bose wave music systems

Well, I can't easily dump the CRT.
Probably the best thing to do is to get a new stand.
The Marantz has a number of small problems which I haven't gone into.
I can work around them, but it requires a fair amount of plugging and unplugging stuff.
It sounds okay but it's a bit of a pain in the ass.
Maybe I need to have it worked on by a Marantz specialist.
An all-in-one piece unit with reasonable sound seemed like an easy solution ... but it's probably too easy, too much of a compromise from what I have now.

Obviously not. The question is partly one of space, partly one of my unhappiness with the Marantz, and then of course the problem I mentioned with the stand.
I think I expressed a fair amount of satisfaction with the speakers above.
(The woofer is just a smidge under 8 inches, BTW.)

Salamander Synergy? I may look into it.
But Ikea may be the solution, as I've mentioned above.

I've got to agree with JMeister. Your current setup is better. Much better!

Go hang out at Home Theater Forum or AVS Forum or any other audiophile forum and they'll all tell you the same thing. So long as your speakers don't have foam rot, they're worth keeping and even then, as you saw, you can have them re-coned.

The Bose simply cannot hit the highs or the lows you expect from either rock or classical because it just cannot move the air necessary for the bass, and doesn't have a proper tweeter.

Even if your speakers have truly died, I'd suggest keeping the Marantz and getting any number of excellent bookshelf speakers and a sub. Bookshelf speakers are generally the most accurate speakers you can get and you don't have to spend a lot to find good ones. Some bookshelves even have sub-woofers built-in so you can get some proper bass that the 2.5" drivers of the Bose can't begin to match.

Quite frankly, the Bose is fine, if expensive, for casual listening and talk radio, but if you want to really be overwhelmed by your music, then it can't compete because it just can't move the volume of air. It's a matter of physics.

My ultimate suggestion is:

Put the money toward a proper stand. They're out there. Go to a high-end audio store and look at what they offer. Get a good stand and replace your TV with a flat panel. You'll need a stand with much less bulk, have excellent sound, and a TV that can do hi-def. Dump the VCR. Transfer your home videos to DVD and replace your commercial tapes with DVDs or Blu-Ray. Get a Tivo, an HD-DVR, or just plain NTSC (or ATSC if Canada's going hi-def) box from your cable/satellite provider if applicable (I have no idea what Canada is doing about HD) or just get Tivo.

Word of warning, Ikea uses particle board too. If you shop there, pay attention to the weight ratings and weigh your components before you go shopping.

What's wrong with the Marantz?

Salamander makes great stuff. REALLY good.

IF you have any ideas about putting together a home theater of any sort, a good home theater receiver will solve your issues with the Marantz.

What is your goal with what you're doing here?

i have one of those wave radios, its amazing the sound that comes out of those little speakers...

The speakers are just fine. Have reasonably flat bass to 55 Hz, and I don't think they've been overused at all.

I live in an apartment that doesn't allow playing that loud.
I know a number of people who say they've been really surprised by the performance of the Bose models.
Still, physics, as you say, seems to impose an upper limit to what can be done with such small units.
But I wanted to collect some more opinions.

I doubt I will have the money for a flat panel for a while, so the TV will have to stay.
I am thinking of getting an HD-DVR.
That of course will mean another component in the rack.

Sound advice.
The particular Ikea unit I'm thinking of has four braced legs, and you simply mount each shelf wherever you want. Since you can determine the height of the whole shebang, all the components I have can be accommodated.
Since each shelf will hold only one component, I don't think the particle board, in this case, will be a problem. (If I'm not mistaken, the shelves in this case are actually made of unlaminated wood, and I'll be able to do a little staining and so forth.)
I have a friend with such a setup and there is just no wobble at all.
(Trouble is, I haven't noticed these at Ikea for years and I wonder if they're still available.)

Good suggestions from many corners.
Thanks, all.

Anyone who even knows what that means....

probably won't be satisfied with the Bose.

You know perfectly well volume has nothing to do with it. You want amperage and driver size for proper accuracy so everything sounds good at any volume. The way the human brain works, if we hear distortion or muffled sound, we turn up the volume even though what we're really trying to do is get rid of distortion. The more accurate the sound, the more satisfying it is at lower volume.

If you can't get an HDTV (unless you have one of the very rare non- rear projection CRT HDTVs) then why get an HD-DVR?

See post 16.

If it's available here, I may look at it.

Good advice, Jason, but I'm not thinking of doing that.

Have a system that has good enough sound and is the last word in simplicity.
But I really don't want to lose the speakers, which is why I was intrigued by the reference to the Teac mini system.
I should just keep shopping for a proper stand, I'm starting to think.
There's got to be something; I just haven't seen it.
Then I can keep everything, and maybe have a little tweaking done on the Marantz.

At the risk of annoying you even further.... just remember you definitely do not want to underdrive your speakers. Too little power is worse than too much. Ideally, you want a receiver that has an RMS of that's about half the max of your speakers.

Yes, but a lot of people express such a degree of satisfaction with either of the Bose Wave units that you have to wonder if they aren't delivering surprising fidelity at low levels.
Your original remark was something like 'if you want to be overwhelmed by your music.'
Being overwhelmed, for me, is usually something that happens at substantial volume.
If you meant simply 'appreciate highly the sound,' then I suppose you're right.

I meant digital video recorder.
It's late and the Rubester is tired.

You do have a talent, Jason.

Familiar stuff, Jason.
The Missions are quite efficient and were driven very nicely by a 20 watts RMS/ch. amp for many years. (The Teac has 25 watts/ch.)
I would not want to go much below that level, however.
(Though I'm told some of the tube amplifiers can work very well much below that level ... but they're simply not in my budget.)

i think you guys are putting just a LITTLE too much thought into a radio or speakers

Not sure if that's in principle true, but definitely true for this fella, at this hour.

Not possible for the diehard audiophile.

Rubi, from a guy who has poured A LOT of money into audio equipment over the years (and nitpicked every last spec along the way) I don't honestly think you'd be disappointed with the Bose. I used to be a non-believer and must wonder if the naysayers have actually heard one. Any chance there's a Bose outlet near you where you could hear for yourself? There's one at the local mall here. In the end, what sounds good to you is all that really matters.

Ah! the Marantz has problems. Sell it on Ebay, get a Teac and you'll be able to crank up the tunes to your heart's content without sacrificing sound quality.

OTOH you might have a tin ear like VeeP in which case the Bose would be fine but waaaaaaaaay overpriced. Got to the Target and get a Tivoli clone for $60 and spend the savings on sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

I don't know if it's as good as you say, but the number of positive testimonials keeps that possibility open for me.

No outlet in my city. There is in Toronto, though ... and I go there occasionally.

Yo duh man, Veep.