I have recently received two new 301 BOSE speakers. I have placed them according to instructions (roughly 2.5 meters away from each other, on a shelf, ±50cm from the wall). My room is 30sqm. They are connected to a KR-A4080 Kenwood Receiver (which is ±10 years old).
The sound is ok (tried various CDs mostly soft rock, some jazz), but not nearly as perfect as in the store.
Wanted to get your thoughts on what should I do - is it the receiver that is the weak link in the chain and is deceasing the sound quality? Is it time to replace it with a new one? Could it be the speaker cables? They are standard non-branded 0.81mm. Anything else that you can think about?
Willing to specify any other details that may be relevant.
What were the speakers playing on in the store? Do that, if you liked it. Look back in the store and examine the room, the dimensions, the floor coverings etc. Now compare to yours. Were The speakers on stands there? Were they pushed up to a wall or corner?
I remember looking at the bose 301's when they first came out and then comparing them to the advent prodigy tower ll's that were 100 dollars a set cheaper. Later I walked away with the advents. They were better in every way.
If you're using speaker cables of reasonable quality and condition, 16 guage or thicker and no oxidization, I wouldn't worry about them with the Bose/Kenwood setup. I would start with placment experimentation. Try clearing all non-essential furniture / decorations (including rugs and pictures if possible) out of the room and see if that makes a difference. If it does make an improvement, try adding on item back at a time, until you lose something. Try getting the speakers off the shelf and further away from the wall....are they at ear-level when you're in your usually listening position, if not, get them there. Double check all the amplifier hookups and reset the amp's tone controls / equlization and start tweaking from scratch. There is a lot of things you can try before you start considering replacing any equipment.
lets go back to why you bought them in the first place....
What was it that led you to those particular speakers that is missing in your current system?
If you can describe in detail how they sounded in the store, and how they now sound in your room... it is possible we will be able to offer you some insight into the issue.
To quote George, there is a lot of things to consider before you start considering replacing any equipment. This may also be room interaction.
I am going to warn you now that most of us are not Bose fans and you may start seeing responses blaming the speakers themselves for the sound you are hearing. I am not going to deny that there are bettter speakers.
Bottom line is this....If you like them that is what matters.
and maximizing minimal speakers in a less than optimal room can yield some pretty good results with good electrics. If any one item is maximized without paying attention to others, average input means average results.