I have also owned a Lifestyle 50 system for over ten years now and have 2 rooms with 5.1 surround (the original plus an extra AM30P zone 2 set up in my snug) plus an AM20P two channel set up in my conservatorry and finally the fourth zone are external all weather speakers in the garden connected via an SA-1 indoor amplifier. I still use this system daily in one way or another whether it be for casual listening to the radio, listening to my own music or whilst watching one (or both) of two televisons (plus the connected peripherals such as Freesat box or DVD). Finally a couple of years ago I added SONOS music streaming components (and did not need to buy multi room SONOS speakers because the BOSE Lifestyle 50 already gave me this capability. It is now an unbelievably flexible system even by modern standards which the whole family uses ona daily basis. We would be lost without it and we've had some great parties courtesy of BOSE. To me the sound is still crisp and sharp and the CD quality still noticably better than when streaming music from either a hrd drive or off the web (via SONOS). the system still performs admirably with DVD's. packing enough punch to shake the sofa (although music playback was the main purpose of the Lifestyle 50 when launched). I agree that there are much better High End systems out there but they cost serious money and the LINN alternative would also be considerably more. I thought this previous flagship system was expensive when I bought it but now looking back over ten years it has been excellent value fo money and I am unlikely to want to change it in the foreseeable future. The small Jewel Cube speakers (I have 12 in total) blend into the decor and when people visit they cannot believe (or see) where the terrific sound is coming from. I have the 3 subs hidden behind furniture panelling so they are completely invisible (apart from small mesh grills to allow the air to be pushed out). At the end of the day it depends what you want but for me the BOSE system is a good blend between every day casual use for lots of different input sources and an excellent sound quality if you want to specifically just sit, listen and appreciate. I could go on................

Looks Fantastic. sounds fantastic.
Very unobtrusive, very east to set up and take down,

All the negative comments from the techno freaks, don't listen to them !!!!!!

I bought the Bose Lifestyle 50 after listening to a demo in the Bose shop in Las Vegas, and it doesn't disappoint at all, with the ability to to run 4 different rooms, either Cd DVD or radio or even i pod, I have 2 rooms set up and have bought and extra P1 controller which will control both rooms from the bottom of the garden :-), press the "house" button with Usher on and the windows nearly blow out :-)
It's sound to me is amazing even at a very low level the bass is awesome.
I have had it now for 10 years and it's still as good as the day I got it, I have not used the volume on my plasma's since I bought them, the Bose takes care of that :-)
:-) 10 out of 10 from me........

good for use as firewood! (cheap materials)

the cheap crossover capacitors explode when thrown into the fire!

These are not speakers. these are called bOSE DEATHstyle acoustiturds. they are meant to make noises and has no music whatsoever. bOSE are like mCDONALDS. the food looks great and tastes great but have no nutritional value! for more information on the truth about bOSE, go to http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html and be prepared to see the truth.

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Superfayir firewood from Home Depot. they make crackling noises better than the bOSE.

check this out http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

Pacifies the weak-minded. One syllable company name. Blocks young children's access to a live AC outlet.

Sorry, 1200 character limit.

In summary, a cruel joke. This clock-radio with a sub is better off in a Welcome Wagon basket for the deaf. Get a reality check people. Try a pair of PSB Alpha's with a decent entry-level cd/receiver combo from pratically anybody else and I defy you to say the Bose Lifestyle 50 is a better VALUE. Can't believe people even take the time to LOOK at Bose junk. Their Terret's Syndrome-like logic insluts, HSN advertising-style and impudent BIG LIE marketing are transparent to even my 13 year-old son! Cheap compenents, and attractive plastic boxes are NOT technology breakthroughs. "There is more stupidity around than hydrogen - and it has a longer shelf life." Frank Zappa

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PSB, Paradigm, Tivoli, NAD, Advent, Polk, Energy, and other respectable and vastly superior (musical) alternatives.

Very good sound, very good price, very cheap next to my 911 turbo. Very easy to install. The best all-in-one system.

None, unless your comparing apples to oranges.

I can't believe every negative review I have read about this top all-in-one system. Stop complaining because you only get what you paid for. This system is extremely easy to install, and is very compact and makes an excellent bedroom experience. If you think about it, the price is not too bad, after all it is the No. 1 all-in-one system, if you want better quality you're gonna have to pay more for a custom system not to mention a harder time to set it up. It took me a few days to get the perfect sound from my custom system in my living room, and believe me the only difference is is the volume capacity and boomier bass at 3X THE PRICE and that is where it stops, heck this bose system is cheaper than my sub. With that many cubes surrounding you from every direction, the clarity of the LIfestyle 50 is awesome, if I wanted this sound with my custom setup I would have to spend a couple more grand to get the BOSE clarity.

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Sony DVP-NC655P, Yamaha RX-3090, Energy Veritas 2.3 loudspeakers, Velodyne HGS-18 subwoofer

Looks good.

See above

Pure garbage for the money. There are 20 other companies out there that if you spent this kind of $$, you would get a much better product. As posted by many reviewers of BOSE, why don't they publish their specs? Because they stink. I would really love someone to answer that question. I mean regardless of whether you like BOSE or not, the bottom line is the company is intentionally withholding consumer information. This is completely within their right. But it boggles my mind that the public can be so stupid as to not see what the motive of such a practice is. Finally, with this product and most other BOSE products reviewed at this site, BOSE products really are lower-end middle-of-the-road. And for their price, they are outrageously bad. If you basically take out the BOSE-bashers who really just bash BOSE for the heck of it and if you take out the dopes who love these products and then say that everyone else who says BOSE stinks is jealous because they can't afford BOSE, you end up with 2-3 star products. So, if you are happy spending lots of money on a low-end product, be happy. Otherwise, be smart and look at B&K, Parasound, Rotel, NAD, Denon, for you equipment and something like Paradigm, Tannoy, Canton, for your speakers. This is surely not an exhaustive list, just a thought.

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NAD, Yamaha, B&K

they hammer and they sound ammazing

not loud enough yet for my taste

best 18000 i have ever spent you know all the nuance haters the reason why they hate is because they couldnt afford it or got turned down to credit ROACH's

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martin logan bnw kef

Firstly, aesthetically, it looks gorgeous. Each part is equally attractive. The 'Personal music centre' remote is built with swiss watch precision and feels the part. Sonically, there is no doubt that the system is capable of peforming, however, as in most instances and even more so with the lifestyle 50, positioning is CRUCIAL. The acoustimass module (subwoofer) derives a lot of midrange, which is unconventional, and experimenting is key. Placing the unit between the left and fight channels yields the best results. The system is unusually capable with a wide range of music to. Driver integration is acceptable, but once again positioning is KEY. The cubes themselves are bright, but bright in a precise way; they reproduce high frequencies with an open and airy sparkle. A very refined sound for the size. The systems main attribute, however, is undoubtedly the inclusion of Videostage 5 decoding which processes stereo into wide, and well dispersed 5 channel music. The result is more convincing than Pro Logic 2 and provides an open insight into music. Imaging in Stereo is excellent. The Remote works superbly. The CD Player sounds neutral, and has an exciting and edgy sound.

Stresses at high volumes easily where the cubes produce an overly bright, shrill sound. The fact that positioning is SO key. VERY Cheap cables provided. No video switching. No display on CD player (all on remote) Overall, not bad, but not particularly brilliant. In movie mode the soundstage is convincing, and the woofer is very capable. Overall, ok for the size...but as for that price...

The Lifestyle 50 system is as unconventional as systems get, in that you basically pay over a £1000 extra over the Lifestyle 30 for a handheld remote (that works via waves and can therefore work from any distance) and the ability to spread music to three extra areas through the processor that comes with the system. Yes, this is flexible and adds to the general appeal of the system, yet I find it disheartening to learn that owners of the 30 receive as good a peformance as I do with my system. On with the review then.

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Musical Fidelity, Meridian, Arcam.

The most sexy looking sound/home theatre on earth

Poor music sound. VERY poor bass response.

I wont bore you with any techno crap as it is always easier to critisize anything rather than compliment but i will say the LS 50 is not bad for 1500.00 us dollars not 3500.00 us dollars, the system is very simple to use in truth there is no other system that does what this one does so easy. The fact is its ok with DVD playback but realy bad for music nothing personal Bose but the sound or should i say the lack of it is pretty weak. I have had to add a yamaha yst 320 powered sub to get some decent bass for Home Theatre which is ok but at 7000.00 Australian dollars plus the yamaha sub it represents very poor value for money.

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M&K S85 speakers, Yakamichi AV10 Amplifier.