The world listens to audio differently because an M.I.T. graduate student was disappointed with what he heard in stereo systems. While pursuing a graduate degree in the 1950s, Amar Bose shopped for stereo speakers, but found none that could reproduce the realism of a live concert hall performance. Not even speakers with impressive technical specifications satisfied Bose. That fact led him to conduct extensive research into speaker design and acoustics, to pursue the field of psychoa­coustics-the human perception of sound-and, ultimately, to found the company synonymous with quality audio systems.

     As a teenager, Bose earned money by repairing model trains, gaining practical experience that helped prepare him for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied electrical engineering. Bose later worked on a series of consulting projects for a variety of companies including Standard Oil of New Jersey; Edgerton, Germeshausen and Grier; and the Epsco Corporation. From 1962 to 1964 he was in charge of research on prosthetics in a project for Liberty Mutual Insurance, Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. The work led to development of the Boston Arm for amputees. Bose holds numerous patents in the fields of acoustics, electronics, nonlinear systems and communications theory.

     Bose's research and patents led to the formation of the Bose Corporation in 1964. The company introduced significantly new design concepts that helped to recreate the impact of live music by reflecting an audio speaker's sound off walls and ceilings, creating a "bigger" sound. Among the products that Bose Corporation points to with pride are the 901® Direct/Reflecting® speaker system, introduced in 1968; it brought international acclaim to the company and to Bose himself. Then in 1972 Bose entered the professional ranks, producing a loudspeaker system designed exclusively for professional musicians. A direct descendant of the 901® speaker system was introduced in 1975. Known as the 301® Direct/Reflecting® speaker system, it became one of the world's best-selling speakers. In 1982 Bose introduced a custom-designed, factory­-installed audio system specifically for automobiles. The introduction of Acoustimass® speaker technology in 1986 changed conventional thinking about the relationship between speaker size and sound. Speakers small enough to fit in the palm of a hand produced sound quality previously thought impossible. At the other end of the size spectrum, Bose's Auditioner® audio demonstration technology allowed builders, architects, and facility managers to hear precisely what an audio system will sound like in their arenas and other large-scale venues as early as the blueprint stage.

     Fourteen years of research led to the development of acoustic waveguide speaker technology, found in the Bose Wave® radio, introduced in 1993. The Wave radio was launched with an advertising campaign that depended upon network radio commercials and print advertising in national magazines. The campaign made the product well known and introduced the public to Amar Bose, thanks primarily to personal endorsements by radio commentator Paul Harvey who spoke of Bose as an old friend. The advertising was so pervasive that Monitoring Times magazine claimed, "You would have to be Amish not to have been bombarded by TV and print ads trumpeting the extraordinary sound of the Bose Wave radio. It's depicted as transforming a room into a concert hall and rising up into a looming entertainment presence by simply turning it on." The comment was followed by a positive review of the new technology, as Monitoring Times reported that the Wave radio "astounded audiophiles and set a new standard for the nearly forgotten table radio."

     Since most consumers don't know what to do with typical stereo receiver functions such as equalization, tone control, and balance, Bose dispensed with them entirely. Instead, automatic signal processing and active electronic equalization were performed by special circuitry in the radio.

    Bose became the world's number one speaker manufacturer, commanding nearly 25% of the market. The company makes its products in North America and Ireland and has nearly 90 stores worldwide.

Amar Bose is Chairman of the Board and Technical Director of the Bose Corporation and is the company's largest shareholder. He continues as a Professor at M.I.T. Bose is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and a member of the Audio Engineering Society. He holds honorary doctorate from Berkley College of Music and from Framingham State College. In 1987, Intellectual Property Owners named him Inventor of the Year; in 1991 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and in 2000 he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. Bose's personal wealth, estimated at more than half a billion dollars, earned him a ranking in Forbes magazine's list of the wealthiest people in the United States. The Bose Foundation, which he also runs, has donated more than $6 million to M.I.T.