Bose Companion 2 Series II multimedia speaker system Reviews

• Great speakers - but not perfect

  
  By A1S34C0WW5BL06 on 2007-05-14
  I have Altec Lansing ATP3 back at my home. They're a pretty good 2.1 set, and never had problems with them. But now, I'm away from home.
  
  I set out to buy speakers to help me relax in my hotel room. My first choice would have been a 2.1 system. But since I am put up in a hotel room, a 2.1 system would prove heavy on my floor-space. So, instead I started to look out for good 2.0 systems.
  
  There are several tiny speakers in the market, but all of them compromise sound quality over portability. I am ready to drag along some weight if needed, but I didn't want tin cans.
  
  After a lot of research, I ended up with two options - Bose Companion 2 Series II and Klipsch Promedia 2.0. The Klipsch ones had excellent reviews all over the place. The bose speakers were rather new and haven't yet received a professional review anywhere. My deciding factor was the size. I wanted the smallest of the speakers without a compromise on sound quality. The klipsch speakers were larger than the Bose. So, I had to choose Bose. I didn't get to listen to Klipsch Promedia 2.0 anywhere, so I can't do a comparison. On the other hand, I did get to hear Klipsch Promedia 2.1 before and they're exceptionally good. I would prefer them to any Bose system if I was OK with a 2.1 system.
  
  I had heard Bose Companion 2 (the older ones) at a Bose store, and didn't like them much, as they sounded tinny. A lot of screeching sound, and a lack of bass. But I found Series II to be much better. Thanks to Bose for overcoming this problem even if that needed an increase in the size of the speakers ever so slightly.
  
  Now that I had only one option, I went ahead and brought these speakers home. Needless to say that these speakers were really good. I could hear the player's fingers rubbing against the guitar wires and all.
  
  I listen to a lot of Rock, Jazz and Classical. The sound is really balanced, and reproduces bass, mid-tone and treble on more or less equal footage. I believe the bass and treble are amplified a little more. Maybe that's a decision Bose have taken to "define" their desktop speakers.
  
  The advantage Bose has to other speakers of the same class, is the digital circuitry they probably use to enhance the sound to bring in increased stereo separation and roominess to the sound. The sound coming out is definitely more pleasing to the ears, and feels room-filling. You wouldn't get this experience with speakers from other brands, however faithful they are in reproducing sound as exactly as recorded.
  
  Now, an advantage that's almost a disadvantage. These speakers are so accurate in reproducing the sound that you cannot forgive playing mp3s at low bitrates. You need mp3s to be coded at least at 128kbps for the sound to be acceptable. I rip my music at VBR 192-320kbps and I find it hard to differentiate between the original CD and the mp3, So, never over-compress your music.
  
  Now, two clear disadvantages. The first is that these speakers are built to aim their best sound at the person sitting at the desktop. The sound fills the room, but you lose out on the spaciousness. The stereo separation is good at 6-10 feet away, but the spaciousness is lost. So, these speakers do have a sweet-spot, and that is a chair right next to the desktop. I wish Bose provided swivel stands, so that I could point my speakers at my couch and still get the best from the speakers.
  
  Disadvantage 2. I have played at least 200 tracks by now. The sound reproduction was near perfect, except for one track. I was playing a classical track "Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, "Eroica" - Scherzo: Allegro Vivace". This is an mp3 that has been shipped along with Windows Vista. Somewhere in the middle of the track, when a trumpet is played at a particular note, the right speaker gives a buzz. It means that I hit the natural frequency of the right speaker, and that resulted in resonance. I totally understand every object has its own natural frequency and you can't help it if you make a sound matching their natural frequency. But I am disappointed Bose didn't build it tight enough to avoid the buzz. I am not sure if this a defect in the speaker. But I can't return these speakers showing that the speakers buzz in only one track out of 200 tracks.
  
  That's about it. The speakers are almost the best you could get in a 2.0 to my knowledge. The only contendor would be the Klipsch Promedia Ultra 2.0 and if you have enough desk-space and don't need them to be as portable, you could as well go for the Klipsch. But you mght miss upon the spacious-feel circuitry that Bose uses.
  
  Advantages
  * Good balance in sound. Enough bass - I don't miss the woofer
  * TrueSpace technology - whatever this thing is, your ears will like it
  * small size - almost portable
  
  Disadvantages
  * Speakers aimed at the desktop user. No swivel stands
  * Buzz on right speaker playing a particular track (not sure if
  this is a defect)
  
  I am tempted to put price as a disadvantage, but I failed to find speakers of the same class at a lower price. So, I would rather leave the price alone.
  
  

• Excellent sound...as TV speakers!!

  
  By A2NX6MFZP8TM6S on 2006-12-28
  I got these speakers for free from one of the vendors I deal with for an Xmas gift. So, of course, the price was right. But since I already had top-notch speakers on both of my home computers, I wasn't sure what to do with them. Alas...to the family room and my crappy, 27" Panasonic tube television, which is stereo but whose speakers blow. I figured since these speakers are amplified, I could hook them up to my TV's audio out jacks. And whaddya know. It worked great. So now I have nice Bose sound coming out of my previously crappy sounding TV. What a difference it makes when watching music DVDs or musical performances on broadcast TV. So, while I can't speak as to how these speakers will sound with a computer, I can tell you that they work great with a stereo TV with audio out jacks. I probably never would've bought these just to use with the TV. But I'm sure glad I got them for free, because they're totally cool. Nice looking, too.
  
  

• Bose in name only. Not in sound.

  
  By A1A306IAZ3TM1 on 2007-11-23
  I have and have used a lot of speakers, including those for computers. I have just tried out these Bose speakers. They are very disappointing for the price. I believe that the Altec or Creative types for around 30 bucks just as good. These are highly overrated. I like, Bose, too. I have two different pairs of their headphones and love them. But, you can do a lot better than these speakers for the same amount of money (like a Logitech model with sub) and just as well for less than half (check ALtec or Creative. I'd give the edge to JBLs.) If you want to do something a bit novel, and speaker separation is not an issue for you, the Altec inMotion IM9 that runs about the same cost as these will give you dramatically better sound.
  
  Addendum since first post:
  
  Well, Not to be unsatisfied, I went out and bought similarly priced set of Logitech's. I got the Z4 system. It is one of their mid priced ones with a sub-woofer. And, sure, I know what you may be thinking. It is unfair to compare the Bose Companion 2s to a system with a sub. Further,I have NO DOUBT that with the satellites for the Z4 system, I am giving up some quality of midrange. However, the comparison is sharper. For same price as these Bose speakers, you can get a better overall sound for less money with the Z4s. If you go up to their Logitech's Z-2300 (I think the model number is), you will get vastly better sound. In fact, CNET says those sound best of all computer systems they tested (sound systems built for computers), outdoing systems costing upwards of 2000.00. That set up runs around 150.00. I didn't want a 12 by 12 inch sub-woofer.
  
  Back to the Companions. They are disappointing for Bose. Very solid and rich middle with little bottom end and a somewhat tinny top end. Bottom line. I think these Bose Companion 2s are okay, if you were paying one half the price for them. At around 100 bucks, they do not give you what sound you'd get in other options, including the InMotion 9 built for iPod (but works great as computer speakers) or the Logitech Z4s.
  
  

• Top notch sound!

  
  By A2EDWI5EGP4V9N on 2006-12-28
  I agree with the others that these are far beyond your every day computer speakers. I am getting clean clean sounds and an excellent balance.
  
  I was able to adjust the sound to my specifications with the awesome sound software on my computer. Now, I am finally glad I paid more for an upgraded sound system when I purchased this computer! I was certainly not benefiting from it with my plain old cheapy computer speakers.
  
  I really enjoy having the headphone jack on the front of the speaker too.
  
  These speakers are nice and heavy...not all plastic like most of the ones I've had in the past. The box, as shipped, weighed 8lbs.
  
  I could not be more pleased with the Bose Companion 2 Series II speakers!
  
  

• Just can't stand up to the competition...

  
  By AT6CZDCP4TRGA on 2006-12-26
  Dave, my co-worker, just got a pair of these for Christmas, so I asked him if I could bring over a pair of my Klipsch 2.0 Ultra Pro Media speakers (which cost about ten bucks less) to compare.
  
  Not surprisingly at all---at least not to me, but more so for Dave who has always associated Bose with premium sound quality due to his lack of audio experience and exposure to Bose's saturation-advertising campaigns---my Klipsch speakers won handily. They played louder, clearer, and with much better bass bass whereas these Bose speakers had a very unnatural and castrated sound...perfect confirmation of the old saw, "No highs no lows it must be Bose."
  
  Even Dave's wife (who had chosen the speakers for him strictly on brand name recognition) had to agree, and to her credit she gracefully offered to return the Bose speakers for him. Which goes to show that no matter how much advertising can make suckers out of people at first, real-life experience/experimentation is always the best teacher!
  
  
• Great Sound makes a laptop a sound system
  By A2FS0V4L8FOZZ7 on 2006-12-30
  I sold my Bose SoundDock to get these speakers. Hooking them to my MacBook Pro gave the same great Bose Sound and let me use the MacBook Pro's "ON-Screen" Remote! I was able to scroll through all the songs in my iTunes files and see what I was doing from acroos the room. The sound is so great I can watch movies and have even bought a large LCD Hi-Def flat screen to enjoy the movies on. Laptops are not known for great speaker sound. They give the space up to everything else. These speakers are worth the money. What most people don't know is an iPod can be hooked up to this or any other sound source. These are very versatile since they are powered speakers and being made by Bose doesn't hurt either!
  
  
• Looks good and sounds canned...
  By ATDNB9OP3PW6R on 2007-04-10
  I bought this one because of the good reviews here and I was very...very disaponted. It has more bass compared with most of the other speakers of the similiar size but the problem is that the music is twisted (in order to empasize bass) sounding like from a can. I returned it and bought a Klipsch Promedia 2.0 and there is simly no comparison!
  
  It's not fair to reqire this kind of tiny speakers to perform, but the Bose's problem is to use a price tag to impress the buyers in stead of focusing on quality.
  
  I believe some of the reviewers here are just new to home audio. I still remember how I was excited when upgrading my OEM dell speakers to a entry-level 3.1 system for the first time.
  
  Well, if you do not believe me, just buy a pair of Klipsch ProMedio 2.0 and see for yourself if Bose worths even $50.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• TOO SIMPLE ENGINEERING
  By AN3JOADG94TKA on 2007-02-09
  I bought these speakers yesterday, and tested them with my wife's Viewsonic High Definition 27" tv where I wanted more volume and full sound. Speakers performed great, but where did the engineers place the ON/OFF switch? Nowhere. Well, now I feel stupid. TODAY: I received info from Bose. "The speakers shut off automatically, after a couple of minutes, if no signal is being sent to them. They reactivate when a signal is sent to them again. No need to fumble around looking for a shut off switch.
  
  Thank you for contacting Bose Corporation.
  Lee Miller
  Customer Support Team
  
  
  
• Listen before you buy!
  By AVYNLTP4HONUI on 2007-02-28
  I really like the build quality of these speakers compared to others at the same price range. Also the ability to connect two devices at once was very helpful.
  
  BUT, the sound leaves much to be desired. They sound like another reviewer said... "no highs, no lows, it must be Bose." If you play games or enjoy listening to vocals DO NOT BUY THESE SPEAKERS! I returned them and bought the Klipsch 2.1 ProMedia speakers - which sound very very clear and the sub offers plenty of "clean" bass. Also, it provides a second mini jack port so you can connect other devices - like cd players, and ipods - without the need to buy an adaptor (like the Bose).
  
  
• Too much bass
  By AYSDB2DU2QGLW on 2007-05-31
  I bought these Bose speakers to hook up to a Sirius Stiletto Home Dock so that I could listen to Sirius while working in my home office. I returned them the next day. The bass level on these speakers was set incredibly strong resulting in a very muddy sound when the speakers were set at a comfortable listening level. If the speakers were turned up very loud, they sounded better, but still not what I expected from a Bose product. Having the speakers set to such a high level is not practical - phone conversations were impossible, not to mention at that level everyone in the house could hear them. I replaced these speakers with a set of JBL On Tour portable speakers and am much happier with the sound from those speakers.
  
  
• Very Disappointed
  By AH1KJ45IQTM4T on 2008-02-26
  I bought these pair of speakers to replace my old Roland speakers that I bought five years ago. I received them today and I already packed them back for a return. The quality of the sound did not meet the expectations at all. Furthermore, the quality is way down below the quality of a couple of average speakers that would sell for $30.00 (and this sells for $99!!!)- With some particular music, the sound was delivered like in waves, coming in and back randomly. I could not understand or figure out why, At less than 50% of the volume, these speakers are a joke. To start getting something our of them, you need to use more than 50% of the volume. And still, the sound is not impressive at all. I was comparing them with my old Roland, and my Roland deliver much more than this at 25% of their power. I was using my desktop and my laptop at the same time with the same exact song to see the difference, and I am confident that these Bose speakers are not good at all. So back to the box, and I am enjoying my Roland speakers again. I am NOT recomending this to absolutely anybody. They are extremely overpriced and they do NOT deliver what they were supposed to. Thanks for reading.
  
  
• Subtle, high quality sound
  By A1C01R9X9898MG on 2006-12-05
  I got these when I upgraded to a new MacBook Pro. It's a very simple system, plug and play. The speakers are more substantial than what you usually find for computers. They look very good on the desktop. I was even more impressed when I began playing around with the various settings in iTunes (Classical, Acoustic, etc.) These speakers allow you to hear subtle variations in tone. Bose tech support is unusually knowledgeable and helpful. Based on this experience, I am thinking of buying more Bose products. ADDED NOTE: a few months later--I now realize I NEVER REALLY HEARD my music before. I can't believe what I was missing! Since these wonderful speakers can also be used for an iPod, I plan to use them to save myself the cost of another system. FANTASTIC.
  
  
• Great Sound Output
  By A3KA110AFHON36 on 2007-01-28
  I never had a feel of Bose Speakers. So, was very excited when I received the products. The sound output is excellent. Initially I thought there might be no woofer output as in other normal speakers. But, I found that the woofer'r are in-built into each of the speakers. And the power of the speakers is excellent. Good Surround sound. One more thing I liked is that, there is no control for Bass/Treble separately. Only Volume control is there. Thus the Bass/Treble output is only controlled by the Software Media Player.
  Also, there is no Power button. So, the speakers are always powered ON, until the power cord is unplugged from the socket.
  Overall it has great performance. 5 stars :-)
  
  
• Not what they seem....
  By A2ANNUIVLU2ZUB on 2007-02-28
  I initially bought these after hearing them side by side with other 2.0 speaker sets of similar cost in a local store. The Bose Companion 2's seemed to sound better in the store on the Companion series demo kiosk which Bose seems to place in many of the big retail stores.
  
  However, I also bought a set of the Creative Labs T20's and did my own side by side comparison between them at home. Honestly, the T20's sounds significantly better to my ears. The Companion 2's sounded hollow and the sound wasn't as rich and full as the Creative speakers.
  
  The Companion 2's might have an unfair advantage during an in store side-by-side comparison. Personally, I suspect the Bose Companion series demo kiosk's in the stores process the sound through an equalizer (if not other processing), so of course other speakers that are set up "off the shelf" might sound a bit flat in comparison.
  
  In my opinion, it's best to do a head to head comparison between speaker sets is in your own home, on your system, with your preferred equalizer settings.
  
  
  
• Bose on a Budget
  By A2QAS68TU5KOZT on 2007-03-06
  You may think spending this much on PC speakers with no subwoofer is a bit steep, but when you hear these you will be glad you spent the extra money. Personally, I am a professional and listen to music at work as much as possible and I wanted to upgrade to attain the best sound possible without a mess of speakers everywhere. Initially I put these on top of the desk, but the sound was so good that I found it too distracting to concentrate on my work. So I put them under the desk where my old set had been. The sound is still great. The best thing about Bose is the clarity and bass response. I don't know how they packed it into this small set, but they did. Literally I can shake the desk if I want to. But the clarity and enjoyment at low volume is what I am most happy about.
  
  
• Small Sound at a Premium Price
  By AANU170IEBJ47 on 2008-07-26
  Bose is one very smart company. Over the years they have managed to create an iconic brand of top end speakers that retail for very high prices. Like Bose or not, there is no denying that their products sound good. Are they the best? No, not really. But they provide good sound and that is key to consumers.
  
  Enter the Bose Companion II Series II computer speakers. Right out of the box you will notice a huge increase in sound quality from your stock speakers. Most musical aspects are very clear, and for speakers that lack a sub-woofer, the bass is tight and defined. All levels are represented accurately, and there is a richness in the sound that is pleasing to the ear.
  
  This is all true until you push these speakers in terms of volume. Now, I understand that computer speakers are not meant to rattle the house (though Logitech's Z-5500 can do that), but these speakers refuse to push out any type of real power. The sound is great until you go past the halfway mark on the volume knob. After that you notice the sound can't get any louder. In an effort to offer you more, the bass becomes super muddy, as if the tiny speaker inside the unit have given up and decided to blow air in your face. The effect is embarrassing for a "high end" system.
  
  All this being said the speakers sound quite good at low volumes. Basically, these are speakers designed for one person to be listening to them at a reasonable level. It just seems that for $100, I should be able to push them a little. In comparison, my roommate has a $30 pair of Altec Lansing 2.1 computer speakers that really knock out some sound when you crank them, and they are only rated for 20 watts a channel.
  
  I have missed a few technical details, but if this is the only review you read, you don't use the internet enough. Okay, this is what it comes down to...
  
  Pros -
  - At lower volumes, these speakers sound great. Good reproduction on sound, and the bass is not punchy, but rather defined. I own a good amount of high end headphones and find the sound reproduction to be comparable to them.
  - Since there is no sub-woofer, you save a lot of space. I wouldn't call these portable speakers due to a fair bit of wiring and their weight, but they don't take a lot of your desktop.
  - There are two stereo inputs on the back so you can attach different components to the system (they are stereo to headphone jacks, which are cheap to buy). Keep in mind that there is no switch between the two inputs and these speakers will play everything at the same time if you attempt to do so.
  - These speakers look nice. Easy on the eyes and they don't take up a lot of room.
  - The headphone jack on the front delivers decent amplification. My Grado's sound great on them.
  
  Cons -
  - No off switch. You can turn the volume to the lowest setting on the knob, but there is not a real off switch. This can be annoying when I forgot I set an alarm and there is no real kill switch for the sound.
  - Total lack of high end power. For $100 you get great sound for one person, but these speakers couldn't get loud enough to fill a small room. Considering the alternatives, there is little bang for your buck here.
  
  Overall -
  - Depending on your needs, these speakers will either be a great investment or one you regret. For a cubical worker wanting great sound; grab these. For the college student wanting to rattle the room, go anywhere else.
  
  
  
  
• ABSOLUTELY THE BEST SOUND EVER
  By A1W4KFV64L3E0A on 2007-01-24
  My husband got me the Bose Companion 2 speaker system for Christmas and I love them. Absolutely the best sound from small speakers I've ever heard. The bass doesn't drown out the rest of the music and the sound is crisp yet dramatic. I couldn't be happier. Almost sounds as good as monitors in a recording studio. Would highly recommend them.
  
  
• Bose Companion 2 Series ll multimedia speaker system
  By AZ09FGLN77ZFO on 2007-02-24
  Excellent sound, great bass response for these small speakers. Very satisfied with their performance and would recommend them to anyone looking for computer speakers. What you expect frome Bose!
  
  
• Good pair of 2 speaker system, but could be better
  By A3DYMQMEIH3YRX on 2007-09-26
  Pros:
  
  1. Less messy (less wires) and saves space, without subwoofer.
  2. Built quality is solid, compared to light plastic ones.
  3. Speaker can connect to 2 separate source.
  
  Cons:
  
  1. No power on and off switch.
  2. The bass sounded too heavy and muddy.
  3. No controls for bass and treble.
  
  Conclusion:
  
  Bass sounded heavy and muddy and resonance can be felt. There's room for improvement.
  
  
• Fine, but not without problems.
  By A3E9ARQLNQBYXJ on 2007-04-14
  There are an awful lot of people fawning over any Bose product. Do Bose employ people to give their products uncritical reviews? I sense a conspiracy.
  
  There are also a large amount of reviews panning Bose products out of hand. Do rival companies employ people to rubbish Bose's name? Again, perhaps a conspiracy surrounds these pages.
  
  Anyway, I am just someone who is obsessive about music, on too tight a budget to call themselves an 'audiophile', but I nethertheless aim for the the best sound I can afford. Essentially I am very satisfied with these speakers (which I use with an emac or an iPod Mini), and I think the price Amazon sells them for is a fair price. I paid perhaps twice that amount, and do suspect I have paid for a name.
  
  No matter, I am generally pleased, and in my small room they do, to my ears, sound very good indeed. I think the term is 'live' - they have a nice, open sound, crisp with good range. They are also very well built - sturdy and quite heavy.
  
  One trouble: bass. It's not that there is not enough bass - there is, for a non-sub woofer system, plenty of the stuff. It is the fact that, with certain songs, they distort at even low volumes. For instance, try, say, Massive Attack on these and you'll see what I mean. It's not, perhaps, a distortion as such, but it is certainly muddy and ill-defined. I suspect this is a problem for a lot of speakers without a sub, so I don't feel like I made the wrong choice. It is simply an annoyance.
  
  The other thing is, like other people say, the lack of an 'on/off' switch is a bit silly. I don't really like the idea of these things constantly guzzling power, but I'm simply too lazy to keep unplugging them. I know that makes me a bad person, but couldn't Bose have prevented my laziness?
  
  
• I'm happy with these speakers
  By A23JSVEUJPAK6F on 2007-05-14
  I shopped around a good bit, and talked to several friends with more expensive systems, before buying these. I'm a musician who likes fidelity in sound reproduction (for mostly jazz and classical), I'm also someone who doesn't like clutter and appreciates clean design. These speakers in my office, where I don't play loud music, but want music to sound right at modest volumes. Decided to avoid a "subwoofer," and am glad I did. These speakers are inexpensive, but sound and look great. You can hear the cellos and bass just fine.
  
  
• too expensive for quality
  By A2WIJ45C9CLMFJ on 2007-06-25
  Any good 30$ 2.1 speakers will give a better performace than Bose speakers. I had HP 2.1 multimedia speakers and bought these to have better experience. The sound quality is too flat compared to HP speakers. They sounded almost like passive speakers, only very loud.
  
  
• A little too much
  By A277I0B8QWLLIF on 2007-07-25
  I got these speakers for the $89 price, but they still seem, like all Bose products, to be a little artificially price inflated. Granted, Bose does produce some very sleek looking products, and these two speakers are no exception. And Bose usually has very excellent sound quality, and for the most part, I do agree.
  
  Most midrange sounds are nice and warm. Treble is excellent, and are not screechy and distorted as much on higher volumes like many speakers that I have tried out before these (though those speakers were pretty cheap, in the $20 range). The only problem is that these two ranges are overpowered and thusly shadowed by the artificially amplified bass that the speakers pump out. Now I wasn't about to pay upwards of $300 for the Bose Companion 3.1 model (which has the bass seperated out by a subwoofer), but I'm starting to wonder if I should have invested in a cheaper company's speaker system with a controlable subwoofer, as I do most of my computer gaming and music listening at night, and these speakers have bass that can wake the dead, even at low volume levels (which unfortunately cuts out the mid range and treble).
  
  If you are slightly strapped for cash, but like Bose (or higher end speakers in general), and don't mind the heavy bass, then by all means buy these, but if you are a higher end audiophile with more cash to burn, you should probably at the very least upgrade to the next model up from these Bose speakers to get the seperate sub.
  
  
• I was skeptical at first but I love it after I got it!
  By AD3NN24XE28EN on 2007-08-05
  I was looking for speakers for the desktop in my office. I only wanted 2.0 speakers, not those 2.1 (w/ sub), to listen to smooth nice clear cozy ambient music as you would here in a nice restaurant.
  
  I was skeptical at first based on some negative reviews on this product. I went to Bestbuy and tested on all the speakers available on the shelf (around 6-7 brands). I was really impress w/ the outstanding quality from Bose. I understand that Bose has it own kiosk as some other negative reviews claiming that they rigged up the speaker to be over performed. I asked the Bestbuy staffs and they doubt that would be true. The sound is really clean and clear. I could actually feel the music space like I was in the music (doesn't sound flat)
  
  If you compare apple to apple, this is an outstanding speakers. Don't compare this speakers w/ other 2.1 or 5.1 products. That's not quit fare.
  But even you do so, this is still really great speakers.
  
  Back to my story, I finally decided to take a risk and bought Bose even thought I had read "some" really negative reviews about this product. I went back home and hooked them up to my laptop and "wow" the sound quality is as good as the one I listened to at the Bose kiosk.
  
  Let's me put this straight. If you like the sound quality you hear at the Bose kiosk, that's the sound quality you will get at home. Buy it!.
  But if you don't like what you hear at the kiosk, DON'T buy it!
  It's simple, go w/ other brands.
  
  One thing I need to mention. Make sure you have a nice quality sound output device at home.
  Of course, if you have a bad quality sound output device, that wouldn't do much, so as other speaker brands.
  
  
  
  
• Clarity in a small package.
  By A1BAM6BGKXCHR0 on 2007-08-15
  I recently purchased the Bose Companion speakers and was instantly pleased. After reading a few reviews that talked about the minimal bass output I was a bit skepticle, but after 10 minutes hooked up to my computer I was pleased to disagree. These are not speakers for a large room or to try to power a party with drum and bass, but for a desktop/smaller room application these are amazing. As far as the bass goes, it has a nice round tone and when I hooked my bass guitar up to it they didn't frump out or crackle (a true "bass" test). Any audiophile would be pleased with the clear highs and mids and that Bose design that looks so great.
  
  These speakers do have a fault and that is the inability to turn them on and off. I have had mine for a few months now and leave them plugged in with the volume down when i'm not using them which gives me a dirty, doctors office feel. No over-heating problems or anything of the like.
  
  If you are looking to "crank the bass" and make your room sound like a club, then go to a club. For those who want to actually listen and hear their music, these are great.
  
  
• Lacking in features but great sound quality
  By A147GKYTDQTE6O on 2008-01-30
  I bought these to use at my office and didnt want a sub system so that it doesnt bother others. There are a few features it is missing so first for the negatives:
  
  - For example it has 2 inputs but there is no way to switch between inputs, both are mixed and on.
  - There is also no power switch, the speakers are always on when plugged in.
  - There are also no bass and treble controls.
  - Sometimes it can sound a little boomey depending on the source material.
  
  However for the postives:
  
  - Cleanly recorded material sounds wonderful.
  - I'd say this is close to the $300 sounddock for a third of the price.
  - Even at low volumes, the sound is well balanced and even
  
  If you want some of that great bose sound this is a great entry.
  
  
• Recieved Document: Dear Tenant, please refrain from playing loud music
  By A1KZKG9T8B2KG2 on 2008-02-24
  In terms of aesthetics, these speakers spare you the clutter of wires of having a 3 piece. In terms of sound, it is good, but not as good as I expected. Great middle range, but not that good of a high range. The bass is so good that I got a complaint from my next door neighbor in my apt complex. You're basically paying so much cause it's BOSE and they do nothing but research in creating better sound. You will end up paying for the brand, but I am sure there are better quality speakers out there at a cheaper price. Again if aesthetics are important to you and less wires, go with these...
  Peace
  
  
• Just what I wanted
  By A116C54TNP28Y2 on 2008-03-06
  After my sister-in-law raved about these speakers, I decided it would be worth the price to get a pair for my Mac mini. The first time I plugged them in, I smiled. I'm no audiophile, but I do appreciate clean, distinct sound. That's what these speakers deliver.
  
  
• Good, but not great.
  By A5KMMY627T3W on 2008-06-20
  I have tested many different desktop computer speakers. In my opinion the best is the JBL Duet system, which retails for around half the price of these speakers. These speakers are good but they really aren't great.
  
  Pros: They look great, have good bass, and if you are on the other end of a room they fill the room up well.
  
  Cons: Treble not great. It's not as bad as some computer speakers but not as good as many other either. As I said they fill a room up well but if you are right in front of them they sound off kilter unless you position yourself exactly in the middle of them. Last but certainly not least, my biggest issue with these speakers: too much bass. They sound like they have a third subwoofer stuffed in there somewhere. Now, for some people this may be a selling point. For me, however, I bought a set of two small tabletop speakers because I didn't want the boom of the subwoofer. I want a little bit of bass but not a subwoofer's worth. These pack a subwoofer's worth, and you have to use a manual software EQ from your computer to adjust it lower; there is no bass or treble adjustment on the speakers themselves. Again, this is probably great for a lot of people but I don't like booming bass when I'm listening to Neil Young or the Beatles.
  
  Bottom line, these are just good. They are not great in any sense that I can discern. Also, they are overpriced because of the BOSE name on the front. These are not worth $100. More like $40. I would take a serious look at the JBL Duet and I will probably be returning these to get a set of Duets again.
  
  
• Good but not great.
  By ABTXVIP8EBHCT on 2008-06-27
  I bought these two years ago as a father's day gift for my dad. He likes to listen to music on his computer and only had cheapy speakers that came with the computer. I figured these speakers would be a good gift since Bose is well known for their superior sound and quality.
  
  Well, a few weeks ago I noticed that my father had switched back to his old cheapy speakers. When I asked him why, he said that the bass was better on the old speakers. Figuring that I didn't want $100 speakers to go to waste, I decided to use them on my own computer. Turns out, although these speakers are good, they're certainly not great.
  
  Let's talk about the positives first. I must first point out that there's a headphone jack right on the front of the speakers which is great. I also love not having to turn on the speakers when I turn on the computer. The speakers turn on when your computer turns on. Setup is also a breeze. Volume-wise, these can get really loud. Music sounds great and clear. The different levels of sound are distinct and clear cut. I've even used these to watch movies on my computer. You could almost compare the sound to surround sound on your TV.
  
  And now for the negatives. First, I wish there were settings for more bass since I'm a lover of bass. Second, if I'm comparing these to other speakers, the difference in sound isn't that incredible or noticeable. For a brand that prides itself on being far superior than other brands, Bose didn't really "wow" me with their quality. They're great, don't get me wrong. I just wouldn't dish out another $100 if something happened to my current set.
  
  The bottom line is this: Although these speakers are good, I don't think they're worth $100. I'm sure there are other speakers that produce the same quality of sound for half the price.
  
  

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