Bose product name - Wave III with cd player.
Country - Canada
Firmware Version - ?
App Version - ?
What devices were you using that were affected and what version are they on
Standalone Wave III with CD player.
Detailed description of the issue and steps to reproduce
I just inherited a Bose Wave III system with CD player. I like the sound from CDs and the FM radio but the AM sound is VERY thin and tinny. Is this normal?
What environment do you experience the issue in? (e.g. noisy office, quiet kitchen, etc.)
Quiet living room.
When did you start to experience the issue? Did it work correctly previously?
When my mother in law had it the AM sound was bad but I thought it was due to being in an apartment.
Any troubleshooting steps you took
I did an A/B test with my Google Home mini and the mini sounded way better!
First question would be: is there a AM antenna plugged into the back?
As far as I am aware the FM antenna goes through the power cable, where there would originally have been an AM antenna in the box (thin wire that splits into a Y-junction) that needs to be straightened out, and if still getting bad reception put the antenna up on the wall near a window.
So since you're getting good sound on CD and FM, it's not the speakers themselves and the FM rules out a lot of other issues the machine would run into.
The Google home mini won't be a comparison as that will be receiving radio through the internet, not through radio waves.
So 95% of the time these symptoms will be reception issues.
Hey Morlock. Thx for your quick reply!
The external antenna jack on the back is for FM. There's no option for an external AM antenna.
The manual suggests moving the Wave around and in different areas. I tried that but no difference.
I took the wave into our car for a comparison and the car AM was WAY better sound. So to me it seems like the Wave AM receiver is of poor quality. Does anyone else find poor reception on AM?
What do you think about connecting a Bluetooth adapter to the AUX jack and pairing my Google Home to the Wave for AM radio?
Thx, Rainor
For anyone who's having the same problem I FOUND A SOLUTION!!😁
I purchased an Aluratek (also sold under other brands) iStream Universal Bluetooth Audio Receiver for $35 CAD. I plugged it into the AUX 3.5 mm jack on the back of my Wave III. Then I paired my Google Home speaker to the Aluratek. So now I can just say "Hey Google play..." AM or FM station and it uses the Google Home AM receiver to pick up the station. The sound quality is so much better!!
The only downside is that I had to disconnect the multi CD player as it also uses (or at least covers) the AUX Jack.
Hope this helps.