BOSE 301-V Stereo Loudspeakers (Pair) ? Cherry

Rating:
Summary: It's Bose
Review: 1 8" Woofer (woof).
2 2" Tweeters (offset).
And that's just 1 speaker.
Double that and you have the best shelf speakers in the business.

I just upgraded from Series III, which were the best speakers in 199?.

Series V beats III all to hell, and I skipped Series IV.

Infinity & Polk just doesn't quite get the fidelity or thump of Bose 301 Series V.




Rating:
Summary: Good value for money
Review: Bose bashing has become a cult. The primary motivation I believe is this. If you put down some popular product as worthless you are implying you are better than the rest, have a sophisticated ear and somehow superior to the grass grazing herd. Quite similar behavior is exhibited in other areas. For example, photo equipment snobbery preferring Leica, Zeiss to Canon, Nikon etc. The fact is they are all excellent equipment with little practical differences, although subjective preferences could matter and go either way. However, the 'elite' brand sells for an order of magnitude more. Now, how do you justify that to customers? Create a cult following via snobbish magazines or obscure internet forums. There may be other specific motivations against Bose - you figure that out.

I am no way implying that the Bose speakers are the best that money can buy. If you do have a sensitive ear you will distinguish clearly between the Bose, JBL, Infinity variety versus $100,000+ Kharma or Genesis. But then, they are designed for a completely different market. And if you have spent even $5,000+ on a pair of bookshelf speakers with seemingly same specifications as a sub $1,000 pair you better hear the difference! Within the same price range however, the nuances of difference are quite subjective and nearly not as categorical as some of the reviewers seem to suggest.

For a proper review, one must compare products in the same price range and for the same intended usage.

Specific to Bose 301 V, I find that they have nice crisp midrange and treble. The bass although clear, is somewhat weak and will benefit from a separate powered subwoofer in spite of the marketing hype. The non-directional claim ("stereo everywhere") is not quite true but clearly, there is a difference in this department compared to the competition. Compared to bookshelf speakers in the similar price range, I find that these speakers give excellent value for money. My intended use for these was bedroom stereo. I own a separate line of more expensive speakers for our home theater. Before purchasing, I have heard offerings from Klipsch, JBL, Infinity and Polk and decided that the Bose gave the most satisfying sound overall, but then that is just me. Check it out for your own ear!


Rating:
Summary: Bose- A testament to the advertising industry.
Review: Bose is a fascinating case study of what the power of advertising can do for a product that is cheaply made and outperformed by nearly all of its competition. Based on audio theories from the 1960's and parts of lower quality than what can be bought at Radio Shack, Bose has built an incredible empire out of poorly designed products.

Consumers should do their research before shelling out money for Bose speakers. A google search will bring you to epinions or audioreview websites where you can find review after review from buyers of Bose products.

The commonly accepted wisdom in audio circles is that Bose makes low audio quality products and sells them at very high prices. In other words those Polk, JBL, Wharfedale or Infinity mid-fi products you can find at Amazon are usually higher quality at much better price points.

Compare the sound if you ever get a chance. Make sure you DO NOT depend on volume, in other words volume is a bad indicater of quality. Listen for the high and low notes and to the clarity of the music. Tough to do in a showroom at Circuit City or Best Buy, but even there the differences will show up. Bose attempts to prevent consumers from doing this by segregating their products away from the competition.

After this you might look at online audio magazines (do a google search), Audioreview (one word) and Audiogon. You'll find whole NEW world of audio products such as PSB, Paradigm, Vandersteen, Quad, Sonus Faber, ACI and many more who's products will put you on a much higher level of audio than you'd ever imagine. Usually these speakers are SEVERAL times more electronically sophisticated than Bose at the same price! Good luck and happy hunting!

Rating:
Summary: The Bose emperor has no (audio) clothes.
Review: It's amazing that consumers who wouldn't be caught dead driving a substandard car such as a Yugo or AMC Gremlin would devote themselves to the audio equivalent called the Bose 301 (or any Bose product for that matter). This can only be attributed to the lack of consumer knowledge and a strong advertising campaign by Bose.

In the audio industry it's a well acknowledged fact that Bose isn't an industry leader in either technology nor audio quality. In fact you will never see Bose products advertised or reviewed in Stereophile (not since the early '70s), The Absolute Sound nor any other serious audio/video publication. Why? Bose is a known sub-standard product.

But, year after year, unknowing consumers flock to the product blissfully unaware that they can buy better quality for the same money elsewhere. After making their purchase they stoutly defend Bose while at the same time knowing very little about audio. Few know what a crossover is or I would bet, understand the deficiencies the Bose drivers have (if they know what a driver is).

I am after all a former Bose 201, 301 and 901 owner. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Rating:
Summary: Bose 301 direct/reflecting bookshelf speakers are great!
Review: These speakers produce a terrific sound. They are the best bookshelf speakers I have ever heard. The sound that is projected through these speakers is crystal clear. I hear the same superior clarity and volume from 6 rooms away as I hear when I'm right in front of the speakers. This is thanks to the highly developed Bose direct/reflecting speaker technology. These speakers tend to give the impression of a surround sound home theater system. Time after time my guests are in awe at how much these speakers sound like a top of the line large speaker system. These speakers produce such a life-like sound that people that pass my house tend to believe that instead of listening to music, I have the recorded artist in my home performing live. My only complaint is that the Bose 301 direct reflecting speakers subwoofers are a little weaker than I prefer. However this is expected from a speaker with such a compact design. These speakers will allow you to listen to your favorite songs in a whole new light.

You can read more about the Bose 301 and other bose products at http://www.bose.com

Rating:
Summary: Bose 301 Series V Loudspeakers - Superb/affordable speakers!
Review: This review is actually for the pair of Bose 301 Series III direct/reflecting loud speakers that I bought way back in 1993 and is a testament to the quality of Bose speakers and specifically the 301 series speakers. I originally purchased them as the front speakers in a system but replaced them in the front with Bose 401's and put the 301's in the rear as surround speakers.

In either the capacity of front or rear/surround speakers, the model 301 works beautifully to enhance the listening experience whether as a home theater system for DVD's or just straight out stereo or CD playback. As further testament to the quality of these speakers, if you're seriously interested in purchasing the Model 301 Series V speakers; I've been using the Series III speakers for almost eleven years now and they work just as brilliantly today as they did when I first took them out of the box and this includes several moves since I'm in the military.

Although these speakers have now been replaced with the Bose Acoustimass 10 Series III Home Theater Speaker System on my primary system, they are now featured as the primary speakers in a second system and are providing crisp and clear high quality sound, made that much better by the direct/reflecting feature which serves beautifully in enhancing the listening experience.

I highly recommend the Bose 301 Series V Loudspeakers to any and all who're looking for high quality sound at an affordable price. As a note of caution, these speakers are not magnetically shielded so I would also recommend either the wall/ceiling mounts or the floor stands that Bose specifically manufactures for these incredible speakers, both at highly affordable prices. {ssintrepid}

Rating:
Summary: Always the best sound for the money
Review: You know why you don't see Bose reviewed in audiophile mags? Because they sound better than speakers costing many times as much - and whose makers spend a lot of money on advertisements in those magazines.

I've had Bose 901s for 15 years - and there is no speaker system at any price which can compare with them for acoustic music. I've also had a pair of Bose Powered RoomMates for 10 years that I now use with my computer. I checked out the 301s because I needed a smallish bookshelf speaker which could fill an entire room - the 301s do just that. The direct/reflecting design of the 301s provides a much wider sweet spot for sound than any traditional speaker - and the Bose ported woofer provides nice tight bass. I do plan to add an additional powered subwoofer to extend the lower frequencies, but even with the additional expense I'll have a better system than anything several times the price.

There's no excuse for not trying a Bose product in your house - almost any retailer will offer you a money back guarantee. Try one and you won't take it back.