These are the only Bose speakers I've ever liked. If you can find a set of 10.2's or 10.2 series II's used for less than $400, buy them. Do not mistake these with the sat. / sub combo called AM-10 that they sell now, they have nothing in common. These are tall floor standing speakers in beautiful teakwood or other very nice finishes. Why in the world would Bose discontinue on of the few speakers they've ever made that sounded really decent? Who knows, probably couldn't sell 500,000 of them a year, so they didn't fit into their *marketing plan*. There's better speakers out there, but if you can find a set used in good shape for a decent price, you'll be surprised. Especially if you've listened to some of their other products lately. You'll wonder why they ever quit making them, yet dogs like the 901 continue to live....

Faithful sound reproduction; solid, durable construction.

Sound quality is very dependent on system power and room acoustics.

I notice that several previous reviewers were less than thrilled with the bass and/or treble reproduction of these classic speakers, and for the first few years I owned mine, I probably would have agreed with some of those reviewers' comments -- but not anymore. I got my pair for half price in 1994, when Crutchfield closed its outlet store in Harrisonburg, VA. At almost the same time, I bought a Pioneer tuner/receiver with Dolby surround, but which delivered only 75 watts to the front speakers in surround mode. For rear speakers I have used, over the years, Bose 301s and sometimes just a pair of Bose's smallest bookshelf surround speakers. I started out with a Bose center speaker, but I could find no settings on my receiver that would let me get a good balance -- the center channel swamped out all other sound, no matter how the receiver was adjusted. Finally, I switched to an Infinity center speaker and the improvement was immediately apparent.
But I still was never completely happy with the 10.2s. Like other reviewers here have reported, it seemed like the speakers were whispering even during passages where the center channel was roaring. Then one fine day, I replaced the Pioneer receiver with a Sony that delivers 100 watts to the front left and right in surround mode and what a difference the change made! I could finally hear my speakers and appreciate what wonderful sound reproduction they can deliver! In fact, as soon as I brought home the receiver, my upstairs neighbor began complaining that he, too, can now hear them! Once I had experienced that improvement, I decided to experiment with various placments in the room to see if I could squeeze out any further improvement. In the course of messing around with those tests, I found that my left-right, forward-backward speaker placment couldn't be much improved, but lifting the speakers about a half a foot off the ground brought out a tremendous increase in the amount of bass that the speakers delivered to the room.
So, to those who think their 10.2s are letting them down, perhaps there are reasons the speakers aren't souning as great as you had hoped they would -- try getting them up off the ground at least a few inches and make sure you're feeding them enough juice.

Similar Products Used:

Bose 901, Bose 301

very acurate reproduction of music

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I am also writing a this to counter a poor review by "jeffer peefreely". These people get the chance to write something and post it on the internet and they go and write something pathetic like that. Anyway, My cousin has similar speakers and they sound very good, very loud and they are also very clear.
Older Bose towers, floor standing, and bookshelf speakers sound better than the new ones though. I noticed that the older ones produce a more acurate reproduction(flatter range) of music than the new subwoofer and sattelite configuration that is becoming more popular today(i prefer a little bit of midrange too!)

Similar Products Used:

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very acurate reproduction of music

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I am also writing a this to counter a poor review by "jeffer peefreely". These people get the chance to write something and post it on the internet and they go and write something pathetic like that. Anyway, My cousin has similar speakers and they sound very good, very loud and they are also very clear.
Older Bose towers, floor standing, and bookshelf speakers sound better than the new ones though. I noticed that the older ones produce a more acurate reproduction(flatter range) of music than the new subwoofer and sattelite configuration that is becoming more popular today(i prefer a little bit of midrange too!)

Similar Products Used:

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Stero Everywhere

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Bose came out with the 10.2 Speaker System in 1987. This is a Cabinet made of Genuine hardwood veneer-Lingum teak finish. My speakers are not type II, but the origianl all wood 10.2, they still sound and look new after 14 years.
Yes they are a great sounding speaker. If you can find a used Pair, they are a good find.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, Infinty

These are NOT the same speakers as the sub/sat system reffered to as am10. The 10.2 series II are a pair of tower speakers that measure 12"wide X 12"deep and about 5ft. tall housed in real wood. Each speaker consists of two 1" tweeters, one 8" midrange driver, and one 8" woofer.
One tweeter faces directly toward the front of the speaker, while the other is angled inward towared the listening area at 45 degrees. The 8" midrange driver is angled inward 90 degrees from the front of the speaker. The 8" woofer is in a fourth order bandpass enclosure located toward the bottom of each speaker to produce the low end.

These speakers were designed in the early 80's and discontinued about ten years later. They were replaced by the 701's. The 701's are about $400 cheaper than the 10.2 and the sound represents that.

The 10.2 series II is one of the very few truly great products Bose used to make. The highs are there, the lows are there, and the midrange is awesome. Although the mids and highs are not as controlled at their extremes (ear piercing levels) such a electrostatic/planar speakers, these Bose will rival electro/planar speakers in imaging and soundstage.

It's dissapointing to see the products Bose makes today. Their performance has gone downhill.

But for the 10.2 series II, they are one remarkable pair of speakers.

The old BOSE way of building speakers.

Not made any longer

Bought used from a friend for $300.00. Perfect condition.
Hooked up to a $100.00 Pioneer receiver. Wow. These are fabulous speakers. Crystal clear sound, attractive cabinet.
My best audio purchase ever. These are 1988-89 models. They just don't make em like this anymore.

Stereo Sound Stage

Bass is Flat and muddy.

Had these speakers for 8 years. Only because i could not aford to get new ones. The bass is vary flat and muddy. I gave these speakers to my daughter. I bought Def techs pro-tower 400 as replacements. Best move i have made. The only good point i liked in them was the sound stage. With the forward and 45 degree angle tweeters and the side firing midrange you get a large sweet spot. However use you money too buy somthing you will be happy with over the long run.

Similar Products Used:

Kilpish and Def tech ( pro tower 400 )

One of the most powerful, clear, and beautiful speakers I have ever heard.

Bose doesn't make them anymore.

These speakers are the best tower speakers that I have ever used. The new acoustimass speakers cannot come even close to the soundstaging that these towers can provide.
Regardless of what the other people above me have said, they are NOT 5 feet tall, rather 3 feet 2 inches (38inches) tall, and are 12x12 inches, i got the manual specs right here and the speakers are only 4 feet away... That guy above this review obviously doesnt have the 10.2 series II, but rather the acoustimass am10.... He's in the wrong review.

Unlike newer speakers, the bose are made from a solid wood casing with 2 Acoustimass ports firing rearward, which are identical to the dual acoustimass ports of the original AM10 module, with the exception that there is a single 8" woofer instead of dual 6.5". Even so, these 3 way towers provide some of the best sound from movies and music that I have ever heard. If you can't get bass from these speakers, either your music sucks, or you need an equalizer. These speakers are well worth any cost you can dish out, because I assure you that you will not find a better pair of speakers in the same class. Use these as your main speakers, or as your surround in dolby digital, and you will be greatly amazed.

Similar Products Used:

Bose Acoustimass 5,7,10
Polk Audio RT20 towers