Bose® - 201® Series V Direct/Reflecting® Speaker System - Black

I have been researching speakers for my 5.1 surround setup for the past two weeks online (I have a Panasonic HTB that I paid very good money for about 7 years ago). My focus has been the front main speakers, so I was thinking along the lines of a floor speaker. My research drew me to Klipsch and Polk for top quality speakers at fairly good price points. I'm a value shopper, but this time around, I was willing to spend more for a quality component setup I expect to have for 5 or more years. As to listening preferences, I like my music to have crisp highs in the foreground, not buried and mumbling into the bass, and my bass to be slightly boomy but set in the background, where it belongs. After long hours of online research I decided to just go out and listen to various brands of speakers at Best Buy. Week nights are a great time to do this, as the staff are more attentive and very accommadating to letting you play with the speaker selectors. And you can crank the volume without disturbing many shoppers. I started out listening to the floor speakers in the "affordable" section. I listend to the Sony 3-Way SSF5000s, Polk TSI300s, TSI500s, and a set of a Klipsch Icon 2-Way VF-35 speakers. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the Best Buy sample CD was filled with wretched heavy metal rock that just didn't do anything for me. But I listened anyway to form an objective opinion. The Polks seemed just okay, the Klipsch nice and crisp, as expected, and the dirt cheap Sony's didn't sound so bad either. Then I went over to the bookshelf section just to play around, not expecting to find anything there, and that's where I met up with the Bose 201s. I listened to a pair of Klipsch Icon VB-15s, Polk OWM3s, Bose 201s and 301s. I was really amazed at the full range and crisp sound of the 201s and the sound dispersion was very good no matter what angle I was listening from. And they projected well even at low volume levels. The Polks were a very close second, but didn't seem to display the full range of sound the 201s have. And the Klipsch? Well, I just don't think they delivered that well. The Klipsch and 301s seemed a bit on the muddy side. You had to push the volume on both to get them to "sing", but even so, the highs were not well separated from the lows. And they did not project very well. I decided to take the 201s home and hook them to my Panasonic 100 watt receiver, which also has a Klipsch Sub 12 hooked up (just bought the same evening as a great scratch and dent deal). For music, I have played Rush, Boston, orchestral and jazz. For movies, I have played Black Hawk Down (constant shooting action) and Perfect Storm. And I pushed the volume, looking for weak points. Let me tell you, I haven't found any. Whether the volume is low, medium or high, you will hear a crisp full range of audio from these speakers. They're a bit wide for a frontal setup, but they are attractive and I love the sound so much, that is where they will stay. To sum it up, Bose was not even on my radar as a result of my online research. Many reviewers just seem to think they can't stand up to the likes of Polk, Klipsch and other relatively high priced brands. But, when I let my ears have their say, the story became very different. I still have a lot of respect for Polk and Klipsch (I love the Sub 12, it shakes the house if you want it to) and will likely incorporate one or the other into my remaining 5.1 setup.

I have been a fan of Doctor Bose for some 35 years now. It began with a set of 501's , which I wish they still made. Those were more then a great sounding speaker, they were a designed to fit in as a piece of well crafted furniture. If you were lucky enough ( as I was ) than you know what I am talking about. Along with the pair of 501's I also had a pair of 901.s. Now that is a UNBELIEVABLE SPEAKER. First of all I am extremely happy that Dr. Bose hasn't changed the design since its conception. And why should he, why mess with perfection.....The 901 is a work of art that is wrapped around the most ethereal sound ever reproduced. There are those speakers that cost twice as much and more. But they fall short of the quality of sound that Bose has mastered. So now I come to present day, 4 years ago I was in a Bose Audio Store where only Bose products are experienced ( I say this because with Bose it is not just a box with speakers . It is a sound revelation that has to be felt as well as heard) and are sold factory direct to the customer. While I was there I purchased not one but two pairs of 201's and the VCS - 108 Center Channel Speaker to be used as a surround sound system. The Center Channel Speaker is a new product from Bose that compliments the other speakers. After hooking them all up I was not disappointed ...Bose is it !!!! THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The only thing I would change is the time I sold the 501's and 901's. Thank You Dr.Bose for a life time a wonderful sound.

I was told by a lot of people Bose is a high quality speaker. My first experience with Bose was a pair of computer speakers I bought my Freshman year in high school. I pawned them for $20 and the speakers I replaced it never really sounded as good. Really disappointing. When I bought a box and needed speakers I knew I'd go with Bose. These were within my budget and as soon as I heard them I was in heaven. I'm a music major and in my not so humble opinion they replicate a wide variety of genres, or reproduce the sound very accurately. People hate Bose because it's cliche, and they argue they spend money on a marketing campaign which who knows they're a private company. Who knows how much. In my opinion those people don't really know what they're talking about. If these are within your budget buy them. They're loud and I have played cd, apple tv, blu ray, dvd, and vinyl audio through them. Great speakers. As far as setup if you've wired speakers they're not any different than any other speaker you would wire. That section of the review is kind of unnecessary for speakers.

We picked up a 50 inch Plasma TV a few weeks ago, and wanted to upgrade our older Sony entertainment surrond sound system we are using with it. We looked at a set of Polks and similar speakers, but we did not quite feel like shelling out $1,000 for a pair of speakers. We researched and found that the Bose although smaller and able to fit on a bookshelf. Should fit the bill for us. With the way they bounce the sound around we thought they should work well for us. We wanted the 301's but since they were not in stock so we opted for the 201's. We were not disapointed. WOW. These are matched up with my older Sony system, and with a DVD like Iron Man playing you will blow your socks off. We have sound everywhere just like hearing a THX system in a movie. I will likely pick up a smaller set of Bose for the back speakers now, and ditch the cheapo Sony spekers my old system came with. These are well worth the money. Go Ahead!

this set of speakers is truly the best purchase i have made as far as bookshelf speakers go i honestly did not expect these speakers to sound or handle as well as they do i can not turn my system up as loud as it will go because there is honestly no end to the power handeling performance that they have also i was kind of surprised that they really were cost effective as far as building my system in seperate units and you can place them most anywhere in the room and they really do sound extremely larger than they really are something to look forward to in the future is my next purchase of bose speakers wich will more than likely be the 301 sreies V Direct wich is the next step up from the 201 series V Direct speakers wich i am currently writing about they are truly great sounding and really handsome speakers

I was looking for a 2.1 stereo setup for a Panasonic receiver. Finally I had to choose between Bose 201 and Definitive promonitor 1000. At best buy they do not keep these speakers side by side to compare and take a decision which is better. So I had to buy both Bose and definitive to test them at home and keep only one which I like. What I noticed is that the highs and mids are better in definitive where as the base is better in Bose. Also I wanted to check out the fatigue levels of long time listening. At the same treble settling the definitive is sharper, that means that you can lower the treble to match the softness of bose 201. The mids are much better in definitive at the same volume levels. Since I was looking for a speakers which can deliver good highs and mids at very low volumes. I choose to keep the definitive speakers.

I was initially leading towards the Bose 301 speakers because of the bi-polar speaker system. In a listening comparison, the 201 were much clearer and reproduced the sound more accurately. The 301 seemed bass-heavy and I had to strain to hear the upper ends. These 201s are bright and clear, making string quartets, singer/songwriters, and rock bands sound like they are in my living room. Fantastic speakers at an incredibly reasonable price. The only downside is the lack of stand to elevate the speaker. If you use them truly as bookshelf speakers, no worries! If you don't have the "bookshelf", a pair of stands for the speakers are a definite must, but cost half as much as the speakers.

I have these speakers in a smaller room and use them as a 2.1 setup. The Bass alone with these speakers is not the best but definitely there. The mids and highs are great and clear. I personally have the treble turned way up on my speakers and it is great. The BEST thing about these speakers is that even at very high volume they DO NOT distort what so ever. In the future i would use these more as a surround speakers, but as for now they are GREAT in a 2.1 setup. These speakers sound best when mounted high. With only two speakers they FULLY fill the room with sound and feels like surround sound. if you want a great inexpensive Bose setup, i would go with these. you will not be disappointed.