect,

The reason why I think a surround system would be best "to keep the noise in the Garage" is because if I were to place speakers all around the room it would result in less shouting by the guys to cover the music as opposed to using a 2 or 3-way system.

The whole point about this is that I am thinking, if you have 5 guys for example in that room and the surround satelite speakers are evenly spaced then most likely I will have each guy standing almost directly in front of a speaker therefore it will be just loud enough so they would be satisfied with the volume, when I use my floor 4-way speakers, they are always complaining that the volume is too low so I have to turn it up loud to please everyone, with the surround sound and a speaker right in front of everyone's ears I am figuring I would not have to turn up the volume too much.

I have a decent Sony system in my living room but it only sounds great at a certain volume, good for movies but not for guys hanging out talking loudly. I am seeing some older used Bose systems like the Acoustimass 6-speaker system.

Simply put, I need a 5.1 speaker system, I already have a choice of a Receiver or Power amp to run it so i don't need a powered sub. I currently have a passive 10" sub and 5 satellite Kenwood speakers and I think I need a little more juice so I think I may need at least a 12" sub but some have told me that the Bose Acoustimass 6 or 10 speaker system will pack more punch with quality than a 12" sub.

I'm confused. Are you using this for a home theater or a monitoring system. If it's the latter, there are plenty better solutions. You are talking home theater though right?

This is not for movies, only for music playback when myself and the guys are hanging out on a Saturday having some beer. To reiterate, the problem is keeping the music loudness "inside" the Garage so my neighbors won't complain, with any 2, 3 or 4-way system, the noise travels a lot outside of the Garage but it does not with a surround system. Like I said, I already have a 10" passive subwoofer with 5 kenwood satelite speakers but I need a little more punch which is why I am looking for a better surround Speaker system.

I'm still plenty confused now for what you want to do, and how to do it. Is this for just "Tunes" while the guys hang out and party? Is it for a band to let each one hear their own instruments?

As for sound leaking out of the garage, it's going to leak, unless you sound proof the place, ESPECIALLY if you raise the stakes with the subwoofer. Only a powered subwoofer will do for what you're describing, regardless of the size: 12, 15, etc. Forget passive, it's just not going to fit the bill with that much going on. And it's going to leak out, just as it would in a car next to you in traffic.

This is all starting to remind me of my buds in HS and college, who used to hang speakers all over their basements or garages, long before "Surround Sound" became popular and standardized. :twisted:

JoeH wrote: I'm still plenty confused now for what you want to do, and how to do it. Is this for just "Tunes" while the guys hang out and party? Is it for a band to let each one hear their own instruments?

Yes, this is just for tunes while the guys hang out and party.

Sorry to tell you - more punch means that it will travel outside your garage.

Bose systems are the scurge of this planet as far as I'm concerned, but they're optimized to give euphoric playback at moderate to low listening levels. Maybe that would be your best option.

In truth, this question would be best asked in a hifi or home-audio forum, not a pro-audio forum.

A [="http://www.meyersound.com/products/ultraseries/upm-1p/"]UPM-1P[/]="http://www.meyersou…"]UPM-1P[/] should work in each corner, coupled with a [[url=http://="http://www.meyersou…"]UMS-1P[/]="http://www.meyersou…"]UMS-1P[/] for LF...

Of course, you'll want to keep the source turned down pretty far...

If you are looking at fairly inexpensive consumer systems, I bought a cheap Paradigm 5.1 set for the living room a couple of months ago. After looking around, I have a couple of opinions. (1) Nothing at this level is really serious audiophile quality. (2) They all sound better than the speakers I thought were serious quality back in 1976. Go and listen to the speakers that you can hear in person, but don't be embarrassed to let how the speakers look and how they'll fit into your listening room be big factors in your decision.

On the Bose discussion, I haven't paid attention to them since the 70's, so I can't really comment on their stuff. But I can't think of a company in any industry that's been around as long as they have with as strange a business model. Make your products contrarian enough to make A/B comparisons hard, make them very good looking, price them high, market like hell. Still in business after all these years.

bent wrote: A [="http://www.meyersound.com/products/ultraseries/upm-1p/"]UPM-1P[/]="http://www.meyersou…"]UPM-1P[/] should work in each corner, coupled with a [[url=http://="http://www.meyersou…"]UMS-1P[/]="http://www.meyersou…"]UMS-1P[/] for LF...

Of course, you'll want to keep the source turned down pretty far...

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I've never heard of Meyer Sound...they must be cheap!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

bent wrote: A [="http://www.meyersound.com/products/ultraseries/upm-1p/"]UPM-1P[/]="http://www.meyersou…"]UPM-1P[/] should work in each corner, coupled with a [[url=http://="http://www.meyersou…"]UMS-1P[/]="http://www.meyersou…"]UMS-1P[/] for LF...

Of course, you'll want to keep the source turned down pretty far...

I said it was a strange business model. I didn't say it was unique.

Can't get a price anywhere on the Meyer system. The Paradimn 5.1 looks nice but can't one used anywhere, buying it new would be much more expensive than Bose.

Mikehende:

I think the reference to Meyer was meant as tongue in cheek. I doubt that your amp could power one of those speakers. Well, maybe one.

Not to mention each speaker costs mor than 5X the price of one whole Bose system.

~~~~

Edited to include *correct* wording based on sloppy typing into a phone while trying to drive.

Yes, I was just joshin', based my reply on Cucco's prior post.

They're way too expensive for what you want to do.
However, they are all self-powered - just so's ya know.

If I were you, I'd go with a simple home stereo system with a satellite sub.

:D

Looks like the cheapest good way out for me is either the Bose Acoustimass 6 or 10 5.1 speaker system, I can get it used from $350 up.