Bose Vs Harman Kardon?

Question

I am looking at getting my Fiance a gift for christmas, and I was wondering if I should go with a Bose in a box or a Harman Kardon in a box. Im looking at just the speakers, does this matter?

Answer 1

Don't go with Bose. It is over priced.
If you want the best home theater in a box that money can buy, consider the onkyo HT-S990THX.

It is a 7.1 (meaning seven surround speakers and one 12" sub woofer) 130 watts x 7 and 230 watt sub woofer.

I bought this on vanns.com 3 months ago for $750.00 (no tax, no shipping) to replace an old bose lifestyle system. There is no comparison.

Search for this system on pricegrabber.com or yahoo shopping to find the best price. Amazon has this system bundled with an excellent 6 disc DVD changer.

If you don't know what THX certified means, it is a quality assurance company founded by George Lucas, the guy who created star wars. THX sets certain standers for power, clarity, total harmonic distortion, etc, etc, etc to be sure you hear things the way the director wanted you to hear them.

Good luck

Answer 2

Many people who has answered your question here has based their answer solely on what they hear from other people. To tell you the truth, I just recently bought a Bose Companion 5 Speakers and I'm a current owner of the Logitech Z-5500 and Spherex 5.1 Surround Sound System originally designed for the XBOX.

I know what kind of quality you get with all these three speakers and as far as the best quality goes, I would give the 5 star to the Bose Companion 5. The lyrics you hear on any song/music is clear and crisp compared to what I got on my Logitech Z-5500 or my Spherex 5.1 Surround Sound System.

However, as far as options go, the Spherex 5.1 Surround Sound system is capable of handling more devices compared to the Logitech or the Bose. The Spherex 5.1 offers two optical inputs, one coaxial input, one auxilary (sterero) input, as well as headphone jacks. It has a Mirage Omnipolar Speaker technology which can cost up to $100.00 for each satellite speaker. However, this product is discontinued and very hard to find. This was originally retailed for $600.00 when it first came out but since its now discontinued, I found it at CompUSA for $150.00 where I bought one of the two they had in stock. I used to work there... so yeah.

Also, the Logitech Z-5500 is very loud and if you like to just blast your music and not care about the quality, then this is what you want to get. The bass has a great response but as far as the quality on these speakers, its nothing compared to what you will get with the Bose Speakers.

If you are just looking for a computer speakers or home theater speakers, I would recommend that you go to a major/local electronic store more specifically Best Buy or Circuit City. They should have demos on the Bose speakers. You will be amazed with the sound and the quality you get with their speakers. It really is worth every penny. For now, I only own two Bose products. The Bose Companion 5 and the Bose Triport (Over the head) headphones.

When I was using my headphones on my iPod and compared it to plugging it in on the Companion 5, I was hearing things that I have never heard before. And its the kind of quality you will get on a Bose product.

The next time I purchase a Home Theater system, I will be looking at the Bose brand first before any other ones.

Also, note that the wattage on the speakers has nothing to do with the sound quality. That's why Bose doesn't put any of these information on their products. It's a misleading information where a lot of people chose to buy a product because of the specs.

Hope that helps.
~PinoyPlaya

Answer 3

Harman Kardon Surround Sound Speakers

Answer 4

If HK and Bose are the only choices then go with HK. Otherwise shop around. Don't look only at the speakers. If you want a complete system Look at Denon, Onkyo, or Yamaha. Even some of the less expensive Home Theater in a Box systems from Pioneer, Sony and Panasonic are better than Bose. Even the really low cost systems from Phillips that are around 250 bucks are probably nicer than Bose. Bose has really gone downhill in the past 20 years. My inlaws bought a Phillips system from walmart or something like that.
Is it cheap? You bet! does it get the job done for them? Yes
For me? Not even close.
You have to consider really how important this is. The price range can go from ridiculously cheap to astronomically expensive. Consider what you guys really need. Tell him what you want to get him and go together shopping listen to the different systems and decide together. You are getting married right? You will be listening to it as well. Make it a gift to both of you from you. But if you your budget allows and you want to get him something really nice then look for a Denon receiver with a Klipsch speaker system packaged together. The store will do this from time to time take a look at the systems they have on display.
Even better... Get a Definitive Technology speaker system along with your receiver.

Answer 5

I'd go with harman. Bose is overpriced and not worth the investment. You can buy a descent set of speakers and still hae great sound with the proper setup. Don't fall for the Bose line of BS. ane the salesman is a big *** liar so don't let him/her con you into Bose.

Answer 6

YOU HAVE ALL GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!! LOL!!!! HK is a great product good clean sound. if you want to pay less then no question go with HK. But if you can afford a product that has superior sound and clarity go with Bose. Its like comparing an caddilac to a bmw. caddilac is a great car but its no bimmer. Again they are both great products and a lot of people wouldn't be able to tell the difference. But if your a sound junky like i am its a pretty easy choice

Answer 7

I am not a fan of Bose.

But to be honest - speakers have 'flavor'. What I like and what your Fiance like may be different. Because of this, there is no true way to line up speakers in a Best to Worst order that we would all agree on.

My advice: find a store that sells a selection of speakers and buy a gift card. Put it in a favorite CD and a note that he is to take the CD to the store, audition speakers and spend the money on what speakers sound best to him.

He may like Klipsch or Polk speakers better than Harmon. Both of these companies only make speakers so they have a more vested interest in making good ones.

Yamaha, Harmon Kardon make receivers and the speakers ... have never been reviewed on their own. So I would avoid these. (Although some Dennon speakers are made by a fairly well-known speaker company.)

Answer 8

Sure it matters. Its really depends on which speaker you choose but for the most part I am a fan of Harmon Kardon. Most shops will let you listen first. bring your favorite cd with you when you go.

Answer 9

B etter
O ff with
S omething
E lse

99 times out of 100 you can find better equipment for less money than BLOSE