At yesterday’s Bose event, I was given the chance to experience to experience the new Computer MusicMonitor speakers first-hand. As I was led to a small, closed testing room, I wondered what Bose had up its sleeve. Earlier, they were showing videos of a suspension system it designed for a car, so I had no idea what to expect.
I walked into the room and was greeted by a Bose representative who was extremely gentle and kind. Was this a Scientology booth? The setup was identical to the above picture: glass desk, new iMac, and a Bose speaker setup. One thing different though was a matching subwoofer that sat on the floor, glowing as if it were turned on. I was played six different pieces of music that ranged from classical to opera. This was to drive the point that Dr. Amar Bose had made earlier; Bose was aiming for “lifelike sound” with this speaker set.
As I sat in a chair, listening to excellent string pieces and focusing on the performance, I was amazed at the quality that I heard. For a speaker that’s about the size of one of those milk-cartons you got in elementary school, it was powerful. It should be noted that I am a strong critic of Bose and am not a fan in any way whatsoever of its products. I do enjoy the automotive sound systems they make though. So hearing a sound this good through a set of Bose speakers, I was pretty impressed.
Bass was a little better than the typical sound you’d get out of a Bose system. When violins and other string instruments were played, you can easily hear the musicians moving their hands up and down the neck while they bow the instrument. It’s very fascinating to listen to, especially since people who listen to these styles of orchestral music are part of Bose’s target audience.
Now for the kicker. Remember that subwoofer on the floor I mentioned? After the third track was played, the gentleman from Bose went and disconnected it. It was just a decoy. An empty box with nothing but a fancy design, LED, and 9V battery. This is when you realize that even though Bose’s sound may not be your thing, it sure as hell know what its doing when it comes to delivering a quality listening experience to the user.
I briefly mentioned in my post from yesterday that the Computer MusicMonitor speakers will go on sale for a whopping $399 come October 4th. For a pair of speakers that are designed to be used primarily for listening to music on a desktop computer, that’s expensive. What justifies this price tag? Why should Bose be able to get away with this highway robbery? I’ll tell you exactly why.
According to Bose President Bob Maresca, this is the best product that Bose has ever made. In terms of both sound and design, the Computer MusicMonitor speakers are the iPhone of its product line. We were given an in-depth, internal look inside the speakers, so here’s what we discovered:
The Bose Computer MusicMonitor is designed with the following:
It’s also worth noting that these match dead-on with the new iMac from Apple. Bose is without a doubt planning to bundle these or offer these in “select retailers” such as the Apple Store, but no details were confirmed or given during the presentation. It’s obvious though.
So come October 4th, I suggest heading to a Bose store near you or one of those “authorized retailers” and listening to these speakers. While I personally cannot justify the $399 price-tag despite the excellent sound, other will surely be able to. If you travel a lot and use a laptop, grab the $59 optional carrying case. You’ll be glad you did. I’ll leave you with some shots of President Bob Maresca and Founder Amar Bose.
