I have heard a demo of some Bose equipment with their Videostage 5 circuitry which decodes even a mono signal into 5 channel surround sound and I liked it.
However the stuff is a bit on the pricey side - do any other companies offer a similar type of decoding so you can listen to full surround sound from sources not broadcast in Dolby Digital?

PS I'm a bit new to all this!

 

There are various bits of kit around, I've seen TV's that emulate surround sound with only front speakers, various amps which have mood settings etc.

However, they never sound as good as the real thing.......

I'm running some Bose AM15's and they do sound good for the size though !

 

You can't get genuine 5 channel surround from a plain mono signal, the data just isn't there. You can just add "ambience" reverb and echo, to simulate eg a concert hall. From a stereo source, you can generate other channels, using Dolby por-logic or similar techniques. This will never be as effective as true 5 channel Dolby digital, where all the channels are discretely encoded.

Having said that, I agree that I have heard some very impressive Bose kit over the years. You can get other surround sound amplifiers or receivers that will do Dolby Digital, DTS (another discrete encoded 5 channel, better than Dolby IMHO), Dolby pro-logic and other effects. People such as Yamaha and Sony are the biggest, but check out any hi-fi/home cinema mag and you'll find systems. You might have to build them up - buy an amp and then separately get the speakers - but you can get some very nice stuff for fairly sensible money.

 

I nearly got a Bose Surround system. When you do a search on the web loads of egg heads slag it off due to it 'possibly' having some sonic limitations. I used it at a mates house for a few days and it sounded very good, in the end I went for separate speaker setup with Sony AV amp but due to price and not really anything else. Its well built gear and its got a High wife acceptance factor due to its small elegant size ....I would however still seriously consider one even now as it looks MUCH better than my Heinz 57 variety setup.

Cheers
Cammy

 

If you want the "surround sound" effect off non 5.1 sources then you need an A/V amp with Dolby Pro-logic 2.I watched Star Wars the other week on ITV and the effects were really good.My old vidoes sound good too.

Personally, i think although Bose sound quite good,they are very overpriced.You can get a lot better sound for a lot less money.

 

As mentioned, the effects in films just cannot be de-coded from a mono signal. All that can be done is to add a bit of depth.

Imagine the most basic effect - a car goes across the picture from left to right - the sound do likewise - you just can't get that out of a mono signal.

It just gets more complicated as you add more speakers, but the fundamentals remain the same....

Agree that Bose is expensive, but overpriced is an opinion ! Ultimately it does not sound as big speakers, but for the size there is nothing else that comes close IMHO.

 

I have a basic Bose set-up and I couldn't find anything that sounded as good for the money or the size. Still very happy with my system, although when money pemits I'll be swapping for a good valve amp and electrostatic speakers.

 

Ive seen loads of techheads slate Bose on various newsgroups and forums but Ive heard them a few times and it sounds pretty darn sweet to me. I say trust your own ears and if you like how it sounds then ignore anyone else and go for it.

 

Intersting comments - I suppose the thing is if I am going to shell out a lot of money I want the system to be as versatile as possible and sound cool if listening to audio CD or watching a video too. As far as I know it is only DVD and certain digital TV which is broadcast in proper Dolby 5.1

The Bose demo played an old Frank Sinnatra record which was in mono (or do I mean analogue) and sounded crap and made it "fill" the room with that Videostage 5 thing and the sound was dramatically improved. Is this basically the effect you would get from Dolby pro-logic or is it something better and worth extra dosh?

 

It is the effect you would get with most prologic amps. They usually have a number of different effects like Concert Hall or Jazz which do similar things. They are getting like washing machines (loads of settings and you only use 1 or 2). However, what you would still miss is the intentional stuff that is encoded to come out of a specific speaker.

So I guess it's better than nothing, good for music, but still questionable for films.

 

Boost...your best bet is to visit a few independant hi-fi shops.....take some CD's and DVD's along and just have a listen.
Unless space is very important,i wouldnt buy a Bose setup myself.As i said earlier,you can get a better setup for less money.