I have a Bose Lifestyle 12 Series II system in a 17 x 25 room. I was wondering what others think of the Bose vs something like a Denon AVR3805 with a good set of surround speakers, or even the Onkyo HTS780 HTiB that I have read so many good things about. Just looking for suggestions. Thanks
That Denon unit paired with even mediocer speakers will outperform your Bose by leaps and bounds. If you have a vendor nearby listen to some Paradigm speakers, if not take up some of the internet direct manufacturers like Axiom, Aperion and Ascend on their 30 day money back guarantee and see how you like them.
Or, if you want a great receiver but don't want to spend an "arm and a leg" on speakers (although Bose qualifies for this distinction without problems), you can pair the Denon with a good set of CerwinVega!. - Reinhart