Bose Wave good buy?

Trying the last Bose Wave for the first time.
The Bose® Wave® SoundTouch® music system IV

Amongst the things you could always count on were death, taxes and a Bose® Wave® advert in the back of your Sunday magazine.

However if like myself you haven’t leafed through a Sunday supplement for a many a year, you might not be aware of the absence of the Bose Wave. They were discontinued a few years ago.

Now that the Wave has gone I'm wondering if it was actually any good, or was it, as so many claim, an overpriced and mediocre piece of tech sold to people with too much money who didn’t know any better. Seems like it’s time for an overdue and overlong video examination of the final model.

MERCHANDISE
Techmoan Merchandise is available from

SUBSCRIBE

SUPPORT
This channel can be supported through Patreon

*******Patrons usually have early access to videos*******

OUTRO MUSIC

AFFILIATED LINKS/ADVERTISING NOTICE
All links are Affiliated where possible.
When you click on links to various merchants posted here and make a purchase, this can result in me earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network & Amazon.
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON Sites (including, but not limited to Amazon US/UK/DE/ES/FR/NL/IT/CAN

[unprofound]

About 6 months after I bought the QC25's, the cord went bad. I called Bose, all armed with my receipt and attitude, ready to go battle to get them to honor the warranty and replace it. The rep on the other end apologized profusely, asked for my name and address and assured me a replacement would arrive within the week.

"Don't you need proof of purchase, like a copy of my receipt or anything?" I asked.

He laughed and said, "The 25's haven't been out that long. They're all currently under warranty. No proof needed. Have a great day."

The replacement cord arrived in 2 days. Best customer service I've ever received, bar none.

[arri]

I worked for Bose on the retail side from 03-07. The Wave Music System series 1 was released in 05. We had a display of the Wave taken apart on a spine showing each layer of its components. It looked like Jonny 5's head from Short Circuit. It was pretty cool. It was half an octave lower and has two individual 26-inch tapered waveguides, one for each speaker. It was a big improvement over the original. The original had two drives as well, but only one actually utilized the waveguide. It was a great company to work for because the company really appreciated you. You were not just an employee. Unfortunately, Dr. Bose passed away in 2013. He was the reason why I have a passion for audio engineering. RIP

[tenchuu]

I was there, Gandalf. There in the 90s when you couldn't escape ads for this machine.

[JamieStuff]

The "Got no highs, got no lows, must be Bose" saying goes back to the Bose 901 Direct/Reflecting speaker system in the '70s. The issue with the 901 is that it is VERY sensitive to where it is placed in the room. Set it on a bookshelf? Sounds like crap, hence the saying. However, if you followed the directions exactly (as in, very low Spousal Approval Factor), they sounded phenomenal.

Back in the early '90s, my mom bought a Bose Wave Radio. It was put on a corner shelf up near the ceiling in the kitchen. It had excellent sound, especially given its size. (The corner placement didn't hurt one bit...) Of course, an audio patch cord was run down behind the curtain so my brother could hook up his cassette player. A few years later, when the Wave Radio/CD was released, my mom bought one of those for the living room. She still has both, and they get daily use.

[GruntUltra]

I worked with a guy that loved Bose - he had a set of the Bose 901 floor-standing speakers in his house. This was back when they developed the idea of 'whole-room stereo." He noticed that one of the 8 front drivers was blown on one side and called them up. They sent him a replacement in less than a week - the ENTIRE left 901 speaker assembly. They told him to keep the old one - not to worry about returning it unless he just needed to get rid of it. They had his info on the system and knew that he was a loyal customer, Bose didn't flinch over sending him that replacement. I thought it was pretty commendable!

[davidflamee]

I think the little story you told towards the end of your video, about your wife being so inspired by the sound that she went back to listen to her music library, sums it up.
She was hearing things on this device that renewed her interest in listening. That can't be a bad thing, and, is how the product should be judged.
A rather subjective issue at least, but, at best well demonstrated in the video. Bravo!!

[wesleytownsend]

I am an older fella but I have been a Bose fan since they became available here in the northern Arkansas / southern Missouri area. We never had a store here in this hilly billy area but Best Buy carried many of their products and displays. I have purchased a couple sets of the QC 25 overear headphones and I was never happier. I can still buy the ear pad replacements on Amazon for a really reasonable price and I have replaced them several times. There is no way I could ever buy another pair as times are a lot rougher than they were back then so I am grateful the ones I have are still doing great 20 years later.
I appreciate this creator’s content and look forward to it each week. I wish the very best of health and happiness to you all and to your families!

[hoot]

When my (audiophile) dad passed away, my mum sold all the hifi gear, which she couldn't operate, and bought one of these. She has been really pleased with it, and I think it's great too.

[davidbowman]

I love that Matt can make a 20+ minute video about a thing I don’t care about at all and it’s still a very enjoyable watch

[owengriffith]

I’ve had a Bose Wave Radio/CD since 1997. Been in daily use ever since. Everything still works perfectly, including the vacuum fluorescent display and the laser for the CD player.
Can’t even remember what I paid for it.
Still sounds great and the alarm clock function wakes me up every day, playing greet sounding music. What a pleasure.

[StreetPreacherr]

I love that as we get older, NINE YEARS AGO starts to feel like "relatively recently"! lol

[Darxide]

They hawked these things _so hard_ here in the US in the 90s and 00s. You couldn't go a single commercial break in any show you were watching without an ad for one of these. They had hour long infomercials about them. You couldn't escape the Bose Wave. It was everywhere. And yet, I never saw one in person. But they had a sort of mythical quality around them.

[salemcripple]

I miss shopping in physical stores. Half the time wouldn't even buy anything. Just run down to the local electronics store to wander around and see what cool stuff they have.

[p]

In the 90's, early 2000's, a lot of businesses (at least in California) used the Bose Wave players for background music, especially small businesses with waiting rooms.

[sjgoff]

We bought one for our grandmother. She absolutely loved it and is now playing music every time we stop by and see her. She loves the way it sounds and how easy it is to use. Love or hate Bose, they nailed this one.

[lachlanbrown]

I remember seeing one of these at my (very wealthy) childhood friends house. I never heard it switched on but it had a really attractive design and I knew it was expensive. Years later I got a set of Bose Companion 5 PC speakers used. I remember reading reviews on how people said Bose was a terrible speaker company but the price was good so I bought it. I had a very similar experience when I first heard them. Amazed at the quality and clarity of the sound, also how incredibly loud you could put the volume with no distortion. I just sat for a few hours enjoying my music. People seem to be overly harsh on Bose because of their high prices but not everyone wants to build a whole Hi-Fi system. I like the way they sound.

[vandabo]

I had a roommate in college (early 2000s) that had gotten one of the basic Wave radio/CD players as a graduation present. It was perfect for an apartment, rich sound without overwhelming bass. Especially for being so compact. He was a musician and I constantly listened to music, so that thing got a lot of use.

[clydeg]

This is like the most comforting channel on YouTube. I look forward to your videos.

[BManningtree]

My father is probably the typical customer type for this product line - not an audiophile, just someone who wanted a high quality, unobtrusive radio with a pleasing design. He has one FM/AM model in his bedroom and one with the top loader cd in a small living room. Both radios are from the late 90s and have worked flawlessly ever since.

[paulkinzer]

I got to know Bose back in college in the early 80s. Their small speakers (201s?) had incredible sound, especially for their size. They were perfect for me at a time when I moved often and lived in sometimes tiny places. I liked them so much that I later had no hesitation in buying a set of (wired, non-noise-cancelling) Bose headphones. Both of these Bose items stayed with me for decades, and I've only ever had a very positive attitude about this company.

I heard one of the first generation Bose waves when they first came out. My sister-in-law got one for just the reason they were sold: a small, easy to use, unobtrusive unit with excellent sound. I was blown away by the audio it put out. It was truly hard t believe. When I had heard she bought one, I thought she was crazy to spend the kind of money they cost. But then I actually heard it. Wow.