bose

Nissan Leaf adds energy-efficient Bose stereo for 2013

The days of bragging about a car stereo's wattage may be coming to an end. Bose has developed a new audio system for the Nissan Leaf that focuses on reduced electricity usage. The new system will be available as an option on 2013 models.

As current battery technology limits electric-vehicle range, automakers look for savings in auxiliary systems, and get rid of niceties such as power-adjustable seats. Bose's proposition for the Leaf is that you can still have good sound quality without a hugely powerful amp.

Six speakers and a subwoofer make up the loudspeaker part of the … Read more

Home audio for the minimalists: 3 pedestal sound bars compared

Pedestal-style sound bars are the latest evolution in the simplification of home audio. Instead of placing a long sound bar in front of your TV, pedestal sound bars are designed to sit under your TV, for a cleaner look with considerably less clutter. It's by far the easiest way to improve on the sound of your TV with the least intrusion on your living room decor.

The trade-off is that these systems generally don't sound quite as good as traditional sound bars, largely because they lack a separate subwoofer to handle the low end. It's yet another … Read more

Bose updates Soundlink Bluetooth Mobile II with better sound, adds AirPlay speaker

On a busy day for Apple products, Bose decided to quietly announce the next generation of its portable wireless speakers, the SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II, and the SoundLink Air system, its first-ever Apple Airplay-enabled product.

The original SoundLink Wireless Mobile came out last year and received an Editors' Choice Award from CNET. Bose says the new Mobile Speaker II, which looks virtually identical to the original model, sounds better. "Bose engineers integrated new neodymium transducers and an updated digital signal processing algorithm into the acoustics package," the press release said. "Combined with the company's patented … Read more

Prizefight: Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker vs. Jawbone Big Jambox

It's a Prizefight Punchout! Bose has always had a solid reputation but do they have what it takes to take down the upstart Jawbone and their Big Jambox?

These wireless speakers each cost $300 so let's find out who packs the biggest punch in Design, Sound Quality, Features and Value.

Who do YOU think deserves to be the Prizefight champion? Is it the Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker or the Jawbone Big Jambox?

Cast your vote!

Thanks to Beats by Dr. Dre $300+ headphones are 'cool'

Remember when expensive headphones, let's say anything over $100, were never big sellers, and only audiophiles bought them?

That's no longer true--judging by the number of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones I see on the streets and subways in New York--pricey headphones have reached the mainstream. That's radical. Bose did pretty well with its QuietComfort noise-canceling headphones long before Dre jumped into the headphone business, but the Beats stand out in a crowd.

The reasons for Dre's success aren't purely based on sound quality, it's more that the other manufacturers' headphones sorely lacked any sense of street style. … Read more

Noise-canceling vs. noise-isolating headphones: What's the difference?

I have to admit I never really bought into noise-canceling headphones.

The name was a turnoff, they don't really cancel or eliminate noise, they reduce noise--and that's great--but so do most in-ear headphones. Better yet, those headphones don't need batteries and don't run the music signals through the noise-canceling electronics. My favorite isolating headphones sound better than noise-canceling headphones, but I haven't tested a noise-canceling headphone for a long time.

So I borrowed a pair of Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones ($299) from CNET editor David Carnoy. I headed down into the New … Read more

JBL runs TV ads; watch out, Bose

I nearly fell off my couch when I saw Harman Kardon and JBL ads in the middle of the Grammy Awards show on Sunday night.

Audio-brand awareness in the mainstream is mostly limited to Bose and Beats by Dr. Dre, but now it looks like Harman, the parent company of AKG, Harman Kardon, JBL, Mark Levinson, Lexicon, and Infinity is starting to flex its muscles. I spoke with Chris Dragon, the senior global marketing director of Harman, to learn more about the campaigns.

JBL's "Hear the Truth" ads will feature many of the world's top musical … Read more

Can you name an audio company other than Bose?

Everyone knows Bose, in large part because it's the most heavily advertised audio brand in the world.

Then again, I can't think of any other audio brand that advertises on the radio, national magazines, or in newspapers. So unless you're an audiophile, or a regular reader of this blog, I doubt you could name another audio brand, if you're under 40. Older people might remember a few names from the days when audio was more mainstream.

Sure, a lot of folks would probably cite Sony or Apple, but those companies make all sorts of products. Bose just makes speakers and audio electronics; I might have to also include Monster's headphones or JBL as brands people know. That's it, I've run out of names that almost everyone would recognize.… Read more

Bose OE2i headphones review: No 'Bose bloat'

Here's something you don't see every day: a pair of white Bose headphones. Yes, it's the company's second-generation on-ear headphones, the OE2 ($149.95) and OE2i ($179.95), each offered in black or white.

That "i" in the step-up OE2i adds a microphone for cell phone calls along with an Apple-friendly in-line remote compatible with more recent iPhone, iPod, iPad, MacBook, and MacBook Pro models. (Some Android smartphones also recognize the remote functionality, but volume control from headphones that carry the "Made for iPhone" stamp doesn't always work.)

These headphones are smaller and lighter than Bose's original OE headphones that launched in 2008 and earned my approval for their excellent fit and comfort. Your ears will still get a little steamy under the OE2is in hot weather, but the material is plush for equal weight distribution, and, just as importantly, they fold up to fit into a compact carrying case (included).

Are they worth their lofty price? Read the full review to find out.… Read more