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Altec Lansing VS. Bose Computer Speakers

Abercrombieboy said:
If I had a dollar for every time I heard Bose means Buy Other Sound Equipment I would be a rich man. It seems trendy to bash Bose and there are millions of Internet opinions floating around from people who have never even used the product. Bose is more of a lifestyle product then an audiophile product. I love Bose sound, however that doesn't mean the next person will. You have to test out different products and see which one you like the best. I owned a set of Bose MediaMates, the older 2.0 system from them and I thought they were excellent. I owned a set of Companion 2 Series II and they were ok, but I thought the MediaMates sounded better. I was unhappy enough with the Companion 2 II's that I sold them, however I still wanted a 2.0 speaker solution. It was then I decided on the Bose Computer MusicMonitors. I will admit they were $400, but they are built out of aluminum. Fit and finish is perfect and the clarity, realism, and bass is outstanding for a 2.0 system that is so small. I'd put them up against any speaker in the world at the same size and price for sound quality. Of course, it is all my opinion and yours might be different.

Personally if you need a good 2.0 speaker system for not a lot of money I would try to find a good used Bose MediaMate set on eBay. They are not very stylish, but I think the sound quality is much better then the Companion 2. If you have money to burn and want to buy a set that will last for years then I would recommend the Computer MusicMonitors.

There is not a lot of middle ground with Bose. Most people either love it or hate it. They do play a lot on the whole psychoacoustics of the human ear and they make things sound better by tricking the human ear. Audiophiles that want the material to be reproduced exactly like it was supposed to be don't like this. People who like a small speaker that can fill a room with colorful sounds do. Pricing is high, however they are a private company that invests much of their profit into research both in and out of the audio field. I also find their customer service to be outstanding. When you call you are greeted by a real human right away that knows the product and actually cares about your satisfaction. It is not uncommon for them to fix their products even outside of the warranty period or for them to send you free product improvement updates. Many of the companies that make consumer electronics anymore don't even have a customer service
department and if they do it is such a pain that you will end up throwing away the product and just buying another one.

This is just my opinion of Bose. Others might have a different opinion, but I have always been happy with my Bose products.
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WOW very detailed info, my hat is off to you sir...

any more suggestions/opinions? I'm really enjoying all these different views

any comments are highly appreciated:)
 
Logitech and Klipsch make some nice computer speakers. Don't buy Logitech's lower end stuff though. Bose is trash for the price.
 
i have the altex lansing FX6..something forgot the model but a lot of people here use them. I love them.

edit its the fX6021
 
Abercrombieboy said:
Personally if you need a good 2.0 speaker system for not a lot of money I would try to find a good used Bose MediaMate set on eBay. They are not very stylish, but I think the sound quality is much better then the Companion 2. If you have money to burn and want to buy a set that will last for years then I would recommend the Computer MusicMonitors.
Click to expand...

Interesting...could you tell me a bit more about how the MediaMates sound?

Thanks-
 
Yeah, I'm not a fan of Bose. If you have a decent comparable system next to a Bose system you'll immediately notice what you're missing.

I'm not too sure what's currently out there as far as 2.1 systems go as I'm still using my Boston Acoustics Digital 2.1 system (bloody amazing for the size). If they still made computer systems I'd tell you to go with them.

However, for the money (around $90) I've heard Logitech Z systems that are pretty good.

[EDIT] Apparently they make computer systems again. That one is a little pricey ($179) but I guarantee it's amazing and that it'll last for years (their build quality is above par). It's cheaper on Amazon for $155. 5 star reviews. Doesn't surprise me.
 
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madmaxmedia said:
Interesting...could you tell me a bit more about how the MediaMates sound?

Thanks-
Click to expand...

Bose made the MediaMates from around 1994-1998 or so and then again from 2002-2005. They are basically the same speaker other then manufacturing location. The first set were Made in the USA and were criticized for having a high price at the time so they moved manufacturing to China like everyone else and re-priced them at $99.

I owned a pair from 2002 until this fall when I decided I would try the Companion 2 Series II because I wanted the updated look. I sold my MediaMates on eBay (big mistake) but they held their value so well that I still got about 60% of a new price out of them. If they would have been the black ones I probably would have kept them, but mine were the computer white and it did not look that great with my white iMac.

The biggest difference between the MediaMates and the Companion 2 and Companion 2 Series 2 is that they moved the bass reflex port to the rear of the speaker. In theory this should provide more bass if it is near a wall, however I thought the bass was much tighter and more desirable on the MediaMates. Also at higher volumes I noticed a little bit of distortion on the Companion 2's. I never noticed this on the MediaMates which used a different internal circuitry. If you look them up in wiki they actually have a pretty good article that discusses the different Bose computer speakers throughout the years.

Now out of the 3 sets of Bose 2.0 computer speakers I have owned I will honestly say the Computer MusicMonitors I have now are a step up in bass and clarity and that says a lot since they are much smaller. However I understand you don't want to spend that kind of money. If you want a good set of 2.0 speakers for not a lot of money my bet is still on the MediaMates if you can find a set in like new condition. If you keep watching you might even find a set NIB on eBay.
 
Thanks for the great info Abercrombieboy!

Yeah, the MusicMonitors are a bit too expensive for my taste right now. But I will definitely keep an eye out for the MediaMates. There aren't any on EBay right now, but I'm sure a set will pop up sooner or later.
 
Abercrombieboy said:
If I had a dollar for every time I heard Bose means Buy Other Sound Equipment I would be a rich man. It seems trendy to bash Bose and there are millions of Internet opinions floating around from people who have never even used the product. Bose is more of a lifestyle product then an audiophile product. I love Bose sound, however that doesn't mean the next person will. You have to test out different products and see which one you like the best. I owned a set of Bose MediaMates, the older 2.0 system from them and I thought they were excellent. I owned a set of Companion 2 Series II and they were ok, but I thought the MediaMates sounded better. I was unhappy enough with the Companion 2 II's that I sold them, however I still wanted a 2.0 speaker solution. It was then I decided on the Bose Computer MusicMonitors. I will admit they were $400, but they are built out of aluminum. Fit and finish is perfect and the clarity, realism, and bass is outstanding for a 2.0 system that is so small. I'd put them up against any speaker in the world at the same size and price for sound quality. Of course, it is all my opinion and yours might be different.

Personally if you need a good 2.0 speaker system for not a lot of money I would try to find a good used Bose MediaMate set on eBay. They are not very stylish, but I think the sound quality is much better then the Companion 2. If you have money to burn and want to buy a set that will last for years then I would recommend the Computer MusicMonitors.

There is not a lot of middle ground with Bose. Most people either love it or hate it. They do play a lot on the whole psychoacoustics of the human ear and they make things sound better by tricking the human ear. Audiophiles that want the material to be reproduced exactly like it was supposed to be don't like this. People who like a small speaker that can fill a room with colorful sounds do. Pricing is high, however they are a private company that invests much of their profit into research both in and out of the audio field. I also find their customer service to be outstanding. When you call you are greeted by a real human right away that knows the product and actually cares about your satisfaction. It is not uncommon for them to fix their products even outside of the warranty period or for them to send you free product improvement updates. Many of the companies that make consumer electronics anymore don't even have a customer service
department and if they do it is such a pain that you will end up throwing away the product and just buying another one.

This is just my opinion of Bose. Others might have a different opinion, but I have always been happy with my Bose products.
Click to expand...

you seriously believe this?
 
this is not to say that bose is terrible. The products they make are rather average....maybe a tad bit above average...but for the price, they are terrible!

check out the warm sound of the klipsch promedia 2.1's
 
gothamm said:
this is not to say that bose is terrible. The products they make are rather average....maybe a tad bit above average...but for the price, they are terrible!

check out the warm sound of the klipsch promedia 2.1's
Click to expand...
I have the promedia 2.1s. Love them. Only issue I have is the stand is metal and so when the bass gets loud, it vibrates on my glass table. Really annoying... Looking for some sort of replacement stand solution. Let me know if you know of one!
 
Based on reviews like this one I got the Z2300s from Logitech.

If you have space for the 8" subwoofer, then I'd highly recommend them. Movie sound quality is amazing. THX quality...it's like being in a theatre. They're the reason why my DVD player hasn't been used in 5 months. :p

For music, I listen to rock, hip-hop and jazz and they all sound great. The bass level is just enough that it doesn't overpower everything else. But if you give it a "bass boost" (control for bass is right on the controller, so you can adjust its level) they seriously "thump"...if you turn the volume up even a little bit past halfway, you're likely to get complaints from your neighbors.
 
miggitymac said:
Based on reviews like this one I got the Z2300s from Logitech.

If you have space for the 8" subwoofer, then I'd highly recommend them. Movie sound quality is amazing. THX quality...it's like being in a theatre. They're the reason why my DVD player hasn't been used in 5 months. :p

For music, I listen to rock, hip-hop and jazz and they all sound great. The bass level is just enough that it doesn't overpower everything else. But if you give it a "bass boost" (control for bass is right on the controller, so you can adjust its level) they seriously "thump"...if you turn the volume up even a little bit past halfway, you're likely to get complaints from your neighbors.
Click to expand...

Does anyone else recommend the logitechs? Cuz i have a friend who's recommending them and he claims their really good speakers.
 
GET SOME REAL SPEAKERS!
IMG00027-1.jpg
 
Sorry I don't know the answer to that one, still saving up for my pair!

:D
spaceballl said:
Question about the A2s... What is the surface on the bottom of the speakers made of? Weird question, i know. But the reason why I ask is because my Klipsch Promedia 2.1s come default w/ a metal stand. When the bass gets heavy, the metal stand can vibrate on my desk, making a very annoying sound. I'm guessing that if these had a more rubbery bottom, then they wouldn't vibrate. I'm thinking about moving to the A2s (also would like to get rid of the subwoofer that the 2.1s have). But on a glass table, are the A2s going to vibrate?
Click to expand...
 
spaceballl said:
I have the promedia 2.1s. Love them. Only issue I have is the stand is metal and so when the bass gets loud, it vibrates on my glass table. Really annoying... Looking for some sort of replacement stand solution. Let me know if you know of one!
Click to expand...

My subwoofer does the same. But its not its fault, since i have it on a tile floor. What i did was put a thin white cloth under it, and it seems to work wonders. maybe the same logic can be applied towards the satellites. give it a try..
 
gothamm said:
My subwoofer does the same. But its not its fault, since i have it on a tile floor. What i did was put a thin white cloth under it, and it seems to work wonders. maybe the same logic can be applied towards the satellites. give it a try..
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I know... but that will ruin the look! :)
 
gothamm said:
you seriously believe this?
Click to expand...

I sure do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSi6J-QK1lw

Bose also manufactures some of it's products in the USA. The Wave Radio, Wave Music System and Acoustic Wave are built here. Name one other consumer electronics (not computer industry) company that provides more American jobs not only in manufacturing, but also engineering and customer service? Sure they could lower their prices and just engineer and build everything in China like everyone else does, but in this poor economic times I like supporting a company who supports American jobs.

I find it kind of funny that the some (notice I said some) people who criticize Bose for their prices are the same people who have no issue paying more for a Mac. You do realize that the components inside the Mac are exactly the same as most PC's. At least with Bose you are getting a completely proprietary design. Now you can debate all day whether or not it is a better design, but it is a different design. I know that only Macs run OSX, but why exactly do they cost more?
 
chocolate632 said:
I don't get what this video has to do with computer speakers, but it sure is fun to watch:p Does anybody have the Logitech Z 2300? I would like to get an opinion today, cuz I might buy them along with the Bose and test all three speakers together.
Click to expand...

Best way to go....because it all comes down to your tastes. Do post your final verdict; I'm really interested.

Cheers!
 
i bought the Bose companion 5 based solely on the fact that they match my iMac so well... kinda stupid but im neurotic like that, anyways, i think they are very good speakers. they get sounds out of songs ive never heard before. very good...a little bit too much money. but bose does offer financing from what i remember.
 
Pak^Man said:
Best way to go....because it all comes down to your tastes. Do post your final verdict; I'm really interested.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Ok, since you are so interested:p here is my verdict so far:

I just bought the Logitech Z 2300 from tigerdirect.ca and compared them to the Altec Lansings, and here's what I think:

Satellites: The design of the satellites are actually way nicer than I thought, and they sound way better than the Altec Lansings, which had tweeters facing you and the speaker on the bottom. They have way more base than the Altecs and sound better when listening to Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, and Techno. Although they have an dial for treble, I don't really miss that much with the Logitechs. Also, the grills come off and stick out a bit, but its not really noticeable the way its on my desk.

Subwoofer: The logitech subwoofer is WAY BIGGER than the Altec Lansing and now my chair no longer fits under my desk, so if i keep these, i might have to move it. The controller that it comes with is nice, and has a really bright blue power on light that gets really annoying (i covered it with poster tac). As in terms of sound, I though they sounded about the same, although it seemed like the Altec Lansing pumped out a much better base for techno beats type songs while the logitechs sound better with hardcore metal/screamo bands, but they stills sound good with techno. The only thing that really annoys me with the sub other than the size is that its all black excluding this silver frame on the front which IMHO doesn't look that nice. The satellites are the same, but it looks better on them than the woofer. They also have a power button on the back to shut the sub off, which is helpful.

Videos: I missed the season premier of Hell's Kitchen so I watched it on the computer with the logitechs. WOW the THX really does mean something! This sounded WAY WAY better than the logitechs and that was at like not even half volume! And I liked how the sub didn't overpower the system. I tried watching a DVD on the altec lansings, and i didn't really enjoy it that much.

ok so i'm going to futureshop this weekend to return the Altecs and maybe pick up the Bose (they run about $129.99 here in canada). Im going to try them out in the store and see if their worth taking home. If they offer the same audio quality and bass as the Logitechs but without the huge sub, I'll keep them!

I'll keep you guys posted, since Pac^Man seems to be really interested:)

Thanks guys for all the opinions and if anyone has any other suggestions/comments, that would be helpful
 
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