Last February, I finally traded in my 58,000 Amex points to get a free "clock radio". Not just any clock radio, it's a Bose Wave Music System with the CD player.
Yeah, yeah, I can already hear the audiophiles screaming,
"Bose is an expensive piece of junk"
or
"Oh yeah, you can get better sound with so and so brand"
or
"D00D, 0MG WTF L0LZ BOSE TEH SUXX0RZ BRB"
Well, Bose might not be the BEST out there, but it's definitely one of the most elegant. Sure, it might not have the bells and whistles of the ultra 1337 systems, but most people just want to sit back and listen to a great sounding system without fiddling with ten thousand knobs. Now with that out of the way...
The Good:
1. Great sound! The system actually plays music half an octave lower which makes the output much fuller and clearer. Try playing Mozart's Symphony No.40, KV 550 in g minor and turn up the volume to 65 and you'll hear what I mean. As a sidenote, Mozart's works are considered public domain so feel free to download them from any P2P or bitorrent sites of your choice. Heck, throw in some Bach, Chopin, Brahms and Wagner while you're at it.
2. Small footprint, big sound. No complicated knobs or blinking lights of different shapes and colors. Just a small screen that tells you the time or the song info. Very Zen-like if you'd ask me. It blends very well with any decor.
3. Thoughtful little design considerations like the screen automatically dims depending on the lighting conditions. Or the volume gradually increases when you turn it on so that you won't get blasted with a loud sound if you last played it that way. No external antennas (but it's an optional accessory) or wires. As a matter of fact, the power cord acts as the antenna so that you can get crystal clear reception. It also has some kind of battery inside so that all your settings and the current time will be saved when you unplug it intentionally or otherwise.
4. MP3 CD playback, baby! This is probably my most favorite feature. Let me throw in some figures:
About 120 songs, average 5 minutes per song encoded at 128kbps at 5.5MB in a
single 650MB CD is equal to almost 10 hours of continuous music bliss!
5. Basic settings for different types of music- Jazz, Pop, Rock, Classical.
The not-so-good:
1. Just the basic settings for different types of music- Jazz, Pop, Rock, Classical. It doesn't bother me that much, but there are quite a few people complaining about it.
2. Lack of a bass boost function. But it can easily be fixed by doing an en masse bass adjustment on your MP3s.
3. The system doesn't have any controls on the actual unit (due to its simplistic design). Everything is done on a credit card sized remote control-- not advisable if you have kids running around the house.
4. At $499 retail, some might argue that it's too expensive. But I suggest you check it out for yourself at your local Bose store and decide if the sound is worth the price tag. Who knows, with your credit card points or mileage programs, you might get it for free too.
Overall, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great sound system without the clutter of big box speakers and complicated components.
