Bose® Lifestyle® V25 home entertainment system–Black
- 5-speaker surround sound system designed for use with your home entertainment components
- Guided setup and simplified use with easy-to-follow onscreen messages
- Full 3D compatibility with a simple software download, available from the Bose Product Support site.
- Includes AM/FM tuner, dock for iPod® or iPhone®, remote with LCD display
- Includes compact Direct/Reflecting® speakers
Price: $ 2,249.00
Tags: Bose Lifestyle V25
Bose® Lifestyle® V35 home entertainment system–Black
- 5-speaker surround sound system designed for use with your home entertainment components
- Guided setup and simplified use with easy-to-follow onscreen messages
- Full 3D compatibility with a simple software download, available from the Bose Product Support site.
- Includes AM/FM tuner, dock for iPod® or iPhone®, remote with LCD display
- Includes premium Jewel Cube® speakers
Price: $ 2,969.00
Tags: Bose Lifestyle V25
Bose Expansion Remote for Lifestyle V25/V35 System
- Controls any device connected to your Lifestyle V35 or V25 system
- Use with Bose link – compatible products to expand sound from your Lifestyle system to another room or outdoors
- Includes Party feature, which links all connected expansion products to the source playing on your Lifestyle system. Ideal when the same music is desired in multiple rooms.
- Works through most walls, floors and ceilings
Price: $ 88.95
Tags: Bose Lifestyle V25
This review is from: Bose® Lifestyle® V25 home entertainment system–Black (Electronics)
I just bought the V25 system last week. Here’s a rather long review with points to consider…The Good:
Setup is of the system is ridiculously simple – with guided instructions that show up on your TV and verify that you have everything connected correctly. Bose also includes a setup system called AdaptIQ that uses 2 microphones in place of speakers on a set of headphones (note: see “Bad” below). You wear them and sit in 5 different locations around your room while the system plays a series of test tones from each of the system speakers and the Acoutimass subwoofer. Then the system analyzes the readings and automatically sets up the system to match your particular room acoustics. It’s smart enough to know if you haven’t moved position between test tones, displaying on the screen “It doesn’t appear as though you have moved since the last test, please move to another position” (or a message to that effect).
The same intelligent design goes into their remote control unit. The system guides you through setting up the Bose remote control (very solid – almost seems like billet aluminum) to take over the functions of all your other remotes. Anyone can do this – Bose really has machine/human interface and usability down to a finely tuned science.
All speaker wires are color-coded and marked for polarity at both ends. They have RCA audio jacks on one end and solder-tinned bare wires on the other. Speaker connections are made without tools by pressing a button while inserting the wires into the clearly marked holes. The rear speaker wires are 50 feet long – easily long enough to allow drilling through the floor and running them across your basement ceiling to the exact location you need in your room (assuming you have a basement). I had the entire system setup in about 90 minutes – including running the wires as described.
It’s incredibly convenient to run every conceivable component, from Playstation, to iPod, to DVD, to Satellite or Cable TV, to Satellite radio, etc., all from the one Bose remote. When you press the “Source” button, a list appears on your TV that you can scroll through and the system switches to it. You have almost complete control of your iPod (I couldn’t get to the iPod setup menu via the remote). Song titles appear on your TV screen. If the source isn’t on or somehow got disconnected the system tells you how to fix it – right then and there. If your iPod is off, the system turns it on. It’s incredibly intuitive to use. Bose effectively re-wrote the book on designing for usability. The remote is a radio-frequency remote so it doesn’t need a line of sight to the unit and you can put the main unit in a cabinet or wherever. It works through walls. The remote also has a nice feature where you can temporarily turn on backlighting with the press of a button on the back, just above the battery cover (4 AA batteries, included). The only downside to the remote is that the buttons are a little too close together and the “Source” list disappears pretty quickly if you don’t select from it (about 2 seconds or so). That beats some systems where informational banners or messages stay on the screen so long that you miss whatever it is you’re watching (or worse, need to find the button in the dark to dismiss them).
The Ugly:
I lied. There is no ugly. The system is beautiful to look at, use and listen to. I gave it a 4 because of the contortions I had to go through to adjust it to my liking. I’ve since ordered the expansion kit and am going to try using the 901s in the living room (same room) only for my serious audio-only listening with the main 5.1 system turned off.
Updated: 12-Mar-2011
I’ve since bought the Bose expansion remote (RC-35S2) to use the 901s in the same room as a second set of speakers. This requires me to use a separate power amp for the 901s, but I had one anyway and am simply using it. Now when I want to crank up the music I simply turn on the 901s and can nearly shake the plaster from the walls. I can also use these with the V25 5.1 surround sound without any noticeable echo effect – so perhaps the Bose technical support guy has better ears than me – I simply can’t hear any echo. I’m all smiles these days and it’s like listening to all my old music for the first time. Good thing it’s winter and the windows are closed or I’d probably have the cops here.
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