Bose® - 301® Series V Direct/Reflecting® Speaker System - Black

I am no stranger to Bose 301's, having owned my prior "Series 1" pair for nearly 28 years. In that time I never considered another speaker, although obviously technological improvements have come a long way. When my left speaker finally started to distort (due to a basic disintegration of the paper speaker backing), I didn’t have to even think twice. A few weeks prior to this, I had replaced my amplifier and had an opportunity to sample several nice speakers of other brands. Some were unimpressive, others sounded great. But none for the money can touch the 301, in my opinion. It’s superior to everything in it’s price range and often outclasses speakers costing 2 or 3 times as much. The Bose “sound” is not for everyone. The Direct/Reflective technology fills the room with sound, so the music has less ”sterility” to it, which is preferred by some. These newest 301’s (I believe Series 5’s) have improved quite a bit over my old pair. A third rear-firing tweeter no doubt has contributed to a better “separation of sound”, which, if the old 301’s had a fault, would be it. The bass also has better warmth, realism and “depth”, but without that punchy, “cheesey” quality. In short, if you have an older generation of Bose, you will love these. Finally, don’t be taken in by “audiophile snobbery” which implies that because Bose is now sold in "mainstream" stores such as Best Buy, they make in inferior product. Nothing could be further from the truth – the Bose people know sound and have once again proved it. You can’t go wrong with the 301’s.

I have been an audio do-be since 33 1/3 /rpm's with over 300 vinals and 300 CD's. I have a serious sound set-up with home theater and the whole bit. My Acoustic Research Speakers gave out and I now have a Cambridge Sound Works configuration that I am very happy with, In my other casual reading room, my AR speakers sort of just got tiered and I had to replace them Over 20 years isn't bad. I have always been a BOSE Snob feeling that BOSE are over priced and purchased by people who wouldn't know a good speaker if they met one. After looking around at price points and vast aray of selections I decided to get the BOSE 301's. I figured it was just for easy listening so I won't be too fussy. The price point was right and it is a reputable firm. The next challenge was to find a stand to put them on. Well I found the SAMUS foundation stand. The configuration works perfectly and the sound id wonderful from my 1950's Dixieland to Godspell, To Joan Baez on into my Irish music collection and the 1812 Overture. The stand and 301's look like a single unit and the height is perfect, And the sound is perfect to my ear. If you are looking to fill a room with your music and unless you are ready to take your music with you when you go shopping for a book shelf size set of speakers I would strongly recommend the BOSE 301's. With the SANUS stand you don't need to put them on a book shelf or table. You can place them anywhere in the room for best performance and room layout. I have met the BOSE 301's and we get along just Great !! :) We ENJOY our music.

Bose comes and goes. People bash them, People love them. When it comes to the 301s you realy cant say anything bad about them. They have been out there for years and years. I think I have owned every series there was. My son uses a pair of series 3 I handed down to him. Still sounds like new after 20 years. Just bought a new McIntosh MA 6600 ,MCD301 source unit. audio quest cables and speakers wires. and last B@W 805s with stands. got everything the same day but the speakers. I just had to order the ones with the takes forever finish to come end. Almost broke after all this.( Saved for almost 10 years for this kid in a candy store day) Stopped my best buy looking at movies ,I saw the 301s sitting the shelf for 300 dollars. oooww. I will just buy these and return them when my speakers come in. I hooked them up and was amazed with the sound they put out, they are no 805s put they handled ther own, I was very happy with them and got to play with my equipment until my other speakers arrived. When it came to return them I didnt, I now have them in my home office hooked to a old pioneer sx 1010 and they just keep playing. I will have them for years to come and hand them down to somebody else. Grand kids. unless they have some kind of inplanted ipods are something in there head by then. LOL

Small package but huge sound. DO NOT LISTEN to bose bashers, they do not know what they talking about???????????. the bose 301 produces amazing sound, really crips and clear at high volume, it is better than all the all the speaker out there cost two or three times at much. it has very nice feature like" Automatic protection circuitry prevents drivers from being overdriven and provides increased reliability while minimizing interference with the listening experience". therefore, those bose speakers will last for ever while all the other brand speakers do not have that kind of nice feature, that is why they will not last for long. there are a lot of high technology inside these bose speaker. i would buy these speakers again if mine broke up.the bose 301 series v is perfectly for music even for movie.they are perfet for who love KARAOKE too. it is also really affordable price. everybody can buy it. thanks a lot MR. BOSE. keep up your good work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been around many speakers in life and have often been amazed to how Bose can get BIG sound into a small box. I bought a pair of Bose 8" Direct/Reflecting® Bookshelf Speakers to be hooked up to my A/V player. Before I continue, I need to admit that I wanted a complete 5.1 surround sound experience and thought I needed two floor standing speakers, an earth shaking sub woofer, two rear speakers and a center speaker to get that really BIG room filling sound. Anyway, I started with this pair and put them in the front to test them out. My jaw dropped to the floor when I played a movie and a music video with only these speakers. They in fact filled the entire room much, much better than my other four speakers I had just unplugged before testing this pair. One year later and I'm still impressed by these speakers. They are now the only pair I own in the house. If you're tight on space and want that room filling sound then get a pair of these. You'll be glad you did.

Having been around audio since 1958, I have seen all kinds of fads come and go. The Bose line of audio equipment endures based on firm engineering principles. I first saw the Bose 901 at the 1968 Hi-Fi show in NYC Trade Show Building and I was impressed. The loudspeaker is the part of the audio system that actually makes the sound. With current technology, it is the most important part of the system’s equation. In this area, the Bose 301 does not disappoint. The sound is neutral; the bass is only there when called for; as opposed to an overly resonant “chesty” mid-bass. The treble is there and is not peaky or strident. I have a very large living room and the Bose 301’s have no problem filling the room with high-quality sound. I am using a low-end Sony 2.0 channel (“Stereo” to you old timers) receiver with no problems. The speakers are pricey… but you are getting a well-engineered product where quality rules over mass-marketing. Dr. Bose was an inventor and scientist is the tradition of Edwin H. (Major) Armstrong, the inventor of FM radio. Dr. Bose’s work shows in these fine speakers.

I have an older pair of the series 4 for several years now and love them. they are now used downstairs in my dining room. These series 5's took over on my main entertainment system> They are great. The sould is very clear and crisp. Very defined clear highs and nice tight bass. Thier styling looks good and is well designed for great sound coverage. If i use just the two speakers and the sub, i still get incredible sound with a "surrounding" effect. When i listen to music, I use it that way. As long as you have a good amp and source, you will hear things you never heared before in the lower end sets. Low or even high volumes, it makes no difference in quality. If you are looking for top shelf performance without shelling out thousands, there are a good choice and make a solid set of fronts in a surround system.

These speakers are rated very high, but when I got them I was not satisfied. Here's my impression of these speakers after using them for almost a year. Pros: Good sound with music, and movies, strong bass, fun to listen to Cons: Almost nothing sounds natural Highs too loud and undefined Overall resolution is pretty low Soundstage can be very small Overall these speakers are good, they are like the "beats" headphones of the bookshelf speaker market...They're not well refined, but they will entertain you. Audiophiles will be disappointed. The Klipsch reference bookshelf speakers for $249 at Best Buy are more natural sounding but with smaller bass (I have an older pair dubbed the icon series), and they are great for smaller rooms. The Bowers and Wilkins bookshelf speakers with the 6-1/2" woofer at Best Buy are also a better alternative, They're more expensive too, but well worth the money.