Bose products are kind of like Toyota Prius. It is a car for people who do not like driving. Except that Bose products are much more overpriced than Prius.
I'd compare Bose to a full-size sedan, something like a Toyota Avalon. Toyota designed the Avalon to provide a smooth and calm ride in a luxurious package. So the Avalon's suspension/steering/engine are all tuned for a smooth ride, which is the exact opposite of what car enthusiasts want. An active driver would be happier with a BMW or a Subaru. But if my grandparents drove a Subaru WRX, they'd hate the same qualities that make it enjoyable to the enthusiast.
Bose actively processes the input, which does improve the sound quality to the casual listener. It's exactly what those kind of listeners want. Audiophiles want exact reproduction of the original source, so it's not a good choice for their preferences. But by dissing Bose, audiophiles are doing a disservice to the casual listener, the same way as if I pushed my grandparents toward a WRX.
this is unfair. most people don't buy cars for the pleasure of driving. bose is like most cars - trying to appeal to "normal" consumers, giving them something "special" (small speakers with big sounds, or noise cancelling, say - things that are easy to demo) within a price.
audiophile equipment is more like the ariel atom - an awesome car to drive, but no-one normal would get one. where would you put the kids? or the shopping?
and i say this as an "audiophile" - i love messing around seeing which dac pairs best with which speakers/amp (or hanging rugs on walls...). but i know that makes me not-normal.
I love driving but I hate commuting. A loud manual shifting two-seater is great for recreational driving in the twisties or a track, but not so great for stop & go commutes and 3+ hour road trips. A Prius is perfectly fine for the latter two and I've been subjected to a number of worse cars with sloppy suspension and jerky slush boxes.
