Bose ‘Digitizes’ Acoustic Wave System, Intros Multimedia Computer System
by Nancy Klosek on August 24, 2006
Sections: Audio
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Bose says it will release just after Labor Day through its usual distribution channels both the first major revision to its Acoustic Wave System since its 1985 debut — swapping out analog signal processing for its proprietary DSP solution — and a USB-connectable plug-and-play multimedia speaker system that will be the flagship of its computer sound products.
The Bose Acoustic Wave Music System II ($1,079), the cosmetic twin of its predecessor, still uses the company’s waveguide technology at its core, now coupled with a redesigned DSP platform, says Santiago Carvajal, category business manager of Wave Systems and Home Entertainment. A major benefit of moving from digital to analog signal processing, he says, is that pre-emptive adjustments to the audio before it reaches the speaker are now possible, and equalization is more accurate. The earlier system has had minor design revisions, effected when the world moved from audio tapes to CDs and remote controls, but this model, he says, represents a major technological change from the original. Ergonomically, the remote has been simplified, with button patterns echoed on the unit’s top. Also new: the addition of a Bose link input, allowing the system to be used as a second source in another room; an updated, three-line display; and MP3 CD playback and wireless capability.
An auxiliary input port allows the connection of a satellite tuner, a TV or an MP3 player; a connect kit specifically for the Acoustic Wave System II that is tailored to iPods, allowing single-button play by touching an icon-marked button on a special remote, is being released in October at $129.
Bose’s Companion 5 multimedia speaker system ($399), which uses the proprietary computer-application-specific TrueSpace surround processing, consists of two small, pedestal-mounted desktop speakers, an Acoustimass subwoofer module, and a round desktop control pod whose touch-sensitive center is a mute switch while its outer ring is for adjusting volume. Front inputs include a headphone jack and one for a second audio source.
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