looks VERY good, makes strong mids, cheap (in comparison to other stuff out there)

weak bass and NO highs (unless you install a tweeter like I did...then its wonderful)

Well I also bought this on the name (you know what I mean....the "Bose is the best....can't do better than Bose..." propaganda) and well....I was kind of disappointed. Like many said, it lacked the highs and required A LOT of power (had to set the center channel to +4 to balance with my bookshelf speakers). I kept going "if only it had a tweeter it would sound MUCH better." I finally stuck a cheap ($15 a pair Radio Shack) tweeter in line with the Bose unit and WOW!!! I HAD HIGHS!!! So finally I said "what do I have to loose", spent 2 hours getting the case apart (stupid Bose...never heard of screws I guess...), and added a tweeter inside the case (just sits beside the two front drivers). All I can say is NICE!!!!!!!!! I now hear things in movies (background noise and such) that I never heard before (and this is still with the $15 a pair Radio Shack set). Its still not comparable to a large JBL or Polk unit but then again it fits nicely on top of the TV and does a pretty good job (now).

Fits on top of the TV

Depends on your preference

You Fellas ain't gonna get the movie theater effect at home unless you go with all full size speakers and crank the heck out of them like the theater...Period!! The VCS-10 is not a good match for the cubes. None of the lifestyle systems use this speaker. In most Bose displays this speaker is left unhooked on purpose. It does absorb the watts and thats why most people need to crank up the center channel db. If you use the cubes then stay with a cube. As for the tweeter thing. Yeah it lacks, if you don't believe it listen to sword fight scenes...But for everyday home listening, the freqs that bose filters out are the ones that grate on your nerves after a while. Bose are confortable to the ears and eyes for the everyday TV listener. Here is what I did to make life simple to operate,sound really dynamic and confortable. I used a TV with BBE,then hooked a Klipsh Sub to the outs set at 70mhz. I own Bose and this setup blows them away!! I promise you no dissapointment and it saves a lot a money for going to the Real Movies.

it looks good

sound bad

I purchased this speaker when I up-greaded to a 5.1 system. At fist it was ok as I wasl using some pretty crappy fron speakers, then when I up-graded to Klipsch SF-2 front speakers I could hear truly how poorly the Bose sounded. Another review mentioned "matching" your system, he is correct, the only way the Bose would sound good is if it were surrounded by other Bose, if you put it next to a good speaker you hear how truly awful it is. Bose is a waste of money, there are soo many other products out there that sound better for the same or sometimes even less money. I have boxed my Bose center channel for a Klipsch

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch, Polk

All around great speaker when matched properly

If any, paper cone design

Let me start off by saying this.... this is a pretty descent speaker. I've had it for a few years now and I have no complaints. The clarity and the sound are great and the styling is on point. For those of you who feel this speaker's performance is poor, I say this to you....I'm noticing a trend with you folks, you've paired this speaker with some other brand of front speaker and expect it to sound good. This is a NO, NO. You should always try and match your speakers with the same manufacturer. This is standard surround sound configs. Some of you really need to get a clue. I have mine matched with Bose 601's for the front and 161's as my rears and they all sound great in concert. Now bear in mind, I'm not trying to say that Bose are the best speaker around, all I'm saying is that if you have properly matched speakers and your speaker placement is correct, the Bose speaker will provide you fantastic sound and clarity. If you want bigger and better, you can have it. You'll just have to pay for it!

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Polk Audio, Cerwin Vega, JBL, B&W,

None. This is a total waste of money. You are buying four $1.00 speakers in a $20.00 cabinet. The cabinet does look good and blends in with any charcoal colored TV. It sold me on looks but I sold it as fast as I could!

No sound! The speaker sounds muddy, dull and cannot even reproduce voices clearly. The Bose is like calling a rice cake and a glass of tap water a meal.

This speaker will make the speakers that are integrated in your TV sound good! DO NOT BUY THIS SPEAKER or you will be selling it on ebay within the week. The Bose sounds dead and offers zero realism. I replaced the Bose with a Martin Logan Logos center and it is like night and day. Yes, the Logos are more expensive, but I can hear the actors breathing and the sound of their shoes walking on a gritty surface. The Bose sounds just plain dead. Believe me, buy anything but Bose. If you are tone deaf, go ahead but your wasting your money -- there is so much better out there at any price. A audio salesman once told me a saying in the industry -- "anything but Bose!" That was back when Bose allowed their speakers in listening rooms with other brands. And any speaker combination did sound a lot better! Now you know why they have stand-alone displays! I thought, it looks good, just how bad can it be? Now you know the rest of the story.

Similar Products Used:

Martin Logan, M&K, Mirage, Altec Lansing and speakers. Mcintosh surround sound, Sonic Frontiers and Carver amplifiers.

Sound great. The dialogue sounds true.

I'm not sure if it's the speaker or if I need a seperate amp, but everything else seems to overpower the dialogue at nominal settings. A fate prone to all dvd's but one that I would like to escape.

Wow, I tell you these bose's sound fantastic. I don't know what some of the negative comments are about. I have done allot of research because I wanted to get it right the first time. I'm stationed in Italy and have attended over 40 symphonies and as many opera’s. Believe me when I say that my house sounds like a concert hall. I can hear every single instrument as if they where playing in my home. I didn’t pay much more than 1500 dollars for my system, which consists of two Bose’s 601, Bose center channel, two Bose 201’s, for the rear surround, and a powered 10’ subwoofer by Yamaha. My cd’s are played on a Sony play station with an optical cable running into a $500 dollar Denon receiver. I tell you I have the best of both worlds. I get my symphonic reproductions, as well as top notch home theatre that rumbles my walls, leaps my out of my seat, and has me dogging bullets and laser blast, holy moly!

Similar Products Used:

Polk audio, Boston acoustics, and inifinety.

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SPEAKER IS GREAT THE LOOK AND THE SOUND IS GREAT...

NONE!!!!

BOSE VCS10 SIMPLY THE BEST!!!

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INFINITY,KLH,JBL,ETC,ETC,ETC..

A handsome speaker that integrates nicely with a black entertainment center and it’s size also allows for convenient placement.

Dialouge is hardly crisp and pronounced as it should be for a center channel of this price range. Outclassed. My original Sony satalite performs better.

The Bose VCS-10 is a waste of money. Your hard earned dollar can go to a far superior product for the same price range as this center channel, possibly even for cheaper. I have yet to audition the Infinity IL25C, but I will buy it because I’m selling my VCS-10. I have Polk RT-25i front speakers that produce some of the richest, most accurate, and transparent sound I have ever heard, powered by a clean 100wx5 Sony Amplifier. Although deep bass is produced by these speakers it is not pronounced, though, these speakers produce midbass and higher frequencies extremely accurately, and the highs are never bright or harsh. Turn up the volume to ¾ of it’s maximum and they still perform wonderfully. But I made the horrible mistake about pairing them up with a Bose Center channel. There is no clarity with the Bose. It’s midrange and upper frequencies are flat and monotone. I have my front speakers on +2 (+6 max), my center channel is set on +6 and dialouge is hardly crisp and pronounced as it should be for a center channel of this price range. The bottom line, THE BOSE VCS-10 IS OUTCLASSED. Maybe that's how they pay for all that advertising? On a positive note it is a handsome speaker that integrates nicely with a black entertainment center and it’s size also allows for convenient placement.

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Setup: AMP: Sony STR-K502 100w x 5 DTS Center: Bose VCS-10 *sigh* Front: Polk Audio RT-25i *nice* ( http://www.stereophile.com/showarchives.cgi?417:1 ) Rear: 4 Sony Satallites *wired in series

Great sound, wide sound field, price, and everything else about this speaker.

Absolutely none!

I can't believe that people out there can tear apart this speaker and all other Bose speakers out there. I have to say that this speaker and all other Bose speakers are the best speakers a person can possibly buy! I will buy nothing else. I think that this is the most wonderful center channel speaker money can buy. I don't care if this speaker is $30 or $530, this has the clearest sound and the best looks. And for whoever put "No Highs no lows, it must be Bose," it should be No highs no lows, it can't possible be Bose!"

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JBL, which sucks Polk, Don't waste your money, KLH, Pure Garbage!!!

Nice looking, very sleek and compact. Great sound for a small to mid-sized setup.

A little overpriced. Shop around for a good deal.

This may not be the best center speaker for the money, but if you can find one for less than $150.00 go for it. It has a nice sleak look to fit with most any tv's. Also being magnetically sheilded so it can easily sit on top of the tv without picture distortion. Alot of people complain about bass, well thats what a sub is for. This center serves it's intended purpose well.

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Owned just about every Bose product over the years in my home as well as my vehicles.