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Bose Lifetstyle 28 DVD Home Theater System

This theater system is actually quite a bit less than the Lifestyle 35 that we were originally wanting. It was $3,000 where the Lifestyle 28 only cost us $2400. Six hundred bucks isn’t anything to sneeze at and it allowed us to put that toward a plazma tv that we won’t actually have for a good 3 or 4 months yet. We wouldn’t be able to afford this had we not sold a portion of our land to our neighbors for their cattle to graze.

I, as a few of you know, am a large fan of Bose. It all began with my Bose Wave CD/Radio system and after two more of those and a Bose stereo system, we have found ourselves with yet another Bose product. Paul Harvey and I couldn’t agree more about the quality and workmanship that goes into every Bose product.

In my previous reviews, I told the Bose history and other key aspects of the company, so I will dispense with that in this review. You can find this info if you refer back to my review of the Bose Wave Radio/CD review located at: http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-1C38-AA54989-39C0F10F-prod1 and read the second paragraph down.

I started this review about a three weeks ago and would have finished it by now but wanted to use the system for a decent period of time so that I could accurately review it. I am glad that I did too because I had something hooked up wrong and was not getting the full effect of sound. Now I am and have a five star review to write.

Okay, enough chit chat. The most attractive feature that causes most folks to long for a Bose product is their ability to produce a sound that makes you feel as though a concert or other event is being performed right in your home. This system is no exception. I have yet to be disappointed in any way.

The Bose Lifestyle 28 has a feature that the other home theater systems they design do not have. It has an integrated media center. What this allows the user to do is to play CD, DVD, MP3 and others electronics as well. Bose has an optional powered expansion speakers (that I do not have) that will allow you to play two different audios in different rooms at the same time. Cool! The expansion speakers cost about $300 dollars. I may have to have these at a later date as I feel that owning them would prove to be more economical than having a different system in each bedroom.

When we finally got it set up and had the chance to sit down and watch a movie, I was in nothing short of awe. We put in Dantes Peak and I am here to tell you, the sound effects were spectacular! Almost to the point of scary. I could not have been any happier about a purchase than I was then and still am. It was like watching/hearing that movie the first time. And the Matrix! Oh my! You can’t even imagine.

What came in the package:

Speakers: There are five tiny but powerful Direct/Reflecting cube style speakers. With the brackets that are included with the speakers, you can mount them anywhere you would like. We have them in the corners of our ceiling all around our living room. There were just enough of them too. Five speakers for five corners. We have a couple of them positioned so that they are nearly facing the wall. The sound bounces off the wall and causes you to feel a sensation of not being quite sure where the sound is coming from. The entire room is filled with realistic, as if your where there, sound.

The wall brackets that do not come with the cube speakers but sold as an option are neat. The mount is about the size of one speaker and an arm extends out from them and that arm holds the speaker. These are set on a hinge like things that allow you to swivel your speakers in any direction you choose. They are made of cast zinc. The speakers measure: 6¼” x 3″ x 4″. Very small and handsome. The brackets are sold separately and cost about $25 dollars each. You may also purchase floor stands for these cubes but I am not sure what they cost. Seems like it was somewhere around $75 to $100 dollars a pair. Too much for my pocketbook. You can purchase additional cube speakers. They are sold in pairs and cost about $250. dollars per.

Acoustimass Module: This is just a Bose name for subwoofer but when comparing quality against other manufacturers of subwoofers, I have decided that Bose deserves to have a unique name for a unique speaker. The compact size of this module (16 1/8″ x 25″ x 8 1/8″) allows for concealment. We have ours behind a bookcase. The purpose for this is to give the effect of all sound coming from the cubes. And it does.

To quote Bose, the Acoustimass module is designed to deliver clarity of bass reproduction down to the lowest frequencies, even when you have it cranked up extremely loud. Due to the colossal airflow capabilities the design allows for the most natural sound which of course, makes you believe all the sound is coming from the cubes. My husband’s brother’s system doesn’t do this. His is Sony.

The remote: This small, slim, but highly functional remote is easy to hold and easy to use. I have misplaced this thing more times than I have the even tinier remote that come with the Wave Radio/CD player. This one is average in length compared to others but slim and attractive. It has basic features that operate all aspects of the system. Nothing spectacular to talk about here. It measures about six inches long and about 2.5 inches wide. This is an advanced radio frequency (RF) remote, infrared (IR) control and TV power sensing, and works with the universal radio frequency remote for control integration of most video equipment. (This statement was taken and quoted from Bose and not my own). Something sort of neat is how strong the frequency is on this remote. I can operate the media center from the next room. Wow!

The Media Center: I saved the most complicated for last except for the CD that you will find with your package that will take you through some sound tests by using different types of music. The media center is small and attractive. Measuring only 3¾” x 15¾” x 11½”, you can fit this in just about anywhere you have a slot for electronics. 3¾” high is not very big is it? Don’t let this fool you into thinking any quality has suffered from the small size. Quite the opposite. The size reminds me of a clock radio that I once had, but Bose describes it as being slightly larger than a notebook computer. This is accurate.

The system has 5.1 decoding that allows the listener to experience sound from five channels. This gives you the effect of feeling sound is encircling you from every direction and this is the effect you have no matter what you are listening to, be it, DVD, video, CD, or cassette. I read that this holds true even if your tv is an old set and does not have base capabilities. Something that I have noticed is the fact that you don’t have the problem of highs and lows. You know when you are sitting there and have finally focused in on the quiet parts of the movie only to have a sudden rush of loudness from a certain special effects or highlighted moments in a movie. This system manages to equal everything out and even allows for a comfortable listening level late at night when everything seems to be at its most sensitive when sound is heard.

The media center is equipped with a CD CD-R/RW, Digital 5.1 player, MP3 on CD and DVD, and the integrated DVD and am/fm tuner. The center is sleek and pretty to look at. Easy to operate as most of what you will do is from the remote.

The center has a front type door that opens to display the controls and CD tray. The controls on the inside include, on/off button, source, volume controls, erase, enter, and your open and close button for the tray.

The display window is attractive showing blue digits. What you will find showing on the display is: the sleep mode, zones, FM stereo, if in use, your settings when adjusting or loading/unloading, shuffle, repeat, and the remotes sensor light shows for a second or two when it is receiving a command from the remote.

Setup: Setting up the Bose Lifestyle 28 DVD Home Theater System was nearly as easy as the Wave Radio/CD was. The only item that I hooked up to it other than that that came with it, was my vcr and dish. Everything input is clearly marked, so there should be no confusion when deciding what goes where. The speakers were the trickiest. I had to go to Wal-Mart and pick up a bit of extra speaker wire. The hardest part will be mounting those and running the speaker wire. Other than that, it’s simplicity at its finest. You should have no problem what so ever.

Warranty: (as quoted from Bose user manual)

What is covered:

All parts defective in material and workmanship(excluding headset ear cushions).

For how long:

At least one year from the purchase date, or longer if specified in your owner’s guide or manual, but not longer than five years from the purchase date.

What they will do:

We will, at our sole option, repair or replace any defective parts free of charge.

What they will not do:

Pay shipping or transportation charges from you to us.

My final thoughts are that Bose is, in my opinion, a far superior product than most if not all. I highly recommend this Bose Lifestyle 28 DVD Home Theater System as I would with any other product you may consider from Bose. I have been extremely satisfied in the past and now and I suspect this will not be my last Bose purchase. I just have to recover financially from this one. (grin)

If you have never tried a Bose product, then you are missing out and at the very least, find someone who owns one of their products or find a retailer that deals in Bose and take a listen to what you’ve been missing. I couldn’t recommend them any higher.

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