Thin

Looks & sound

I just changed my amp to a to dolby digital, was running Bose AM-7s for the front channels, but the center was terrible! Went to the store for the VCS-10, put in in and wasn't all that happy with the sound. Had a chance to compare it to a Klipsch SC-1 center speaker at home, what a difference! Nice and clear, pretty natural. The Bose was very disapointing, not to mention overpriced. I like Bose stuff, but not this one. I ended up with the AM-7 cubes for L & R channels, the Klipsch center with the Klipsch 10" subwoofer, sounds pretty good.

Similar Products Used:

Bose, Klipsch

Great looking speaker

you name it

I got sucked into buying this speaker because of the bose name...bad mistake! The overall sound is very muddy and muffled sounding. I thought this speaker would be a nice addition to my existing bose speakers...wrong again! I returned it that day and got the entry level infinity cc-1 center speaker. For the money and sound quality there is really no comparison.

Similar Products Used:

none

Small size

Hard to match to other components

When my speakers were stolen, I had to replace the DCM KX-Center that used to reside on top of my entertainment center. Unfortunately, DCM no longer makes center channels so I went out to Circuit City and checked out their selection. I went straight to the Bose because of its very slim design, which would allow it to sit between the top of the TV and below the top of the entertainment center. It performx very well when properly matched with the other speakers. I had to play around with this for awhile, and I will have to agree with everyone that says that Bose speakers are hard to match with other brands. However, I am very happy with the setup now, and power handling seems to be quite good for such a small speaker (I have DCM KX-12s and 2 DCM subs up front, and I drive them quite loud at times)

Similar Products Used:

DCM KX-Center

Looks, sound

Does not sound well with any other products other than Bose.

In brief, this is a very good sounding center channel speaker, but it only sounds good when you use it with 501's, 701's, AM5,etc. Dont buy this speaker if you have front speakers other than Bose otherwise the sound will be washed out. If bass is a problem, use subwoofer. I also thought that maybe $140 would be a better price than $200.
Then again, whenever you buy Bose, expect to pay lots of money, sometimes more than what the thing is actually worth!

Similar Products Used:

Infinity, Polk, Mission, Klipsh

sleek, razor-sharp sound, very even sound throughout the room.

need to be matched with other bose speakers e.g. 301, etc.

I agree with the previous reviewer...this center channel speaker was made with other bose products in mind. They were made to match the perfectly. I did try the B&W , Polk, & wharfedale...although the Polk sounded very good with other systems...it just didn't do the job for bose main spaekers. The B&W cc6s2 was more expensive but was kinda "duLL' if u ask me. sounded almost "mono".
the wharfedale? forget it! sounds like drivers attached to a shoebox!.
Overall...I would highly recommend this center channel to anyone with bose speakers for mains. They will indeed make ur sytem come "alive" :)

& it's not expensive! the construction is also very good. the fit & finish are outstanding.

Similar Products Used:

b&W cc6s2, polk cs245, wharfedale sapphire

not very noticeable on top of television, clear mids and highs

bad imaging, too expensive

Very sleek design and appearance unlike many other center channel speakers from polk, sony, infinity, etc. I liked the sound from this speaker but I did have to tweek it a bit with my Sony STR-DA50ES receiver to get it to match my Sony SS-MF515 fronts, which are exceptional speakers by the way. I would not have bought this speaker for the $200 price at local stores but Best Buy had a ridiculous deal for this speaker at $79 for a few weeks. May have been advertised incorrectly but after much hassle, got it for an unbelievable price.

In summary: Looks cool but you will have to play around with the settings a bit to get it to match your fronts if they are not Bose.

Similar Products Used:

infinity cc-1, sony cr-490

Appearance

Performance

Everything my predecessors have said is true: this truly is one of the worst speakers I have ever purchased.

From the moment I connected it to my system and turned on The Matrix DVD, I was nearly heartbroken. Since my entire system was Bose (301s, AM5-III), I thought it all sounded nice together. However, I wasn't paying attention to the fact that none of it sounded *good*.

After reading reviews on this site, I saw I was not alone, and promptly returned the VCS-10 and AM5-III's, and eagerly await my new Infinity CC-3 from Mercata.com. Until then, my 4 yr old, P.O.S. JBL G-series center (cheapo, and sounds BETTER!) will fill in nicely.

Seriously, 80 percent of home theater sound comes through your center channel. Don't compromise all the money you have spent developing a killer HT system by giving this kind of responsibility to such a paper thin, nasal-sounding speaker that is so overpriced it makes me want to kick myself repeatedly for spending $180 on it!

Similar Products Used:

JBL, Infinity

I can't think of one besides its small size.

Poor sound with many seams.

It's sound is very muffled. Listen to other brands before you buy this so you can hear a center that has rich seamless sound. Accoustics are subjective but I can't believe anyone would buy this that had listened to other brands first. My advice is to buy something that has a tweeter. :)

Similar Products Used:

I heard a noname brand that sounded this poor.

Durable Design, Small Size, Sleek Looks, Even Tonal Quality, Able To Handle Lower Frequencies Without Distortion.

Somewhat Uneven Sound Distribution.

First of all, just so you know how I have my system configured, here is a brief breakdown of my speaker system: I chose the Bose name for all of my speakers (other than my powered sub) because of my size restrictions do to the recent remodeling of my livingroom. I am running the 701's as my front speakers (see my review for the Bose 701 Series), the 301's as my surround speakers (see my review for the Bose 301 Series IV), the VCS-10 as my center channel
speaker, and a Yamaha YST-SW160 powered sub-woofer in the rear of the room. This combination has proven to be a superb system for both music and home theater. But this review is for the Bose VCS-10, so lets concentrate on this model for now.

Since I am using a 36" Sony Television, my entertainment center did not have enough room for the Bose VCS-10 to sit atop the set, so I had to sit it on a shelf above the TV about 11 inches. Also, due to the fact that there are lights shinning on the area where this speaker is located (giving out a fairly high temperature), I had to set it back in the cabinet a bit to avoid direct light and heat exposure. I am driving this little gem of a center speaker with 100 watts RMS, but rarely does the wattage jump to that level at normal listening levels. As center channel speakers go, this unit performs very nicely, providing depth and accuracy that many other center channels speakers have problems with. The highs are crisp and the midrange is sufficient, but I found that equalizing the signal provided a much cleaner, richer sound from this model. My only complaint is the way this speaker directs its sound, although I cannot totally blame the speaker as my placement surely has something to do with this small problem. The sound is fairly isolated and does not blend as well with the front sound stage as I would like. Although you want your center channel voices to be fairly isolated from the front two speakers, I still like the sound to be wide and open. However, this is only a small problem and does not distract much from the overall quality of the sound this little unit puts out. The sound is well balanced and provides a pleasing, full range sound that just amazes me given it's short design. I do honestly believe that this speaker will fit in better (as far as matching tonal quality) when using Bose front speakers as well. I have found that the sound matching abilities with my system (using Bose for front, center and rear speakers) are wonderful, and that is a very important aspect when trying to create the right home theater environment.

Overall, I feel that the Bose VCS-10 is a superb little center channel speaker. It provides rich, clean sound, is small and appealing to the eye, and handles moderate power very well. I also tried driving this speaker with an average of 40 to 50 watts RMS, and the sound quality was not nearly as crisp and clean as it was at closer to 100 watts. As with any speaker, I think this Bose VCS-10 proves the need for clean and adequate power, as well as proper and precise speaker placement in order to provide high quality sound.

If you are looking for a high quality speaker, built to last, designed to look impressive, and dedicated to provide clean and accurate sound through the entire audio spectrum, then look no further than the Bose VCS-10 sereies center channel speaker. The price is right, the looks are great and the sound is very impressive. If set-up, powered and equalized properly, it will prove to be a wise investment that will impress yourself as well as your friends and family for many years to come!

Your Friend,

~ MARTY ~
M.P. Productions

Similar Products Used:

Polk, Infinity, Acoustic Research

Durable Design, Small Size, Sleek Looks, Even Tonal Quality, Able To Handle Lower Frequencies Without Distortion.

Somewhat Uneven Sound Distribution

First of all, just so you know how I have my system configured, here is a brief breakdown of my speaker system: I chose the Bose name for all of my speakers (other than my powered sub) because of my size restrictions do to the recent remodeling of my livingroom. I am running the 701's as my front speakers (see my review for the Bose 701 Series), the 301's as my surround speakers (see my review for the Bose 301 Series IV), the VCS-10 as my center channel
speaker, and a Yamaha YST-SW160 powered sub-woofer in the rear of the room. This combination has proven to be a superb system for both music and home theater. But this review is for the Bose VCS-10, so lets concentrate on this model for now.

Since I am using a 36" Sony Television, my entertainment center did not have enough room for the Bose VCS-10 to sit atop the set, so I had to sit it on a shelf above the TV about 11 inches. Also, due to the fact that there are lights shinning on the area where this speaker is located (giving out a fairly high temperature), I had to set it back in the cabinet a bit to avoid direct light and heat exposure. I am driving this little gem of a center speaker with 100 watts RMS, but rarely does the wattage jump to that level at normal listening levels. As center channel speakers go, this unit performs very nicely, providing depth and accuracy that many other center channels speakers have problems with. The highs are crisp and the midrange is sufficient, but I found that equalizing the signal provided a much cleaner, richer sound from this model. My only complaint is the way this speaker directs its sound, although I cannot totally blame the speaker as my placement surely has something to do with this small problem. The sound is fairly isolated and does not blend as well with the front sound stage as I would like. Although you want your center channel voices to be fairly isolated from the front two speakers, I still like the sound to be wide and open. However, this is only a small problem and does not distract much from the overall quality of the sound this little unit puts out. The sound is well balanced and provides a pleasing, full range sound that just amazes me given it's short design. I do honestly believe that this speaker will fit in better (as far as matching tonal quality) when using Bose front speakers as well. I have found that the sound matching abilities with my system (using Bose for front, center and rear speakers) are wonderful, and that is a very important aspect when trying to create the right home theater environment.

Overall, I feel that the Bose VCS-10 is a superb little center channel speaker. It provides rich, clean sound, is small and appealing to the eye, and handles moderate power very well. I also tried driving this speaker with an average of 40 to 50 watts RMS, and the sound quality was not nearly as crisp and clean as it was at closer to 100 watts. As with any speaker, I think this Bose VCS-10 proves the need for clean and adequate power, as well as proper and precise speaker placement in order to provide high quality sound.

If you are looking for a high quality speaker, built to last, designed to look impressive, and dedicated to provide clean and accurate sound through the entire audio spectrum, then look no further than the Bose VCS-10 sereies center channel speaker. The price is right, the looks are great and the sound is very impressive. If set-up, powered and equalized properly, it will prove to be a wise investment that will impress yourself as well as your friends and family for many years to come!

Your Friend,

~ MARTY ~
M.P. Productions

Similar Products Used:

Polk, Infinity, Acoustic Research