Rating: 
Summary: My views on the Companion 3 changed completely...
Review: ...and I hope they do for EVERYONE that rated it 5 stars. Yes at first I was amazed(look at my other 2 reviews). But after a while I have decided the Companion 3 is SUPER overpriced. This thing isnt worth as low as $70 like some have said! No way! But it should be priced like at $125, $150 tops. First reason for this is that it just doen't go loud enough compared to other speakers that cost a lot less. Yes the volume is loud and it hurts your ears, but if speakers that are $100 less can go almost twice as loud then it is super overpriced indeed. Second complaint is the bass.. one thing I love is that even at the minimum volume you hear the bass booming, but the problem comes when you wanna go loud.. the bass just seems to go away completely at the maximum volume. This happened on my computer only though. I have a 5.1 RealTek sound card ith GREAT sound quality but the problem is I dont have a bass control so I cant control the bass on the comp.. I have the equalizer but it gets weird when I raise the bar onthe left even though bass increases. Anyway when I connected it to my RCA surround sound system the bass was impressively strong.. almost as strong as the RCA's 150 watt subwoofer, but then it had another problem.. if you turn up the companion to the max. and you tuen up the rCA over 35, the companion seems to "blow up" when there are explosions or loud sounds. I guess this is some protection system but it really bothers me.. this doest happen to my Bose Mediamates or with my Klipsch.. even less with my Bose Freestyle. The other complaint could be about surround.. they have great left to right and strong centering of voices, but they have almost no rear effects. The companion sucks for movies, it just doesnt have enough bass. My Klipsch own it in bass. Now the companion kills the klipsch in music.. the sound quality is just a lot better, it is more spacious and clear too. The only problem again is the Klipsch go a lot louder. Many times youd want to turn the volume up on the companion even more and you will see theres no more to turn up. The last words: the companion 3 is the BEST looking computer speaker system ever made, and it has great sound quality, but it needs a lot more powerful bass, more surround, optical digital connection and more volume. My opinion: If you cant afford higher than $250 buy Bose Mediamates.. those speakers are the BEST 2.0 for movies and games! And they are good for music, they are only $100. Now if you can pay over $300, and you are lucky to have a Bose Factory Outlet Store close to you, go and buy a Bose Freestyle if theres any left! I put that thing on my computer it is like making the companion COMPLETELY PERFECT WITHOUT LIMITS! It has so much surround and bass! And the sound is so loud! It is a HOMETHEATER! Forget the Companion 3 and get a Freestyle! I can assure you not even a 7.2 computer setup can stand against the freestyle!(2 speakers with a bass module that make full surround sound.. something like the 321, but the 321 is even better, and lets not mention the 321GS which is PERFECTION!). I own many Bose products, and if theres one product from Bose that sucks, that is the Companion 3. Dont get it, let them see they got to put more efforts into it. I recommend for your computer:1) Bose Mediamates: The best 2.0 setup, super spaciousound for movies and games.. they WILL amaze you! They have a lot of bass too. they are very nice for music too, but the companion is better for music.
2) Bose Triport/QuietComforts: You can use these headphones as your computer's speakers. the Triports are great but the QuietComforts go even further! They sound like a huge hometheater suround system! they have very nice deep bass and surround sound.. these could be your computer's speakers. Trust me, better than them is nothing and I have compared LOTS of headphones.
3) Bose FreeStyle-This is a SERIOUS system! Mix the Companion 3 with the Mediamates and the Quietcomfort and you get this! This system has great bass and you feel surroundsound out of just 2 speakers!! This is the best you can get under $500 theonly problem is its hard to find because it was discontinued.
Rating: 
Summary: Buyer beware..
Review: Before you buy these listen to comparable product from Logitech, Klipsch, Altec Lansing and Cambridge Soundworks to name four. If this Bose product was priced around 100 bucks I would be a little more foregiving. It isn't though and the sound quality is shockingly bad. No highs, no lows (must be Bose!), not even a reasonably accurate midrange. Shame on the Bose corporation for marketing yet another overpriced, under performing product. I would encourage anyone in the market for a good pair of desktop speakers to listen to the brands I list at the top of this review. The quality of desktop speakers has risen to a very high level in the last couple of years. Amazingly, the Bose corporation's arrogance has once again produced yet another embarrasing product.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the money
Review: Bose a highly respected name in speakers is taking advantage of that. When I first got my speakers I thought they were pretty good. However as time went on they have gotten worse and worse. The sattelites have stated an irratating buzz wich can be heard over the music. The bass is awesome but the sattelites leave much to be desired. I also know i havent blown them and it is not my sound card. My final thought is that if your going to spend $250 on speakers get somethig else.
Rating: 
Summary: This is what I think, please read
Review: Hi all, firstly, I am a Bose lover and after reading some reviews from some people who posted negative reviews, I also would like to say something fair.
Bose only has 3 sets for computer: companion 3, companion 2 and mediamate. Other brands have dramatically more products such as Klipsch, Altec Lansing, Creative, Logitech, Labtec. And the number of people using Bose is just small. So in most stores, you will see mainly other brands. Furthermore, when you are paying such a big sum of money for a premium speaker such Companion 3, you always have a chance to test it at the stores. I am sure that every store will allow its customers to do so. You are not fool because it is 249 buck. Hence, if you bought this speaker, you would certainly check it. I think that nobody will disagree with me about this point.
However, I found somebody complained about the thing that they checked and bought?? Is it reliable to hear them? I think that they are just those who called Bose hater.
I am a person who demand the very high quality of sound. I love listening to my favourite mp3 songs, 24-bit CD, DVD Audio... I tried some speakers from Creative, Altec Lansing, Labtec, Klipsch, Logitech (I am sorry that I have not tried some brand new sets from Logitech such as 5500). I found that Klipsch is the best in them. Altec Lansing is just so so. (even the FX6021 the most high end set of Altec Lansing). Klipsch has wall-shaking bass. However, these can not compare to Bose. The sound of Bose Companion 3 is different. It is only from Bose Companion 3, I know what "lifelike" and "spacious" are. Its bass is also as good as Klipsch.
I think that what I say here is not very persuasive. The best way is to experience it yourself. Go to a Bose retailer, ask them to let you check. You can bring your laptop, your mp3 player (ipod, muvo....) and so on. You plug it in, you will immerse in the world of Bose.
If you still want to read how good companion 3 is from me, you just need to read all reviews that gave Bose Companion 3 5-star. All these reviews fulfilled every aspects.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful sound
Review: I am a music major, and sound means a lot to me. I prefer to be live in the concert hall listening to the music. If anything is going to crack I want it to be my ears not the speakers. The sound is so wonderful. I can't get them to crack, and the base is something else. Here is why I like them: There are only three speakers. I live in a dorm and space is precious in small rooms like that. These take up so little space I actually have more space now then I did before. Secondly for the sound they produce. It feels and sounds like surroud sound. I have never heard anything so little produce so much sound. They also won't crack. There are no highs or lows with this system. If you like bass, "Turn it up." I wanted to test out the bass, so I turned everything up on my soundcard and on the system. Then I put in Pearl Harbor;I shook the whole room, the windows rattled. I also like the controls. It is very easy to mute and turn up or down. Of course everything has a con. I think the biggest one is the weight of the sub. That thing has to weigh at least 4 pounds if not more. My arms felt like they were going to fall off just carrying the thing. Also I cheated with the sound a little. While bose sounds wonderful I have an Audigy (soundblaster) card. The connections that Bose uses is lacking in the highest quality connections, that I could have with my soundcard. Here is why I bought this system. I have always loved bose sound. It is amazing how they can get so much sound out of little speakers. I knew that I was missing details on my CD's but I didn't know how much until I got this system. Secondly I think that the price was actually pretty good. You can find cheaper 3 speaker sets like that, but none that can be heard 3 floors up. If you want true surround sound, or a system that sounds this good you would expect to pay about this much for it. Finally simplicity and connectivity. With only three speakers to worry about it is very simple, not to mention that the two speakers plug into the sub, which helps you keep track of your wires. These speakers can (with a little work) be connected to most anything. I would highly recommend it. You may want to invest in a good soundcard to go along with it a system can be limited by the sound card it uses. Soundblaster's Live 5.1 is great if you don't want to spend much more than $50.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good sound, A little expensive
Review: I bought these because I was looking to reduce the clutter on my desk. My set up had the Yamaha TSS-1s (which I highly recommend for entry level surround sound--if you can still find them in black), but I felt like the need for surround sound was diminishing in favor of less clutter. I'm in a 12' x 11' office with the speakers a couple of feet in front of me and the subwoofer under the desk to my left. I hooked them up (through a audio switcher from Radio Shack) to my Laptop (headphone jack), Win2K Server (headphone jack), TV (Samsung 170MP-headphone jack), and DVD player (line out). What sold me was...
-It's Bose. I know alot of folks don't like Bose, but I do.
-Alot of folks say that Bose doesn't use quality parts, but I think they actually do make some durable stuff.
-I shouldn't admit this, but they do look cool.
-The sound is clear and bright. Although Bose doesn't publish the frequency range or power ratings, which bugs me.
-They mount easily on each side of the monitor (which is where I put them) or sit on the desktop.
-The mounting brackets are pretty solid and function well.
-The control pad - It's a hockey puck a little over 2" round and a little over 1" high. The top black ring is the volume. There's also a headphone jack and secondary input on it (the primary input is on the subwoofer). What's the best part is the touch-sensitive top which is the mute/standby. At first, it was a little annoying when I would touch it accidentally (as it sits right next to my keyboard). But, I got used to it and I don't have as many accidents. The control pod is very easy to use and shows good design.
-I recommend finding a demo. I was able to demo it at Best Buy. They sounded good there, but the size of the store (and noise especially during the holiday rush) did impact the quality. Bring some sort of source (MP3 player...) and a stereo jack. That way you can hook up to the secondary source on the control pod and listen to what you want to. Other Thoughts...
-The secondary input on the control pod "adds" a secondary source. It doesn't cut off the primary source. It's kind of neat to add a second source on top of the primary. But, may be troublesome if you can't mute the primary source.
-The subwoofer has a bass control, and also feels solid (pretty heavy).
-The TrueSpace does create somewhat of a spacious environment. When placing them or mounting them, Bose suggests pointing the speakers outward which enhances the airiness...I actually like them pointing right at me and getting my head in between the speakers. I tried both pointing outward and at me. Both sound fine, I just prefer at me instead.
-It's pretty good at "centering" the important audio while sending other audio outwards.
-Loudness is good. It plays louder than I can stand. If distortion occurs, there is some circuitry to cut off the sound (which has happened during my testing.. :^)
-Watched the opening NightCrawler scene from X-Men2 with both the Bose and my old speakers TSS-1s. The TSS-1s because they are DD5.1, did sound much better in terms of having the sound move around me. In a side-by-side, you can tell. But, on it's own, the Bose sounded just fine.
-I also put in Bug's Life which IMHO has an excellent soundtrack. The speakers did a good job of left and right and some back to front.
-I don't do any gaming, so sorry no opinion here.
-There's a slight buzz when the source is low volume and the Bose is high volume. May be my set up.
-Headphones jack is fine. I have Grado SR-80s. Only that buzzing again...
-You can't get the volume down to nothing (you have to mute). If the sound source is a line out like my DVD, it has a static volume level. This volume level can be higher than desired (especially at night). For movies on my DVD it's OK, but some music (like No Doubt's Singles) plays too loud at the lowest volume. For the TV and PC, it's OK because I can adjust the volume from the device. The line out, I can't Conclusion
I'm glad I bought them. They met my goal of reducing the clutter while not losing too much sound quality. Beside losing true surround sound, I think I reached that goal. I like the way they look and the ergonomics of the control pod. It also sounds pretty good and has good clarity at high volumes. The price tag is a little high (as is all Bose equipt). But, I figure the control pod adds some value over a normal control pod. The solidness of the pieces also adds value. But, I still think it's a little high. At maybe 20% lower, this would be better priced and I'd feel like it was really worth it. The only other con is that the I can't get the volume low enough with my DVD which has line out. To follow up, I talked to Bose Support and not being able to turn the volume down to nothing meant it was broken. So, I returned it (Best Buy was out of stock and I was going to buy it again when they came back in). So, now they raise the price $50 to $249! I think that stinks. I still think they are pretty good, but not for $249.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Speaker System
Review: I bought these speakers a few weeks ago and like them more and more every day. The first thing I noticed when I hooked them up was that they are very loud. After that initial reaction I felt as if there was a lack of good mid-range, shrill highs and overly heavy bass. I have since managed to tweak things to my liking and I have to say these speakers are awesome. The following is a list of things that worked for me to help get things sounding right: * Point the speakers away from you, like they suggest in the manual. I have mine about pointed about 30-45 degrees outward. This will keep your sound stage wide and cut down on the tin-like sounding highs * Don't be afraid to turn down the bass. I have my acoustimass module under my desk and against the wall so it has a lot of surfaces to bounce off of. This increases the bass response. I have the bass dial up only about 1/4 of the way and I find that to be about the right level. The bass still thumps when you listen to 50 Cent but it doesn't become all you hear. * Play around with the output levels on your computer. I have my master volume and mp3 player set to only about 50%. For some reason this seemed to bring back my midrange a bit and cut down on how loud the sound is when the volume knob is all the way down. I also have the treble output on my sound card set a little lower than normal to further reduce the over-emphasized highs. * Break in your speakers. I've read that new speakers need to be broken in and I think I'm buying that suggestion now. I think this is also why I feel a lot better about the system after a few weeks than I did the first day I installed them. So, they take a little finessing but once you have played around with them for a while, you'll be happy you have them. It's also worth it to mention they are easily the most sylish speakers out there and one of the few brands of comupter speakers that also make other top-notch audio products. The volume/headphone jack/second audio source/mute control disc is a really nice touch too. Everything about the system is well designed. One of these reviews mentions the heavy weight of the subwoofer being a con. I see that as a pro. Lets you know there's a lot of high quality, durable components inside it.
Rating: 
Summary: Overpriced/ sub-par performance
Review: I bought these speakers because of the five star reviews on this site but quickly returned them do to the mediocre sound quality. I am amazed that a manufacturer can sell a 99.00 set up for 250.00 dollars! The speakers and subwoofer are very small and the sound they emit is far below what you would expect for the price. Fortunately I purchased this product from a store that allowed me to return them for a full refund. I doubt I will purchase a Bose product again.
Rating:
Summary: Clean and Elegant
Review: I happened upon the Bose Companion 3 speakers when I returned my Logitech Z-560 4.1 speakers to Best Buy. (The control module had a short in the balance.) I then had $179 to spend on their replacements. Wandering over to the speaker demos, I couldn't find the exact replacements for the Logitechs, so I set about testing all the models. The new Logitech series, though similar, sounded muddy. These Bose speakers immediately captured my attention with their clarity and solid bass. These speakers do not lose clarity as the volume increases. There is a built-in sound processor which likely has a lot to do with it. The controls are extremely simple, with a rotary volume-dial, mute function, and headphone and line-in jacks. Strangely, those controls are truly all that are needed with these speakers. The brushed silver metal exudes class and makes me look sideways at the older equipment that shares my desk. Are they expensive? Possibly. It's harder for me to say, as I only had to add $20 addition money to the $179 credit I already had to bring these beauties home. They do seem to offer the bang for the buck I expected, especially considering that this is only a 2.1 setup. Overall, two big thumbs up!
Rating:
Summary: Bose Companion 3 is AWESOME
Review: I just received the Bose Companion 3 speakers today, I hooked everything up which was really easy, took about 3 minutes, and hooked it to my iPod. WOW. I was amazed. It was like having a live concert right there with you! The sound is amazing, well worth $250. Seriously, I love them and will keep them forever (until Bose comes out with more computer speakers in the future).
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