Better Living Through Curiosity: Bose 101

Better Living Through Curiosity: Bose 101

November 4, 2004

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Music Venues Go Virtual

1994 Bose's Auditioner audio demonstrator lets architects experience how an audio system will sound in a building before the first brick is laid. Blueprints are fed into a software program that sends instructions to speakers in a testing room. Listeners can sample sound from any seat in the house.Bose

Captain, We've Got a Pro

1989 On a transatlantic flight, Bose is disappointed by the headphones he's given--music is muffled by cabin noise and gets distorted when he turns up the volume. After a decade of research, he introduces the Acoustic Noise Cancelling headset. An embedded microphone monitors ambient noise, and an equalizer cancels it out. Originally designed for pilots, a consumer model is now available.Bose

Smooth Operator

2004 Veering into new territory, Bose introduces a new automotive suspension system that uses electromagnetic motors instead of springs or hydraulics. Sensors monitor the car body as it hits bumps and potholes, sending signals to a controller. At the controller's command, each motor expands and contracts to balance motion between the wheel and the body of the car.Bose

Whumping the Woofer

1972 Bose notices that musicians are using 901s onstage. To help them maximize sound quality, he develops the Pro loudspeaker, which uses one driver and an equalizer instead of woofers and tweeters. 1975 Bose downsizes the 901 to create the 301 system. Slightly bigger than a breadbox, the 301 quickly becomes one of the world's best-selling speakers. It is the first to make use of Bose's Syncom software, which compares the sound from each new speaker to the ideal sound predicted by a computer model.Bose

Stereos Get Smart

2004 Bose's Lifestyle 48 home theater system with uMusic intelligent playback stores hundreds of CDs on a hard drive and monitors what the user listens to and skips. After learning those preferences, uMusic creates individually tailored playlists.Bose

The Wave Catches On

1984 The briefcase-size Acoustic Wave music system bellows rich bass by using a seven-foot internal tube to amplify sound. The hugely successful, toaster-size Wave Radio debuts a decade later.Bose

Sounds Like a Good Idea

1968 Bose Corp. launches its first successful consumer product: the 901 speaker. The nine drivers send sound waves bouncing off the walls and ceiling, mimicking a live concert.Bose

Old Films with New Frequency

1999 Bose Videostage 5 decoding circuitry enhances old VHS tapes with DVD-quality surround sound. Available in Lifestyle home theater systems, the software splits single-channel sound into the frequencies best suited to each speaker.Bose

Taking It on the Road

1982 Bose develops his first audio system custom-designed for a car, GM's 1983 Cadillac Seville. Today the company is a leading manufacturer of car audio systems. By accounting for details such as the amount of cargo space and the contours of seats, today's Bose systems are able to produce the richest sound for a particular vehicle's interior.Bose

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