Great highs, smooth mids, and deep lows. Awesome speakers at any price.

None

I bought three sets of speakers: Bose 701 ($849.00, Best Buy), Klipsch KLF 30 Towers ($1575.00 local), and the Boston VR 975 ($1550.00 local). For the rear, I bought a pair of Bose Double Cube Speakers (red line, new, off e-bay, $215.00) and the Klipsch KSP-S6 surrounds ($500.00 local dealer). I decided to try each with my system: Pioneer Elite VSX-26TX, Pioneer DV626D (DVD-CD), Boston VR-12 center channel, and the Pioneer SW-200 subwoofer. I tried each with every possible pairing of the speakers both with and without the separate subwoofer. Without question, the best sounds for DVD’s and CD's were from the Bose 701 speakers and the Bose Double Cube speakers in the rear.
Since I had all of these products I ask some of my friends to listen. Many of my friends are audiophiles. They, like many people who write on this forum, hate Bose. I wanted their option, but I didn’t want it biased by product lines. So, we did blind tests (i.e., each could not see what speakers were playing and rated the combinations for me). I had five of my friends do this and we had so much fun that each brought five additional people to do the sound test. The movies used were U-571 and Matrix. CD’s were Creed, Cher, and Classical Hits, 2000, Varity Bach. The receiver was set on large speakers for front, large for center, and small for rear-Bose, small and large for Klipsch, and cutoff at 80 Hz for the subwoofer.

The winning combination, using my receiver, DVD/CD player, subwoofer, and center speaker, was the Bose 701 with the Bose cube speakers. 23 out of 25 people picked the Bose combination. 25 out of 25 picked the Bose double cubes for the rear. Isn’t that something? When people couldn’t see what speakers were playing, mostly all picked Bose. People swore they were picking either the Boston’s or the Klipsch’s, depending on what they thought was the best product, and in most cases, the Bose 701 with the Bose Double Cubes were picked. The other surprising result was that the Pioneer SW-200 was picked easy over the Boston’s with the built in subwoofers given every possible combination. The pioneer was picked as cleaner and deeper bass.

This was a fun weekend for all of us. However, in the end, I took the Boston’s and Klipsch’s back. I got in writing that each were returnable before I did this (the Bose Double Cubes were going in the den if I didn’t like them as the rear speakers). It appears that a better manner to determine what speakers you actually like and do not like is to make sure you can’t see what speakers are being used. Your ears and not your eyes judge.

I do love the sound I get from the 701’s. The Double Cube’s in the rear are awesome. With the subwoofer, the bass is super clear (but it is good without too), the highs are clean and not annoying (the Klipsch were harsh), and the middle was pleasant.

You can’t go wrong with these speakers and they don’t cost an arm and a leg to own them (they sell for around $535.00 average on E-Bay or $850.00 new). The sound is so good you’ll turn them on just to listen to them. This was a fun experiment and my buddies, and their friends, still can’t believe they picked Bose. I had fun and am very happy with my system. Get the Bose 701’s, they hold up to speakers costing twice as much.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch KLF 30 Towers, Boston VR 975, Klipsch KSP-S6.

HOWARD STERN IS THE KING OF ALL MEDIA~!!!!!!!
No really. These speakers are low rent, low fi. 800 bucks buys you two hookers that will live out you wildest dreams and you will still have money to buy a real set of speakers from Radio Shack. By the way, you are better off just buying a set of radio shack speakers in the first place. KLH cost 300 beans for the Top O' the line and that is not saying much, but that it to say that they sound better than these speakers from Bose. Better offer something extra, that is what Bose means. The Bose 301 speakers are crap. You could buy them and be happy, but you really do not know what real music is supposed to sound like. The second to the top of the line speakers? Give me a sandwitch with these bad boys and then we might not roll around in the yard for 10 minutes. I spit on the 701 speaker and it smiles at me, Saying give me more master. As Inebriated as I might get on my worst night of Cocain decisions, I would never buy the 701s. The stink like bad poop. stay far away!!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

A radio that I tore the speaker out of to test a clock radio so I could listen to JOE WALSH!!!! joe walsh 2000 free beer!!! you can't beat that with a stick!

Man alive, These speakers are great. Now don't get me wrong, they cost way more then they should. I would expect to pay about 200 bucks for a set of these speakers. I sold them after a year for 700 bucks. I got ost of my money back. I say Bose did a good job at marketing, because the name sells and not the sound. I lost some money on the deal, but hey at least I can sleep at night.

No strenghts

totally useless

Dont buy them.They are one of the lousiest speakers ever made

Similar Products Used:

infinity,jbl,B&4

i suppose they like kind of unique...

about everything else having to do with a speaker

Okay, to be honest when i got these things i thought they were the best speakers in thw world, i have 701s in the front and the am6 (pretty sure thats the model - the little things)for surrounds. For quite a long time i was impressed but that was when i was pretty stupid (i thought at the time you could hook your speakers up to your computer directly which obviously isnt true). So I'm just trying to explain in a fair sort of way, im not some person saying bose sucks without even trying them, but im not defending them either. But if i had the choice again i certainly wouldnt be spending $650 on those little surround speakers or $700 (even though i only paid 400) on the 701s. All im saying is i really think ive gotten quite a bit more knowlegable when it comes to audio and bose isnt the way id go, i just dont want anyone to make the same mistake. Sure bose seems really good i suppose, but you have to try and compare them to other speakers of the same price and see what you think then. I think next time ill go for a pair of boston acoustics or infinity...

Similar Products Used:

a laptop speaker

Good clean low-end. Perfect for home-theater.

Lacks high end for music. To dependent on positioning.

I bought these about one year ago from a wo-worker. For only $250, the Bose 701's have a great price/performance ratio. For the the full price of $699+, I would have a difficult time buying a new pair. I am both a home audio and a home theater enthusiast. For home theater, I must admit that I have been quite impressed. In fact, I do not think I have heard anything better (I have done extensive auditioning over the past several years. This is my fourth pair of fronts since 1995 - So, I get bored easy.). For music, however, the Bose 701's seem to lack a little something. They fill the room better than anything that I have heard on the market. The bass is also phenomenal. I have even placed my sub into storage. The frequent response is decent, except for the high-end. The lack of the highs has really bothered me lately. So much so that I have ordered a pair of RS8's from Ubid. I may need to pull my sub out of storage, but atleast I'll get my highs back. Please note that my value rating is for the price I paid. Also, I just wanted to comment on some of the Bose bashing. Some of the comments made have been quite uneducated. Most of these posts have just be reiterations of others, and sometimes not as eloquently as the originals. It is obvious that most of those posting negative responses have never actually heard the 701's. If they have, they definitely haven't auditioned them in the proper environment. You will not get the best sound in a showroom setup. These speakers are supposed to be at least two feet away from any wall. This really cleans up the sound. Unfortunately, I consider the sensitivity to position as a problem. It is a real pain. In conclusion, the only true rating of a speaker is your own. Don't base your opinions on the rantings of others. Give these speakers a listen and decide for yourself.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity, JBL

Sound that blows away the competition and will impress you everytime you turn them on.

I've had my 701's for almost a year now, and everytime i turn on my stereo i'm still impressed. I did a lot of research and field testing before i plunked out the almost $900 fee for the bose, and another $700 for a good reciever, but i've never regretted it. I can still say without a doubt that the bose 701's are the best speakers i've heard. The other speakers didn't carry or fill the room like the bose can. The bass is strong enough to feel in the seat of your pants while the highs are super crisp, but not overbearing or fake. Everytime i put on a cd or dvd, my guests are shocked that so much sound could come from only 2 speakers, yet fill the room evenly without any distortion.
Advice to anyone considering them, i definitely recommend them, but if your going to spend this kind of cash on speakers. You need to have spent that kind of cash on a good receiver and quality speaker cables or you're not going to get your moneys worth.
So i'm really confused why people are speaking so poorly about them. People who mention, "buying $5 speakers at the goodwill store that sound better" obviously can't afford $900 speakers or they wouldn't be looking in a goodwill store or even in one for that matter. So if you don't OWN a pair, don't critique them. Sorry to inform you but listening to them in a store where you can't even adjust the stereo equipment doens't count. Or if you didn't buy a good receiver or speaker cables to go with it, blame yourself. Because bose are the best, but they can't work miracles.

Similar Products Used:

JBL, Pioneer, Infinity, Cerwin Vega, Polk

Compared to other speakers in this price range, none. This speaker is way overpriced, and the sound mediocre.

Boominess, unatural bass, not detailed or reveaing enough

You know, I wanted very much to give Bose the benefit of the doubt. I was recently in the market for some new speaks, and I auditioned about 12 pairs from various manufacturers, including Bose. I finally decided to go with the Magnepan MMG's due to their incredible revealing nature and natural sound, and a Velodyne CT100 sub (all under a grand). I tried very much to like the 701's but i'm sorry, they just don't sound like $700 speakers. Even at $300 they are colored and don't render or project most music to my liking. Others may like their sound, but I thought these sounded terrible for the money. I will honestly have to give them a 2, because they are overpriced and deliver very mediocre sound compared to what else is out there for this price point.

Similar Products Used:

Magnepan, Polk, Paradigm, Wharfedale

it's vocals, BASS (when super bass is on on my amp) and highend capabilities, power handling

can't see the speakers

well i may be a kid (16 years of age) but when i bought these i skipped a day of school and was pasing the floor waiting for them to arrive. and when i got them and got them hooked up i thought i was the king of the world. then my mom came home and yelled at me because she could hear them up the street. but when ever i get a chanche i play games like unreal tounry and quake 3 arena and they sound aswome and shake the doors in my house. now u may not think that i am an audio person but good sound from a video game is hard to get, it is a combo of music and HT. but for those of u that don't like the bass, get an amp with a nice super bass feature because it will add alot!

Similar Products Used:

mitsubishi highest model(can't rember name), older model JBL studio monitor

good looking;

boomy bass, lack of midrange , price/performance ratio, positioning problems due to room size since it is a reflecting speaker

I purchased a pair of Bose 701 with a friend of mine one and half year ago. Our mistake was we did not even listen to any Bose products including 701 before our purchase. We used to audition some speakers from JBL, according to our budget we concentrated on JBL L40 which had a nice bass definition and basic quality. Then my friend insisted on buying Bose 701, he talked how a suberp brand Bose was, even listening and auditioning Bose speakers was not necessary! To be honest, this idea seemed attractive since you were buying one of the top brands' 2nd best speaker. After installing the system I was surprised with the performance of 701s. Then I started to audition other brands and got the 2 ideas: "never-ever purchase a speaker (or any other component) before listening and comparing it with other alternatives!!!" and "image may mean something but performance tells the truth". For more than one year, I auditioned many products from budget ones to "cost no object" ones like B&W Nautilus line, JM Lab Utopia, Sanus Faber with Krell, Mark Levinson, Classe amps because I felt that hifi world was not as simple as I thought before and tried to increase my knowledge and experience. I could write this feedback months ago but I did not just want to say I was not satisfied with 701s without knowing what other products are doing for me. Now I know every product should be compared to others within the price range (we used to think Bose was an exception!) and in these terms Bose 701 is below the average performance. There is little need to talk about whether Bose is superior or inferior since I will just critisize Bose 701. If you read these kind of product reviews there are Bose lovers and Bose haters. For them Bose name is important rather than what comes from inside of the box. They are either defensive (many of Bose defenders have purchased Bose I guess and they are claiming their choice) or offensive (haters do not like Bose sound but I guess why they hate is Bose sells these products to many consumers!).
I tried to improve bass performance of my 701s by changing their positions in my living room but failed. I changed interconnectors, speaker cables but the improvement was negligible, bass was always boomy. Although I am not satisfied with highs, I think for the price range high freq is not the problem. Midrange is missing, vocals are lost among the instruments. The soundstage is not the best refined and detailed in its price range. They do not help for the listening fatigue also.
But one should not compare 701s with a something beyond the range with say B&W Nautilus 803, as some people do when they complain from a product they make the comparison wrt a product from a different league. (B&W 600 s3 series is also better to my taste)
Hifi is very subjective, so one should always audition and test any components before buying them. As a conclusion I will not say do not buy bose 701 since they are not as bad or inferior as some people claim. But I can definetely say do not buy the brand name, buy the product. Listen, audition, compare it with other brands. One thing is also important: Make your budget before testing!! Money can always buy a better system from a better one! This is a vicious cycle that some people are caught. If we come to my choice, I am satisfied and will upgrade 701s soon with other components in my system. (denon pma-1315r; denon dcd-735 cd; monitor silver speaker cable etc.)

Similar Products Used:

bose 901; b&w 604 s2; jbl L40, various speakers from infinity, B&W, JM Lab, Sonur Faber etc.