# Bose Acoustimas 6 questions / HK AVR354



## wascapsfan (Nov 20, 2010)

Good afternoon,
I'm new to the boards so forgive me for my ignorance.
I have a HK AVR354 Receiver hooked up to TV,CD,DVD etc...
I have The Bose Acoustimas 6 set hooked up ( 4 speakers + center ), but with my Harman Kardan Receiver I have the option for 2 additional speakers allowing me to create 7.1 stereo. I have the AM6 all hooked up to the Bass Module via the receiver but the cube speakers probably are crossed over to stop the low frequencies at the big bass module that's included within the system.
If I add 2 more cubes to make up the 7.1 they will come off the receiver, thus not crossed over so they will in essence be full range. Is this a bad idea or should I consider going with the double cubes for the last 2 speakers, or lastly should I get new speakers. Again - I already have 5 of the single cubes around the room and the center cube above the TV. We don't blast the stereo but do listen to rock music. We watch a lot of shows on TV which all come through the system. I also like the cubes because they are small.
Suggestions????


----------



## gsmollin (Apr 25, 2006)

You can't connect a Bose Acoustimass cube directly to a receiver because the bass module contains a crossover that keeps the low frequencies from frying the tweeter.

The Acoustimass system is a genuinely bad system. I'm sorry to be so critical of your choice, but I had one and the best thing I ever did was disconnect it. You are missing all the show between 60 Hz and 200 Hz, and that's a lot of music. Besides that, the high end on the cubes is pretty poor. The whole "direct reflecting" methodology presents a specious sound stage. You really haven't a clue how misdirected the whole soundstage experience is until you have heard genuinely good speakers instead.

If you are intent on holding on to your Bose, and you want to add rear surrounds, then you should buy some small bookshelf speakers to put in the back. Don't spend a lot of money unless you want to find out how much better almost everything else is and go down the slippery slope I went, and end up with B&W home theater speakers.


----------



## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

Most people around here will <edit>NOT</edit> recommend Bose and bash them at any given chance. You have what you have so lets work with that.

What you could do is use the Accousimass for your side and rear surrounds and center channel. Just make the right connection on your receiver. Then get some small bookshelf speakers for your front left and right speakers and hook them directly to your receiver. The low frequencies should still go to the bass module via the LFE cable if your receiver manages bass well. You might play around with the cross over levels to make it sound better (ie: high for the Bose speakers and lower for the new speakers).


----------



## monykaram (Dec 23, 2011)

so you guyz assume that bose acoustimass home cinema speakers are a bad choice? I was willing to buy the 15 series but i am very confused after reading this. plz advise


----------



## gsmollin (Apr 25, 2006)

monykaram said:


> so you guyz assume that bose acoustimass home cinema speakers are a bad choice? I was willing to buy the 15 series but i am very confused after reading this. plz advise


If don't already own a Bose Acoustimass system, count yourself lucky and spend the money on a better designed system. The big attraction of the Bose Acoustimass is the tiny size of the satellite speakers really appeals to a wife who doesn't want any speakers visible at all. That's how they are sold. The unfortunate facts of acoustics are that the design sounds bad and has a terrible frequency response. 

Instead, look for some two-way bookshelf speakers with response down to 60 Hz, and cross them over to a subwoofer below that. People on this forum will help guide you to choose the best small speakers from a reputable company that fits your budget. Just steer away from Bose.


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Have a read here if you want a bit more detail on why Bose is so bad.


----------



## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

And Bose ain't low cost, either. With that money you could get a decent pair of fronts and a sub which would sound better and be the foundation for a good 7.1 (or 7.2) system.

Regards,
sga2


----------

