The differences and similarities between Onkyo and Bose
Today, we are at an age where the seemingly unstoppable surge of technology has improved life not only to be easier, but more also more enjoyable. One of these recent advancements, the audio equipment, has become an important component in almost all citizens’ homes – bringing a variety of audio and visual entertainment choices within easy reach. Still, even when it comes to audio equipment, the reputation and quality of the product is of great importance.
As of the moment, there are numerous audio equipment brands out there who claim to manufacture the best in the trade. Two well-known names competing with each other in producing quality microphones, amplifiers, CD players and surround sound are Onkyo and Bose. Let us try to examine each one and see if there is some truth in their claims.
Brief History
Onkyo corporation, as the name suggests, started in Japan, previous named: Osaka Denki Okyo in September, 1946. It was the original audio system provider that allowed consumers access to continuous playback automatically and speed dubbing.
Bose is a corporation founded on 1964 by a professor of electric engineering in Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Amar Gopal Bose. This came about, as several say, when Amar purchased a very high-priced audio equipment, but was disappointed to find out that it did not meet his expectations. So, with his electronic engineering background, he researched at great length about audio equipment. Later, with the motto “Better Sound Through Research,” he started his own company.
Contributions
Since a lot of different opinions exist as to the actual quality of these two brand names, knowing some of the companies’ contributions to the audio industry might help one to decide which one to choose.
Bose’s founder, Amar, was a pioneer in the research of psychoacoustics: a human being’s perception of sound. Through this, the company offers a unique technology they call the acoustic wave guide – a speaker technology that provides a solution to one of the major audio equipment problems by offering full sound quality in a compact and significantly simpler system compared to its competitors.
Still, it was Onkyo that started a revolution in the trade of sound when they created, and made available for the public, CD players capable of optical data transfer. This player was called Onyo C700 and was released in the 1980s.
Upside and Downside
An edge of Bose products is their consistent quality that has been more or less preserved ever since the company started. This could very well be one of the contributing factors to why Bose is the more popular of the two, worldwide, despite being the younger company. Onkyo, however, although some complain that their products are of lower quality, has proven itself through time by creating outstanding products and by being one of those who revolutionized the industry.
Bose also, is not free of complaints. Overpricing for one, and having parts that are cheap in comparison to the price of the finished product. Another of its downfalls is that most of its audio equipment appears to be too user-friendly and mediocre, lacking configurations and settings to enable those who want their systems at their fullest. Onkyo, however, offers all these, enabling experts to modify and configure their systems to their heart’s desire. Plus, Onkyo comes at a considerably lower price.
So, which one is the better system for your home? That is for you to decide.