I have heard the 301's on several occasions, and my impressions have always been the same: passable mid-range, mushy bass and non-existent highs. I can think of several under-$500 speakers, including my own Monitor Audio B2's, that blow them out of the water, and yet, none of them made the list. I also question the timing: the 301's, which have been on the market for many years and never made ANYONE'S "Best Of" list, all of a sudden appear on AR's "Under $500" list at exactly the same time that the Bose computer speakers are given an Editorial Review on the same coveted side panel. Are we suppose to think that the Bose's 3.6 AR review score suddenly qualifies for inclusion in "Best Of" features? There are dozens and dozens of bookshelf speakers in your "Reviews" section with better scores, that were not included. Why didn't they make the list?

I ask again: is there another game afoot?

aA: I didn't realize that there WAS a "comments" section in the "Best Of" threads.