Review 3 for Bose® Lifestyle® V30 Home Theater System - Black
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Top 50 Contributor
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My Ultimate System (part 2)
05/01/2008
By Blindspot
from Hagerstown, MD
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What's great about it: Ease Of Setup, Use, Great Sound, VERY Customizable
What's not so great: Not A Learning Remote, No HD Audio Support
"**DISCLAIMER** This review is going to be very similar to the review I wrote on the Lifestyle V20 because I have a set of Jewel Cube speakers hooked up to my V20, essentially making it a V30 instead.
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I purchased a Lifestyle35 several years ago and have been quite pleased with the simplicity and performance of the system. I'm quite familiar with the ins and outs of Bose's systems, and when Bose released their new V-series, I figured it was time for an upgrade. Since the LS35 uses the top-of-the-line Jewel Cube speakers (which are interchangable), I saved myself some money by picking up a V20 instead of the V30. Glad I did- it gave me a chance to put the two speaker packages head-to-head!
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The Jewel Cubes are much cleaner than the Acoustimass Speakers when it comes to music listening. With movies, they sound about the same (with the Jewels being marginally better), but music is definately where they make the biggest impact. The highs sound much brighter on the Jewel Cubes. The delicate detail found in classical music and even jazz is far more pronounced. Little things like triangles or the rake of fingers on guitar strings can be more readily picked out. During movies, it seemed like more of a volume difference than anything. The Jewel Cubes naturally put out more volume, but the clarity wasn't all that different. The most dramatic difference I heard was from DTS soundtracks- DTS doesn't use as much compression as compared to DolbyDigital, and the Jewels seemed to take advantage of this fact, if only a little.
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As far as ease of setup and use goes- Bose has it down to a science! While not as simple as the 321 I got for my parents, its mostly because of the increase of capabilities. Basically, the more wires you're willing to hook up, the more things you'll learn it can do! The system can perform things like automatically turn on your TV, expand to 14 other rooms, and even tune itself! The list goes on and on!
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The V30, like the other Lifestyle systems, includes an audio-calibration system called 'AdaptIQ.' Unlike other auto-setup mics found with conventional receivers, you wear this one on your head. Yes- its a set of STEREO mics so the system can listen to itself the way you're going to be listening to it! Not only that, but it takes measurements from FIVE seats in the room, as opposed to just one generalized location. I guess the idea is that it will adjust itself more accurately than a normal setup mic would? Whatever- I'm sold! I've had my system set up in no less than 5 different ways in 2 different rooms (thanks in part to an obsessive-compulsive roommate), and each time it sounds well tuned and balanced with no hassle at all!
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The entire customization process begins by going into the setup menus. Individual volume adjustments are available for each audio input, as are video aspect ratios (through HDMI). Programming the remote is a breeze- you simply go into the system settings menu and pick your device from the list (though a true learning remote would've been nice). I've now got a total of 9 things hooked up to my system thanks to a $30 auto-switcher I picked up at RadioShack. Ranging from a VCR to a Playstation3, everything integrates perfectly- and while the system does NOT support HD audio from Bluray movies, it all sounds PHENOMINAL nonetheless!
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Bottom line? Well, that depends on you! Most will argue that the system is too expensive- I say its a value when you look at the big picture! The abilities of this system reach FAR beyond your normal HTIB, and if how long my Lifestyle35 has lasted so far is any indication on Bose's build quality, I'm sure I will be enjoying this systems for YEARS to come! While I wish it had a few more HDMI inputs (only 2?) and HD audio support is curiously absent (perhaps because built on same amps/processors?), the Bose Lifestyle V30 is an excellent choice for those with HD on the mind, but don't want something unnecessarily complicated to bog the experience down. Pair this bad boy with a Playstation3 for its Bluray and music storage capabilities and you've got a winning combo on your hands for sure!"
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Would you recommend this product to a friend?:
Yes
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4 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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