Nice color selection

Cannot reproduce music accurately, lack of realistic soundstage, very poor stereo image

I have listened to this system long enough. It becomes hard to focus on the movie, the bass sounds overdone, to much un-natural vibration comming out of that little box, the high end sounds compressed and very directional. stereo imagining was non existent. Instruments seemed small an incoherent of their identy. As for the mid range it too does not exsist. All you really hear is booming bass and loud shrill highs.There isn't much I can say about this system except it is way over priced, there are many similar cube type systems on the market for much less cost. If you want a system that is loaded with cheap thrills and plays loud, go for it. I will go back to my beloved Magneplanners and enjoy music and movies the way they should be.

Similar Products Used:

None

Some may see an advantage to 'Home Theatre in a Box', but what you give up is really what you are after to begin with...quality sound.

Very poor quality sub. Amp is small and has few if any real features. Sonically, this system is a disaster. Very flat response with the midrange response a no show.

We bought ours on-line with points earned toward an Exclusively Yours account, so I'm not talking out of pocket dollars here. This was my first jump into HT, and I was at first satisfied with this product. I use it in the basement as a surround system with a Toshiba big screen. Anyway, like I said, at first I was satisfied. What ultimately led me to re-evaluate this sytem was me upgrading the system on the main floor. I picked up a Rotel RSX-1055 A/V reciever, a pair of Paradigm Studio 60's for the fronts, and Axiom M3ti's in the rear. The center is custom made that I paid $200 for. Wow! Not that's HT. I feel this is a reasonable comparison because that whole set up cost $ 2675. By the time I had the Lifestyle installed ($150) and bought 5 mounting brackets for the cubes ($140), the Bose system ran me the equivelent of $2300. Sonically, the Bose can not hold a candle to a true HT set up. If people like the all in one set up, that may be an advantage for them. Your HT system should ultimately be judged by the sound quality above all other factors. This Bose system lacks any soundstaging. There is a big hole in the sound where the midranges should be. The subwoofer is a worthless piece of plastic. The only treble and bass controler is an old fashioned dial on the sub, meaning you can't do any meaningful tome control from the remote. The "amp" is the size of a small cigar box. What does that say about the power supply? I could go on and on, but I'd just be beating a dead horse. I can not recommend this system. If you really want a quality HT system, demo a number of A/V recievers, and buy a good set of speakers. At least that will have some resale value.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm, Rotel, Sony, Technics, Axiom, Infinity, Sensheiser

Small and compact enough for a small room 10x10. The speaker wire thickness seems adequte for small speakers, thicker then all other competitor all-in-one HT systems selling for 300~500 range. The acoustamass moudule is definately beter then any 300~500 dollar systems. People who live in small living areas might be happy with this unit. Bose support line is bull sh*t.

cheap plastic music system made to look like aluminum, dose not fool me. Poor cd player that skips on barely scratched cds, but same cd's play fine on other players.

keeping it very short. I was very happy with the original 12 system, as it was small enough for dorm rooms. It wasn't loud enough to annoy others in adjacent rooms, or my room mate. I don't have dog ears, so i can't tell which frequencies are missing, but i know that separate speakers systems are definatly where I will put my money on from now on. I no longer use my bose system, I gave it to my dad, which I setup for him. only two speakers and acustamass module. I have upgraded my music system to sepereate components. Another thing, i think the Bose system is targeted to sell towards 30 and up age group. People who want simplicity, and don't want to bother with technical component setup.

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other stuff.

Great sound without taking up lots of space. Very elegant. Remote has a great range not being infrared.

Control module is junk

I have the first series of the lifestyle 12 bought in '96. I have listened to the latest series II and find the sound quality no different. I have always been very happy with the sound. When I have moved I always take the time to set up the system correctly. I have found the bass at times to much and typically have it turned down about 25 percent. The remote is great. However the control module with a single cd player is awful. The LED display quit working in about a year, the cd player skips easily, and radio tuners are poor. I have been in grad school and broke. Now out, I plan to buy a receiver other than a Bose to replace the center module. I just hope everything is not too integrated to make the move impossible. Sounds like something Bose might do. I have tried to buy the series II control module only to find out that Bose refuses to sell it alone. Also, it doesn't look to be improved much. My recommendation is to buy a used system and a new receiver of a different brand.

Similar Products Used:

Advent, Boston Acustics, Sony

Stylish, Very rich sound, Strong- rich bass, Incredible Dolby processing

Maybe too simplistic, price, difficult to set-up properly, sound quality on some poorly produced CDs and DVDs

After reading all of the Bose bashing, I felt an overwhelming urge to write my own review. I have owned my Lifestyle 12 system for a little over a year now and I have been very pleased with it. Yes, it's simple and stylish but I have been more than pleased with the sound quality as well. The bass tube is more than ample for most rooms and, if set up correctly, the sound is unprecedented for the price. (Notice how much I paid for mine! $999! I paid less than half of retail.) Let's all keep in mind that the Lifestyle system is not meant to be compared with loudspeakers. These are tiny speakers that put out a ton of rich sound for their size but won't stack up against a $2,000 set of JBL loudspeakers if all you're really wanting to do is piss off your neighbors. I've read on numerous posts that people have loved the in-store demonstration but once they get the system home they are displeased with the sound. Hello!?! Did you ever think that maybe you haven't set up your system correctly? The reason that it sounds so good in the store is because the Bose people have set up their speakers correctly so that sound echoes off of the walls. This system does a tremendous job of seperating acoustics, bass, and vocals and if it's not set up correctly, OR if you aren't in the intended listening area, you might not be getting the most out of your system. (Do you know that they recommend that you have a Bose installer install your system primarily so that you can assure that your cube speakers are placed correctly??) Sit too close to a surround sound speaker for example, and you are going to hate the sound...have your surround speakers volume too high is going to mess up your sound just as much. I've also read a lot of reviews where people say that the system is very good in a small room environment but it isn't powerful enough to fill a large room with sound. What?! Every in-store demonstration that I've been to has been held in a gigantic room and the system very adequately filled the room with rich sound. Again, I feel that problems might be arising because people are failing to place their speakers correctly. I've got a huge open living room which has minimal walls. I had to compensate for my particular living room by placing my speakers in a different way than normal for Bose speakers. I've also noticed that some of my copied CDs as well as some store bought CDs sound awful played in my Lifestyle. I believe that this is caused by bad recording in the studio. Bose does a good job of seperating specific sounds and throwing them to all parts of the room, but if your DVD or CD isn't recorded just right, it is going to be detrimental to your sound. This may or may not be a weakness of the Bose systems depending on how you look at it. I would recommend this system to anyone who loves the stylish design of these systems. You won't be disappointed in the Bose sound if you set up your system correctly. However, I waited until I could buy one for $999 instead of the retail price of $2,500. You can buy better systems for the same money that you can buy these Bose systems for at retail. But if you can buy one of these systems for under a grand like I did, DO IT!

Similar Products Used:

JBL, Sony, Technics

Elegance and simplicity

No suitable for the real music lover

The Bose Lifestyle Systems is an elegant system with an OK! sound, not great. They are made for the average listener that looks for simplicity and for a music equipment that blend in your decorating. They are definetely price too high. For that price range you can definetely buy a seperate components and make your own music system with a great sound. I believe that what Bose makes real good are speakers, including the subwoofer. That is why I suggest if you want to really take advantage of Bose Technology, buy seperate components and include as speakers, some of the Bose Speakers. Don't include Bose Center Channel.

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Harman, Sony, Onkyo, JBL, Infinnity, etc..

Simple setup of system.Small,unobtrusive speakers.Easy to use remote.Decent sound for home theater applications(video,etc...)

Very high price for the value offered.Muddy,thin sound when listening to music.Ill defined midrange.Substandard quality of electronic components.

After all the controversy on this site involving Bose Lifestyle systems,I thought id add my two cents(give or take a nickel)to the mix. I bought my Lifestyle 12 system after a wonderful demo in the store,my experience with surround sound being very limited,it sounded terriffic to me. The set up of the system,couldnt have been more straight forward: huge foldout diagram,color coded speaker wires and interconnects,easy to use remote,and set up disc. When i hooked it up,and played a few movies on it,i was impressed.Expansive sound,deep bass... But then i played music on it.The sound was stretched thin,muddy,midranges ill defined,thumpy bass.And the electronics components of the system were,to put it mildly,substandard for what i paid.The CD player would skip frequently,and didnt have many programming options,the reciever had very limited output jacks,and the amp had a hissing sound when turned up very loudly. Having owned several Hi Fi seperates over the years(Kef,Yamaha,Denon,AR,etc.)I found this system to be very lacking in even basic musical reproduction. I sold the system less than a year later,and always told myself,and others,that surround sound was fine,as long as you had the money for a seperate stereo only system for music. Afew months ago,I finally took another plunge into home theater sound,buying a Denon 1803 reciever,a panasonic dvd/dvd audio player,Wharfedale emerald 97 front speakers,Wharfedale diamond 7.2 rears,Wharfedale Valdus center,and Dahlquist 12 inch sub,most purchased online,for less than 1250 total. What a difference!The sound of DVDs was amazing,as I expected,but the real revelation was music.In 5 channel or 2 channel stereo,in surround,or,especially in dvd audio,the sound was expansive,the bass tight and deep,the highs clear and crisp.I now had to conclude that surround sound wasnt the problem.The Bose system was the problem. As others have said,if you were paying 750 or less for the Bose lifestyle 12,it would be a good value,but at 2000 dollars,you can buy systems that are STREETS ahead,in terms of musical fidelity,build quality,and versatility.Please dont make the same mistake I made.Do your research,check out other systems,and dont be afraid to build your own system(in my experience,if you shop smart,youll get better components this way for the price).

Similar Products Used:

Denon 1803 Reciever,Wharfedale Emerald 97,Diamond 7.2,Valdus speakers,Dahlquist subwoofer,Panasonic DVD.

Very simple set-up with virtually invisible speakers. The remote was sweet!!! Very Good panning, front to back & side to side (Theater Like). Turns almost any source into 5.1 like experince.

Price. Larger Rooms. Better Music. and price once more.

Well, budding Audiophile, I'm finding faults in almost everything lately. Now, to the review. I've been thru ALOT of systems from AV Receivers to HTIB to MY first step into Decent seperates, since I discovered Dolby Pro Logic over 10 yrs ago. When I bought the original Lifestyle 12 system, I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, for Home Theater. Closest thing to Movie Theater Experience That I've heard at that point (still better than alot of the newer HTIB type system out today, Don't Playa Hate!!!). On the Music Side Of things it was ok, for Jazz or acoustic type music, Defiantly not for the RockRap crowds. If used in a smaller room ie; bedroom or small Apartment & where Music is not that important and you could possible find one for $500 - $800 range, then these systems are highly recommended!!! 7.5 stars***** I ended up selling My lifestyle system, because I starting finding all the usual "Bose Basher" faults with the system, Not enough Bass, all vocals (although clear & Intelligible) sounded the same, Male Or Female. It also had no "scare factor" dynamics to it at all. In retrospect, I wish I'd kept it. My Bedroom is alittle bare these days with just a 25" Tv and Vcr (sniff, sniff) :( May buy another on the used market some day.

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all kinds of low-fi to midhi-fi stuff you can think of. I'm Running a Klipsch Refernce set-up now. Rotel 6 ch amp parasound pre. Hopefully, I'm Gonna get some Mcintosh seperates (for music only syste

I am writing in response to some of the reviews below. I agree that the Bose systems, particularly the high end Lifestyle systems sound good. But they do not sound great. If you think they do---you haven't listened to true high end. Bose systems sound good and do a great job of doing what they are advertised to do---sound acceptable while being minimally intrusive and all inclusive in a small package. Nothing more and nothing less. You cannot compare the sound output from mass market electronics at 'box' stores and come to the conclusion that Bose systems are better than anything else in its price range. That is simply not true. If you went to a good specialty store and picked out quality electronics and speakers, you would end up with a system which sound significantly better for close to the same amount of money.

Similar Products Used:

Not similar but have used, B&W Nautilus, Velodyne, Energy, Rotel, Marantz, Adcom

Bass/Treble Small Speakers Remote control Can take a lot of abuse

Volume/Speaker Adjuster Limited audio inputs

I bought my system well over a year ago, maybe even 2 years, and Im still learning new stuff to do with it today! I was looking for a system that would be the best for around $2000...Everywhere I went people were saying "Get reciever A from dealer 1 and seakers B from dealer 2" Well one day I was driving and happened to see a Bose store and I stopped off to check them out...Boy was I suprised! Strong bass/treble...High volumes with no distortion...A remote that uses frequency to manipulate the system (You can be outside and turn the track with the system being indoors)..But the one thing that sold me on the system was there "Simulated Soround Sound" feature...With this I would be able to watch any old flick of mine thats on a vhs in 5.1! With all those features and the ability to purchase a refubished set for $1700 I was sold! Getting it home and setting it up in a 16' x 16' room was a snap... Problems arose though when some of my dvds would sound too low in the front speakers and too high in the soround speakers...It took me over a year to finally call Bose and tell them my problem to find out that you actually can adjust the volumes, but only very slightly and in pairs (ie front 2 speakers, rear two speakers...not one by one)....The rear souround can only be as high as the front speakers volume so to manipulate that youll have to turn down the front speakers to level out with the rear speakers to then have to turn the main volume up all together...Pretty poor in my opinion. Another problem is the limited inputs available on the tuner...You have about 4 and if youre like me youll have your tv, vcr, dvd, and a videogame system...Thing is I have a lot more than 1 game system so I had to buy single mono splitters to plug into one port on the tuner with an attachment of 2 inputs (being my GCN and PSx) into the splitters..... After about 2 years, and a lot of abuse coming from people who dont know any better (ie-knocking a speaker over constantly) the system has held up and plays just like it did when first purchased....