Bose speaker packages
Bose has been selling stereo speaker packages since 1966 and surround sound speaker packages since 1992. Since that time the company has produced a wide range of stereo and surround sound speakers to be powered by a receiver or amplifier.
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Timeline of Bose stereo speakers
("AM" = Acoustimass; "AMP" = Acoustimass powered; "P AM3" = Powered Acoustimass 3 & "FS 360P" = FreeSpace 360P)
Sources: Bose owners guides[1]
[edit] Stereo speaker packages
Bose has been a manufacturer of stereo speakers since the late 1960s. In the current range, the 201, 301 and 901 systems use the unique design where most of the drivers face away from the listener. The Acoustmass 3, Acoustimass 5, 191, 791 and 161 systems use a conventional design, where the drivers face the listener.[2]
[edit] Overview
During the company's first year in business the Bose Corporation engaged in sponsored research.[3] Amar Bose believes that imperfect knowledge of psychoacoustics limits the ability to adequately characterize quantitatively any two arbitrary sounds that are perceived differently, and to adequately characterize and quantify all aspects of perceived quality. He believes, for example, that distortion is much over-rated as a factor in perceived quality in the complex sounds that comprise music, noting that a sine wave and a square wave (a hugely distorted sine wave) are audibly indistinguishable above 7 kHz. Similarly, he does not find measurable relevance to perceived quality in other easily measured parameters of loudspeakers and electronics, and therefore does not publish those specifications for Bose products. The ultimate test, Bose insists, is the listener's perception of audible quality (or lack of it) and his or her own preferences.[4] [5] This reluctance to publish information is due to Bose's rejection of these measurements in favour of "more meaningful measurement and evaluation procedures".[6]
[edit] 2201
Bose's first loudspeaker product, the model 2201, dispersed 22 small mid-range speakers over an eighth of a sphere. It was designed to be located in the corner of a room, using reflections off the walls to attempt to increase the apparent size of the room.[7] Electronic equalization was used to to flatten the frequency spectrum of this system.[8][9][10][11] The results of listening tests were disappointing[12] (a later Bose publication presents theories regarding these results[13]), which led to Bose conducting further research and, ultimately, developing the 901 speaker system.
[edit] 901
The 901 Speaker System is a hallmark for Bose[8][10] and was released in 1968. The speakers were a huge commercial success for Bose, contributing significantly to Bose's rapid growth throughout the 1970s.[8]
[edit] Design
In researching a successor to the 2201, Bose proposed that a dominance of reflected sound arriving is important in emulating live performances. This led to a speaker design in which eight identical mid-range drivers were aimed at the wall behind the speaker while the ninth driver was aimed towards the listener. The purpose of this design was to achieve a dominance of reflected over direct sound in home listening spaces. The pentagonal design used in the Model 901 was (and remains) unconventional compared with most systems where the mid-range and high-frequency speakers directly face the listener.
An electronic equalizer was implemented by Bose to modify the speakers frequency response[8][9][10][11]. Bose's marketing term for control of acoustics within the cabinet (a fundamental consideration for speakers of any brand) is termed "Acoustic Matrix Enclosure".
[edit] Specifications/Features
- Nine Full-Range Drivers – One direct firing speaker and eight rear firing speakers.[8][9][10][11][14]
- Active Equalizer – The speaker set includes an equalizer made specifically for the speakers. This controls frequency outputs to the speakers.[8][9][10][11]
- A special Acoustic Matrix Enclosure – This helps reduce speaker chamber noise and to help hear well-defined low frequencies over the low-frequency spectrum.[10][11]
- Helically-Wound Aluminum Voice Coils – These are designed for high durability, greater efficiency and superior power handling.[10]
[edit] Review
Bose's flagship 901 speaker system was criticized by Stereophile magazine in 1979.[15] In a review of the 901 system, stating that in the magazine's opinion, the system was unexceptional and unlikely to appeal to perfectionists with a developed taste in precise imaging, detail, and timbre; and that these shortcomings were an excessive price to pay for the improvement in impact and ambiance generated by the large proportion of reflected sound [to on-axis sound]. However, the author also stated that the system produced a more realistic resemblance of natural ambiance than any other speaker system.
Timeline of Bose surround sound speakers
Sources: Bose owners guides[16]
[edit] Surround sound speaker packages
The Bose Acoustimass Home Entertainment Systems are Bose's line of surround sound speakers. The original Acoustimass speaker set was introduced in 1989, as the Bose Acoustimass 5 Series I. This was a stereo speaker system. It had two direct-reflecting speakers that connected to a passive bass then to the receiver. In 1995 Bose released a surround sound version called the Acoustimass 6 & 10. It wasn't until 2001 that a powered bass module was introduced allowing for true 5.1. The speakers are connected directly to the bass module, which is connected directly to the receiver.
[edit] Systems
- The Acoustimass 6 is a single cube 5.1 speaker system. The Bass module contains one 5 1/4 speaker.
- The Acoustimass 10 is a double cube 5.1 speaker system. The Bass module contains two 5 1/4 speakers.
- The Acoustimass 15 is a double cube 5.1 speaker system, it has the option to add on another speaker making it into a 6.1 system. The Bass module contains three 5 1/4 speakers. This model was replaced in 2004 by the Acoustimass 16.
- The Acoustimass 16 is a double cube 6.1 speaker system. The Bass module contains three 5 1/4 speakers.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Acoustimass 6 series III review
- Acoustimass 10 series III review
- Acoustimass 16 series I review
- Stereophile review of the Bose 901
- Bose.com 901 information
[edit] References
- ^ Bose Owners Guides. List of stereo speakers powered by a receiver, does not include combination packages, Retrieved November 11, 2009.
- ^ http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/speakers/stereo_speakers/index.jsp
- ^ A History of Bose
- ^ Amar Bose 1968 AES paper "On The Design, Measurement, and Evaluation of Loudspeakers"
- ^ Gadget Guy Review of the Bose Wave Music System
- ^ AES paper
- ^ Direct/Reflecting speaker technology – the challenge
- ^ a b c d e f Company History: Bose Corporation
- ^ a b c d Bose 901 loudspeaker By J. Gordon Holt November, 1979 Stereophile
- ^ a b c d e f g Bose 901
- ^ a b c d e Sound all around: the new multi-directional speakers
- ^ http://www.massachusetts.edu/uncommonleadership/greenblatt_conversation.html
- ^ Bose Panaray MA12 technical papers
- ^ Direct/Reflecting speaker technology – the solution
- ^ Stereophile Review
- ^ Bose Owners Guides. This is a list of Bose speaker systems designed for surround sound receivers, does not include combination packages, Retrieved August 24, 2010.
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