Secrets to Bose Sound Technology
By David Barth, written May 5, 2008
From a 55 page Bose Product Line catalog dated 1997.
The Bose system uses direct/reflected speaker technology so that a listener hears the same type of sound
produced in a live music in a concert hall. Concert hall sound is mostly reflected. Conventional speakers
produce direct sound.
The way Bose provides reflected sound is through the use of acoustic waveguides. Each stereo channel has a
front-facing direct speaker as well as a waveguide to route sound to the rear of the radio/player. The sound
coming from the rear of the unit is reflected off the wall behind it. The reflected sound adds to the direct
sound to provide a concert hall type of experience for the listeners in the room, regardless of their position
or proximity to the unit.
In addition to acoustic waveguides, Bose developed and patented the Acoustimass Speaker Technology to produce
clearer bass with greater range and no audible distortion. Instead of using the vibrating surface of a speaker
cone found in traditional speakers, the Bose system uses three acoustic compression chambers to project air
masses into the room. An acoustimass module can be hidden, out of sight, beneath or behind furniture.
Bose engineers worked for 14 years to develop this technology which, when introduced, earned the company's
research team the prestigious "Invention of the Year" award.