Replacing Model AV18

Home Theater Speakers Archive
1

Hi - won't go into the reasons why but we would very much like to retain the 5 channel cubes and Acoustimass used on our Lifestyle home theater but replacing the Model AV18 with a Yamaha RX-V6A. After searching other posts we have read much on the subject of driving Bose cubes via Acoustimass with other equipment but we did not find information regarding doing so with a system based on the Model 18AV (which uses the Bose Link connectors). We are not audiophiles so exquisite music is not our objective. Is it possible to accomplish our objective and if so, any guidance and or tips are appreciated.

First post.

Great forum.

Love Bose gear 

 

2

No,  and you have kind of hit on the reasoning.

 

The only Bose Home theatres that can run from third party amps are the acoustimass systems (AM6/10/15 as examples).  All of the Lifestyle Systems need to run through a Bose AV console.  Therefore they used the Bose link to communicate between the console and the bass unit.  Now technically you could plug the speakers in directly into an amp (without the Bass), but then you lose many of the benefits of Bose sound.  For example, when you hear bass out of your current setup, it sounded like it was coming from all around you.  It's likely that if you closed your eyes you wouldn't be able to point out where the Bass module was.  So as soon as you alter a Bose system, you lose the quality.

3
 wrote:

Hi - won't go into the reasons why but we would very much like to retain the 5 channel cubes and Acoustimass used on our Lifestyle home theater but replacing the Model AV18 with a Yamaha RX-V6A. After searching other posts we have read much on the subject of driving Bose cubes via Acoustimass with other equipment but we did not find information regarding doing so with a system based on the Model 18AV (which uses the Bose Link connectors). We are not audiophiles so exquisite music is not our objective. Is it possible to accomplish our objective and if so, any guidance and or tips are appreciated.

First post.

Great forum.

Love Bose gear 

 

As Morlock said, that will not be possible. The only way to upgrade your current setup is to

  1. Replace the receiver with the latest Bose receiver that is compatible with your subwoofer.
  2. Trade-in your Lifestyle to the get the latest tech Bose supports with a participating Bose dealer.
  3. Replace your system with an Acoustimass system.

I go over all of those options in this post.

 

While I know it was not the answer you wanted, I do hope that this helps answer your question 🙂

4

Thank you for the very complete answer. So here's one of my issues in staying with Bose. We have three SA-3 amplifiers driving a pair of Bose speakers elsewhere in our setup. I do not see audio outputs on the Bose 600 or Bose 650 that could drive these remote zones. How would a new Bose AV setup be used in our case?

Thanks again for your advice and willingness to share your knowledge.

Glee

5

I made a killer Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound system using a Bose Acoustimass 7 and Bose Acoustimass 5 along with a Klipsch subwoofer and Onkyo 7.1 surround sound receiver.  I used the Bose Acoustimass 7 for front left, center, and right and use the Bose Acoustimass 5 for the rear left and right.

 

You could use your existing cubes with any Bose Acoustimass module that is not part of a Bose music system that requires a Bose console.  You can find what you need on eBay.

6
 wrote:

Thank you for the very complete answer. So here's one of my issues in staying with Bose. We have three SA-3 amplifiers driving a pair of Bose speakers elsewhere in our setup. I do not see audio outputs on the Bose 600 or Bose 650 that could drive these remote zones. How would a new Bose AV setup be used in our case?

Thanks again for your advice and willingness to share your knowledge.

Glee

The SA-3 is designed to be controlled via a Boselinked receiver like the AV18/AV38/AV48/MC1/AV35 (the AV35 was redesigned in 2013 and removed Boselink). The remote communicates to the bose receiver and tells each room to power on/off, volume up/down, select the audio source. 

 

Without the Bose receiver, things do get a bit tricky, but apparently, it is not impossible. The SA-3 has 3 features on the back of your amplifier that will allow you to use a local source for music:

  1. An RCA input.
  2. Dipswitches to modify features within the amplifier.
  3. A VCA connection for volume (I am unsure if VCA also controls power or not). 

SA-3 Code.png

So I did a bit of googling and I found a post on Reddit, one on a different forum, and another on this forum. In the last one, someone linked to a YouTube video showing how you can use this amp without a Bose receiver.

 

I think it is easier to keep the Bose receiver or upgrade to the Boselinked version of the AV35 (please read over this post and see if you can upgrade your receiver). But the good thing is you have a solution if you wish to remove your Boselinked receiver from your home 🙂

 

 wrote:

I made a killer Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound system using a Bose Acoustimass 7 and Bose Acoustimass 5 along with a Klipsch subwoofer and Onkyo 7.1 surround sound receiver.  I used the Bose Acoustimass 7 for front left, center, and right and use the Bose Acoustimass 5 for the rear left and right.

 

You could use your existing cubes with any Bose Acoustimass module that is not part of a Bose music system that requires a Bose console.  You can find what you need on eBay.

The only drawback to that specific setup would be you'd have two passive subwoofers and a third powered subwoofer on the ground. More than I would personally wish to have around the room if I could avoid it.

 

I would still hold that if you wish to go for a 3rd party receiver-based system it is better to purchase an Acoustimass 10 or a second hand Acoustimass 15 (if you wish for a very powerful sub and you can find one). I talk about them briefly here.

 

I hope that this answer helps solve your questions 🙂

7

It was great.  I wish I didn't sell it and replace with a Bose Soundtouch 300.

8
 wrote:

It was great.  I wish I didn't sell it and replace with a Bose Soundtouch 300.

I posted a response about that system a little while ago.

 

When I researched it, I found that it supported LPCM 5.1 and had an HDMI passthrough. So it seems like a pretty good SoundBar. Especially since you could easily use an HDMI switch with it to act as a receiver. What did you not like about it?

9

I didn't say I didn't like it.  I'm using it right this minute to stream Tidal (and Qobuz) from my Roon Nucleus to Oppo 203 to Bose Soundtouch 300.  I said I wish I did not sell my previous Bose system with the Klipsch subwoofer and Onkyo receiver.

10
 wrote:

I didn't say I didn't like it.  I'm using it right this minute to stream Tidal (and Qobuz) from my Roon Nucleus to Oppo 203 to Bose Soundtouch 300.  I said I wish I did not sell my previous Bose system with the Klipsch subwoofer and Onkyo receiver.

I stand corrected. Though I am still curious about why you prefer your previous setup to your current one.