size, looks

it's a piece of junk.

when I say it's junk... I don't mean it doesn't work. It does. kind of like a minumim wage laborer on sunday.
I didn't want a big center on my TV. I didn't know how bad this thing sucked until I heard a Paradigm CC-370 (which I plan to buy very soon).
My opinion is it makes a nice gift for your mother/sister that knows nothing about home theater and how it looks on her RCA TV.

Similar Products Used:

none yet, but will soon

looks, the BOSE name?

all

its crap.. its a load of crap. paid $400AUD for it.
it sucks.
the voices are muddy.
no matter how much quality amplification, cables, source etc you throw at it it still sounds crap.
if you have a complete BOSE setup you can get aways with feeling better.. but speakers like my Klipsch drown it out with their range.. its like someone had turned the volume down.

Similar Products Used:

KEF, B&W

nothing worth mentioning

everything

Once I read jo mama's review I had to add my own.

Last year I bought this Bose center channel speaker to go along with a pair of Bose 601 series I speakers. I could not tell the difference between the VCS 10 and the speaker in the T.V. itself. In fact, the T.V. speaker sounded better. Needless to say I returned the VCS 10 and got my money back. Anyone who thinks this speaker sounds good should compare it to a center channel speaker with a dome tweeter and quality woofers.

Similar Products Used:

BIC DV52 center

Sound, looks.

Apparently not too good if it's the only decent speaker in your system.

Have you ever walked into a home theater showroom and noticed the treble on the receiver is cranked all the way up? This is to fool people into thinking that their equpiment is "crisp" and "clear". The people who are fooled by this crude tactic are probably exactly the same kind of people who would complain about this particular speaker being "muddy" or not having enough bass.

This is a center channel speaker. Low frequencies are not even present at all the center channel of a 5.1 mix -- the ".1" is a separate "low frequency" channel, that is typically either sent to a subwoofer, or in systems lacking a subwoofer, it is usually mixed into the left and right channels.

If it sounds a little muddy to you, maybe it is because you are used to your cheap low-powered speakers. This unit is designed to take up to 100 watts RMS, and as is often the case speakers designed for higher power levels, they require more power to maintain the same apparent volume level as cheaper speakers, with a richer sound quality overall.

In otherwords, you need a high quality system to get the most out of a high quality component.

I for one am quite happy with my purchase, ignorant detractors be damned. Those of you who would say that I'm only happy because of the money I spent should realize that if you are making real monetary sacrifices to purchase or upgrade a home theater system, you need to reevaluate your priorities.

It's cute

SOUND, SOUND, AND SOUND

I'm beginning to wonder if most of the 5 star reviews are by people who work for Bose. There's a very good reason why Bose doesn't list the frequency response on any of its speakers...they're too embarrassed to.

I had this speaker for less than a week before I realized that my TV speakers sounded just as good the VCS 10. I returned the speaker to Best Buy, then bought the JBL S over the internet for less money ($168 including S&H). What an improvement!

I have nothing against Bose or the people who like them, but for those people who are trying to decide what kind to buy - my advice is to look elsewhere for a decent center channel speaker in the same price range.

Similar Products Used:

JBL Studio, JBL HLS

sound
aesthetics

none yet

First of all, much has been said from both sides on the merits/shortcomings of Bose speakers in general. What's true is that the company spends a great deal of effort on slick advertising and that their product is definitely not for the financially handicapped. The many reviews I've read in depth either lambaste Bose products in general, endlessly repeating catch phrases no doubt borrowed from others who display a like frame of mind, or conversely praise them to the heavens. I seriously doubt if many of the detractors has any real experience with Bose systems or if they do it's using them with the expectation of making budget priced components they already own, sound like their high end counterparts. The pro-side probably has no comprehension of the immense satisfaction gained by shopping around to find the best combination possible inside a restricted budget.
To connect unmatched speakers together hoping to find the perfect balance is risky at best and when combined with the infinite variety of home settings is completely impossible to predict. Conversely to simply throw money at the problem buying the most expensive items available will probably not produce the optimal result. B.M.W. owners are labelled as yuppies by some who've probably never experienced being behind the wheel of one of these fine automobiles. Owners of V8 powered American steel are likewise labeled as having no inclination to experience the precise handling touted by foreign advertising and are often depicted as trailer park inhabitants in general. Likewise Bose owners are similarly objectified as a whole. These same detractors on the budget minded side tend to sing the praises of home made rather than store purchased and from observation lean more towards sheer sound volume as the ultimate criteria in making a sound purchasing decision. All conclusively tend to respect the opinion of "trusted sales people", an oxymoron at best, who might know what they're talking about, but I again suspect that what they sell might have more bearing on the subject.
I'm similarly biassed however personally owning a Bose Acoustimass 5 setup with VCS 10 center channel and 161 rears. Pleas don't attack me. The purchase of this equipment some years ago now initially had much to do with space constraints. In addition I've since added Polk P40 towers to the front channels, delivering a more solid feel. The system is powered by a Pioneer Elite VSX 07-TX AV amplifier which I'm extremely happy with. For my application this provides me with clear undistorted sound in both stereo and surround sound at acceptable levels. Until the entire system was fine tuned to suit my location I was somewhat disappointed with the results, but after much trial and error I've discovered the correct balance for me! This has been a learning experience and I do realize may not be the answer for everyone. I read the reviews of muddy sound from Bose VCS 10 center channel speakers before realizing it might be sheep who expressed this opinion. My Mother told me "never to say anything bad about anyone when you could say something good."
If I were to be asked for advice by anyone planning their own home system it would be to have realistic expectations and to make up your own mind on any purchase without trying to appear knowledgable before others. Only you yourself know what you like best and tastes change over time. We've all heard the story of the customer who thinks this brand is the very best but we know how misinformed they really are! (smile). I'm reminded of the definition of expert:- "An expert is a person from another town". There's as much snob value to this subject as wine tasting or fly fishing.
Happy New Year.

Similar Products Used:

Sony center chan.

Size, sound and everything you want out of a low priced center.

You need to know how to configure a system. Duh! Like needing to know how to put on your pants before your shoes. Apparently, alot of people in here have trouble with that!

301s front. 161 rear. Sony de935 receiver. Non-powered CV sub (ancient). 1st of all, you Bose bashers are complete idiots. If you knew anything about the company, you would know they produce speakers designed to match each other. You would also know they are designed to bounce sound in your room. Obviously, this requires some config. Your receiver has a ton of fancy little options and that's because (with Bose especially) you need to tweek your set up. Once you have the system optimal, you will have a great experience. TRUE, alot of dealers and even reps don't do this in the show room. Lets face it, home audio sales is not the exception when it comes to the lack of customer service and knowledge of the majority of todays salespeople. You take away commission, you take away the desire to care. Those that are b!tch'n probably only use the on/off button on their receiver and never considered the concept of placement and the 'design' of their layout. This speaker does require more config than most. SO, if you want somplicity, don't buy it. But for the money, you can't beat the quality. You just have to take your head out of your a$$ before you take the speaker out of the box.

Similar Products Used:

Tested all.

What strengths??? The company claims that their center channel has excellent dispersion and an extremely wide listening stage. This was from the horses mouth, none the less. When I set it up when I got home it sounded just like the speakers in my tv, I have the Vega with the bottom speakers, you know what I mean if you own a Sony vega. Garbage sound

The speakers design is really pathetic, their "twiddlers" do a good job of mids, that is it. No real lifelike sound like they claim.

Pathetic, that is the best word to describe it. There is nothing "lifelike" about the the sound they claim comes out of the vcs-10. The people at the Bose store were fanatical about their products and swore up and down that it was the best center channel for the money.

For the people that know what movies should sound like (full, rich, clear, etc.) they either returned their vcs-10 and posted on here or knew never to buy one in the first place. The other people that bought one and are fanatical about it just dont know any better because they are believing in the hype that bose creates when you buy one of their products. That is my $.02. Anyone that currently owns a vcs-10 and loves it, go to a REAL audio shop and have them audition a REAL center channel in your own home. They will show what a real center channel is supposed to do, not try to do like a vcs-10 does! Thanks for reading

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Jm labs, Altec lansing (years ago), pioneer, infiniti.

Good Raw material and design

sucks till modified

Here it is folks ! The speaker sounds bad especially if your TV is in an entertainment center. Try it diff ways.
This speaker sucks the heck out of energy and if you are using BOSE cubes will have to bump up the DB to match !

Don't replace your center cubes with this thing unless you modify !

Modified...Sounds great. I pulled the wires off one of the inner drivers which leaves you 3 drivers(better sound match for BOSE Cube folks anyway). Now replace one of the front drivers with a good tweeter, leaves 2 drivers and a tweeter.

BOSE folks: Listen to the swords clanking in the Mummy returns with a tweetered center -vs- nontweetered and you'll see what you've been missing and everone else is complaining about. This configuration also gives you your "sound color" match if your using cubes.

No, BOSE don't sound the same, but...If that floats your boat then its your boat. I like them when set up right.

Oh yeah, It always kills me when someone says there is no bass freq on center channel..Ha-Ha

Similar Products Used:

yes

Size.

Sound..

The only way to describe this product is a "piece of @hi%".
An audiphil that gave it ***** stars has to change the
bataries in his hearing aid !!! The tiny center of the
plastic Yamaha speaker I have is better in sound quality
and quantity..

I've returned it to the store after 1 hour on my TV.