Delicate thunder

PRODUCT REVIEW: Bose 1.2.3 is a home theatre debut that sends your sensory system into orbit ever so gently.

If you insist that music is about waves, not particles, and about the feel, not statistics, Bose ought to be your brand. At least for the theatre experience favoured by true audiophiles for whom music is about accoustics rather than accoutrement.

Now, the just-launched Bose 3.2.1 GSX DVD may sound like some sort of statistical alphanumeric string. It is not. It is a home entertainment system, and the 3.2.1 should perhaps be followed by a single word: "liftoff".

Such is the effect. But first, a word on its physical presence. To anyone who remembers the dowdy old days of single-cabinet radio-and-turntable devices (complete with a wicker front grille), the Bose 3.2.1 is nothing short of space-age design "" the brand's key innovation being what it has done to speaker systems. Minimise their size, but only to refine the way they take charge of your auditory nerves.

Look closely, and you discover just two tiny speakers (apart from a subwoofer): Bose's new Gemstone speakers. They're so small that you could slip them into your pocket. It's a marvel of Bose's accoustical engineering skills that gives the impression of surround sound.

Sure, this "pseudosurround" experience cannot substitute for full-fledged surround, but this sonic shortcoming is barely noticeable "" thanks to the inbuilt signal processing system Bose is so proud of.

Part of the trick, of course, is in how every element of the system is arranged in the room. After all, technically speaking, Bose's speaker arrays work by coordinating soundwaves just so, for the desired effect. So a single speaker gone off its coordinates could harm the experience. Thankfully, the Bose manual offers illustrated details of how to set it up for optimal listening pleasure.

That done, for Bose's superlative sound quality, you could happily rely on the brand's TrueSpace digital processing circuitry that manages to create the required space and depth. In terms of features, the Bose 3.2.1 is fully loaded. It has an integrated DVD/CD player, an AM/FM tuner, and multiple audio and video inputs. Best of all, the Bose 3.2.1 can digitally store up to 200 hours of music.

Also, thanks to its 'uMusic' intelligence, it can track your musical preferences and make selections for a playlist. Somehow, you'd find just your sort of music within easy reach. For ease of operation, it has a universal remote unit that can be programmed to take charge of the TV as well.

To add weight to sound, it boasts of an Acoustimass bass module which makes both the explosive and subdued parts of a DVD soundtrack more exciting, but without being jarring in any way.

Nor should you expect to be shaken to your bone the way you'd be by a five-speaker-plus home theatre system (or "5.1 system" as the jargon has it). Most PlayStation and XBox games now are sound-mixed for 5.1 surround systems, and if that's the sort of thunderous sound you have in mind, you may be disappointed.

The Bose 3.2.1 soundfield offers a rich blend of tones though. For Rs 94,900 (plus taxes), it would suit you fine if you're a music buff. Or even if you're a games junkie or action-flick enthusiast who likes the thunder a little delicate.