QuestionQUESTION: Hi Wayne...I have a Bose Acoutimass 10 series IV home theater system. It has never really performed well, in terms of all around surround sound. I have a Onkyo TX-SV343 receiver ( which was used on a previous system) hooked to it, but I think it is not up to grade to satisfy the need of this system. The power output is 60 watts per channel. min RMS into 8ohms. In surround mode Frt L/R channels 2 x 50 W and so on. What are your thoughts? What rated receiver do you think would be best? I'm somewhat illiterate with this stuff, and all I want is the right equipment to give me the results that I should be getting, with out breaking the bank. Thanks for your time...
ANSWER: Hi Ken,
Depending on the speaker ratings (in ohms) you might not actually be getting the rated output . Unfortunately, Bose is notorious for NOT giving out real specs on their products, so without taking a direct measurement off of the speakers, I can't tell you what they are rated for. If they are rated, for example, at 16ohms - you'll only be getting about 1/2 of the wattage output (about 25-35 watts per channel).
60 watts per channel is fairly good. On a 5.1 system, that's a total of 300 possible watts (mind you, watts are measured at full volume). I wouldn't worry about replacing the Onkyo. Their products are typically quite solid. Also - bad speakers will make the best receivers sound bad. Good speakers can do just the opposite for the cheapest systems. They are the point where electricity is turned into moving air for us to hear, so it's important that you like what you hear.
In my personal opinion, I've never been a fan of Bose products because they hide specs from their customers, and I think they underperform when I compare them to more "traditional" speaker systems.
You might consider Polk Audio. They have pretty good speakers that aren't outrageously expensive. Just make sure that the speakers you do buy are the same impedance rating as the output on your receiver (NEVER less than the output rating of the receiver). Another place to look would be in the world of Professional Audio. Having studio monitors (which are built for critical listening) can do wonders for any sound system. Places like Sweetwater.com, Sam Ash, or even Guitar Center can be good places to check out. Some decent mid-level brands are M-Audio and KRK.
The one bit of advice I really want to get across is this: don't pass up a set of speakers only if they seem "cheap". Your own ears are going to guide you to what sounds best to you (don't let anyone tell you otherwise) Hearing is a 100% subjective experience, and price tags mean ZERO. Salespeople will try to steer you - DO NOT let them. The best thing to do is to bring a CD of music you're very familiar with and to a lot of side by side comparisons. If you are assertive and really demand to listen to various speakers, they'll leave you alone long enough to make up your own mind.
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QUESTION: I really appreciate your input and looks like you are, very much knowledgeable about these systems. So, from what i can see from your explanation, it basically looks like the speakers maybe the culprit of my disappointment. I assume you know what the Acoustimass 10 series IV looks like with the 4 cubed speakers and the center speaker, woofer etc; In the back of my mind I wasn't really convinced that those speakers would work as well as Bose says they do, but then again I'm a layman with this sort of stuff.
I myself now am thinking that Bose appears to be overrated and I'm sorry I didn't research all this out two yrs. ago when i bought this system.
As you explained about ohms measurement, how can I measure to see what these cubed speakers are rated for? Do I have to call Bose to find out? You are right, they do not tell you nothing in specifications in the owners manual.I would like to try other speakers, but whats the best way to do that? I will look into other vendors you mentioned. Well, as they say hine-sight is 20/20...Thanks again for all your help and suggestions...Have a great Thanksgiving & Christmas... to follow...Ken
AnswerIf you have a multimeter, you can just take an ohms reading directly off of the speaker's +/- terminals.
You might be able to get the impedance for those if you call or write Bose... they just aren't very keen on being forthright with it for some reason.
