I got these recently. I hooked them up to my LCD TV and they sound great. I haven't mounted them on my wall yet, just have not gotten around to it yet. They sound great, but are distorted at high volumes. I like how I can turn them either vertically or horizontally for my own listening enjoyment. I have many other Bose products, but these were one of the cheapest-priced and smallest Bose products I've ever owned. I love Bose!!!!!!

highly versatile, tough material, thicker/layered grille clothe.

Heavy for its size, surface may not be as resilient as expected, naturally weak bass and treble.

having these speakers for a good 4 months, i've used them in many situations and have put them through somewhat of a stress test. The first thing you realize about these speakers are that they're very attractive. But they have dedicated right/left pairs which in my opinion is a negative thing. at first touch, its smooth and made of somewhat thin plastic material(ABS to be exact). The entire speaker is very sleek and contoured. there are no very rough edges and has a very new, modern look/feel. the Bose logo on each speaker is the right size and is aligned to the center, right next to the unique looking port. The port looks similar to the one on the Bose 201. The speaker grille, it seems is permanent. I've tried to remove it but it was very difficult and i didn't want to break it. Inspecting the Grille material, its either very thick or is double layered for higher wear/tear resistance.

Using a high powered LED flashlight, i saw two small 2.5 inch drivers of paper cone and foam surrounds each sitting on a plastic structure the length and width of the grille size.

The purchase includes six small pea sized rubber feet for the speakers. three for each. so it may be set horizontally on the table, bookshelf or whatever you wish.
as you play around with it more, you notice that you can also place it vertically with the curved side facing down and the Bose logo on top. It may also be inverted with the curve on top, bose logo on bottom but it is very unstable.

I use these speakers as my portable pair powered by the Sonic Impact T amp. mounted on an L shaped base, it has a base and a vertical wall. The speakers are positioned, facing one notch away from center. -this is with the stock wall mounts.

If you know, the T-Amp is cheap but the sound is serious quality for 30 dollars. and with Mods, it'll even sound better. but the main thing i power it with is a Pioneer SX-535 22 WPC vintage stereo receiver. with bass boost and treble turned nearing 70%, the 161's sound best there. I'm most surprised every time i listen to FM radio. It comes through well and the sound stage is fairly wide and i could just keep turning my head left and right all day. Running with the T-Amp, Bass is minimal. It's just enough to satisfy me. hitting somewhere around 60-80hz and then it cuts off rapidly. -this is during battery powered operation.

with the Pioneer receiver, the bass is very full. the treble is sweet and soft. never yet have i experienced brightness with this speaker.

i listen to many concert recordings... Hillsong United if you recognize, their cd's are mainly concert recordings, not many are studio produced. The audience are loud and clear on the Bose 161's, it seems that what needs to be heard most, is heard most, loud and clear. what i like most about this speaker is its spaciousness. As Bose produces, "Concert like Performance", it sets you in the music, you're not listening to music, you're in the music.

its unbelievable to me as im sure it will be for you, that these little 161's has more depth than my Polk Rti4's. Im sure the Rti4's are wonderful speakers, but with my room set-up and all that i've tried, i cannot attain its highest sound. the Rti4's seem more layed back than the Bose's.

These are advertised as multiple use speakers as well as surround channel speakers and they work well there too...

for the size and performance, the Bose 161 stereo pair was worth my 150 dollars.

Customer Service

reply's in fair time frame

Similar Products Used:

Polk Audio Rti4
Sonic Impact T-Amp
Pioneer SX-535
Onkyo TX-SR304s

The real strength of these speaker are their overall full sound and good looks. They also mount very easily using the provided brackets....I must say however that I used Omni-mount brackets as I like the way they attached the speaker to the wall with more space between the speaker and the wall itself.....They look very nice and can be adjusted several different ways....Oh, by the way the Omni-Mount universal brackets do fit very well with these speakers.....A hidden secret for most buyers who don't want to use the provided brackets.

I must say that I have not come across a true weakness on this product.

I bought two pair of these speakers for two systems I have as there were matched with two pair of Boston Acoustic speakers. Needless to say, I was very pleased with the sound of these speakers when matched with my Boston's. The high end was very clear and the base was acceptable as I was using a sub-woofer for both systems. It is important to note that these speakers should not be used as mains ass they were designed for rear sound only. Yes, they say you can use them for mains for a small system but please don't....you will do yourself a
huge injustice.

They only function is for rear sound period....Nothing else. Remember, rear sound is only for sound effects and this is what these speakers do....they deliver those sound effects that you want in movies as well as that unique sound of an instrument when listening to audo. I think these speakers deliver on all fronts and you won't be un-happy when used as described above.

Customer Service

Did not contact Bose Customer Service for any issues.

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustics, Pioneer and Velodyne.

Strong seamless sound.
Price was right

None

I recently added the Bose 161 speakers as surrounds for my home theater. The rest of my system is comprised of Bose 301 mains, a Bose VCS 10 center and a Yamaha SW 305 sub. The whole thing is powered by Onkyo. I have tried several different speakers for rear surround including Bose 201's. I was never really satisfied with the sound until I hooked up the Bose 161's. These are very strong but almost go unnoticed since they seem to disperse the sound seamlessly around my listening area. I love what they add to my system. These speakers are here to stay. I have no need to look any further.

Versatility, design, compact, smooth unabtrusive sound with enough detail. Sturdy containers, Play loud enough. Could sub as a Center channel in a pinch. Excellent dispersion. Did I say they were versatile ?

Need lots of help on the low end if run as mains. Sealed grill, though maybe good thing for butter fingers.

Pretty good limited range speaker. Used for a while with home made 8" sub crossed over at 150 hz. Did not do as well with a 12" sub; to big a "hole" to fill. Decent sound and played louder than you would expect. They now serve time as the side speakers in 7.1 Onkyo set up. One mounted vertically, one horizontally because of space retrictions. Look good and sound good in both. Versitility is a strong point. Have dropped them several times...can't imagine a wooden box holding up as well.
Overall, not a great speaker, but can fill a lot needs with good solid sound

Customer Service

None Needed

Similar Products Used:

Bose 141, AR, Boston Acoustics, MCM drivers cross overs, Velodyne

Small, easy to place, good looks, nice sound dispersion (wall of sound effect), Good, clear highs and midrange.

No bass, not as good in the store listening room as other speakers...

I've heard a lot of negative comments about Bose and in some ways I was ready to believe them, even though I've owned and own Bose products. I needed an option for a music system because my Bose Lifestyle 12 system took a dump. I tried using the Bose cube speakers with my Yamaha 100 watt 5.1 receiver even though people told me that it would not work... Sure enough, I hooked them up and the Yamaha was promptly destroyed :P I have a large room in a loft so it has lots of hard surfaces and high celings, etc. It's avery challenging room for a sound system. I also want small speakers which makes the problem that much worse... However, I do have a Yamaha powered subwoofer and I'm prepared to purchase another so I can use small, wall mounted speakers. I used the Bose Lifestyle 12 with some success until it failed so I decided to find some "high quality" speakers to replace the Bose cubes. I tried a variety of speakers including 4 Sapphire bookshelf speakers which sounded great in the dealers listening room where I compared them against Infinitys, Polks, Boston Acoustics and others. Unfortunately, at home they just didn't even come close to the sound of the Bose Lifestyle 12 even with one channel out... Out of desperation and frustration, I grabbed some Bose 161 speakers I had in used for front speakers in my surrond sound and a pair of Bose 101 shielded speakers I had in a corner gathering dust... I placed those speakers very close to the Bose cubes and compared them with various types of music I like.. Much to my surprise, they actually sounded good. I also compared them against the Sapphires placed right next to them and the combo of Bose 161 and Bose 101's were clearly better. The sound definition, lack of sweet spot, clear highs and mids were amazing to me. Used with a subwoofer they seem to be a good solution to my problem. However, make no mistake, these are not the best speakers I've ever heard, not even close.. The thing to remember for me is that they work as well or better than anything else I've tried in that room except the Bose Lifestyle 12 or my old Bose 901 series 4 which I regret selling tio this day....

Size ease of mounting. SOUND price

none that i can think of.. you have to know what your doing and what to expect out of a speaker before you buy

I hear evey kind of speaker that is made..I setup up peoples stereo systems of all price ranges. I bought the Bose 161 strickly for my rear surround speakers..I can honestly say they set my system off for that true surround sound that i was looking for..they are very easy to mount..And they sound superb for the price and small...I went through alot of buying and selling to find that one of a kind sound..And I can tell you that I am going to keep these..They have a very realistic sound..and the low end really suprised me when i heard them..I highly recomend these for "the surround " speakers..but like everyone else says they need to be added to an existing system that already has good sound..these will make it sound that much better..

Similar Products Used:

jbl klipsh theater research

good mounting good imaging small size

for $100-150 you can find much better surround speakers need a sub to compliment

Good surround speaker if you have a sub. I can't figure out why some of the people that reviewed these were trying to use them as mains. Or people that are mad that 2 2.5" drivers cant put out any bass. If you need a small speaker for a surround these would work fine. If you're buying them because of the bose name then do yourself a favor and get the 301's for $50 more. If you're looking for the best dollar/value deal then don't buy these, there's plenty of other great speakers in the same price range that outperform in every catagory (except maybe size)

Similar Products Used:

jbl, polk, klipsch, pioneer, bose

sound size look outlet stores

People not reading reviews on items before they purchase.

I'm surprised, thinking someone taking the time to write a review, would have taken the time to research their purchase here also. People, these make great surround speakers!!!! If your looking for cheap front speakers, buy something else. 161's are reasonably priced, good looking, small, great sounding only if adding to a already good system, and can really add to a front bose system.

Above average rears

Not for the front or, if you must, not for the front without a woofer.

I am not a Bose advocate, but these speakers are getting a bad review from people who expect "Satellite Quality" speakers to produce base. People need to look at hte product and do research before they buy or write reviews. They make GREAT little surround speakers, sound above average in that role, and perform well. As far as the "plastic" comments, I challenge any of you to tell the difference blindfolded!

Similar Products Used:

JBL Infinity