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Sep 18, 2007 02:47 PM
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At a press shindig high at Bose HQ in Framingham, MA, Dr. Bose and Co. unveiled a tiny PC speaker system. The Computer MusicMonitor, made up of two speakers, each about the size of a man's fist, is supposed to deliver a full range of audio, including lots of bass, without a subwoofer. The brief demo sounded good, though we will test them once they ship on October 4. Yes, it was big fanfare for some little speakers but as you might have guessed, they came with an appropriately sizable price: $399. I know how some of you feel about Bose, so I thought I'd break the news then share some of the technical description of the new speakers, so that you can discuss it using your own technical know-how.
As you probably saw in the gallery above, engineer Santiago Carvajal used some serious terminology to describe how a fair amount of bass comes from the little speakers, specifically "dual opposing internal passive radiators." What does it mean? The two radiators face each other and vibrate in opposite directions, as air is released from the two slender ports on the sides of each speaker. The miniaturization was also aided by neodymium transducers (found in most or all headphones these days) and Class-D switching amps, which are small enough to hide out on a circuit board in the bottom of the right speaker.
Bose didn't show off the outboard power supply (not sure what the deal was there) but we were told it was not very big. We will verify whether it is not very big by scale of whales or minnows, soon.
The speakers will also come with a remote control, and because they use a standard 3.5mm jack to connect to your PC, they can be used with your iPod or pretty much anything else with analog audio out.
When execs during the Q&A were asked if they take the common harsh criticism of the company personally, Bose president Bob Maresca responded: "I wouldn't sleep at night if I did. It's a form of flattery. People feel compelled to put us in our place. It's the price of success, I guess. We're focused on the technology and constant quest to improve things, so we don't let that get to us. How about you, Dr. Bose? Does it bother you?"
Dr. Bose looked up and said, "I don't even read it."
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