Bose 601 Series IV and centre (1 Viewer)

[Doug Smith]

I am looking into buying new front speakers for my system. I just heard the Bose 601's and was blown away by the width and envelopment of the sound. I'm just wondering if anyone out there has these? They're not cheap at just under $1000.00 CDN. I am also looking at the Bose VCS-10 centre speaker - they say your front speakers should all be the same make. However the reviews of this speaker are rather ugly. Would appreciate comments. Also the selling point of the 601's is improved bass quality. I already have a sub-woofer - would this cause an overabundance of bass?

 

[BrianWoerndle]

Please, please don't fall victim to Bose. I have been there and it is now the only HT choice I regret. You can do hundreds times better.
Being in Canada, look at Paradigm. They are a steal in Canada. You could get anything from the Monitor line, or pobably the 3 front speakers from their high end Refrence Studio line. Go to www.paradigm.ca and look at the specs, and then find a dealer near you and go take a listen.

 

[keir]

listen to other speakers first. i have never heard of any informed ht enthusiast chosing bose. the only reason they have a good reputation is that the public is largely ignorant when it comes to audio.

 

[Cam S]

PLEASE, PLEASE do NOT go with BOSE!!! Us Canadians can get Paradigms for an ABSOLUTE SONG compared to Americans, so I HIGHLY recommend giving them a listen. Klipsch and Axiom are also INCREDIBLE speakers, myself owning a system consisting of the Klipsch Reference line. Give these 3 a listen and I guarantee you'll see the light!

 

[John Garcia]

In Canada, there is also Axiom - www.axiomaudio.com Bose is not very popular here, in case you didn't notice. The center channel gets poor reviews for a very good reason. The floorstanders are not bad, but you can do better for the same, and often less money.

 

[Matt_Briol]

For only about $500 you can get the Klipsch RF-3. The RF-3s would blow away ANYTHING bose makes.

 

[Cam S]

Matt, you couldn't have said it better.

 

[Brian Kleinke]

I owned a pair of Bose 201s many many years ago, I replaced them with Polk RT25i's and now have a full LSi set... you can do MUCH better then bose.

Brian

 

[GarySI]

DearGod man, don't even think about touching that Bose. Remember no highs no lows must be Bose. I have a pair of the 601 series II for my rear surround. Bought them used, in perfect condition and much cheaper than new. I was very surprised by the sound they reproduced. My mains are 602 series II and a CC-6 center channel. The sub is an upgraded RAVA unit. I use them 70/30 Music to Video. I've been listening to DVD-A's and by having all one manufacturer for the end game the timbres are almost perfectly matched. Just pay attention to B&W's location suggestion or better yet try using the Wilson Audio W.A.S.P method. You can find it on the tnt-audio.com site. BTW "Hotel California" never sounded so good. Likewise "Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours". Imaging with B&W is very precise and they are a bit unforgiving. Audition them if you can. Bring a favorite CD or DVD.

 

[Sihan Goi]

Remember, get whatever, EXEPT bose. bose just blows, period.
PSBs are a good value in Canada too, IMHO they have better speakers than Paradigm

 

[Doug Smith]

Sorry< i didn't know the "Bose" name illicited such negativity. I think I'll stay away. I have been out of the audio loop for a number of years. Over ten years ago I bought some really good Cerwin Vegas (spent a fair buck) and frankly I am still waiting for new speakers to blow them away - say the way 5.1 does to pro-logic. Which begs the question - has new speaker technology progressed as fast as other technology? Anyway's I'll keep listening, and in the meantime stay pat.

 

[Brett DiMichele]

Speaker Technology much like Internal Combustion Engine
Technology has not really changed that much in decades.
That's not to say that there haven't been improvments over
the years.

I think mostly when you compare today's Mid to High end
speakers with those of a decade ago you will see that design
principals and quality have improved the most. The use of
more "High Tech" materials is eminent in most of today's
High Performance Dynamic Loud Speakers.

Today most every company has access to CAD to design and
also Finite Element Analysis Equipment and also more tools
for testing designs before they ever go into production.
Decades ago it was more like hit or miss untill you arrive
at a conclusion that works well.

Gone are the days of hemp speaker cones, weak magnet assemblies
and flimsy baskets.

Most high end speakers today employ more costly driver materials
better spider materials, larger voice coils and much better
surrounds. And also the cabinents of even the affordably
priced speakers are for the most part, well built.

The basic principals haven't changed, nor will they ever.
But the materials that go into making the whole assembly
have changed.


For the better I hope..

 

[KeithH]

I think the basic principles of speaker design have largely stayed the same, but some companies have been rather creative in terms of utilizing new technology to try to master those principles.


Doug,

Definitely don't buy Bose. I'm sure you will find something that will easily beat the Bose and Cerwin-Vega's in your price range.

 

[Doug Smith]

Yeah, I definitely will stay away from Bose. And even Cerwin Vega - I bought a sub to match my front speakers sometime back - it lasted about two minutes into Gladiator before the popping started. Unbelievable. Cerwin Vega used to be one of "the" names in speakers about ten or fifteen years ago. My old front cerwin vegas are still going strong. What happened?