Bose Lifestyle 28 Series III (white) (08/22/2006)

Review: I have heard audio equipment costing as little as an $18 iPod dock to a pair of speakers costing $50,000. But, this is a review on the Bose Lifestyle 28, therefore speaker equipment that expensive is irrelevant. The audio equipment that is relevant, however, costs the same or less than the Lifestyle 28, and that is the main reason I have given it an abysmal rating.

I'd like to explain what BOSE is about. I'm guessing you've seen their TV advertisements and/or you've heard Paul Harvey, both of which/who proclaim how good their stuff is. You also may have seen their advertising in magazines, too. Maybe you've been to a Bose store. They have their products set up so that they're right in your face, and when you start the demo, the volume is usually turned up really high, and you hear a voice talking about how the speakers work and how great they are. As an aside, in the demo of their "top-of-the-line" Lifestyle 48 in their "theater room," they "demonstrate" how the system is equal to or better than the sound of bigger speakers. Well get this, the dealer I go to sold Bose for years until Bose went into their own stores. When they had Bose, they separated the Bose systems from their other brands, and they sold quite well. But, when they moved them to their main show room with their other brands, the Bose systems barely sold; people bought their other brands instead way more. This explains why Bose has their speakers in their own stores (or in Best Buy's case, they're separated from all the other brands. A place called J&R even has their Bose stuff in a separate room). This is done so you have no other brand to compare them to. The owner of this dealer also showed me a CD case with the Bose logo on it that still contains all of the demo CDs that were used to demonstrate Bose's speakers, all of which are heavily equalized to make the Bose speakers sound REALLY good in the store. This means when you listen to Bose speakers at dealers, that's not how they're going to sound when playing a regular CD. Also, I noted that you might have seen a Bose advertisement in a magazine. Get an actual audio magazine, such as The Absolute Sound, Stereophile, among others, and try to find a review, or even an advertisement, of something Bose. You'll never find one. Bose is known in the world of hi-fi as being a joke. So basically, Bose is a really good advertising company. Their slogan "Better Sound Through Research" should be "Bigger Sales Through Advertising.

To further understand a speaker, speakers are made up of "drivers," which vibrate to make sound. The most common drivers are the tweeter, the smallest driver, which produces the high notes, a mid-bass, which produces the lower notes, and a mid-range, which produces notes that fall in the middle. There's also the subwoofer, the biggest driver, which produces the lowest notes; the notes you "feel" more than "hear." Lets look at the Direct/Reflect cubes and the horizontal center speaker, which the LS 28 has. It's obvious they're small; so small you think they may contain only a tweeter. But in fact, they have a "twiddler," which is a cross between a tweeter and a mid-range driver. So, these speakers can't reproduce the highest notes, and are widely known as producing almost no mid-rage. The Acoustimass generator is a cross between a mid-base and a subwoofer. Therefore, it can't reproduce accurate mid-bass, and it can't play low accurately enough to be a subwoofer. Basically, a Bose Lifestyle system has a lot of negative compromises to get small. By the way, a Bose dealer even told me this.

You may have heard a Bose system yourself, or have heard from someone that Bose is really good. If you think it sounded really good or you believe that person, ask yourself or that person "what other brands have you heard?" Yes, we've all probably have heard brands like Sony (lower end), Panasonic, JVC; the list goes on of inexpensive brands. There are more than just those brands out there. Go to an audio store that specializes in audio (sometimes along with video) only. They carry brands that aren't mass-produced like the ones they have at Best Buy, but still can be cheaper than Bose (stores like this often carry pairs of speakers that cost more than a Bose LS 48). There's a wide variety of brands these stores carry, but I'll use Paradigm as an example, which is what I own. I heard a Paradigm 5.1 system that consisted of 4 "Cinema 70" speakers (which are small), a Cinema Center speaker, a 12 in. Velodyne subwoofer, and a $200 Sony receiver. All together it was about $1200. I tell you what, this system even blows away the $4000 Lifestyle 48, so it would totally slaughter the LS28. And, add a Blu-Ray player and a Logitech Harmony remote, and you're up to about $2000; the same price as the Lifestyle 28. This system is much more capable; it has a Blu-Ray player, and those Cinema speakers, although small, have a tweeter and a mid-range, and the Velodyne subwoofer is a REAL subwoofer.

Updated on Mar 3, 2009

Now, unless you'd be much happier paying almost half the price of the Lifestyle 28 for a system that greatly outperforms it, then the system I recommended before would be great for you; just add a DVD player. I'd, however, get Velodyne's 10 in. DEQ-R sub (that 12 in. one is an older model, and 10 in. models tend to match small speakers better), and Sony's STR-DG720 receiver, which by the way has a feature very similar to or better than Bose's Adaptiq.

If you, however, are set on spending $2000 on a Lifestyle 28, you could get something MUCH better and more capable. The combination I'd get would be 2 Paradigm Cinema 70s, a Cinema center speaker, 2 Cinema ADP surround speakers, a Velodyne 10 in. DEQ-R subwoofer, a Sony STR-DG720 receiver, a Sony BDP-S350 Blu-Ray player, and a Logitec Harmony multi-function remote. Including misc. parts, this system would be almost exactly the price of the Lifestyle 28, except the sound quality would be MUCH better, and you'd have Blu-Ray.

Updated on Mar 3, 2009

A couple arguments I've heard from "Bosephiles" about these component systems are that 1) they're too hard to set up, and 2) they have too many components

My responses are 1) setup is something you're most likely going to do only once. And, what's a better trade-off: A system that's easy to set up but has poor performance and is way overpriced, or a system that's harder to setup, but sounds very good and is moderately priced? 2) With a system that has multiple components, if one component breaks, you only have to replace that one component; which would allow you to use your other components in some way. In a system with one unit, you have to replace that whole unit, which means you can't use your system at all.

I'd also like to note that both the Paradigm Cinema 70s and ADPs are about 7 inches tall. These are just slightly bigger than the Bose D/R cubes. The center speaker is much wider than the Bose horizontal speaker, but when it comes to center speakers, bigger is better.

Updated on Mar 3, 2009

I'd like to note some things about the capabilities of the Lifestyle 28's media console. It only has Dolby Pro-Logic, it has 5.1 surround sound (5 speakers; 2 fronts, 1 center, 2 surrounds, and 1 "bass module"), and it lacks HDMI inputs (but you can get a $300 adapter for it that has 2 HDMI inputs).

The Sony STR-DG720 has Dolby Pro-Logic IIx, which is MUCH better than the outdated Dolby PL, 7.1 surround sound (if you want 4 surrounds instead of 2 with the system I recommended, but you still want to pay only $2000, trade out the 2 Cinema ADPs for 4 Cinema 70s. The ADPs are more expensive because they have 4 drivers in them, and their sound has no "direction.") Anyway, the Sony receiver also has 3 HDMI inputs built in, and is $300 itself! Also, like mentioned before, it has a room calibration feature just like or better than Bose's Adaptiq feature.

So, it goes to further show just how incredibly out-of-date and overpriced Bose's stuff is.

Updated on Mar 3, 2009

Along with people liking Bose for their small size, I've heard some people say it's "the best." Well, remember what I said about that Bose dealer saying their systems sacrifice performance to get small? They're right. Although Bose systems sacrifice MUCH more than the systems I've given as examples do, all small speaker systems can't produce the mid-bass and power bookshelf speakers can produce. Therefore, if you have room for bookshelf or tower speakers, then GET THEM. And, for the price of a Lifestyle 28, take the $2K small system example, and instead of the Cinema 70s as fronts, get a pair of Paradigm Cinema Micros, which are bookshelf speakers. To keep the price still around $2000, I'd keep everything else. But, spending an extra $500-$700 or so to go up to a pair of Paradigm Atom Monitor bookshelfs (which I own) as fronts (or for a little more a pair of Mini-Monitors or the Cinema Phantom tower), a Monitor CC-190 center, and 2 Monitor ADPs would be WELL worth it.

Updated on Mar 3, 2009

Along with people liking Bose for their small size, I've heard some people say it's "the best." Well, remember what I said about that Bose dealer saying their systems sacrifice performance to get small? They're right. Although Bose systems sacrifice MUCH more than the systems I've given as examples do, all small speaker systems can't produce the mid-bass and power bookshelf speakers can produce. Therefore, if you have room for bookshelf or tower speakers, then GET THEM. And, for the price of a Lifestyle 28, take the $2K small system example, and instead of the Cinema 70s as fronts get a pair of Paradigm Cinema Micros, which are bookshelf speakers. To keep the price still around $2000, I'd keep everything else. But, spending an extra $500-$700 or so to go up to a pair of Paradigm Atom Monitor bookshelfs (which I own) as fronts (or for a little more a pair of Mini-Monitors or the Cinema Phantom tower), a Monitor CC-190 center, and 2 Monitor ADPs would be WELL worth it.

Updated on Mar 3, 2009

By the way, Paradigm, Velodyne, and I believe the Sony STR series is not available at "big box stores" like Best Buy. You'll have to go to a store that specializes in audio (and sometimes video) only to get them. FYI I also would stay away from Best Buy brands period, such as Klipsch, Polk, and JBL (they do sell Sony receivers, but they're oddball models). The dealer I go to used to sell all 3 of those. brands. They told me Klipsch and JBL (which is part of Harmon International) are very difficult companies to deal with for the consumer and even the dealer (warranty, service, etc.) Klipsch's speakers also are just "loud" because they have a horn tweeter, which distorts the treble and makes it dominate. As for Polk, I remember some rather high-end Polk speakers on clearance at the store I go to, and they sat there for like 6 months because they just didn't sell in front of the Wharfedale and Paradigm speakers.

Anyway, go to the brands I've recommended websites and search for a dealer.

Updated on Mar 3, 2009

Whoops, sorry for the double post up there.

Anyway, if there's any replies posted asking me a question, I will reply to them in another update or reply.

Updated on Jun 5, 2009

To zbangando:

A week after I heard Bose's $4000 Lifestyle 48, I heard a Paradigm Cinema system that was about $1000 that had a very noticeable difference, and I was seriously blown away by this difference. It wouldn't take an audiophile to figure it out. Before assuming, do some research and find a good brand to compare Bose to. Paradigm is a good option, but so is Wharfedale, Bowers and Wilkins, PSB, Definitive Technology, and KEF, just to name a few.

Updated on Jun 6, 2009

Also, don't fall for anything Bose says about their products. As zbangando implied, Bose systems are a bargain, which is something Bose claims. They aren't. Go check out the brands I suggested and compare them to Bose systems. A LOT of systems just about objectively sound better. But, if you've compared all these systems to Bose, and you just so happen to like Bose's sound, then you can buy it.

Also, don't take their demos seriously. They put the speakers 3 ft. in front of you and 3 ft. behind you, and often in a very unrealistic environment (such as the way they're set up in Best Buy). Also, I got to listen to Bose's over-ear headphones and their Sound Dock today. Something I noticed is that the music they selected (there's no way you can listen to your own music on them) seems to just simply sound good on Bose's systems given the music's characteristics. There's also a voice telling you to "listen to the clarity of the voices." Why don't they just let their speakers do the talking?

Review: We bought this system one week ago for the great price of $1749 at a Bose Factory outlet store after searching for the best price available at all the major audio and video stores. The price may have been too good to be true as the version we purchased is what Bose describes as “re-boxed” and we were told by the Bose representative (salesperson) that “the unit has been fully tested and was in perfect working and cosmetic condition”. Here begins our nightmare.

We decided to purchase a Bose Lifestyle 28 System for the facts that we were limited for space (hence, the plus for compact size and design) and also because of a name we thought we could trust. It should also be mentioned that we also considered this unit because we wanted to connect our Apple TV, through the digital optical input and listen to our iTunes music library which consists of approximately 100,000 AAC digital recordings (all recorded at 320kbs). We actually had purchased a Harman/Kardon unit (receiver/amp) but quickly returned it due design of the space we had to work with. After making the purchase and buying the speaker stands and necessary equipment, we are in this for the sum of about $2,060.00 (so much for our great savings).

It took about ½ hour to connect the unit before testing it. We listened to the radio first and it sounded great! We then decided to watch and especially hear a movie which we knew had great surround sound effects. Popped in the DVD and the trouble began. Over the silent parts in the movie we were able to hear nothing but the DVD motor spinning inside the unit which was very distracting. “The unit has been fully tested and was in perfect working and cosmetic condition” – think NOT! We immediately contacted the Bose outlet where we purchased the unit and they were quick (hassle free) to swap out the Media Center (receiver/amp) with another unit.

A week has passed and we have viewed a couple of movies on it. Last night our troubles began again by a movie freezing during playback. The movie froze and the unit locked in several places. We remedied the situation a couple of times by turning off the unit (the built in DVD player remembers where it left off) and powering it back on. The DVD would start to play for a minute or a few seconds and would freeze again. Our immediate reaction was to check out the condition of the DVD. The DVD was brand new so we didn’t find any flaws on the disc itself. We decided to take this new DVD into our bedroom and try it on an old Sony DVD/VCR combo unit we have (4-5 years old). To my disappointment, knowing where this was leading, it worked perfectly.

We should also note that after connecting the Apple TV it was a little disappointing as it didn’t have the great sound and punch that the bass module produces for movies. The same can be said when putting in a CD of the same title.

Now I am stuck with the decision whether or not this is a pre-cursor for worse to come (this was my fear during the first return process). With that in mind and everything that has transpired, the decision is not tough. Although we are pressed for room, I am hard pressed to keep a unit which we paid so much money for which seems to have problem with the same component it contains, the DVD player. I think that Bose may have skimped on the DVD component itself and I find it very disappointing that such a reputable company would manufacture a truly inferior unit (in today’s market), “re-boxed” or not.