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Rating: 
Summary: BOSE 201V with a new look for 2004 &Klipsch SC5
Review: #1 BoseV301
However, when comparing the 201V with the 301V it is night and day difference. The 301V is on average $100 more then the 201V no matter who you buy it from and for good reason. As its 8" driver and 2 (yes 2) tweeters front/rear this unit flows in a harmony like no other. I am highly impressed with its ability to accurately reproduce voice and other sounds. Someone singing at 4dB can still be comprehended at 4dB even when the receiver is cranked to 60dB. These speakers are excellent as a pair. So much so I wondered about well they get alone with a 5.1/6.1/7.1 system and to my surprise it gave me a competing impression. After hearing them as a pair and listening to them with a system you know they can do more if not better then the center making for a difficult setup after shelling out $320+ for these puppies. The 2 (yes, 2) tweeters front/rear are what set this shelf speakers from the rest. The harmonics, octaves and range are out of this world. Let me explain, a woman singing at 3dB w/o a microphone is heard and processed at 3dB even if you turn the volume up from lets say 15dB to 60dB you can still tell that person is singing at 3dB and not yelling at you. (Although most don't know what 3dB are unless told when you hear it. You can recognize the pitch, tone and octave enough to know if blind folded your ears will know if it's live or a recording). It's sleek design was more to my liking even though the Polk RTi4 sounded just as good (even though the highs were a bit flat) for $260 the large rectangular shape was left to be desired.
#2 Polk RTi4
In 2nd place is the Polk RTi4. I would have to say that for the price of roughly $260 and with sound as good as the Bose V301 for $320 and up. The best feature of this unit is the driver in which produced a more subwoofer level of sound then the Bose 301V. The combination of the tweeter and driver produced Octaves, Tones and Bass giving you the impression that you were there live (I listened to mostly Jazz). These speakers performed good as a pair and excellent with a 5.1/6.1/7.1 sound system. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase these speakers but the rectangular bulky shape was more of an eye sore for my needs. Yes, the quality of sound is just as important I need a more sleek design and I want to place them in front my TV. You simply can't do that with these speakers..
#3 Bose V201
Coming in 3rd place is the Bose 201V are the best speakers I have invested to date. These speaker set have a excellent range, distortion undetectable by the my ear and it's octaves are lively (with a bit more mid range then the V301). I believe the reflux of the bass (at deep, shallow, sharp and soft) and overall combination of how this unit performs very well together for the price offered. Overall tones, bass, octave and balance are excellent and for the price & design well worth the investment. I decided on a pair when listening to music from a CD, HDCD, radio or watching a movie as these speakers were better then other bookshelf speakers such as Klipsch SB-1.& SB-2 (this unit have little bass), the Athena ASR1 (this unit has noticeable distortion at any volume level) and the JBL E30 (nearly tied for the V201 if it didn't require so much volume just to hear it from a 100watt per channel receiver, making for a horrible experience for some low volume jazz).
Radio stations come in with a more lively octave to it and sound reproduction can be mistakenly taken from a cd instead of radio. This unit is excellent as a 5.1/6.1/7.1 system and is great as a stand alone set. I did notice that my Sony STR-DE885 Receiver was having trouble supplying the necessary power as I had to crank the volume from 11 (from 5.1 setup) to 34 (2 channel setup) to reproduce similar sound (except for the base).
Klipsch SC5 Center Speaker
Is by far the most impressive center speaker I have heard to date. It has a perfect combination octaves, range and bass making for a level of realism that can't be beat for it's price of $150. I did compare this unit to the Klipsch SC-3 (was simply louder to me and the JBL EC25CH (excellent sound reproduction but for $250+ it was out of my budget for 1 speaker),
Music of Choice Jazz
Movie of Choice Matrix Revolutions
Receiver: Sony STR-DE885
Speakers currently in use: Klipsch .5 center, 2-Bose 201V, 2-Sony Satellites, 1-Sony 150watt subwoofer
Rating: 
Summary: Bose?
Review: A lot of people think that bose is the greatest. But have you ever went to a place like circuit city or ultimate electronics and asked a sales rep. what they think of Bose? I used to think Bose was the greatest until I heard them and compared them compared them to a speaker company like Infinity, for less! Bose do have their fans but stay away from Bose you will be happier. The drivers ( the actual speaker inside) on Bose are made of paper. Bose speaker also rely on reflecting sound so, if you don't have a square room you will be digusted with the sound and not even hear most of it. They also sound distorted at low and high volumes. Do not buy this speaker, don't waste your money.
Rating:
Summary: Bose 201s? Typical Bose joke speakers
Review: Bose is a good performing speaker all around. These speakers are no exception. I have had the speakers for awhile and they work great for all types of music. Keep in mind that these speakers are small they will not perform like large speakers. They will not fill a large room with tons of bass. They are bookshelf speakers, or small room speakers. For that they are great. For the money these speakers are perfect!! I highly recommend these speakers to people who want a good value but don't want to sacrafice quality and performance.
Rating:
Summary: good speakers for a good value!
Review: Bose is a good performing speaker all around. These speakers are no exception. I have had the speakers for awhile and they work great for all types of music. Keep in mind that these speakers are small they will not perform like large speakers. They will not fill a large room with tons of bass. They are bookshelf speakers, or small room speakers. For that they are great. For the money these speakers are perfect!! I highly recommend these speakers to people who want a good value but don't want to sacrafice quality and performance.
Rating: 
Summary: Do people still buy these things??
Review: First of all, this should not be a discussion forum where individuals criticize a manufacturer's whole product range although this seems to be the case with Bose. Or you get the exact opposite, people who are firm believers that Bose has the most amazing sound for the money and "nothing" can touch it.
I must admit I like the look of their little cube satellites and their computer speakers but after having to return the 201's because of it's build quality and sound characteristics, I am starting to get annoyed with every positive post I see regarding Bose. On the other hand I do not agre with all the other 1 star reviews which do not convey any meaningful information and seem to have been cut and pasted from a different thread.
Now, on to the mini review. The build quality is no different from any $150 speakers such as low end Polks, Athena etc. Drivers are paper (as opposed to cheap plastic in the other ones), surrounds are cloth (as opposed to rubber), and the 2" tweeter is also paper (when ALL respectable manufacturers use metal or silk)?! It uses clips on the back when the industry standard is binding posts and the overall quality feels cheap. I also owned the Polk RTI4 and those had a much more solid feel.
As for sound quality, looks are not deceiving in this case. You get a "pleasant" tonal characteristic where highs and everything under 90hz is rolled off. Bose speakers in general do not represent music accurately, they use internal filters to limit the frequency response in order to have poor quality drivers perform a little better. Sound coloration is very high and there is no precise soundstaging since the tweeters not aim forward (I have not seen any quality speakers employ this design).
Overall, I'm giving these 2 stars because they are VERY affordable, but do not offer any special value.
Rating:
Summary: Bose 201s? Typical Bose joke speakers
Review: I've owned Bose 201s, 301s and 901s in my life. Then I began to get into speaker building kits. My eyes were opened. I began to learn about crossovers, tweeter construction, woofers and cabinet resonancy. I also began to seek out commercially sold speakers for ideas and for quality. That is when I began to see just what a joke Bose speakers really are. For the same price, consumers can get better quality sound, build and design from Polk, JBL, Infinity or Klipsch. And they are the commonly available makers. While the Bose 201s aren't as horrible a value as the 901s, you're still foolish to get these when much better higher quality speakers are out there. An indicator of Bose priority is the fact that their advertising budget is higher than their research budget. Hey, its your dollar, if you want to waste it go right ahead, but done't fool anyone else about Bose 'quality'.
Rating: 
Summary: Bose haters should SHUT UP!
Review: If you say Bose distorts you have never heard their systems! Bose systems NEVER distort! The reviewers here saying that are crazy! They havent even gone to a Bose Store! Then they say the materials Bose uses are crap and they use paper.. I own Klipsch speakers and the Bose are almost like Plastic! The Klipsch are plain paper I could break with a pencil!! Then they say Bose speakers rely on reflecting sound.. they dont! the reflected sound just adds spaciousness and by the way, only some Bose speakers use the reflecting technology, so Bose haters can shut up and go to h-ll! They claim to be experts and have a lot of knowledge about Bose, but trust me, Ive compared A LOT to Bose, and Klipsch, Polk, Infinity and anything you name will always be a level below Bose.
Rating:
Summary: Bose 201-V: Unbeatable performance at price level
Review: It is obvious from most negative reviews of Bose products that either the reviewers are just insanely prejudiced against Bose as the world leading speaker manufacturer or they have never owned a Bose product in their lives.
The Bose 201 Series V bookshelf speaker is the best in its price category. It offers a wonderful soundstage that other speaker brands in the price range simply cannot match. They are good as primary front speakers and excellent as rear surround speakers in a home theatre entertainment setup.
One could get even better performance for a little bit more money from the 301's. The latter are arguably the greatest bookshelf speakers the world has ever known, both in terms of performance and price.
Long live Bose Speakers!!!
Rating:
Summary: Bose?
Review: Once again, Bose comes through with a quality product at an affordable price. If you've ever had a pair of Bose speakers, you know they'll give you quality sound for the life of your system. These speakers are redesigned for 2003, and I think the bass response sounds better. If you're on a budget, or don't need to rock any houseparties with your system, you could just go with these as your primary speakers. But if you want a truly awesome home theater system, these make GREAT rear-channel speakers. Plus they give amazing sound for being a little bigger than a toaster.
Rating:
Summary: Nice
Review: Once again, Bose comes through with a quality product at an affordable price. If you've ever had a pair of Bose speakers, you know they'll give you quality sound for the life of your system. These speakers are redesigned for 2003, and I think the bass response sounds better. If you're on a budget, or don't need to rock any houseparties with your system, you could just go with these as your primary speakers. But if you want a truly awesome home theater system, these make GREAT rear-channel speakers. Plus they give amazing sound for being a little bigger than a toaster.
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