Bose Wave Radio II

My ownership of a Bose Wave radio was quite accidental. I had read about it in numerous advertisements and played with it in stores. For the most part I was always impressed with its design, but couldn't help thinking to myself: "I'll never spend that much of my money on that thing." As luck would have it, I was given one as a gift from a relative for my entrance into medical school. This particular model was $300 and did not include the CD player. I have owned my Bose Wave Radio for some time now, and can give you my impressions:

EXTERIOR DESIGN:
First, the good stuff: the Wave Radio is composed of high quality materials. The plastic shell and padded control buttons feel substantial. Zenith has come out with a $100 challenger to this system, but it does not feel near as solid as the offering from Bose.
Outside of that, I have some qualms with the exterior design. For one, it is a little too big to be an alarm clock, yet a little small to be a major system. I have tried the Wave Radio in both settings, in neither of which it performed too well...

As an alarm clock, it took up my entire nightstand, which was admittedly small. Even if I was to leave size out of the picture, the buttons on top of the Wave Radio are far from obvious to navigate in the dark. They are flat, not lit, and have very few texture demarcations. The credit card sized remote control is equally nebulous to fumble around with in the dark. I did like how the Wave Radio has a light diode that makes the display brighter when the lights are on and dimmer when they're off. I also liked how the music volume increases slowly to gently rouse me from my slumber. But that was it! So, I moved the Wave Radio to my living room and replaced it with my old $10.99 GE alarm clock, which works much better.

In my living room, the Wave Radio pushes its weight a little better, but it is a mini-system after all and is hardly a replacement for my main system. It is possible to hook up a portable CD player or a 5-disc changer, making the Wave Radio pretty versatile.

I have finally concluded that the Wave Radio is much better suited for background noise somewhere tucked out of the way, as in during a cocktail party or the like. My latest setup? I've hooked it up to my computer and it fills the bill quite well. But... $300 for a computer sound system?

ACOUSTIC DESIGN:
There have been many dissenting opinions about the Wave Radio's acoustic performance, and I for one disagree. I feel that Bose connects on its promise of excellent sound quality for a mini-system. I think people have been expecting the performance of a huge audio system, which it never was advertised to be. The bass is impressive due to its ingenious 34" tube that is coiled inside the unit to channel airwaves for amplified bass response. If used in a small room (like my living room), the Wave Radio pumps out sound quite nicely, and it does indeed "fill the room" as advertised. I would like to see a Wave Radio that allows people to tweak the sound a little bit. Sometimes I find the sound a little too "boomy," as in when I listen to talk radio.

With all of the intelligent design that went into this system, I was disappointed with the AM/FM reception. I don't know if my problem is a solitary one, but I can't seem to get good FM reception, much less AM. I even special ordered the free antenna that comes to you free in the mail, but even that didn't help much.

SO, SHOULD YOU BUY IT?
I feel rather guilty dissuading you from buying a Wave Radio since I got mine for free, but I just can't see how this system is considered a smart purchase. For instance, I have seen systems with 3-disc changer carousels, dual tape decks, many more bells/whistles, and even surround sound speakers... for less the cost of my Wave Radio. I really think that Bose is onto something with their technology, but they fell short on two key elements: practicality and price.