About 10 years ago when I need some small speaks for another room I purchased a pair of 201 seriesII. I at the time already had some polk 4As in another room and was satisfied with them, But thought they seemed dull. So I got these little "GEMS" on sale at BestBuy. They stink, In comparison to the polk's for identical money. The 201s finally foun thier true calling though, Hooked to my computer via a Proton D540 amp. The Polks with the addition of 38" stands became my main speaks. I am gonna give the 201s 1 star (though as computer speaks they deserve higher)

Bose 201's: I will describe myself as a biginer just geting into the world of good sound. I have listened to a few good speakers and lots of bad ones. Here is what I think of the bose 201's they are a decent speaker for a person who is just setting up their first componant system on a budget, or with only large appliance stores to shop in. Even with these limitations in mind I feel that these would only be worth owning as a rear chanel in a budget home theater set-up. If you want a good set of main speakers pay more and get at least the bose 301's or preferably anything from a company known for making "high-end" products. Hint:they aren't sold at Best Buy!

Very recently, I was having doubts about my effectiveness as a minister to the poor and the suffering, and was preparing to leave the priesthood. Then one day, I was visited by a troubled young fellow who was very depressed. He told me that he had paid an exorbidant amount of money for some speakers, and was forlorn at the sound they produced. I listened to his sad tale, and inquired as to the brand. "Bose, father," he said gravely. "Ah, yes my son," I said thoughtfully, "Now I understand the depths of your suffering and despair."
So, the saving of this poor soul and others like him, became my sole purpose in life, and I have continued in this mission to the present day. Countless more victims of the same manufacturer,heard of my success. They came from all corners of the globe, in hopes of salvation. Having then been cured, they spread the word far and wide. One day it is my hope that this scourge will have been eliminated entirely from the face of the earth. Until then, my friends, I can only offer this advice.

"If you own Bose,
Then hold your nose."

(And plug your ears as well)

Really good sound for a low end speaker.

The cone material looks rough.

The 201 series IV is a really good sounding speaker. I certainly do not have the cash to spend on a set of B&W`s or Bostons but for the cash ($280 cdn) it was well worth it.

They have a really nice sounding bass with really crisp treble. I think for the money, (obvisously if I had more of it I would get a more expensive set of speakers) these are some of the best low end speakers you can get.

Mark

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gorgeous sound from an enclosure the size of a small microwave. textured bass and highs. The inaccuracies in this speaker actually improve the sound to me.

none for the price (even full list price)

The 201's are the best sounding speakers that I have ever heard from Bose. I am not really a fan of their other '01 series speakers, but the 201's take the cake. I listen to mostly jazz with my Onkyo-Bose set up. To me, the inaccuracies in the midrange only make the sound more real. For example, the hump in the mids adds extra presence to the vocals. These speakers are a vocal lovers dream. They blow my Klipsch out of the water (which were extremely harsh). Even though they are not as accurate, who cares! All that I do is sit and listen to about 15-20 CD's a week. I don't care about analyzing my music. These speakers were made for people who just want to listen to music for its own sake, like me.

Oh, by the way...

Stay away from the Acoustimass speakers.

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klipsch synergy bookshelves

You can get good sound staging out of them and good bass

The woofer's could be a better quality

It is true that bose could have used better quality woofer's for the 201's though what some have described the 201's and if bose do read these reviews they are not going to take them seriouse because some reviewers slag on the product more then advise people on the product.


I have owned my 201's for 4 years and i bought them because i was living in a small unit and they lived up to my needs (and made me happy)though i must addmit that if you have them of the floor at about 1 metre on stands the 201's are not bad sounding book shelf speakers.

I have a larger unit now and bought some new speakers (towers)(not bose) and i use the 201's as rears for my home theatre system.

And for the DX guy stop acting like a ten year old because if some one is happy with there purchase "just let them be".
Im still happy with my 201's.

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some

Clear highs, strong mids, decent bass

see below

Why are so many of you trashing these speakers? Some of you talk like you are *true* audiophiles, but no true audiophile would purchase a pair of booksheld speakers like these in the first place (unless they were to be used for his/her's teenagers to have parties with when he/she left on vacation or something). I can't help but feel you are regurgitating terminology and opinions you have read, rather than actually listening.

Paper cones suck? Are you truly daft?

I am a musician and have recorded in some of the best studios around - not just in Toronto - but also in New York, Paris and London - including Abbey Road. Want to know something interesting? All of these studios use very expensive ($15,000-25,000+) monitor speakers for playback purposes when recording. ALL OF THESE SPEAKERS FEATURED PAPER CONES. Same goes for mastering facilities.

In an age when manufacturing synthetic materials to replace more conventional materials is becoming commonplace, there is a reason why manufacturers still use paper cones - they sound good.

So just what exactly do you expect for approx. $175 US? A perfectly balanced speaker with no flaws, capable of producing perfect responses at all frequencies? All in a 15" x 6" long box?

Better do some more reading then.

The rest of us will simply enjoy our perfectly capable Bose 201 speakers. If I feel the urge to experience audio perfection, I'll just bring my CDs to the studio when next I record there and enjoy their system. It only cost them about $225,000 to outfit their sound system. Maybe you should try reviewing that

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Small size

poor highs, boomy base, poor imaging, bad sound quality

I took off the grill when these things arrived in the mail and looked at the cones. Basically a real cheap paper cone woofer, and a terrible tweeter (paper cone and not domed). The box itself was made of low quality wood and sounded quite hollow. I hooked them into my carver and listened to them a little and the more i listened the worse they sound. The aiwa boombox i use as an alarm clock sounds far superior to these cheap bose speakers. If you ever consider a pair, don't buy them.

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none really, my polks are far better

Small size

poor highs, boomy base, poor imaging, bad sound quality

I took off the grill when these things arrived in the mail and looked at the cones. Basically a real cheap paper cone woofer, and a terrible tweeter (paper cone and not domed). The box itself was made of low quality wood and sounded quite hollow. I hooked them into my carver and listened to them a little and the more i listened the worse they sound. The aiwa boombox i use as an alarm clock sounds far superior to these cheap bose speakers. If you ever consider a pair, don't buy them.

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none really, my polks are far better

Bose Marketed Brandname, Gimicky Imaginative Features

Overpriced and Overhyped, low quality construction, Lackluster Highs and sound in general, slightly exaggerated boomy bass

I was shopping around for some speakers to place in my bar and compared around 20 or so bookshelf speakers in the $300-500 range and found the Bose to be the most ridiculously overpriced, overhyped, and cheapest in build quality speakers out there. The highs and general sound had a lackluster quality about them with an exaggerated, boomy bass typical of Bose. Looking at the speaker cones I realized why....cheap paper cones and tweaters with foam surrounds. I have seen toy and boombox speakers that are of much higher quality and use rubber surrounds. Furthermore, the speakers are made in MEXICO, really throwing insult to the High price tag. I have nothing against Mexico, but products made there are supposed to be inexpensive. It is ironic that Bose through it's marketing ploys uses "better sound through research" as it's motto when it chooses to use primitive, low quality speaker cones. If these were $50 speakers, as they should be, it would be a completely different story. But anyone considering to spend $2-300 on some speakers should spend it elsewhere

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Compared to Polk RT35, JBL s26, others in it's price range