Bose 301 vs other bookselves

[cube20]

I have been reading the blasting bose was getting on the forum. I happen to be around a bose show room.I thought let check the bose...i mean how bad can they get. i heard the acosuticmass series and the Bose 301. well the acoustics mass suck . NO Lows at all and the stereo image was also questionable. Well but i was quit impressed by the 301. well it was priced a bit higher $324 but good power handling.I was thinking of buyin a bookselves for the hall.. are the bose 301 worth the sound or are they better ones. if so which one. i did hear the paradigm bookselves.. but they dint impress me like the bose 301.Are the bose 301 good or have i been sucked in the bose gimmick. Please let me know. thx a lot. have a nice day

[N. Abstentia]

Sounds like Bose is the speaker for you, go for it.

[hifimaster]

Still way overpriced. Who else in the industry uses $3.00 paper cone tweeters? Let's see... Oh yeah... The guys who build clock radios.

Bose value is questionable in all their speaker lines. You could do much better for that price point.

James

[Lord_Magnepan]

If you value music, then its a Magnepan MMG

No highs no lows it must be BOSE

[Bryan]

If you enjoy the Bose sound, go for it by all means. However, an alternative could be the Rocket RS150. A B-stock pair goes for $249 plus shipping.

Take a look around for speakers from B&W, Def Tech, Monitor Audio, PSB, and Paradigm.

On line, you should have the DIY Ed Frias AR.com speaker available from PartsExpress for around $300 or so. The Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 goes for $340 delivered. For something different, the Magnepan MMG W is $299 plus shipping (may be included) per pair though you will need a sub. You also have the Swan 2.1 in faux black cherry available for $299 plus shipping.

Don't forget about the used marget either. There are fantastic values to be had.

[Woochifer]

$324 is WAY too much to pay for the 301s. I used to use an old pair of 301s as surround speakers so I'm pretty famliar with how they sound and how they compare to other speakers that I have tried at home. The 301s are different because they're one of the few bookshelf speakers out there that use an 8" woofer. This gives you decent bass extension, but the 301's weakness is in the midrange, which is really where you need to focus your listening. In addition, the direct/reflecting design means that the sound performance will vary a lot more depending on the room acoustics and placement compared to other speakers. IMO, that design projects out a big sound, but destroys the imaging in the process. The type of sound that the 301 produces I refer to as "mono everywhere."

If you want a comparable Paradigm speaker in that price range, go for the Mini Monitor or the Monitor 3 (which also uses a 8" woofer). The midrange linearity on that speaker is far superior, with much better balance in the lows and more extended highs. Also keep in mind that Bose showrooms are setup advantageously for those speakers (for one thing, they are rarely put into the same room with other speakers). The only way to know for sure how speakers compare is to set them up in the same room using the same front end equipment. Otherwise, separate listenings in different demo rooms are not comparable, and a poor way to assess one speaker versus another.

[N. Abstentia]

Well the guy said he also looked at Paradigm and liked the Bose better. So he obviously does not want a good sounding speaker, he wants Bose.

[registrar84]

You can get a good used pair of Bose 301's on ebay for 1/2 of a new pair, so if you want those, I would suggest used.

[Peter Duminy]

Trust your ears above everyone and everything else. If you are shopping around though, do check the B&W 300 series, Paradigm Titan, Polk, Klipsch, and Mission series, if you can find them. If possible, when you do find your choice, ask to use them on a return basis in your own room, just in case you change your mind. Most good Stores have an exchange/refund policy for just this issue. Good luck!

[Garrardman]

Hi cube20,

If it is the bass of the 301s that impressed you then make sure to also have a listen to the Mordaunt Short MS912's - they are quite large for bookshelf/standmount speakers so they have very good bass weight. They also have a proper tweeter rather than the horrible paper coned abomination in the Bose speakers.

Ultimately, your ears should make the decision, as Peter rightly says. However i think it is for very good reason that many people out there think that Bose are overpriced, under-engineered, poor sounding rubbish.

Adam.

[stratman672001]

This is interesting reading.

[Lord_Magnepan]

Sure is, i read that too since there was a link for it on the Audioasylum.

[stratman672001]

I almost feel bad for the musician who gets suckered into this... Almost.

[Lord_Magnepan]

But only almost

[spacedeckman]

First thing to keep in mind is that the 301s you heard at the Bose store were quite likely equalized, or the music that was being played was, or both. Bose demo discs of the past have been known to be dynamically compressed, have the bass and highs filtered out, and tended to play a bit louder in one channel. What you heard there isn't what you will get at home.

For those who don't know much about audio, the Bose name is a huge draw. As you have noticed, those with some experience don't tend to hold them in very high regard. There are good, technically solid, and performance based disadvantages to all Bose products. However, I'm not going to try to talk you out of buying them. Registrar84 had a great idea in buying them used. Bose speakers always sell quickly and command a decent resale price, so you more than likely won't get dinged for more than the freight. However, if you have the cash or credit, a better solution would be to go to one of the "big box" stores. I know for sure that Best Buy offers a 30 day satisfaction guarantee (I'm sure the others are the same). Go buy a pair of 301s, and another pair of similarly priced bookshelf speakers from there or any other store with a return policy. Wire up both pairs and listen to one at a time. Listen carefully to what you hear coming out, and the "picture" that each speaker paints. Bring back the one you don't like. The hardest part for a novice is for you to be honest with yourself. Name recognition can cloud the best of intentions. You need to give the competative speaker a fair shake, and avoid giving the Bose extra "points" for being Bose. You may be surprised at what you learn.

[Woochifer]

First thing to keep in mind is that the 301s you heard at the Bose store were quite likely equalized, or the music that was being played was, or both. Bose demo discs of the past have been known to be dynamically compressed, have the bass and highs filtered out, and tended to play a bit louder in one channel. What you heard there isn't what you will get at home.

Another thing to look out for are the Bose home theater rooms that are setup in their factory stores and at some larger superstores like Fry's. Supposedly, they demonstrate the Lifestyle systems, but I've read that the demos use a lot of custom equipment and equalization that can't be replicated at home. Plus, the choice of demo material is designed around the limitations of the equipment.

[cube20]

I almost feel bad for the musician who gets suckered into this... Almost.

me and my dad are keyboardists . On every Musician forums people have gone crazy n this bose personalizes amps.. I am not kiddin. I was a bit taken back by it.These forums have been represented by some really good/studio artists.I am sure they wont get sucked into this product if it wasnt that good.I know i havent seen it.. but i wonder if u have.

[cube20]

If you value music, then its a Magnepan MMG

No highs no lows it must be BOSE

You know what would be great.Fill all the walls with those stupid Magnepan.then u can open a gallery . Ya before u do that make sure you remove all the furnitures...well who needs them .YOU HAVE THE TINY MAGNEPAN...........Enjoy.Hey pls update me for ne tweeks that i missed

[chimera128]

Not everyone likes bad sound out of a little package that costs way more than it is worth. If you like small speakers then more power to you, even though there are still better (by far) choices than BOSE on the market. Magnepan's, even the smallest, are much better than BOSE could ever hope to be. Judging from this thread and others where you have mentioned the 301s you obviously have found the speakers you enjoy for some reason or another. So go buy them. If you are looking for people to back you up on the positives of the BOSE 301 or any other BOSE product go to hometheatrespot and talk in the BOSE forum. Otherwise you probably won't get much of that here.

[jfish]

i'm using my bose 301's for speaker stands while i wait for my stands to come.......mine were new 3 mos ago, the gen 4's stored in box, a gift from my brother who won them new at his job....they sound ok, but i have proacs now so my opinion is skewed i will probally keep then just to play with

[vr6ofpain]

you know what is funny is this all reminded me of the BOSE 141 (i believe). I remember being in high school and wanting some decent bookshelves to upgrade my Sony "mini-system". I went to circuit city(sorry I was in high school and liked their 100% money back return policy). I listened to some JBL's, with a 5.25" and a .75", a pair of infinity's with a similar tweeter and a different 5.25", and those little BOSE's which were priced similarly. When moving back and forth I was totally blown away at how limited the sound was out of the BOSE's, but how the dude kept going on about how good they sounded. After I told him I had to think about it, the salesman walked away. I then removed the grille off of the BOSE, which I was worried might break, to find that it had a single ~4.5" paper cone driver, which I believe I read they called the "star driver" or something. No wonder they sounded like crap. I couldn't believe anyone would actually buy such a piece of junk. The only speakers that I have owned that came with paper cone tweeters, were those cheap-a$$ Sony speakers that came with the "mini-system".

I will never understand BOSE, and have not since heard anything from them that actually sounds good for the money. I could understand if they were a super bargin, but they are really really expensive. [/rant]

[corwin99]

Paper cone drivers can be pretty good. Not sure about paper cone (dome?) tweeters, but Scan Speak uses Paper cones in several of their models as do many other manufacturers. It doesn't "market" well, but it is a good cone material in high efficiency speakers and has a very natural sound. Also good damping properties.

[vr6ofpain]

Paper cone drivers can be pretty good. Not sure about paper cone (dome?) tweeters, but Scan Speak uses Paper cones in several of their models as do many other manufacturers. It doesn't "market" well, but it is a good cone material in high efficiency speakers and has a very natural sound. Also good damping properties.

well I guess paper is ok for some drivers, my velodyne sub has a paper cone, but the 2" paper dome tweeters are crap, no way around it.

[jamison]

what is with the mentality of people that buy bose. my brotherinlaw for instance has a pair of 301's and the VC-30 center and surround package. my brotherinlaw will talk for hours on end on how Bose spends a whole ton of money on research and that they are one of the high end speakers out there. he tells me about the bose store he visited while on a trip and how i would be drooling over all their latest technology. I told him that he could get better performance in the same price range with many other manufacturers. he says to why does bose sell more speakes than any other manufacturer? i said its all marketing.
i ask him what other brands have you listened to in the same price range to come up with all that? he says none! i dont have to. bose is the best there is nothing can compare. i ask him if he knows that most bose drivers use paper tweeters and cheap foam surrounds on the woofers. he says it doesnt matter. I ask him why they dont list any specifications he says again it doesnt matter. at this point the conversation was over, my brotherinlaw is fuming at this point, his attitude was how dare you say bose is not that good. my brother linlaw asks me what brand did you buy? I said well i didnt buy a brand i bought sound. he shrugs his head confused.

well about an hour later we are watching a movie with my siser and him
und and he starts asking me how do i adjust the center speaker so i can hear what they are saying? he says also why do i get that distorted sound out of my left surround?

At this point i told him that he would have been BETTER OFF WITH SOMETHING ELSE and walk out of his living room laughing hysterically. my sister is now mad at me for making that comment. oh well guess you cant argue with the fact that bose is the best

[eisforelectronic]

what is with the mentality of people that buy bose. my brotherinlaw for instance has a pair of 301's and the VC-30 center and surround package. my brotherinlaw will talk for hours on end on how Bose spends a whole ton of money on research and that they are one of the high end speakers out there. he tells me about the bose store he visited while on a trip and how i would be drooling over all their latest technology. I told him that he could get better performance in the same price range with many other manufacturers. he says to why does bose sell more speakes than any other manufacturer? i said its all marketing.
i ask him what other brands have you listened to in the same price range to come up with all that? he says none! i dont have to. bose is the best there is nothing can compare. i ask him if he knows that most bose drivers use paper tweeters and cheap foam surrounds on the woofers. he says it doesnt matter. I ask him why they dont list any specifications he says again it doesnt matter. at this point the conversation was over, my brotherinlaw is fuming at this point, his attitude was how dare you say bose is not that good. my brother linlaw asks me what brand did you buy? I said well i didnt buy a brand i bought sound. he shrugs his head confused.

well about an hour later we are watching a movie with my siser and him
und and he starts asking me how do i adjust the center speaker so i can hear what they are saying? he says also why do i get that distorted sound out of my left surround?

At this point i told him that he would have been BETTER OFF WITH SOMETHING ELSE and walk out of his living room laughing hysterically. my sister is now mad at me for making that comment. oh well guess you cant argue with the fact that bose is the best

That's funny...and typical.