Sound quality.

None.

Excellent all-around bookshelf speaker. Clear sounding. Good tight bass sound for bookshelf speakers. Does excellent job with a wide variety of music. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

ADS, Yamaha, Pioneer and JVC.

Great sound,fills the room with lifelike sound.

Some distortion at high volumes.

These speakers sound great.I went in a Bose store in a outlet mall and listened to the 301's and 601's after I had already bought the 301's and I'm glad I didn't spend the extra money for the 601's.I bought them online from Bose with a year interest free,I also got the 251's.

Similar Products Used:

Bose 251

good bass response unless you are into Rap etc. then invest in a sub I really enjoy the spaciality these spakers provide no matter where I am in the room

plastic construction

for those low on space and budget Bose 301 is an excellent choice. so, they are not pro audiophile quality, they FILL my room with great sound

well guys i must admit, i am out in the market to buy a pair of good speakers and thought to review some beforehand. guys what is going on out there?? Bose has the name and i don't think it is a coincidence, they must have done something right all these years. anycase i am just commenting, instead of people giving me more or less a clear view, i am completely at a loss. guys take it easy out there i am reading some extreme points of view which go beyond specs, sounds very personal. regards aris

comfortable sound(not tiring after listening long). large listening area. easy to setup(no need to target precisely because you can't anyway).

weak high. sound not precise.

I was among those who bought this product for its name, BOSE, in 1999. Now I have listened to some other speakers and I understand that this 301-4 is not the best of speakers in the same price range(nor did I think so in 1999, anyway) It has its pros and cons. One thing good about this speaker is that it can be sold at high price in the used market. Its current price in the used market is much higher than the other speakers I considered in 1999(Celestion 5 or Wharfedale Diamond, for example). (this is the reason for my value rating) So now I think that it was not such a bad buy after all.

Similar Products Used:

some other brands(but never owned)

This "review" is likely to be removed quickly from the site, as it is not strictly a review of this product, but I feel compelled to express my feelings regarding Bose Corporation and it's products. I'm not here to say that Bose speakers are the best or the worst. However, over the years, Bose has engaged in what I consider to be some interesting marketing practices. Just a few of these are: 1. Unilateral Pricing. Bose dealers are required to sign agreement stating that they will sell their products at prices set by Bose, discounting is not allowed. Have you ever seen a Bose product advertised at a discount at an authorized dealer? Look at the ads for some of the major retailers in your area. When they run an ad that says "every audio product on sale", look at the fine print. It always says "excludes Bose". 2. One of the reviews below mentions that salespeople in the store laugh at the customers as they leave. That is literally true. One of the reasons is that Bose pays store salespeople a "Manufacturers Spiff" in the form of a points program they call "Achievers", above and beyond the normal retail commission. The salesperson takes the easy Bose sale, accumulates points, then gets Bose products free from the factory upon redemption. Those products are more often than not sold "on the side". I've known literally hundreds of salespeople who take advantage of this program. Bose speakers are far more profitable for salespeople on the floor than other brands. 3. Bose has in the past "bought" positive reviews from the audio magazines, using the carrot of more advertising dollars in exchange for good press. In addition to their obvious engineering skill, merchandising prowess, and great packaging, these guys really know how to get dealers behind the stuff. The retailer makes a mint, because he can't discount, the retail salesperson loves the stuff, because it pays so well, and the American public loves the stuff because it is well advertised, and the reviews are great. I'm not saying that you shouldn't buy Bose because of these issues. What I am saying, however, is that there are so many great speakers out there that you shouldn't buy any one without listening and judging for yourself. It's the only way.

Devilishly stylish with rosewood finish. Great theroy on direct/reflecting technology that has given BOSE there reputation. Great price for the common casual listener . Still great character after 5 yrs...AMEN!

Listen......then see if you have a better ear than me....NA

Well, to start off, I am an audio enthusiast who likes to enjoy lifelike sounds anywhere & everywhere. Reason being I am devoting my time to write a reveiw on what I consider to be one of the most nifty bookshelf speakers on the consumer market. I purchased my 1997 301 series IV Rosewood Direct/Reflecting in replacement for my somewhat good Infinitys. It was all out of curiosity why I bought my BOSE beacause they have a pretty reputibale name I could trust when making a purchase & investment for casual needs. Well, IM glad I did. It was well worth it!!! I don't wanna sound like a cheezeball but these beaut's are like a good pair of Sennheiser HD600's when it comes to speakers! If you don't think this review can make you consider checking out a pair, you might wanna think twice....Sooner or later, you will.

Similar Products Used:

BOSE 201 series IV Pioneer VSX-608 reciveer BOSE VCS-100 center channel Sennheiser HD 580 precision headphones AND ONE GOOD SET OF EARS !!

Size, good bass, treble and sound.

none

They Bose 301's sound great.I have 4 of them for my fronts and surround also a VCS-10 for center. Great value. No wonder they are the number 1 selling book shelf speaker.

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I'm happy with these.

Reasonable bass for a relatively small bookshelf

Spring clips? What is this?

I've tried these speakers and was originally planning to buy them as surrounds. Tried them against B&W and Wharfedale and couldn't really find any major contra's, plus they were actually cheaper! However, then the store manager let me hear a pair of A-Quarter speaker and they completely blew the others away. And that at a price of only $150! I guess these are not bad speakers, but they're defintely not the best either. Better look around some more before you finally make your decision. I just want to comment on the review below. If the sound you hear is reflected (which it is since the tweeter faces backward), then you can never get "precise" sound, only diffuse sound. I guess this makes them a good choice for surrounds. And with the "room-filling sound, I can also understand why they are often used in pubs, restaurants,... At home, if you only listen to music as a "back-ground" I guess these would sound pretty good too. However, if you like to "listen" to music, that is sit down and concentrate on the music alone, these might not be the best choice for you.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, Wharfedale

Precise and very real life sound when mounted correctly accurately

People that don't like them for no reason. Bose makes a better surround sound and home thaeture sound than a bookshelf sound unless they are mounted corretly the they make the best eveything!

If you really believe what people say when they say bose aren't the best then you obviously can't hear worth a sh*t and shouldn't be posting your opinion. Also if you were smart enough to notice what makes them better, their design, you would see that they are not designed to be placed right in front of you, they are ment to be placed a couple feet up and out from the corners of the room they are in. this is because they are built to bounce teir sound off the walls giving the listener pefect and precise sound. So all I can say to you is, if you can't hear stop speaking!

Similar Products Used:

JBL, BOSE, BOSTON ACOUSTICS, PIONEER (reciever, and other electronics.