Size, appearance, ease of use

none, it does exactly what it is supposed to

Some "interesting" reviews on this product, so here is my two cents. I bought this to have a nice stereo in the living room that the whole family could listen to, and it does a great job! I don't need a stereo that is a piece of furniture, but wanted one that is quick and easy to use and has great sound and the Wave fits the bill perfectly. Some day I will probably want a full blown system like I had when I was a teen, but for now I can have this in my living room in a spot where kids won't get at it and it doesn't take up any living space.

I have also notice that the Wave seems to really hold its value, which can't be said about a lot of other systems out there! Customer service has been excellent when I had to help my parents with theirs.

The system is easy to use, which is fine by me. It has some nice basic features and the remote is a breeze to use. In my opinion the Bose Wave performs best at low and mid-level volumes. Where as most stereos need to have the volume cranked up to get the full sounds, the Wave is engineered to get full sounds at all levels, which is why you see so many reviews proclaiming how wonderful the system is with Jazz and classical, where as harder rock and roll, which is better enjoyed loud, does not fare as favorable reviews. It is nice to be able to have a conversation with somebody and have the music on! For what I am looking for in a stereo, the Bose Wave is perfect!!!

Best sound clock radio I have ever heard.

Retail price outragous for what it really is.

After a song and dance story about how He needed some money, I gave in and offered my friend 50 bucks for the wave radio. He wanted 200, but I talked him down after a few beers. I mostly use this product in the kitchen when I am getting ready for work in the morning. The sound quality is about on par with a GPX mini system or an clock radio from walmart. It doen't botther me that the sound is not the greatest, I only use it to listen to the news. I would not ever pay the retail price, as you could assemble a stereo for about 500 dollars that would beat this tiny system. Hey want do you expect, it is a Bose Product? Bose sells because it is well known and percived to be the end all be all of audio. This could not be further from the truth, but hey More power to them if they can sell a 450 dollar clock radio and people buy it....

Similar Products Used:

GE clock radio, Sony boombox w/cd

Somewhat attractive. It does it's job (a great alarm clock) and EVERYONE wants to touch it/hear it after they go "ohhh, it's a bose!"

The people are soon disappointed by the inferior sound. The looks get old and you suddenly realize that it's a very expensive clock radio

Now, I'm not a Bose basher.. As a child of indian immigrants my family has always spent the extra penny for quality and luxury.. It's an odd problem associated with trying to prove your success.. So, while I claim to be a free thinker, I picked up this system because of Bose's claim of superiority.. The fact is that this is just an over priced status symbol that still works well though.. Works well, not sounds well.. If I was doing a review of clock radios and price was not an issue, I would rate this system a 10 out of 10. It's attractive (for a clock radio), sounds good (for a clock radio), and plays cds.. But as a minisytem this system fails miserably. The bass is too thumpy, their is distortion at higher levels AND it's not that attractive compared to other minisystems. I have a Denon DM5 that has an awesome FM tuner, 3 cd changer and great mission speakers that cost me 300 bucks that's insanely better than this system.. If it's too big for you, pick up the $169 (!!!!!!) panasonic pm03. It MUCH more attractive than the bose, sounds better (though the bass is a bit too punchy) and works GREAT as an alarm/clock radio. I picked up a pm01 for 140 bucks on clearance and everyone thinks it cost me 4 timest that price (it looks a little like my wonderful dm3 by denon).

Long story short, buy this is you have a small male reproductive organ and something to prove.. Various systems from competitors do exactly the same thing but better (JVC/ denon, and panasonic to name a few) and I don't think this is worth more than $150 bucks (considering sony offers a cd clock radio for $75 and justifying a 2x increase in price for the improved sound quality). I'm not bashing bose, they should market this as a nice clock radio and cut the price accordingly. But it wouldn't be a status symbol.. There lies the eternal paradox of trying to prove your self worth thru home audio equipment.

Similar Products Used:

panasonicSA-PM01/PM03

Let me start with the negatives so that you'll hopefully take the positives a little more seriously. First, all Bose products are way overpriced. They can do that, though, because they have little to no competition. At one time, I seriously considered a Bose Acoustimass home theater system. In addition to small, inobtrusive speakers, it had a small, inobtrusive system unit. The sound was okay - liveable if not good. But the sound really can't be compared to anything else, because there isn't (or wasn't !) anything similar. I wouldn't be surprised if the Yamaha AV-1 is as good for a fraction of the price, but I never checked it out because I convinced myself that components are the only way to go. I couldn't see spending $3000 for a HT system that can't do Dolby digital - or that can't supply power to a 2cnd set of speakers (you need powered speakers) ! So I stuck with components. As for speakers, I still thought about Bose, then starting looking at better sounding, though bigger, alternatives, like the Energy Take 5's or the Definitive Pro Cinemas. I finally ordered a set of Gallo Micros. I'll post a review in the Gallo Micro section soon.
OK, so my point of all that is that you can't compare the wave/radio CD to any other $500 system in terms of sound. It won't sound as good. If you want a really small system that sounds better for the same or less money, look at the JVC FS-7000 (or 5000, but the 7000 is much nicer looking). But if you want a small, inobtrusive table radio for a bedroom (or wherever) that sounds good and offers some nice alarm features, this is it. So I bought an overpriced radio. I can live with that.

The sound is pretty directional from across the room (short dimension - about 8-10 feet). The further away you are, and the louder you play it, the better it gets. In fact, if you take it outside and play it in a patio area, it's amazingly good for something so small. It still does pretty good at low volume - it holds onto the bass just enough. We use it mostly listen to a relaxing CD after turning out the lights and set the sleep mode to turn it off after half an hour.

It feels sturdy and well built. The antenna is built into the power cord, and on our second floor, reception is great. There's a coax jack for an external antenna. The LED display automatically brightens and dims according to the light level in the room. The remote works from anywhere in the room, but it would be nice if it were backlit or if some of the buttons were textured in some way to identify them in the dark.

That's about it. If you compare it to a $500 stereo system, it's overpriced, but if you compare it to any other radio alarm clock, it's fantastic. In fact, I've never heard another clock radio that sounds pleasant, rather than grating.

As an alarm clock, it's a 5 - as a $500 stereo, it's a 1. I'll put in an overall rating of 3, but it's either good or bad depending on what you expect out of the thing.

Stop yelling.Or did your caps button get stuck.What planet are you from.I`m an above average audiophile with equipment valued over $14.000 and I used to be a Bose owner.I`ve owned the 901`s and I use to think they were awesome until I heard a pair of Dalquist DQ-10`s with their powered sub.Since then I learned to audition as many as I could before unloading alot of money.Most people I know who own Bose bought them because of their reputation from other rookie wanabee audiophiles.I have had them sit down in my recreation room and hear what GOOD SPEAKERS ARE SUPPOSED TO SOUND LIKE.Most Bose owners are NOT aware of GOOD stereo outlets.Best Buy,Circuit City,Sears ect. are the only place they know of.Cheap plastic enclosers,cheap plastic speaker clips,cheap paper cone woofers ARE NOT MY IDEA OF A GOOD SPEAKER.

if poster bobbylen is a PHD, then I must be Superman. He does not write to the capacity of a PHD, nor does he express himself like one. He also does not obviously think like one. He is more than likely a Bose saleseman or employee who is putting up an obviously hokey [typical of Bose lovers] post. Dr Amar Bose is a mathematician and a marketer. He knows how to make a fancy looking consumer product, with parlor trickery to lure in the weak minded and inexperianced.
Owning >$10,000, EVEN $20,000 in gear makes you an expert or audiophile not.
It means you SPENT A LOT OF MONEY.
Anyway, Bose is low fi, any other rating is rediculous. Anything Bose makes is easily beaten by almost anything. The TONE DEAF can't tell however. And whatever "loud sound" young people are into is bettered by bigger and louder speakers than Bose. Accuracy and Bose are mutually exclusive. The is NO OTHER BRAND AS CONTROVERSIAL AS BOSE. Popularity does not mean it has good sound. Venerial disease is popular but I don't want that either.
Look around, the challenge of finding something better than Bose is as diffacult as finding a carton of Milk at the supermarket.
ONE STAR

Expensive, but it does give sound stage and is relatively detailed. If you primarily listen to classical music and don't have enough space for big stereo system, it is a good choice. If you listen to pop music only, I think every cheap boom box will do reasonable jobs for you.

No, I feel if you have ears that function, there are much better buys than $499 for a plastic, cheap clock radio with a cd player. I listen to all forms, and they all sound bad on Bose products. Teac, Technics, and the like make $499 systems that can be mated with REAL speakers. If I don't have much room, that same space that occupies that Bose junk would accomadate a decent mini system.
If you listen...really listen to any music, ALL Bose products are beaten at each price point in value and sound quality.
If you have a brain, then buying a cheap pile like this doesn't add up.
Sound: the $499 Bose system is BEATEN in sound comparisions to decent portable stereos that cost only $299. Stereo's that have actual things like tweeters and ported woofer setups.
Take the Bose Wave ripoff side by side with a similar priced small stero. The Bose LOSES every time---by a WIDE margin.

The price is way out of line, but the sound is not too bad for such a small unit. I have heard component systems of the monster truck crowd variety that sound much worse than this. If money is no object and space and simplicity is a consideration, it is worth a look.

What, I ask you justifies the price of this when a clock radio, or MINI system with MUCH better sound costs less? For $499 you can get a whole mini system with a full plethora of components. Or for $149, a boom box with the SAME features. For the outrageous "More money than brains" pricing scheme: 1 STAR!!!
For the "nothing special" sound output 1 star. This is an IDIOTIC and simple products for idiots with simple minds and a lot of money to throw in the toilet.
This proves that if you put a name on soemthing, you can ask anything for it, and some totally clueless morons will gladly waste thier money on it. A boom box alarm for $499. How about a clock radio for $369...oh wait, they did that.
Ok, what about $299 for just an alarm clock.
WAKE UP YOU BRAINLESS DOLTS! ITS JUST A STUPID CLOCK RADIO WITH A CHEAP CD PLAYER!!!! GET A CLUE!!!