Bose vs Definitive Technology: Which Brand Is Better?

Last Updated on January 4, 2023 by Norvan Martin

The audio industry has continued to evolve with increased research in sound engineering. Bose and Definitive Technology have both contributed to this development to deliver some of the best devices on the market. If you are choosing between Bose vs Definitive Technology speakers, read our review of both. 

Bose is a very popular speaker brand that makes some of the best noise-canceling headphones and Bluetooth speakers with good customer support. However, their home theater devices are overpriced. Definitive Technology produces small speakers and home theater devices as well and they are often more affordable options with comparable or even better features. 

Let’s read on to learn more about Bose vs Definitive Technology.

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Bose Corporation History

Founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar G. Bose, an electrical engineer, and professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bose corporation manufactures home theater systems and loudspeakers for vehicles, professional venues, and home use.

In addition, Bose makes noise-reduction headsets for consumer use and aviation. Amar Bose donated his stake in the corporation to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in April 2021. The university will however not have any role in the company.

Model 2201 was the Bose’s very first loudspeaker dispersed 22 small mid-range speakers over an eighth of a sphere.

This speaker model was designed for placement within the corner of a room in order to increase the size of the room through sound reflections off the wall. An electronic equalizer was used to flatten the frequency spectrum of the speaker system, the listening tests were however more disappointing.

Which Is The Best Bose Speaker To Buy?

Bose speakers are built with versatile designs to deliver powerful performance for all music, movies, and TV, whether at home or on the go.

Some of the best Bose speakers are:

• Bose SoundLink Resolve: This is a Splashproof Bluetooth speaker with refined performance and bright, bold dynamic 360-degree sound with its cylindrical design. It is water-resistant and has an internal 12-hour battery offering a superb outdoor experience. Besides, the speaker has a pressure trap that helps reduce sound distortion.
• Bose SoundTouch 10: This is a multi-room speaker that offers big, clear sound with its smart, compact design.
• Bose SoundLink Mini II: This is a palm-sized Bluetooth speaker. it offers a full-bodied sound and weighty bass.
• Bose SoundTouch 30 series III: With a decent low-end authority, this speaker offers a good sense of timing with a powerful, spacious presentation.
• Bose SoundLink Colour: With a relatively large presentation and portable design, this speaker works well with vocals and voice prompts.
• Bose SoundTouch 20 series III: The speaker is impressive and a multi-room potential.
• Bose Home Speaker 300: Voice-enabled through Alexa and Google Assistant. It delivers a big, weighty sound and goes loud without hardening.

In addition, here is a roundup of the top 3 Bose speakers on the market. In addition, one of Bose’s home theater systems falls in the affordable bracket (under $1000), check it out here. 

Bose Music App

With the Bose Music App, just say it to play it. This app makes your streaming and musical experience amazing by making it much easier to acquire and play music with your Boss speakers.

You only need to have your soundbar or speaker connected to the Wi-Fi to set up the application.

Let’s look at some of the features you get from this intuitive music app.

· Total Control

Once you have the connection set up, you can stream any music, podcast, radio station, or audiobook, or even get weather, set timers, send messages, and control smart home accessories among other amazing things with simple voice commands.

Also, the app allows you to group together all the Bose speakers at home for a much better audio experience. You can therefore listen to one song in every room, or have different songs playing in every speaker in the different rooms.

· Easy Streaming

The Bose app brings the power to stream music to your hands. With a Wi-Fi connection, you can therefore play music from Amazon Music, Spotify, and Deezer on your soundbar or Bose smart speaker. Also, Apple users can utilize Apple AirPlay 2 to stream and play music from their devices.

History of Definitive Technology

Definitive Technology, also known as Def Tech, is an American private corporation.  Founded in 1990 by Sandy Gross, Ed Blaise, and Don Givogue, the company is based in Vista, California.

As a sound tech company, Def Tech builds and sells soundbars, floor speakers, home theater audio systems, wireless home audio, and headphones.

How Has Definitive Technology Evolved?

The very first products produced by the company were monolithic bipolar speaker towers.

In 2004, Definitive Technology was acquired by Directed Electronics, a company that had been founded by Congressman Darrel Issa. Besides, Directed Electronics also purchased and acquired Polk Audio, a company that had been co-founded by Sandy Gross. It then specialized in the production of radar detectors and car alarms under Sandy Gross as the President.

Sandy Gross then left the company and in 2010, he introduced a third company – Golden Ear Technology. This company was completely different from DEI and Sound United.

In 2008, Directed Electronics became DEI holdings after internal restructuring, and combined Definitive Technology, Polk, and the Boom movement brands in 2013 to become Sound United.

The company released its W7 speaker in April 2015. This speaker supported Play-Fi wireless protocol for multi-room audio.

In May of that year, Sound United’s parent company made an announcement of the deal with Aqipa for the distribution of Definitive Technology together with other brands from Sound United in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.

Best Definitive Technology Speakers

Let’s begin by looking at Definitive Technology’s distinctive approach to the unique features and speaker design.

· Bipole Approach And Its Advantages

The Definitive’s bipolar speakers have drivers both in the rear and front of the speaker. The drivers radiate sound in phase to both directions to create a huge, deep sound stage superior to what traditional, direct-radiating speakers can afford.

Bipolar speakers do not however have the ability to achieve pin-point imaging of direct-radiating speakers. And, you will still have to put the speakers at least 6 inches off the wall for better sound performance.

· No Need For External Subwoofers

Definitive Technology speakers are built with internal Class D amplifiers. This helps with the delivery of smoother, consistent bass across the room. Besides, the multiple subwoofers in Definitive Technology speakers help eliminate nulls in sound delivery.

Which Is The Best Definitive Technology Speaker To Buy?

Some of the best Definitive Technology speakers in the lineup include:

• BP9080x: This 52-inch-tall tower speaker features two 12-inch bass radiators, a 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter, and a single 12-inch subwoofer that is driven by a 455-watt Class D amp.
• BP9060: This is a much smaller version of the BP9080x. It has a 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter, two 10-inch bass radiators, two 4.5-inch Class D amps, and a 10-inch subwoofer that is driven by a 300-watt Class D amp.
• A90 Atmos-enabled Speaker: This is an upgrade to the old A60 Atmos-enabled speaker. It has a 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter and a 4.5-inch midrange driver.
• CS9060 Center Channel: The speaker supports a frequency response between 32Hz – $0kHz and the 1-inch dome aluminum tweeter is bordered by an 8-inch powered subwoofer and two 4.5-inch bass-mid woofers. It is however not bi-polar and does not have rear drivers.

Definitive Technology has also made out list of the best home theater systems under $1000, you can check it out here. 

Bose Vs Definitive Technology Sound Quality

Definitive Technology speakers generally sound far more full and detailed than the Bose speakers. In general, Bose speakers don’t have clearly defined highs and lows. 

Why do Def Tech speakers sound more full? Well, let’s take the ProMonitors for example. This speaker has far more driver surface area than any comparable Bose speaker.

This enables the device to produce the full mid/low range frequencies. In addition, they have separate metal tweeters for clear detailed high frequencies.

To add more to that, these speakers have passive radiators which supply more bass and help to create a nice full-range sound that fills a room.

Having said all of that, it’s a great idea to still try and listen to your comparable speaker side by side to make your own judgment. 

Bose Vs Definitive Technology Subwoofers

Def Techs builds excellent subwoofers. Their main advantage over Bose is that they are much smaller in size.

They have a subwoofer line called Definitive Technology SuperCube that delivers clean, precise, bass frequencies. The fact is, you simply can’t get that with the  5.25” drivers subwoofers that Bose offers.

Bose Vs Definitive Technology Flexibility

Definitive Technology is also very flexible in what its devices allow you to do. For example, you can pair large ProMonitor 1000 speakers with a small SuperCube 2000 Subwoofer. On the other hand, you can add a larger SuperCube 4000/6000/8000 subwoofer if you wish.

On the other hand, Bose is generally not thought to be compatible with other devices. Of course, they have their own subwoofers for example. However, it’s hard to make a Bose speaker work with other receivers for example. 

Bose Vs Definitive Technology Pricing

As far as home theater devices are concerned, Bose is overpriced, that’s a fact. They spend a lot of money on marketing and that shows in their pricing. Definitive Technology offers a better home theater process for a more affordable price.

Is Definitive Technology a Good Brand?

Definitive Technology is one of the premium speaker brands in the US. It’s a global leader in high-performance home theater. For most users, no other company manufactures speakers and products of the same quality.

Is Bose Really Better?

Most audiophiles think that Bose pays more attention to marketing their products than manufacturing high-end products.

Like portable Bluetooth speakers, some of its products are better than others in the consumer electronics market. So, before you choose to purchase a Bose product, you should remember that some Definitive Technology products could be much better.

Bose Vs Definitive Technology Which Is Better?

As far as home theater devices are concerned, Definitive Technology offers better value than Bose., Their devices are less expensive and offer more features, more flexibility, and better sound quality. having said that, Bose is an excellent choice for headphones.