great musical presence
no obvious transient problems
could follow all parts of the music even at high levels
great speaker for parties! keeps the groove going
will make you sing again!

poor construction
some sibilance at high levels
Retro look??

I have been a DJ, musician and remixer for many years, i have several pairs of speakers and use Arcams High end gear for my home system and i monitor with yamaha NS10s which provide me with a warm yet controlled sound. Having read the different reviews here i am suprised at the negative comments. i truely believe that many people lose track of the most important thing......the music. I havent heard the new 301s but it would appear from the reviews they are not as good as the old design. One things for sure, pairing the series 2 with expensive gear and cables will show them up yes? well to be honest it didnt. I paid £30 for these which is approx $65, i have paid up to £600 for a single monitor and because i was at such a critical level i noticed everything that was wrong with the music and lost track of the musicality. I also noticed very good damping which i can only assume has something to do with the cabinet shape, generally a loudspeaker shows some sign of colouring and resonance even some of the expensive ones but not so, because of the good damping i noticed very good seperation even at high levels and at lower frequencies. The stereo positioning isnt so good however, not by todays standards, they dont really seem to have a very honest soundstage and they dont provide you with a true postion of the artist, they also sound old but they are...so thats no problem. Dispite this these speakers controlled the music very well, so very well i was astonised it has to be said. I also think its ironic that people say that you shouldnt use paper cones in loudspeakers.. they use them for their damping properites not for cheapness. To conclude i love them dispite their weaknesses and if you can get em cheap you will fall in love with your record collection once more... i know i did.

Euphonic sound. Inexpensive, and can be bought cheaply on ebay. Angers Bose-baiters.

Sound is diffuse, sometimes too much so.Build quality not the best.

I bought my 301s in 1978 and owned them for about ten years. They were a good pair of entry level speakers for a budding audio nut. They had a full spacious sound, and nobody who ever visited my living room ever had a negative comment on the sound. I drove them with a Marantz receiver and had Revox and Sony tape decks. It was a good little system for the time, and I believe that the bose 301s are still good speakers, though not necessarily the best in their class. Some people delight in bashing Bose, probably because the company brags so much, but that doesn't excuse the lies that are being told about this speaker. If you listen to it, you'll find that it has a euphonic, if slightly diffused sound. I think I prefer a more direct radiator in a bookshelf speaker nowadays. So it's not the best. But I'd take it over a KLH or a Cerwin Vega or a Yamaha speaker of equal value. Anybody who calls this speaker a bottom feeder is an axe grinder of the first water.

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JBL, Epicure, Boston Acoustics, Image speakers.

sound good when compared to nothing. i was pleased for 10 years till i finally got wise and compared them to others.

highs. lows. paper cones in woofer and tweeters, weak/cheap looking construction.

thought these where good speakers till i compared them to others in same price range. recently bought some boston acoustics cr speakers that put these bose to shame(approx. same retail price). i didnt notice all the sound i was missing. i also found out bose uses paper cones in all their speakers and the crossovers are simple inline capacitors, not real electronic type. know i understand why bose refuses to release any specs on any of its products. you can do alot better without spending more.

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boston acoustics vr20, boston acoustics cr8, boston acoustics cr6. i tried the bose center channel speaker (vcs10) and returned it the same day. it was the most awful sounding speaker i ever heard.

SOUND....SOUND...SOUND...SOUND

1 - A BETTER SPEAKER WIRE CONNECTION TERMINAL SUCH AS LIKE THE POSTS ON THE INFINITY 160'S.

SIMPLY PUT THESE BOSE 301'S ARE COMPLETE. YOU DON'T NEED EQ WITH A GOOD COMMERCIAL AMP AND QUALITY SPEAKER WIRE SUCH AS MONSTER CABLE. I RETURNED A PAIR OF INFINITY PRIMUS 160'S WHICH WERE 499.99 CAN.$ THE SPEAKERS REALLY REALLY DO DELIVER SURPRISINGLY GREAT SOUND WETHER IT'S BLUES/JAZZ/ROCK/FUNK/COUNTRY/CLASSICAL ETC. THEY ARE VERY DYNAMIC MUSICALLY...EVEN WHEN I SWITCHED BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE 301'S AND A PAIR OF YORKVILLE NEAR FIELD STUDIO MONITORS IN A COMPARISON TO LISTEN TO THE RESPONSE SONICALLY OF THE SPEAKERS...THE 301'S WERE VERY CLOSE IN SOUND QUALITY AND ARE VERY MUSICAL AND PLEASING TO THE EAR. I'VE ALSO HAVE A PAIR OF "SONATA"BOSE 301'S WHICH WERE A SPECIAL EDITION FROM 1995-96. THEY HAVE A MODIFIED CABINET DESIGN COMPARED TO THE STANDARD 301'S AND SOUND AWESOME AS WELL. THESE SPEAKERS STAND OUT ABOVE THE REST IN A CLASS BY THEMSELVES...TRULY. A LOT OF SPEAKER SYSTEMS NOWADAYS ARE BEING BUILT TO BE PART OF A 2.1 UP TO 7.1 SPEAKER SYSTEM. THESE BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS WERE, I BELIEVE ORIGINALLY MADE FOR TRUE STEREO WHICH MEANS THEY SOUND GREAT ON THEIR OWN. A SUBWOOFER WOULD WORK FINE WITH THEM BUT THEY ARE MORE THAN ADEQUATE AND COMPLETE AS STEREO SPEAKERS. MOST IF NOT 95% OF AUDIO RECORDINGS ARE STILL DONE IN STEREO..............THE 301'S WORK WELL WITH AMPS THAT CAN PUT OUT 10-150 WATTS RMS.... REMEMBER YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR...BUT WITH THE 301'S YOU GET MORE,A BIG BANG FOR YOUR BUCK.

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YORKVILLE NEAR FIELD STUDIO MONITORS INFINTY SM62'S BOSE 301 "SONATA'S" PARADIGMS

value (if you get them used)

need juice to sing properly

This is a review of the 301 Series II, not sure of the vintage, but I would guess late '70s-early '80s. As a novelty purchase at a thrift store for 25 bucks, I would consider these a tremendous value. I push them hard with a fairly powerful amp, and they sound amazingly good...punchy bass, smooth sound that never gets old or tiresome, and the direct/reflecting layout really does provide room filling sound. I am continually amazed at how good these 20-year-old, low-grade driver speakers sound. The overall experience is far beyond what the component parts would suggest. Good value if you can find them used.

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Paradigm, NAD, JBL studio monitors

The sound is expansive. I hear the same sound when standing next to the speaker as I do from across the room without adjusting the volume. Plays at varied volumes - both high and low - while maintaining an even tone and consistent quality of sound. Sound quality is better than I expected from small speakers.

At the bottom of these speakers frequency range the bass becomes unresponsive and wimpy. Stereo imaging is almost nonexistent, however this feature is attractive if your venue inhibits optimal speaker orientation. (Since the 301's sound doesn't center upon a sweet spot, speaker placement is flexible. Do keep them at the same height.) Sound is not as transparent as with more expensive towers.

These Bose 301 Series V speakers have an expansive, full sound that makes the individual speakers seem to disappear. This feature, found in the highest quality speakers, comes at a tradeoff - namely poorer stereo imaging than many bookshelf speakers. The 301's sound improves drastically when paired with high powered amplifiers. I'm using an HK3480 (125W per channel at 4 Ohms, measured at 20 Hz [beware most companies measure at higher frequencies]). What’s the overall effect? The sound seems to come not from the speakers but from the entire area between the speakers. The sound of the 301’s possesses a rich tone that remains even when playing at elevated or reduced volumes. The only shortcomings of the 301's are poor bass extension (expect this for any bookshelf model) and flimsy sound when nearing the bottom of their frequency range. I would recommend pairing this with a subwoofer and (if you really want to get the best sound out of the 301’s) using a receiver with a crossover on the R/L channels to keep the 301's above 80Hz. I’ve found that more powerful (250W+) subwoofers are needed to keep up with the liveliness of the 301’s. Good subwoofer brands are Hsu and SV among others. Many ‘audiophiles’ mistakenly claim that cheaper speakers outperform Bose. In fact, the speakers these ‘audiophiles’ suggest are often times more expensive than the Bose 301’s. The fact is that for $330 you can find many speakers that equal or exceed the sound quality of these 301’s. Keep in mind that, no matter what brand of speakers you buy, there will always be ‘better speakers’ at any given price range. Around $300 any speaker you find will necessarily be the product of tradeoffs between different audio factors. The best advice is to find the speaker that sounds best to you. Relevant questions to consider are: can you find a dealer nearby?, do you like the sound?, will they fit into your home?. I have played jazz, classical, and classic rock on these speakers. All three genres are handled well by the 301’s. Classic rock is better reproduced than jazz or classical in the absence of a subwoofer (again this holds for any bookshelf speaker). I find the sound appealing and I am exceeding pleased with these guys. The extra power of the 301’s pays off in a big sound for little speakers. Upon pairing with a good subwoofer, Bose’s 301’s rival larger, costly floor-standing speakers. -------------- I have the 301’s placed 30 inches off the floor and about 8 feet apart. One speaker is about a foot farter in the room than the other. Both are approximately 5 inches away from the wall. Only my left channel speaker is placed in a corner: I’ve noticed that the corner placement accentuates the bass played by this channel.

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Harmon/Kardon speakers from the early 1990's.

Great clarity, strong highs, full sound. No exaggerated effects.

None to speak of.

I have been using these bookshelves since 1998 when my Dad passed them on to me. I have always enjoyed their full sound. Bose has always been known to lack major frequency response, but as someone else has said in this forum, you have to hear them for yourself. If you have them placed properly they won't sound right. They also need a lot of power behind them, not necessarily running through them as their small magnets hamper their power handling with bass on. They sound best at ear level, 1 foot from the wall spread far apart with atleast 100 watts of true power. Meaning, a decent amp, not a Zernith Home Theater in a Box boasting 1000 watts. Mine are the Music Monitor II's and are mostly used for such. They sound great for movies too though. The 301's in my opinion are one of the best speakers Bose makes. They promise strong highs, they deliver, they promise full multi-directional sound, they deliver. Give 'em some juice before you review.

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JBLs, Athenas, Bostons, Klipsch, Polks, Definitives, and Bose 201s.

small magnets + paper cones + acoustic design = concert hall experience

I turn up the bass control alittle on my amp to get the right amount.

I am a professional classical musician and teacher, and I recommend the Bose 301 speakers for classical music. I am aware that few in this forum have made this kind of recommendation, but I think they simulate a concert hall experience pretty well. OK, so they use paper cones and tweeters, but classical instruments aren't made out of the latest polymers, either. Maybe the magnets aren't very big, but classical musicians don't play with bionic arms and lips. I think the strengths are in the internal acoustics of the speakers themselves, and how they are transferred to the room. One tweeter is pointing at an angle in the front, and one at an angle in the back. The cabinet has a curved shape, and has a breather port in the back. These characteristics help to develop the sound like a concert hall does. It's blended like it is in the balcony.

Similar Products Used:

Harman Kardon amp, Dual turntable, Sony disc player and tape player.

Great reproduction of sound!

Speaker placement critical. Need at least 100 watts (each) to make them come "ALIVE"

The BOSE 301's are good speakers IF installed properly! I have owned mine since 1997 and love em! They have good clean reproduction of music. However, they need POWER (100 watts)+ each to come ALIVE! Of course, you need an amplifer rated at 200 watts plus to take advantage of the FULL sound!

highs/lows for its size. durable. long lasting. great music or movies

flimsy covers

have a pair of series 2. about 1986ish? had them 10 yrs. been very pleased with the all around sound. clean highs and nice mid. good bass for a 8 in. driver. these are over 15 yrs. old and still going strong. foam is fine. sound as good today as when i first got them. just bought a new denon receiver and they are great for music or movie tracks in my 12' X 21' family room. have to admit this and the 901s are the only BOSE speakers i like. since BOSE chooses not to list any specs. anymore, i think they are hiding something. there are to many excellent speakers out there and most have surpassed BOSE long ago. come on BOSE, openly post your specs. for all to see. what are you afaird of?