Accessible price for a Bose product, small size

Bass is weak

After I bought these speakers, I used them with a Yamaha receiver, and then with a Pioneer. With either of the receivers, the medium and high frequency responses are fine, but the bass is just audible. I still think that for the price I paid, I could get something better than that.

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pioneer

Amazing crisp sound, the bass is huge and the size the best speakers i have ever owned

none really, maybe the only weakness is the colour options! i would have loved a pine colour

I surgest to every-body that have dissed these little gems, go down the shops and buy some cotten buds (or 4 you americans Q tips)

I paid £250 (i dont know how many $ that is....) and i have never got so much bang, Boom and wommmmp for the hard erned cash. good i dont know what some of you expect but they blew me, the entire store, my friends, family and Dog away.

all these people who have writen a rally bad review are so.......... i actually dont know whats wrong with you Price: Fair, Sound: Amazing, Size: REALLY amazing all in all WOW!

Volume off.

Volume on.

I originally posted this to the Acoustiturd 5 board,
but these Acoustiturds are all the same:

Where to begin?

First of all, I want everyone to know this URL
http://www.geocities.com/trustnoho/boseframes.html
which has some interesting info on these speaker's
freq. response that Bose won't publish.

I've had a lot of exposure to these but have never written
a review. Howerver, I have warned many people to stay
away from Bose and to *listen* to *any* other speaker in
the store before buying. Had one guy (who also owns a pair
of Bose 901s, BTW) go to an AV store to buy these for a
home theater setup because "Bose is the finest speaker in
the world", but after taking my advice he bought a pair of
Boston Acoustic speakers at a fraction of the cost instead
("They sounded much better, no comparison.") The salesman
told him that he would make more money by selling the Bose,
but encouraged him to listen to other speakers and make up
his own mind-- and he did...this was NOW Audio/Video, BTW.
I guess the Bose marketing gestapo's will now decend on
NOW, but that's OK, they should NOT be selling Bose in a
Hi-Fi shop anyway (they are the local Martin Logan dealers
for heaven's sake!)

As for my own experiences, these speakers truly sould like
clock radio speakers when compared to any other speaker.
Back when Best Buy had a speaker room with a console set up
in the middle that allowed you to select different speakers
by *number* I was switching through each of the 20 or so
speakers one by one-- I had NO idea which speaker I was
listening to. When I was done, I hunted down which ones
sounded "best" and "worst". The "best" turned out to be
a KLH $30/pair, the worst? You guessed it, a Bose AM5 at
$899/pair! No lie. At the time I hadn't been exposed to
the Bose's marketing propaganda machine so I had no
preconceived ideas about Bose either good nor bad. I just
figured anyone could tell they sucked (no other word for
it).

I learned about Bose's marketing machine by listening to
the infected people (like the guy above who owned the 901's
and was going to buy these audio turds solely because of
Bose's reputation). I know another guy who bought these
triumphs in audio research technology at Sam's Club. He
too was buying based on "reputation". After he got them
all set up, I had the misfortune to hear Jurassic Park on
them. It sounded like you'd expect-- shrill little clock
radio speakers hanging on the wall with a warm, muddy,
"room filling" bass that was clearly coming from the
"bass module". He didn't understand why this Bose miracle
wasn't producing the lows that he'd heard on the Kenwood
SW300 powered sub I've got in my setup. The reason is
because this bass module doesn't play any bass-- it only
goes down to 40Hz (see the URL above for actual frequency
response curves which Bose won't even publish). The bass
module is too busy filling in the mid range that the
cubes can't produce to be worried about bass.

Recently I was at Sam's Club and the had the Bose display
setup with the AM5 and the little silver lifestyle thing
setup with it. You know, the one with the "arms" going
behind you with the surround speakers on them. There was a
TV built into the display and you could push buttons to
hear a Bose marketing geek indoctrinate you right there on
the spot. What I found strange was when I pushed the
button to play "music", it actually sounded pretty good.
Nothing like I've heard from the setups I've seen at Best
Buy or at NOW Audio/Video or at Circuit City or at
people's home who own these. I tried to follow the signal
to see what was driving these speakers, but the case was
locked! There was no way to see what was actually driving
these speakers or if the signal was being EQed in some way
to make these sound passable. I've read of similar
experiences on this site stating that someone went to a
Bose outlet and heard a home theater setup that actually
sounded decent but when he asked the guy behind the
counter, he was told that the system was "tweaked" beyond
any semblance of what you as a consumer would receive if
you bought Bose speakers/system for yourself. There is
definitely something funny going on. BEWARE OF CANNED
BOSE DEMOS.

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One of those Mattel "see and say" toys where your kid pulls the handle and it plays animal sounds...

Accurate

Satellite system = more wires

Purchased these on sale. Satellite systems never appealed to me, but thought I’d give them a try. Wow! Great sound, a lot of musical depth. Depth is the best way i can describe it. I promptly returned a new set of 301 IVs (while I still could) that didn’t sound bad, but could never get them optimally placed due to my room size/furniture restrictions. The AM-3 Series IV is VERY accurate. Very clear highs, and vocals seem to jump out. The lows are pretty good, but could be a bit tighter. However, they are excellent for rock and just about everything else I’ve thrown at them. No idea about rap. I also use heavy gauge speaker wires (rather than the smaller, included wires). Seemed to tighten the bass a bit. Don’t get me wrong, the bass is good. I’m just accustomed to older (classic) Cerwin Vegas that are renowned for bass response. That’s been my reference point for the past 15 years.

I would caution anyone about getting caught up in snobby comments about the company or the construction materials. You buy speakers for sound, not individual parts. The sum of all parts is the sound, which is subjective. If a speaker sounds great to you and will last, then it does its’ job. You don’t have to pay thousands of dollars for a nice sounding system when you can spend the extra money elsewhere (or invest it). Most of us don’t need to purchase a concert PA system for our living rooms. So unfortunately, the Phallic equipment comparisons in some reviews are of no value. These are expensive speakers. Non-constructive spam reviews have also negatively skewed the ratings (of most Bose products). I don’t care about "aggressive" marketing complaints, but I can say the company provided prompt customer service (literature) when requested. Service is what mattered. I think Bose makes some crappy speakers (I won’t list them) and some excellent speakers. To be honest there aren’t many that I really like. I‘m more a fan of older Cerwin Vega speakers, which I can use to shake things from shelves when the mood strikes, but these AM-3s have been quite a pleasant surprise. They’re excellent speakers. In fact, I liked the sound so much I purchased a 2nd pair and still have space for my CVs in the living room. I’ve ran many of my CDs through them and they sound terrific on all accounts. Thus far, there haven’t been any tunes they didn’t handle well. Best part is that they’re the least expensive and arguably the best sounding Accoustimass system. They’re easier to place than Bose’s Direct/Reflecting speakers and the sound quality is pleasing. Time will tell if they can dethrone my beloved CVs.

My value rating is based on purchase price substantially below MSRP and most other sale prices. So, a great sonic value for me.

Check them out (you may save yourself a chunk of cash), and if you like them, you might consider getting your own speaker wire, too.

Similar Products Used:

Bose 301 IV, Cerwin-Vega D-3H & D-5H, Infinity SM series, JBL Control room

size, looks

aweful price/peformance

As far as the design is concerned, Bose AM 3 aren't so bad. They are cute, space-friendly. But as far as sound is concerned, they are just less than average. There are a heck a lot of pretty small bookshelf speakers on the market that price less and sound far better. For example, BIC Venturi DV 52si speakers, preferably with Ed Frias's modification on x-overs, sound at least 5 times better than AM 3 and their price is just 1/4 (around $100). If your main objective is sound, why don't you get them instead of AM 3?????

I don't speak so ill of the sound quality of AM 3. Well, they are okay speakers. All I can say is that they are just ridiculously overpriced.

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BIC Venturi DV52si, Acoustic Research 215PS

They still work.

Too many too list.

Without getting on a rant, I too was SUCKERED into purchasing this set at a dealer in Phoenix years ago that had a "preview room" setup. For the following two years, I thought my receiver must have either insufficient power to drive them, or the rear channel was blown. It simply COULDN'T be the BOSE.....
Well, I am happy to say that I have matured and am now better educated. (And have the confidence to deflect pushy sales people!) I wish I had access to a site like this back then, it may have saved me a lot of money.
As far as the speakers, I really DID give them more than an opportunity to redeem themselves. They sit in my basement in storage, sounding just as thin and crappy just lying there as they did hooked up.
I replaced them with a pair of B.I.C. "Venturi V52'S"..which cost WAY less and sound great for bookshelf speaks. (Actually, they are now incorperated into my home theatre setup as rear surrounds.)
There are just too many sources for people now to let anyone get taken like this EVER AGAIN.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood KVS300's, B.I.C. Venturi V52S

Crystal Clear Sound
Easy to setup
Small Size

Bass isn't neighborhood shaking...if you want that, put a big ass system in your car.

For anyone to say that the Bose line of speakers is moronic and cannot hear for anything. If you put Bose in a line with any other similar type of speakers, blindfolded someone, then played the same music from each one, I have no doubt that the person would say the Bose was the best. The bass isn't the thumping of car stereos, and it isn't meant to be. But, for the size of the sub and satellites that comes with it, you can't say that the technology isn't twice as good as anybody elses. Maybe some companies can produce better, but hey, these aren't the "top-of-the-line" Bose speakers either. And if you want something that will fill your room with the most perfect sound possible, yet taking up almost no room at all, especially with the wal mounts, you can not go wrong with these. If you want something that will shake your house, try something else, but in my personal opinion, stll stay with a Bose, no other speakers produces the quality of sound that these do, and I think you'll feel the same way too.

Small enough to fit anywhere
Sleek looking
Great sound

A little too much trebble

A lot of people have said a lot of bad things about these speakers. I find them great. Of course, there are much better speakers around, but if you're not completely obsessed with sound quality identical to a live performance, if you dont have space for speakers that are bigger than your closet and if you dont plan to spend $2000 on speakers, these babies will do just fine. I've been using them with Pioneer VSX-D409, and the sound quality of CDs, DVDs and MP3s (I've hooked my amp to my PC) is trully amazing.

The only complaint that I have is that these speakers have a little excess of trebble. It's not a big problem, all I have to do is to add some base to balance it off, but just so you know...

I would've given these speaker 4.5, but I'm giving a 5 to undo all those undeserved 1s.

WARNING!!!
If you are not an ardent BOSE proponent, and you have posted a negative review of a bose product, you may be subjected to the wrath of an individual who goes by the moniker "Mr. Bose". He will come to you in stealth, with a foul tongue and an equally lacking vocabulary totally void of any degree of usefull coherency. This person is evidently either retarted or perhaps a crack adict.

Mr. BOSE: We know your out there, however your cowardice is evident in the fact that you don't give anyone the opportunity to respond to you maniacal ravings. This will not be tolerated. At least When I write a to reviewer I give them a chance to retort. Mr. Bose, it is well that you are devoted to your cause, nevertheless, it is unfortunate that you lack the intelligence to convey your ignorant beliefs. It is advisable that you consult a dictionary which, just in case you weren't aware, is a book which may bestow upon you startling revalations about the mechanics of intelligent expression. I await your response.

Accurate sound reproduction. Not the bass heavy "boom truck" noise that some other reviewers must like. And it doesn't matter if it's rock 'n roll, jazz, c & w, or classical, or dvd's, the sound is dead on accurate at high and low (the true test) volumes.

If you want boom box, thumpy bass--get something else. If you want to hear music as it sounded when originally played, get these. The sound is dead on accurate whether it's Jimi Hendrix's or Christopher Parkening's guitar, The Beatles or Mozart, Weather Report or Kevin Locke. I've got 2 sets of Accoustimas 3's and a set of Bose 151's as the rear surround sound speakers connected to a 100 watt per channel Marantz amp and everyone that has listened to this setup is extremely impressed with the accurate sound reproduction. I'm a music lover--not an audio gear lover--and I listen to almost every type of music--save rap and heavy metal. I even listen to recordings of my own guitar playing (Les Paul through overdriven tube amp and Gibson CL-20 acoustic) and the sound is exactly as recorded. So, if you like to listen to music instead of trying to impress others with huge speakers and loud noise--and I mean noise not music--then Bose is what you want. All rooms sound different--that's why they make graphic eq's, to make up for that lush carpet, overstuffed chairs--or bare walls whatever the case may be. And yes, the T-Rex in Jurasic park rattles the glasses and cups in the kitchen. Yea, Bose cost some high dollars--but I had my 901's for 25 years in 2 countries including lots of moves in the US. They are worth it.

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Bose 901's for 25 years until the cones finally began to deteriorate.