Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Photographers? Hmmm.

This item does not take pictures.

The Acoustic Wave ® Music System I own is virtually identical to the System II now offere by Bose. There have been the inevitable bells & whistles changes, but as far as I can research, nothing significant. I notice the price has not change, either.

This is an amazing music-producing unit. The range from deepest bass to the highest I can hear is superb. Musical details and resonances come through better than another much more expensive (but older) system I also have (Celestion speakers with Carver 2000 receiver).

I have not tested my Bose on Rock, because I detest all rock. There are some mighty powerful orchestral pieces, though, and the sound reproduction is, to my ears, near perfect. I certainly hear whole instruments in some music that I didn't know were in the recording.

For the price, I can't see how this system could be bettered.

Strengths:
Room placement does not noticeably affect the sound. I assume this is a consequence of the "acoustic wave" principle. Ours sits on an electric piano in front of curtains - hardly the best placement in normal circumstances.

Weaknesses:
None that I know of, unless the inability to endlessly tweak the treble, mid-range, base, and dynamic range is a weakness. In other words, this is strictly for those who listen to music, as opposed to the specs.

Similar Products Used:
Akai combination system, with separate speakers.

randy181818

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.78 of 5, 9.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Bose newspaper ad

Summary:
I purchased the Bose Acoustic Wave System as a result of seing countless ads on the product claiming the portable system will compare to much larger systems with seperate components. I took a chance and went along with the hype and I was really disappointed. I was not happy from the day I plugged in the system and played a Pink Floyd cd. The sound lacked bass and the separation was non-existent. I thought I would try other cd's and give the system a chance. However, all types of music sound bad on this system, especially rock. Unfortunately, I got busy with other things and missed my deadline to return the unit for a refund. My mistake and it cost me $1,000. I own a Harman Kardon receiver, a Boston Acoustics sub woofer with two satellite speakers and a basic cd player which together cost less than the Bose Acoustic Wave and the sound from this system blows away the Bose Acoustic Wave. Do yourself a favor and do not buy into the hype Bose throws at you regarding the acoustic wave system. The system is inferior and does not even compare in sound to their smaller $500 Bose Wave Radio system. I purchased the smaller Bose Wave Radio system for my parents after hearing the system at a friend's house and I must say that the smaller system has much richer sound, stronger bass, much better separation and more distinct highs than the more expensive Acoustic Wave System. If you are looking for a portable system with acceptable sound, go for the $500 version and save yoursef $500.

Strengths:
Portablility, ease of use, styling.

Weaknesses:
Poor overall sound quality, poor base response, poor separation, lack of crispness in sound, price, top loading cd with only one cd player.

Similar Products Used:
Nothing similar.

Nealflan

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.10 of 5, 29.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Bose

Summary:
I guess a lot of people will browse these reviews and will be puzzled by the number of five-star reviews and one-star reviews. Who do you believe? Well, I'm firmly on the side of the five-star reviewers, and I'm genuinely baffled by anyone who has actually listened to this system giving it one star. As has been said previously, this system is not going to shake your floor with bass, and if that's what you're after, then go buy a system with a subwoofer. However, if you want natural, full-ranged, accurate sound, then you've got to at least give this a try. I've got a £1,200 Denon separates system and the Bose genuinely outperforms it. The sound may to be to all audiophiles' tastes, but I find it stunning. The best way I can describe the sound is that it seems as though it is live, even on studio albums. The system has a knack of projecting the sound into the room with an uncanny natural quality. If you've ever been to a live classical concert, you'll appreciate what I mean. I think it's worth every penny I paid for it, and so do two of my friends who bought one after hearing mine. I'm selling my separates system, and I won't be sorry to see it go, especially the messy spaghetti of wiring at the back of it. For me, the Bose versus the seperates represented a choice between natural sound, and overly bassy "powered" sound. The Bose Acoustic Wave Music System looks great, is highly portable, and sounds absolutely terrific. I really don't know what I'd do without it. I've yet to have a visitor to my apartment who hasn't commented very favourably on it, and I am at a loss to explain the bile and bitterness that sometimes gets expressed against Bose and all its works. If you are thinking about buying this, my advice is go for it. If it doesn't live up to your expectations, put it back in its box and send it back - I bet you don't.

Strengths:
Exquisitely natural sound from a small, portable, all-in-one system. Really does rival megabucks separates systems.

Weaknesses:
Won't play mp3 CDs - only a very minor complaint as this system is good enough to expose the weaknesses of mp3 anyway, so you probably won't want to listen to them on it.

Similar Products Used:
Denon seperates.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I really think that this system is unblievable. It honestly sounds like a great pair of tower speakers, and a really high end reciever. You really wouldn't believe that it sounds amzing just by looking at it, but when you turn it on, you will think it is worth every last penny. I would strongly recomend this system to anyone who wants a really loud and high quality sounding system, but does not have a really large room, but even if you do have a really large room, i would still recomend this.

Strengths:
Every last thing about it! great highs, great lows it must be Bose.

Weaknesses:
Absolutely nothing

Similar Products Used:
Various Sony systems, Bose Wave radio/CD

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
The wave radio/cassette is good at filling a room with decent sound. It sounds less good the closer you get to it, though. There isn't much stereo imaging, since the speakers are so close to each other and sort of angled away from each other. The midbass is okay, but there is not much real bass. It could even be smaller than it is, and have similar bass response. I got the best sound with the Bose in the corner of the room. There was maximum bass reinforcement that way. OTOH, in that position, the high treble sounds deficient. There are no tweeters in the system, and you do notice a sort of glaring high mid-treble along with the absence of anything really sparkly. There is something odd about the midrange sound too, but I can't pinpoint it.

Strengths:
Good for ex-Enron exec.s! Better than other boomboxes/minisystems I've heard, though they are much cheaper.

Weaknesses:
Price Odd design Bass response (nothing magical here) Treble response (needs a couple of super-tweeters at least)

Similar Products Used:
Sony, Aiwa, Technics boomboxes/minisystems.