When we reviewed the original Bose VideoWave Entertainment System back in 2011, we were blown away by its amazing Wave Tunnel sound system and its outstanding video performance. We were less impressed with its $5,000+ price and lack of networking capabilities, but neither gripe prevented us from giving it an Editors' Choice award. With the new VideoWave II Entertainment System, the folks at Bose took the unique 16-speaker subsystem and audio processing technology and paired it with a crisp 55-inch Samsung LCD panel with LED backlighting. The company also hung a hefty $5,999 (list) price tag on it. Black levels are not quite as dark as they were the first time around, and there's still no Web connectivity, but the VideoWave II merits our Editors' Choice for high-end big-screen HDTVs nevertheless. It's literally the best sounding TV you can buy, and one where you don't need a separate home theater speaker system.
Editors' Note: This review is based on tests performed on the 55-inch version of the Bose VideoWave Entertainment System II. Besides the screen-size difference, the $4,999.99 46-inch version is identical in features, and while we didn't perform lab tests on this specific model, we expect similar performance.
Design and Features
Design-wise, the VideoWave II looks almost identical to its predecessor. The original model used CCFL backlighting and had a 6-inch deep cabinet that weighed in at an astounding 99 pounds (for the 46-inch model). This time around the VideoWave II is outfitted with LED backlighting and is slightly thinner, but at 5.5 inches and 118 pounds it is far from svelte. That's because in addition to a 55-inch, 1,920-by-1,080 panel, the cabinet houses an intricate internal speaker configuration consisting of six woofers, 10 tweeters, a Wave Tunnel, and a signal processing unit. The screen includes a semi-gloss coating that keeps glare and reflections to a minimum.
The matte black cabinet sports 1.5-inch black bezels and a band of silver trim around its perimeter. There are no buttons or I/O ports on the cabinet, only a power cord and a proprietary cable that connects the TV to the included console box. The console is also matte black with silver trim and measures 3.1 by 16.5 by 9.5 (HWD) inches. It holds all of the VideoWave's ports, including four HDMI inputs (one is on the front), two component A/V inputs, a composite A/V input, two USB ports (one on the front), and a headphone jack. As with the original model, the VideoWave II comes with an iPod/iPhone dock, although you'll need Apple's $29 Lightning-to-30-pin Adapter if you have one of the latest iPod touch or iPhone models. (iPads are not supported.)
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The 5.5-inch click pad remote is pretty much identical to the original remote with one exception: The top now sports a silver finish. There are only eight buttons (Power, Volume Up/Down, Channel Up/Down, Mute, Input, and Return), plus a four-way rocker that sits in the middle of a touch-sensitive click pad. The Control Frame user interface hasn't changed much, either; you use the click pad to navigate the icons that are displayed around the perimeter of the screen. You'll have to spend a little time with the remote to get the hang of it, but once you do you'll appreciate the sheer simplicity of the on-screen menus. This time around the folks at Bose made the Control Frame user-customizable, so you can remove rarely used control icons and replace them with your own frequently used controls. The Control Frame changes according to the device being accessed; the TV gets its own menu icons, as do Blu-ray players, iPods, and iPhones.
Picture settings include three display modes (Bright, Normal, and Dark). Bose calibrates each set at its facility and intentionally makes it difficult to drill down to more specific controls to prevent accidental changes. By pressing and holding the OK button on the remote you can adjust brightness, contrast, color, tint, sharpness, and color temperature levels. More advanced settings can be accessed by pressing OK again, including gamma levels, RGB gain and cut settings, and Motion Smoothing (a new addition this time around).
When you buy the VideoWave II, you also get the Bose White Glove treatment, which includes delivery and setup of your HDTV. The company will hook the set up to your existing A/V components, configure the audio to your specific room using proprietary ADAPTiQ calibration system (which you keep for future use, in case you move the set later), program your remote, and give you a complete product tour. For an additional $250, Bose will professionally wall mount the TV and hide whatever cabling is needed. The VideoWave II is covered by a two-year warranty.
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