Bose AfD could use attention from experienced editors Options

[SnottyWong]

There's an AfD running currently that is attempting to delete about 10 articles, which I feel is being somewhat railroaded by inexperienced WP editors. I'm definitely not asking anyone to come and vote the way I want you to vote, but I feel that this AfD would be quickly resolved if it got the attention of a few experienced editors. If you're up to it, have a look:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Art...stereo_speakers

Thanks.

[A Horse With No Name]

There's an AfD running currently that is attempting to delete about 10 articles, which I feel is being somewhat railroaded by inexperienced WP editors. I'm definitely not asking anyone to come and vote the way I want you to vote, but I feel that this AfD would be quickly resolved if it got the attention of a few experienced editors. If you're up to it, have a look:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Art...stereo_speakers

Thanks.

The gig is up, Wong -- the RCMP came riding in to expose you as an unrepentant canvasser: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=322371127

[Somey]

The gig is up, Wong -- the RCMP came riding in to expose you as an unrepentant canvasser: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=322371127

The question is, will it have the reverse effect from what he intended...? (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/unsure.gif)

Personally, I would have to say that Bose speaker technology and design actually is innovative enough to deserve its own article (in addition to the one about the corporation), though maybe not separate articles for different models of speakers. Their headphone technology is supposed to be highly innovative too, but I have no personal knowledge of that (i.e., I haven't read anything about it in relevant audiophile publications - I just haven't been into that stuff much since my hearing started to deteriorate).

So it would seem reasonable to me to distill the eight articles down to two, three at the most. Merging is usually a good compromise in these situations, isn't it?

[CharlotteWebb]

Their headphone technology is supposed to be highly innovative too, but I have no personal knowledge of that (i.e., I haven't read anything about it in relevant audiophile publications - I just haven't been into that stuff much since my hearing started to deteriorate).

Yeah headphones are headphones to most people.

Of everyone here, I'm pretty sure EricBarbour would be the one to ask about this.

[EricBarbour]

Their headphone technology is supposed to be highly innovative too, but I have no personal knowledge of that (i.e., I haven't read anything about it in relevant audiophile publications - I just haven't been into that stuff much since my hearing started to deteriorate).

Of everyone here, I'm pretty sure EricBarbour would be the one to ask about this.

You rang?

Ooh, baby, I could rant for hours about Bose.
Audiophiles hate them, publications hate them, and even service technicians hate them.
That site is a good beginning summary.

Did you know that Bose was the first company to successfully sue, and win, against
Consumer Reports magazine for a negative review? Amar Bose (who, for your
information, is supposed to be a very arrogant and aggressive man) was trying
to market his sound systems to General Motors in 1971--he told them that Consumer
Reports (as well as various hi-fi magazines) had negatively reviewed the 901 speaker,
so they referred him to their favorite defamation lawyers, who specialized in silencing
criticism of consumer products.

The decision was overturned, but the pattern was set. One reason Bose can sell their
crummy, overpriced speakers and compact stereos is very simple: Bose can advertise
like hell, and not worry about being badly reviewed by any audio publication--
because they tend to find Bose products inferior and costly, but don't want to be
sued, so their solution is usually to not review Bose products at all.

Bose did psychoacoustics research, and discovered the little tricks to marketing
sound equipment to elderly people. Old folks usually have significant hearing loss above
5 kHz, so why bother putting tweeters of good quality in the speakers? Or any tweeters,
as in the 901? And old folks don't listen to music with a lot of bass, like rock or R&B, so
one can skimp on the subwoofer too. Plus, distortion up to 5% is acceptable, because
elderly ears have trouble detecting harmonic and especially intermod distortion. (This is
starting to change, as baby boomers replace the WWII generation. They tend to like rock
and not be fond of "elevator music". But Bose is already well-established, so
the company will be around for a long time.)

Major advertising conduits for Bose: magazines that cater to elderly people,
like Reader's Digest and AARP.

Plus, Bose uses the Buy American Act to sell specialized audio equipment to the
US government, especially the military. They are among the last audio manufacturers
to have "American made" labels on their products, even though all their parts and
major subassemblies are made overseas. Their speaker drivers have long been
notorious for low cost Chinese manufacturing and, shall we say, average quality.
Unlike JBL or Polk or other sound-reinforcement manufacturers still in the US,
Bose's managers spent the last 30 years making friends at the Pentagon.

(PS, don't be surprised if it turns out that Bose employees or marketing firms
employed by Bose are editing their WP articles.)

This post has been edited by EricBarbour:

[CharlotteWebb]

You rang?

Ooh, baby, I could rant for hours about Bose.

Yeah, I figured you'd have something to say about this.

As for myself, when I go to buy headphones it's because my last pair is broken or missing. So I generally look for the cheapest thing on the shelf of... well, y'all know where I shop.

Hell I can't tell the difference between the bit rates of my MP3 files. Or between Evian and the water from my kitchen faucet but I digress.

Anyway thanks for commenting on how much they suck (!) but I was really wondering whether you felt about the AFD, whether the products are "notable" enough for WP to write about, etc.