I have recently purchased a pair of Bose speakers without the Acoustimass unit. They are the ones sold with the top of the line systems.

I have rigged my newly aquired Bose Jewel Cubes ( supposed to be the top of the range ) up on my Denon UD-M30 midi system with a Yamaha powered sub ive temporarily borrowed ( Model YST-SW90 ).

The Bose speakers will be playing full range as ive powered them straight from the Denon. Got to be honest im not blown away by the performance. The sound is boomy at the bottom end with not much mid. The top end from the Bose is pretty good ( not astounding ) but the bottom end is awful. Can you recommend a powered sub, possibly with speaker outputs at the right frequency for the Bose satellites that will provide me with a lot more mid. I love the look of them but im certainly not blown away by the sound performance. What i dont want to do is purchase another sub and realise that its still no better! I found the Acoustimass 20 series for sale on the net for £1100 would you believe! I`d be seriously disappointed if i had paid even half that ! Ive heard the words "Bose - Better sound through marketing" on the net before! The Denon comes with re badged Mission speakers as standard ( Model SC-M50 ) and the sound is brilliant. IIRC the system won midi system of the year in What Hi FI back in 2000 or 2001 ? The speakers sound great but they dont look great in the room.

Your honest advice will be greatly appreciated folks

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I'll nip in before the onslaught.....

The jewel speakers you have are designed to be used inconjunction with a Bose sub/Acoustimass bass module. The reason is that the Bose sub has the cross over circuit built in which makes sure that the cubes are only being shown the right frequencies. It is also matched sonically to make the whole shebang work.

There have been many complaints about a lack of midrange in Bose and other 'lifestyle' sub sat speakers due to the crossover point being quite high ie circa 200hz to cope with the small speakers not being able to bend the laws of physics. This means the sub has to go that high which means the bass is directional ..blah .. blah yaddy yada!

In reality I hear all the midrange I could ask for but Bose cubes are not designed to be driven on their own.

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DO NOT Connect Them Without A Bose Bass Module They Will Go POP...................send Them Back

Rich D

Guest

• 4

Guys

Thanks for the quick replies, best go and turn them off then!

If you think they will sound ok with the module then i`ll get one. I just didnt want to get a module and find out that its the same as the Yamaha system thats all!

Im not a hi fi guru ( can you tell ) but i can recognise the difference between astounding sound and ok sound.

I`ll email Bose asking which model i need and go from there.

For interest, are there any other makes of speaker of a similar design that outshine the Bose Acoustimass 20`s?

Cheers

• 5

Hi Rich To be honest the acoustimass module with the price of the bose speakers isnt going to give you very good bang for the buck.If you can send the bose cubes back i would do then go on to the speaker forums for advice where you will end up with a good 2 channel sub sat system.I would hate to think you got the bass module and still didnt like what you heard.Ps with the crossover being so high on the sats the sub has to produces voices so the sub module really needs to be right next to the sats.My wifes very rich uncle brought £28,000 worth of bose stuff and to say i was underwelmed for what hed spent was an understatement. Cheers Gonzo.

Rich D

Guest

• 7

I understand what you are saying Gonzo. Your advice is appreciated . I only paid £165 for the two satellites . Im happy that i`ll be able to get my money back on them as they are mint. My Dad has got a Bose system so i`ll borrow his Acoustimass module and try it in my lounge before making a decision. Its a big room ( 21ft x 13ft ) so i think the Bose are going to have to go then . I wasnt expecting to be blown away by them but at a RRP of £400 per pair id expect them to be at least as good as my Missions at £100 ish per pair.

I understand what you are saying about the Bass being directional because of the higher frequencies. I dont like the lower frequency sound when it sounds so remote from the source.

If anyone has any recommendations for a minimalist speaker set up of similar size then please jump in on this thread. Budget of around £500 ish

Thanks

Rich D

Guest

• 8

Thanks Hornydragon you posted before i completed my post. Any others to compare with please ?

Rich D

Guest

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Ive not checked them yet but thanks for the links . Yes i purchased the speakers on Ebay perhaps a little too hastily before doing my homework. I always wanted the LS50 because of the tiny jewel cube speakers but was happy with the sound of the system ive already got. Not being able to justify the full price of the LS50 I thought that i could use any sub with them - wrong! Not to worry, i know i can re sell them if needs be. If i can find another setup i like the look and sound of then i will probably move them on. Im using a Netgear MP101 Wireless MP3 player on a RCA input to my Denon, it turns my PC/Denon into a MP3 jukebox

Off to check those links!

Im only after a 2.1 system ideally so keep the suggestions coming if you dont mind I like the look of the KEF eggs. Has anyone any experience of a KEF 2.1 system egg style ?

Thankyou

• 11

in that case the canton CD series is well worth a look, easily expanable to a 5.1 system later........

Rich D

Guest

• 12

Those CD10`s would look nice in black aluminium . Which model active sub do you think would go best with them?. I prefer tight controlled bass to loud and heavy stuff if that helps you to advise me

Thanks!

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the AS22C is probably the better one to go for but the AS25 will go deeper for longer...............you also have the choice of forwards or down firing....

Rich D

Guest

• 14

Many thanks you`ve been a great help . I didnt realise that they were available in black until i studied your links a little closer. With silver IMHO on the way out i didnt want to get them in silver. I think i will Ebay my Boses again and invest in some of those.

Rich D

Guest

• 15

Ok im almost decided on the CD10`s in black. So will i be able to put the full signal from my Denon UD-M30 straight through the CD10`s ?

When i finally get a plasma Tv then i can upgrade to 5.1 surround. Ive been dribbling over one of these

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yes better to go via sub tho CD10 on there own will sound a bit tinny..................CD50 would be better 2 of those are £170ish..... you need a sub with all the CD range except the 300s but the 100 would cope and as the CD50 is 90% of a CD100 it too would be good...........and the black is very very sexy there are some picks in the powerbuy thread.....

How many watts are Bose Jewel Cube speakers?

The Bose Jewel Cube Speakers have a compatibility of 30 watts. The speakers are compatible with receivers between 4 and 8 ohms, according to Bose specs. They have a range of 200 to 13,000hz, so they will produce a wide range of sound as long as too much low audio range is not demanded from them.

Where should I place my Bose Cube speakers?

In average-sized listening rooms, you get the best stereo sound with the left and right cube speakers placed 6 to 12 feet apart (approximately 1.8-3.6 m). However, you can still get excellent sound with the speakers as close as 3 feet (approximately 1 m) or as far apart as 15 feet (approximately 4.5 m).

What is the impedance of the Bose Jewel Cube speakers?

The Bose specs are 30 watts RMS per cube, with an impedance of 8 ohms, and a frequency response of 200-13,000 hz. That being said, they will work just fine so long as they're operated within their limits and not much bass, or loud volume is expected from them.

What is the ohm rating of the Bose Acoustimass?

Bose 5.