Bose Wave Music System

    The acclaimed Wave® music system still sets the standard for quality audio and ease of use among one-piece, table top radios and bookshelf stereos. Its award-winning design adds a touch of distinction to almost any room. It's no surprise so many people use it as their main home entertainment system for music listening.  That is what Bose has to say about the second revision of their famous tabletop home audio system.  This player is designed to be high end, high quality audio in a compact, visually apealling package.  Let's see if it is worth the price tag.

Specifications

• Wave music system
• AC power cord
• Compact remote control
• Demonstration CD

Dimensions

4.2"H x 14.6"W x 8.6"D ( 10.7 cm x 36.8 cm x 21.9 cm )

8.7 lbs (3.9 kg)

Many accessories available

About Bose

Our Philosophy

Since Bose Corporation was founded in 1964 by then Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Dr. Amar G. Bose, the original philosophies and founding principles have not changed.

Bose maintains an exceptionally strong commitment to research, for it is within the discipline of research that yesterday's fiction becomes tomorrow's reality. We strive to identify things which, when made better, improve people's lives.

But it's more than just research. We aim for excellence in everything we do. From the way we run our business to our customer service. From the products to the owner's manuals you'll use to set them up. In everything we do, we truly believe that "good enough" is merely a starting point.

We’ve taken our commitment and our passion for innovation and applied them to developing unique sound solutions to meet virtually any audio challenge in any application, even the space program. While many of our products are designed for entertainment and home audio solutions, you’ll find Bose sound is prevalent in both the aviation and automotive industries, too.

We’ve also designed professional sound systems for many applications, including stadiums and auditoriums, houses of worship, retail businesses, department stores and restaurants.

Our commitment has served us well. Today, Bose has operations in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, Asia and South America. 

Pictures

(Click on images for a full size view)

Here are the boxes for the Wave, and the Premium Backlit Remote.  The remote came free as a bundle deal, but normally is sold seperatly.  Bose apparently doesn't want to waste money on pretty boxes.  Black and white with simple images of the product.  All of the sides are the same except the one with UPC's and Serial numbers.

Opening the box you see the Wave packet, the AC cord, and the plastic shell used to protect the unit during transport.  It would do an okay job in a warehouse, but I am glad that the box was packed in another box for shipping.

Here is a better shot of the contents.  The basic remote, owner's manual, and demo CD are all inside the packet.  Note to self - two year olds will take anything they can reach very quickly...

Inside the plastic shell, the Wave is wrapped in foam to protect it from scratches.

First look at the face.  I really like the clean appearance with no buttons.  After using this player for a while though, I would be happier with buttons on the side or behind a door.  Both of those options would maintain the smooth looks, without making me search for the remote everytime I want to do well, anything.  This model is in the color Graphite Gray.  They are also available in Titanium Silver and Platinum White.   

The top is plain, and the back is vented for cooling purposes.

Here are the IO Ports.  There is a space for a 75 ohm antenna (not included).  Next is the BoseLink port, used to connect other Bose devices together.  The AUX IN can be used to link an MP3 player, DVD player (Through a RCA to 2.5mm Y-plug), or any other multitude of devices.  The headphone port is pretty self explanitory, though I have never understood a stereo system having a headphone jack.  I am rarely close enough to one to use headphones.

These are the two remotes I have.  The "Credit Card" style comes with the player.  It has simple access to all of the controls you could need.  That is good remembering there are no buttons on the unit.  Some of the buttons have dual uses, warranting a look at the owner's manual before daily use. For instance, when in radio mode, the Tune/MP3 buttons scan to the next/previous radio stations; in CD mode they allow you to navigate through folders on an MP3 CD. Meanwhile, the Play mode button selects various shuffle and repeat CD play modes but also turns on the bass-trimming Talk Radio mode when you're listening to stations that artificially boost low frequencies to make your favorite blowhards sound more authoritative.

Here is a better view of the Premium Backlit remote on its' stand.  The backlight is just bright enough to assist you in low light situations, but not bright enough to show up on camera.  Overall this remote is just a little bit easier to use.  Considering that it sells for another $39.99 MSRP I would not have purchased it though.  Coming in the bundle it is nice to have two remotes available.  An additional small remote can be had for $9.99 MSRP however. 

I wasn't there for the unboxing of the 3-disc changer, but the box and wrapping are the same as the Wave's.  Here is how it is hooked up though.  Your power cord moves to the changer, and a passthrough goes to the wave.  There is a BoseLink cable that plugs into the BoseLink jack and the AUX IN.  Of course this means that if you want to hook up an MP3 player, then you have to unplug your changer.  On the flipside, if you want to hook up something that has RCA audio outs, the plugs are right there, no Y-plug required. 

The top of the changer is molded so that the Wave sits neatly on top of it.  As you can see, there are three slots, plus the one on the Wave, giving you a four disc changing player.

Using the Wave

     This is a second generation Wave player, showing improvements over the previous version.  Bose went to great strides to improve the sound quality, but keep the unit in the same compact size.  This can definitely be challenging, but Bose seemed to take their time in the development.  Looking at this image you can see the Waveguide sound system that it uses. 

     A buddy of mine had a first generation model, with the top loading CD player and old speaker design, and I must say that Bose did significantly improve the sound quality.  I also noticed that the quality of the sound changed based on the room and location within the room, so it would be worth experimenting the same way you do with a wireless router.  Place it and listen for a while, then try somewhere else.  Fortunately Bose gives you a thirty day trial period to test the Wave in different spots.  If it doesn't work out where you need it (or if you get buyer's remorse :) ), just send it back for a refund. 

     Normally with a small player it has trouble with volume, or quality with high volume.  That is not the case with the Wave!  Though this unit really shines in a contained room like an office, it easily fills large rooms with sound.  The normal bell curve created by volume:quality took on more of a rise to plateau appearance.  You could notice the quality improving as you increased the volume from one to fifteen percent, but beyond that the quality stayed great until the volume was maxed.  Rock, Classical, and Jazz all came through with suprising clarity.  The bass seems good enough for most listeners, filling out the sound, and definitely better than you would expect from a player this size.  I personally like a lot more than it had to give however, but again, you can't expect that from a small tabletop system.  Radio signals came through without the optional antennae, with a clearer signal than in my car.

     At the suggestion of the Bose folks, who changed this model's name from the Wave Radio/CD II to the Wave Music System to better express (read: market) the full range of its capabilities, I next hooked up the Wave to a DVD player's audio outputs. The sound easily bested the speakers built into most TVs, particularly flat-panel displays. True, its stereo imaging was confined to the space between the Wave's two speakers, but the Master Dark Knight DVD sounded remarkably clear and present. Don't expect to replace your home theater, you won't get the same impact that you would with component systems, or a low to mid-range HTIB.  The Wave certainly didn't embarrass itself or overtly distort sound, it is just more suited to being a tabletop music player.   Thinking of this, I went ahead and hooked up my Sansa Fuze to the Wave.  Sound quality was every bit as good as the CD's ( All of my music is in WMA Pro 192Kbps), plus I had some tuning capabilities.

     Bose decided to replace the top-loading CD player with a swankier front-loading one and did away with all the buttons on the unit to enhance the Wave's sleek, minimalist styling and keep things as simple as possible. A buttonless Wave means you have to use the included credit-card-style remote to control all of the unit's functions. That's mostly a good thing. The remote is well-labeled and easy to use, though it helps to make a quick study of the manual to make sure you're aware of certain buttons' dual purposes. For instance, when in radio mode, the Tune/MP3 buttons scan to the next/previous radio stations; in CD mode they allow you to navigate through folders on an MP3 CD. Meanwhile, the Play mode button selects various shuffle and repeat CD play modes but also turns on the bass-trimming Talk Radio mode when you're listening to stations that artificially boost low frequencies to make your favorite blowhards sound more authoritative.  The only major drawback to having to control everything through the remote is that tiny remotes are easy to misplace or lose. Imagine the alarm going off and not being able to silence it right away or hit the Snooze button (the Sleep button on the remote) because your remote mysteriously disappeared. I would recommend that you pick up a second card remote, or the Premium Backlit remote.

Conclusion

    Overall the Wave looks good, sounds great for it's size, and has options to make it expandable.  The clean appearance can be hard to find and is refreshing, blending in well with most environments.  The drawback is that you have to use the remote to control all functions of the Wave.  The sound quality won't perform miracles, but outperforms many if not all players of this size.  The options of a multidisc changer, backlit remote, and external audio sources give you the freedom to work with whatever is needed for good sound.  My biggest concern is the price.  MSRP for the setup that I have is craziness.  $499 for the Wave, $249 for the 3-disc changer, and $40 for the additional remote; total system setting you back $800.  For that kind of money you can get a high-end HTIB, or a low or mid-level component system; powering your hometheater and music needs with 7.1 audio, more bass, and audio controls. Of course with that you don't get the petite package of the Wave, which can even be mounted under counters (with an optional bracket that is another $50!).

Pros

• Ease of Setup
• Clean Appearance
• In-line Support for External Devices
• Good Sound for the Size

Cons

• Expensive
• No Bass or Treble Control
• No Buttons on Unit (Both good and bad.)

Bose Wave Music System  

7/10