Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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106 of 108 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Sound and Easy to Use But There's a Catch, December 22, 2005
The Bose Wave Radio II is easy to use, has top-of-the-line speakers and has a high-quality build. I use mine as a TV stereo speaker. The auxiliary input works for that function and what I like is that it doesn't take up a lot of space next to the TV. Indeed, incredible sound for the size of the speakers. So why only four stars, not five? Because the Bose, for all the money it costs, is not a top radio performer. It has only average AM reception with its internal ferrite antenna and worse its FM relies on the power cord for what is truly a lame "antenna." So as a speaker, the Bose is great but as a radio it is well below par. For hooking up to your TV, the Bose is outstanding. But as a bedside radio? No way. You would be better off buying a 159-dollar Sangean WR-2, a 259-dollar Sangean HDR-1, or a 159-dollar Tivoli Songbook for your bedside. But if you're integrating the Bose into your TV home entertainment system and you don't mind spending the money and you're not fastidious about your FM reception, then you will enjoy the Bose.
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45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible sound from a small space, highly recommended!, August 5, 2005
I highly recommend the Bose Wave Radio II after having one for a month, here are the pros and cons:
PROS:
* Excellent sound quality and volume. Plays the full sound spectrum well - from deep bass notes to high octave soprano. Can turn the volume up to "very loud" before sound distortion is audible, so it's easy to listen to the radio from one room while working in another or while cleaning the house.
* Small space requirements. Easily fits on top of a bedside cabinet along with the bedside lamp. Remote control is right-sized too, only slightly larger than a credit card.
* Good features. The alarm clock works well and the input jack comes in handy if you want to listen to a CD or XM satellite radio through a portable external player.
* Ease of use. Very intuitive and easy-to-use design on the remote control and the radio, was able to use everything without referencing the product manual.
* Esthetics and envy. This radio looks great, people ask about it when they see it.
* Resale value. You won't find a used Bose Wave radio for cheap on eBay or the Amazon marketplace, Bose radios tend to hold their resale value well over time.
* Made in America. You may feel more patriotic after buying it.
CONS:
* Cost. Definitely more expensive than other radios, but considering the quality and resale value, it's probably a good value overall. If you have a rewards credit card, the radio might be obtained (for "free") by using accumulated credit card points -- many credit card points catalogs (i.e., Diners Club Rewards catalog) have the Wave Radio.
Overall, an excellent product and highly recommended. Keep up the good work Bose!
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38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing sound..., May 13, 2005
First of all, I want to clarify that any reference here to "bass" is not a reference to rumbling, booming low ends of sound, but to the sound made by instruments such as bass drums, bass guitar, classic bass, etc. It's the sound, not the vibration. This system does it, and does it amazingly. It sounds like the deepest tone- from outside and from a distance, and it's from such a small unit. It's confusing to go right up to the system and notice that it isn't vibrating in the least, nor shaking the platform it is set on. Bose also created a system that lowers the octave for lower tones, and that doesn't just include bass sound, but bass percussion, so that these sounds are more easily noticeable from quieter volumes. As for clarity, well, status-quo for Bose. My mom owns the larger Wave system, and the clarity is amazing, and this system follows suit completely. To illustrate, I placed my Wave Radio on a TV stand I wasn't using and played an acoustic song- guitar and singing only, and it was as if the singer was knelt right there singing! You can hear every breath taken, from the beginning of the note sang to the end of it.
What enabled Bose to create such full, melodic bass in such a small unit was the patented waveguides. This principal is similar to a port system- bass production through the movement of air, which means there may be a lot of dead space or "standing wave." This may account for the number of people who've gone unimpressed with this system. To the untrained ear it may seem like only average sound, and it certainly can be if you're concentrating on listening to it up close only. I once owned a 540W ported system, so I knew that all I had to do with this one is shove (not literally) it into a corner, and listen to it from an adjacent vantage point, as close to the wall as possible. When this is done, the intended sound will come to life for you! Like I said, it isn't boomy, but completely melodic, and indistinct in its direction, which means it "fills the room with sound," as has been claimed.
I used to be obsessed with boomy bass being a pop listener, but I've also evolved into an audiophile, and so far, this system is all that Bose claims for it to be. One error for them, though, may be in relying on people to become educated on superior acoustics and adopt a taste for practical sound, rather than popular sound. I don't care, though. I'm smart enough to know that this system is far ahead of its time...
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