There might have been superior products, as others have mentioned.
Everything that I have heard in the last 20 years or so is just OK, maybe great for the AM radio listener.
Every product is perfect for somebody.
I can name 30 United States speaker designers better than him. I went to many Audio Show in Chicago and Las Vegas. Bose was one of the worse speakers at the show. The old 901 was terrible. His designs were bad copies of other peoples work and ideas of old concepts. The Bose company screwed their dealers and no one carried the speaker line for long periods. Your post was correct. There are a few audio companies that their egos go beyond their quality. Bose is in the top 10.