[Cap]

Geez, you ask great questions!!!

First, let's address previous "editions" of BOSE. Remember to 402's? The 302 128lb bass bins? Then the 802's (Series I and now Series II)? The banana shaped 502-A PanaRays? The 502-B and MB4 bass bins? All great speaker systems BUT......(isn't there always the BUT ?)

Every one of these previous systems, as do most others, rely on the quality, power, and settings of the mixer and amplification decisions, plus in-line EQs, BBE's, Alesis stuff and everything imaginable to generate "the sound" desired. There was nothing close to one-size fits all configuration, then toss in room size, room acoustics, population, where one is required to set up (sometimes in the most audience awkward position imaginable), and this list could be extended for another two pages.

Not for me anymore.

You CAN NOT overdrive this system. Period. You can distort the sound if you attempt to use other intervening gear (external EQ's, enhancers, and the like) or if your music source itself sucks.

BOSE has finally recognized that it's always been user incompetence that destroyed the clarity or intent of previous models and have removed those fallibilities by building in their own amps, to their own goals, with new technologies and design, to the ultimate pleasures of the listener.