Ahh, fun topic

The thing about the Bose, it does have extended freq response down low, due to incorporating a folded horn. And maybe/probably some electronic eq. "Dr" A.B. (lol) would like us to believe that they invented folded horn magic (lol) but of course reality is different

That said, if all there was to it was freq response (which is the popular conception) then it's an easy open and shut case. However, the truth is that freq response is not all there is to it at all. Unfortunately (if you care about music)you can probably count on one hand the number of mfgrs that actually "get it" and practice it, as opposed to just doing whatever it takes to rake in bux. IME the best sounding "boom box"/portable ever made (that I have heard) (for real enjoyment over long time) is/was the Panasonic bi-amp'ed series. I use one in the garage- the sound is superior overall, considering it's a boom box/portable of course. Far from perfect (lol). BTW this one was from about 1988 though; not sure what all junk the mfgr's put out lately. Sometimes the robot mfgrs get a few things right and it makes a product that rises above. But then 6 mo later it is "obsolete", have to make way for the new, improved sound that never happens in reality. What a fine treadmill they have the consumer on. Experts at that aspect of marketing for sure...
Anyway, this once again reinforces the fact that how carefully you retrieve and handle the signal up front is the most important aspect of how musical it will all ultimately sound, no matter what downstream gimmickery you employ. I know, this is counter to conventional wisdom, but oh well- truth is truth. The situation is very analogous to a picture; if it's taken with the best quality and highest resolution up front, it will look great. If it is not, then no matter what you do to it downstream afterwards, it will never look as good as it could have...
At home I have and enjoy (greatly-since about 1985

a Linn Sondek LP12/Naim 140/Linn Kann system. It doesn't get much better
TurboTR