Yes, but two different versions in two different rooms. Room # 3 following the rebuild was much larger. Later heard the big Nola Grand Exotica and Scaena 1.4s there.
Bose loudspeakers and double blind tests
- Thread starter bob412
- Start date
And a good morning to you sir, you made my day. You did good, married a jewel. Bose, they know their market.
Many brands over the years have not let their items be discounted (except for used or floor models or during factory sales). Brand equity is important and when that brand gets a rep for being heavily discounted it is almost impossible to rid that brand of the (cheap) rep.
Price fixing has an implied illegal sound to it.....many brands sign agreements with retailers to not discount their products. Those agreements are in no way illegal.
Price fixing has an implied illegal sound to it.....many brands sign agreements with retailers to not discount their products. Those agreements are in no way illegal.
Back in the early 70s, fair trade laws were still on the books in many states, and the amount of discount that could legally be offered was set by the manufacturer (I think). There was a brisk mail order business by companies in states without the laws, and many stores got around the limits by opening the boxes and then selling the product as used, like new. So there was nothing unusual about Bose or Macintosh setting prices. As the laws, which I believe were left over from the New Deal, were repealed, some companies, generally ones that dealers really wanted to sell, continued to limit discounts. This was easier if the company's products were unique or distinctive so that there wasn't much downward pressure from close competitors, and both Bose and Mac fit that profile.
That is right. Bose seemed to take it to another level, demanding an exclusive room for their speakers as example. I remember Pacific Stereo had the Bose four speaker system in their 'high end' room along with all the other speakers considered high end. The rep explained concession was made to Pacific because they dominated the retail market and could force their will. Fair trade existed at the time in California and that was not an issue, the salesmen tended to like it. Like with the cube behind the curtain of the large speaker Bose tended to take it the extreme, the cube thing was absurd but none the less it worked, people would testify.
Oh, I forgot about the ".2":models. Abominations just about to the one, IMHO. Like normal Bose, but even cheaper parts.
Regards,
Gordon.
By law, in most jurisdictions, a manufacturer can't limit the amount a dealer can discount a product.
They can, however, limit the ADVERTISEMENT of discounts. And of course, most dealer agreements are at the will of the manufacturer, so a manufacturer can cancel a dealer at any time under such agreements. If they think a dealer is "whoring out" the product, they do have the option of terminating the ability of that dealer to buy product, should the manufacturer choose to do so.
Regards,
Gordon.
JRhoBurton
All roads lead to music
If I could afford something like this, I would consider it to be a good value.I remember when Stereophile reviewed the first Wilson WAMM's.
They were $32K in 1981.
That's Dave Wilson's wife in the picture.
I heard the IRS-V's and the Apogee Grands the same day. I accompanied a buddy to Baltimore who was buying a used pair of MG-3.6's. The seller had the Infinities and a friend of his had the Apogee's.
That quick trip to pick up the Maggie's turned into an unexpected pleasure. We ended up spending the entire day and part of the night listening to those two systems. What "audiophile" in their right mind would pass up a chance to hear both?
AFAIK: The last price for new IRS-V's was just north of $65K.
damacman
Resident Psycho
The AG of each state governs all such discussion - verbal and written. As a former sales rep and sales manager, we could say we desire to do business with dealers who choose to be profitable reselling our products. Otherwise, dealers could control the value and could ultimately put a manufacturer out of business.
Bose had a UMP - which meant all dealers sold for the same price or face termination, even on the first infraction. They likely still do. This can be interpreted as fair for the dealer or fair for the consumer based on how you choose to view it.
My comments about fair trade laws was a historical one - federal fair trade laws were repealed in the 70s some time. I don't know much about local laws or business practices, but I remember clearly being puzzled by all the 'open box' and 'used, like new' offers by camera and stereo stores back then. I couldn't figure out where all these used cameras and stereos were coming from, and then I realized it was a dodge to get around the fair trade laws.
Bkphoto
Super Member
All those electronic stores up and down the streets in nyc were all used, reconditioned, like new etc…and they never told you, later on you would find the sticker on the bottom…always seemed odd to me…I asked the same question, where are all these “not really new” things coming from…
What was funny was when Bose opened "outlet stores." I remember being in one where the brand new AM7 surround speakers were stacked like cordwood along a wall. They had all been cut open and resealed. I had been in the industry long enough to see that the boxes were just too perfect to have been shuffled around a warehouse. They were fresh off the pallet. Creating their own "open box" inventory. On another wall were boxes of wave radios, two trips via FedEx or UPS, and being warehouse handled really sort of stood out.
JoeESP9
ESL's & tubes since 83
So did the Apogees. Although their sound was IMO more coherent. Considering what you listen to I'm not surprised at your quest for coherency.
Nothing else I've ever heard has the coherency of full range ESL's. My modest means restricts me to ESL's that need cone type woofers to augment the low end. However, your coherency comment is not wasted on my ears.
FWIW, I find the new Maggies do well in that respect. The 20.1 was challenged along with the "dot six" series, but the "dot sevens" are darn good!
The context of my perspective is at the price point of the IRS, there should have been better blending. Like today's 30.7.
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made in china
Active Member
I'm no audiophile, and no Bose expert, but aren't those Acoustimass systems based on a bandpass enclosure, like a 8th order, or something?
When I was younger, we used to build 4th and 6th order bandpass enclosures because we were in search of mind-numbing bass. It was pretty well understood that you don't use bandpass designs for SQ situations. I know a few people have done a great job getting decent performance from bandpass (Toby Sheriff) but it totally makes sense your wife spotted the boomy bass, good ear!
Oh, and BTW, I quite like Bose, 201's and 301's seem like very good speakers for the $. But I can understand that they are over-hyped.
It's a 6th order box which gives a camelback response. I want to say humps at 70 and 140.
Bose sued a lot of people over the box design. They were allowed to patent it, which was a huge mistake.
