REVIEWS / HOME THEATRE SYSTEMS / BOSE CORPORATION INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

The Bose Lifestyle 235 2.1 Home Theatre System

30 Mar, 2011, 9:17 am IST | by Siddharth Basrur | Home Theatre Systems

Home Theatre Systems

The Bose LS 235

The Bose LS 235
Tiny speakers, big sound
The dock allows you to play your favourite music
The inputs section at the back
More inputs with the menu buttons in the front
The rather large and heavy, but functional remote

PRICE IN INDIA

163,013

TECH2 RATING

7.0

AVERAGE USER RATING

8.0

How we test

CONTACT

Bose Corporation India Private Limited

 Customersupport@boseindia.com

 1800 11 2673

 www.Boseindia.com

It’s been a while since our friends from Bose came to set up the Lifestyle 235. I said I could do it myself, but they insisted on coming in and giving us a demo personally. Well, they did come in and I did check out the demo, but it’s taken a while for me to actually get this product reviewed as I was waiting for a nice TV to match it with. Well, finally, I had an LED TV from LG, so I got down to it. So here’s what I think of this luxury 2.1 system that emulates surround sound.

Tiny speakers, big sound

Tiny speakers, big sound

 


Design and Features
I had to actually set up the entire system from scratch, as it was taken apart when our AV room was getting cleaned. I found it really easy to do, and I didn’t even have to refer to the manual. The cables are all nice and thick, and the connectors fit in their sockets very easily.

The first thing I noticed was that the subwoofer is quite large and boxy and kind of reminds me of a server. Not the trendiest design, but the satellite speakers, called the Gemstone ES, actually make up for it quite well as they are nice and elegant. The speakers themselves are really small and perched on these cool looking pedestals. Then there’s also the main A/V receiver unit which looks pretty ordinary, but is definitely a lot sleeker than most of the regular units I’ve seen so far. Last but not least, Bose has also included an iPod Dock that can be hooked up to the Lifestyle 235.

The inputs section at the back

The inputs section at the back

 


Connectivity is not a problem where the LS 235 is concerned, as it has almost everything you could want. The back panel has three HDMI inputs and one output as well as component, composite and optical inputs among others. Of course, it also has a USB slot. The front panel also opens up to reveal more connections – an additional HDMI and USB input as well as a composite input section. The panel also has the menu buttons.

More inputs with the menu buttons in the front

More inputs with the menu buttons in the front

 


The remote for the LS 235 is quite massive. While some may see this as a negative, it doesn’t really bother me, even though it’s almost as big as my arm (I kid you not!). But it’s really solid, a bit heavy, although really easy to use. The best thing about the remote is that you can control other stuff with it as well, including the iPod connected to the iPod dock, a TV and the Blu-ray player.

The rather large and heavy, but functional remote

The rather large and heavy, but functional remote

 


Performance
The system is really easy to use. It took me no time to figure out exactly how to get started and soon enough, I was watching a movie on Blu-ray. I compared the quality of video by connecting the Blu-ray player directly to the TV as well, and I have to say that connecting it via the A/V receiver was the way to go. The audio quality is also brilliant, and the dialogues were crisp and cut through everything else well. Even the action sequences were brilliant, with the surround sound emulator working well to give the desired effect.

The dock allows you to play your favourite music

The dock allows you to play your favourite music

 


I also tried playing some music off of the iPod dock, and even this one’s really easy to operate. The only downside is that you have to operate it from the remote and lose control over your iPod or iPhone. However, it’s really easy to navigagte through your folders. It even played back videos from my iPhone, that’s definitely an added bonus. The LS 235 shines when it comes to playing music as well, and that was clear when I tried out various genres from Dubstep and Hip-Hop to Acoustic and Progressive Metal. It definitely sounds better with well-produced electronic music though.

Verdict
I really think this is a great system, but it is way too expensive at Rs. 1,63,013. A lot of people will definitely argue that there are plenty of proper 5.1 home theatre systems available for the same price or less. This is true, but this is a luxury product after all. I love almost everything about this home theatre system from its design to the way it reproduces audio and video.

The Bose LS 235

The Bose LS 235

 


Although I really do love this home theatre system, the price somehow does not feel justified. If you pump in just a little more money, you can just as easily pick up another system from Bose, the V25 5.1 Home Entertainment System for approximately Rs. 1,79,888.This one has similar features including the iPod dock. So that is something you should definitely think about.


Tags:

Bose LS 235 , Lifestyle 235 , Home Theatre System , 2.1 , Surround Sound , Full HD , 1080p

Would you buy it?




 


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Verdict
The ratings awarded to a product are derived from a number of tests and calculations, keeping certain important factors in mind. These factors consist of features, performance, quality and value for money. In case of software and some other categories, build quality might be replaced with ease of use or ease of installation. Products are compared with other products in a similar price range or product category.


Features
The features component of the score is rated based on the kind of features present on a particular product. Features are a big part of what people look for when they’re buying a new product such as a phone or a camera.

Performance
The performance score is derived from the benchmarks and tests run on the product. In case of the subjective scores, an average of the scores given by the group of reviewers is considered.

Build Quality
The build quality of a product is important so that it doesn’t fall apart after some use. The build quality scores from the way the product is designed and the kind of materials used in the product.

Value
Value for money comes from the fact that a cheap product is able to provide most of the performance of a higher priced product. Once again, value for money is judged by comparing pricing and performance of products in a particular price range or category. 

There are many other aspects of the product that are looked at such as the bundled software and accessories. All of these scores are aggregated together to form the final score.

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

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