Bringing Great Sound to the World
Bose
In The
1990s
Bringing Great Sound to the World
How pioneering technology and innovative marketing shaped an industry.
The rise of the internet ushered in a radical new era of communication, entertainment, and business. Nirvana, Titanic, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, AOL, and 3D graphics boomed in a decade where high-quality technology became more widely available. Everyone had a pager, could listen to music on a Walkman, took care of a Tamagotchi, and received electronic mail. This fundamentally changed the way businesses and consumers communicate and experience sound — and Bose was one of the companies leading the change.
Assembling a team of physicists, chemists and materials scientists, Bose conducts several years of experiments in an attempt to prove or disprove cold fusion. The research exposes a flaw in the original research and precisely accounts for the erroneously reported excess energy effect in cold fusion theory.
1992
Bose Goes to Space
The 1992 Space Shuttle Endeavor features a brand new audio communications system with Bose speakers that allows the astronauts to listen to ground control and hear each other during spacewalk and satellite repair activities.
Expanding into Luxury Auto
The Mercedes Benz SL becomes the first luxury automotive to use Acoustimass speaker technology.
1993
Introduction of the Wave Radio
Bose-patented acoustic waveguide speaker technology is reintroduced in a small tabletop music system — the Wave radio. It redefines the concept of a radio by delivering rich, deep sound not previously heard from such a small unit. The Wave radio goes on to become a product and huge commercial success.
“When the Acoustic Wave radio was being designed, there were some people at Bose who were hoping it would fail in research, so they wouldn’t have to sell this $300+ radio. Now, here was a product that was better than anything else, but it was smaller and more expensive, and that put fear in them. ‘How can I sell something smaller for more money?’ ‘It doesn’t look like any other radio!’ Whenever something is totally different, you need the courage to imagine what the possibilities can be. Then you have to share that vision with the customer.”
Dr. Amar Bose
Founder, Bose Corporation
Bringing Bose to the People
Bose launches its first-ever retail store in Kittery, Maine. The opening of this store revolutionized direct-to-consumer marketing by leveraging the power of demonstration. Because Bose products are different (and much better), it was vital that consumers experience the quality first hand.
Acoustic Waveguide Enters Auto
A Bose sound system is included in the 1994 Mazda RX-7, the first time Bose is used in a Mazda vehicle. It’s also the first vehicle to use Bose Acoustic Waveguide technology based on Bose home entertainment products. Acoustic Waveguide technology enables a richer bass sound in the vehicle cabin without requiring large system components.
Partnership with the U.S. Army
Bose is the first company to supply Active Noise Reducing systems to the United States Army to protect soldiers’ hearing and enable them to communicate in noisy, mission-critical conditions.
1994
The Lifestyle 12
Bose releases the Lifestyle 12, an advanced home entertainment system that combines a sleek design with impressive performance. The entire system is manufactured by Bose in order to maintain the quality and simplicity of the system, differentiating the product from other competitors in the space.
Auditioner Audio Demonstrator
Bose announces a new technology and tool that allows acoustical engineers and their clients to hear the sound a listener will experience in any particular seat in a venue – before the building is even built or any sound equipment is installed. This technology is used in thousands of projects including the Sistine Chapel, Mecca, Olympic Venues, and thousands of other buildings use it to design their sound systems.
1997
Bose and Corvette
The Bose Nd woofer makes its automotive debut in the Chevrolet Corvette.
1998
A New Level of In-Vehicle Listening
Audiopilot technology is introduced in the Cadillac Seville STS. This revolutionary noise compensation circuit technology monitors and adjusts the music signal in response to vehicle speed and external noise.
Aviation Headsets Get Smaller, Lighter, Better
The Aviation Headset X is introduced, offering significant advancements in noise reduction and comfort for pilots. The Aviation Headset X utilizes groundbreaking triport technology, allowing for a smaller, lighter headset that provides a level of noise reduction comparable to larger models. The Aviation Headset X dominates the category, and Bose is voted the Number 1 headset manufacturer by Professional Pilot magazine for nine consecutive years.
1999
Noise Cancelling Takes Flight
Bose partners with American Airlines to bring the first-ever noise cancelling headphones to consumers as an in-flight experience. While initially only available to first and business class flyers, the response is so overwhelmingly positive that Bose takes a gamble and decides to start selling these headphones directly to the consumer.
