Biodegradeable (thus giving an excuse to upgrade in 5-10 years), resale (to those who knows no better), status (to those who knows no better), and marketting (for those who knows no better).

Sound: no highs (cymbals only make a hiss noise, no pitch whatsoever), harsh mids (cupped hands and beamy), and poor lows (lack of depth extension and "one-notey"); lack of stats: sensitivity rating (to match up an amp or AVR to room size for distibution of sound), frequency range (to properly set-up to an add on sub or pre-amp/AVR cross-over settings); and quality: cabinets (cheap partical boards that have a hollow knocking sound which indicates the proper bracing and/or dampening materials), drivers (paper resonates at high freq which makes it distort and too small to do bass correct or accurate), and lack of true technical answers (buy a sub and ask them for a suggestive cross-over setting, even freq response, or sensitivity and see how defensive the phone rep gets). Severly over-priced for performance.

First of all you don't have to own the product to make a review, after all how can we say I own something because it sounds better than something else I was comparing too? Bose states "... is it the size of the speaker or size of the sound? ...", "better sound thru research", and "direct-reflecting sound" so in effect it does make claims against other speakers. So in effect the only I can agree with the previous reviewer is to buy speakers according to how well it sounds to you and not by others.

But things I do disagree with the previous reviewer on is specs are important as it helps you match gear. The average human being can hear 20hz to 20 000hz and you want to try to match gear to cover as much of this frequency as possible to replicate and get as much of the sound from whatever source playback as much as possible. You also want to be able to expand onto a system and improve the sound quality and one of the most important aspect to this is the lower frequency as it will help in mating this with a sub (if the two freqs overlap, then you will have a distracting and inaccurate peak). Though most companies do lie and exaggerate specs, it still does give you a reference point to start from to improve system playback.

Ironic that the previous reviewer mentions the difference in price vs performance as this system is poorly performing for the price compared to similar setups offered by KLH, Optimus, and Bic which most people would consider generic with passive subs that are all similar in size. Speaking of "hidden" speakers there are also many companies that make in-walls that are also cheaper and takes up even less floor space which sounds better as well and should be considered. In it's price bracket and "niche" there are still far better speakers for the sound per price that makes these Bose sound like crap.

Personally I think if you don't have an oscillascope you should consider at least an spl meter, calibrations disc (DVD Essentials, Stereophile test, IASCA test, etc), and other test source discs (anything from telarc as these are very well recorded) should be brought with you to help in your selection of speakers as you can test speakers as close as possible with an even playing field. You will be amazed at how poor these speakers are at reproducing sounds we call music and how much they sound like your clock radio except that the speakers are just further apart. This speaker really is in competition with mini-systems and old rack system speakers and simply sound horrible.

Other things to consider about these speakers, ask anyone with an older series of AM5 to do a direct comparison and they will tell you that the newer ones sound worse (funny, where's the better sound thru research...). Also Bose is not used in any Movie Theaters (not just because they lack THX certification, they just can't reproduce the sound at an accurate level), Professional music performers of national status (most use JBL), or even recording studioes or major labels (B&W and JBL). Nasa uses Bose for sound cancelling NOT sound producing. Though it is used in some stadiums (one of the most easiest form to reproduce sound, especially for a PA system) it isn't even used in the rock n roll hall of fame (which uses Optimus brand, shows you some of their competition).

Since stores that sell Bose have a generous return policy, my advice is to take them to a high end dealer and hook these up to high end gear and compare them to the offerings of the same price (to be fair, compare them to offerings of half or lower price) as you can eliminate the variable of AVR/amp, wires, and room as all these variables will be equal. Most high end stores will be more than happy to compare as they know that you will most likely return these for the other superior products that they have availible.

Remember just because they sell more than others doesn't mean they are better (McDonald's burgers is a good example), quality materials make for a quality product (Yugo vs the other similar priced products for example), and good engineering makes a superior product (japanese and german cars). "A fool and his money are soon parted" and a "sucker is born every minute" is a con man's best friend (the best con is to fool people into believing that you get more than what you paid for). This is a very horrible product that lives highly on advertising and people's ignorance as there are many similar products that are cheaper, made of better quality materials, put together right, and sound much better. You can impress the idiots easily, but to impress those who are in the know is truly a feat accomplished. Performance for the price is quality, and how these perform for the the price is very poor.

Similar Products Used:

I have used and heard many sub/sats in my home and to be honest to really say they are similar would insult these other cheaper and better brands. To be fair I will compare it to my GPX clock radio, White Westinghouse clock radio, and an old Montgomery Wards TV to which the sound is comparable as all these use cheap paper drivers though the bose have a deeper and just as inaccurate bass extension.

Size, stregth of sound, looks

Lack of bass for only the "gotta rock the house" crowd. Need to have fexability when positioning the Acoustimas module.

First of all, I'd like to say that unless you actually own the piece of equipment you are reviewing, you have no business offering a review of it. Second, for the BOSE haters out there just because it's BOSE, your opinion is useless so don't clog the airwaves for people who want real, accurate opinions on the equipment they are considering by the people who buy this equipment and live with it everyday.

Nowhere have I read that the Acoustimass 5 III claim to be B&W Nautilus speakers or any other extremely high-end speakers. So don't expect that from these, they are genuine good sounding speakers that fit a niche requirement of being a "hidden" speaker. I wanted to replace my 20-year-old rather large bookshelf speakers with something a little smaller so I can claim some of my family room real-estate back.

After admiring the BOSE products for a long time (back when all they offered was the 901 series 1's), I tool a long look at the 5 III's. I listened to them in several different stores with different listening situations. I read ALL the reviews, didn't take many of them to heart considering the bias that was plastered all over the reviews. So I went and ordered some off the Internet (pleasant buying experience and saved almost $150). I must admit, the first night I had them I was starting to believe that all the "trash" reviews were right. In the following days I played around with the Acoustimass placement and that made ALL the difference in the world!

These speakers sound great, look cool, offer a small footprint and offer plenty of bass unless you want Studio 54 in your house. Again, you need to have some options available to you when placing the Acoustimass module, this is IMPORTANT. I know all you so called audiophiles are getting pissed and rolling your eye's. I'm not unfamiliar with high-end gear, and yes I do believe there is a difference but is it really worth ALL the extra money when it boils right down to it. My neighbor is quite the audiophile and I've seen/heard his equipment. I don't know brand names but he has these big gorgeous ribbon speakers, pre-amps that have the external power supplies as not to add noise, speaker wires as thick as garden hose, etc. Now if that's what you are into, good for you. When you evaluate his system on a sound per price basis, it's crap. You need to sit in a "sweet" spot in the middle of the couch, the speakers need to be 3 feet away from the wall and they really don't sound that good. And you know what, after you have spent all that money, set it up all perfectly in your house, you still have the dog outside barking, the kids making noise, the neighbor mowing his lawn, etc.

So to wrap it up, for those of you who listen to speakers with your ears and not specs out of the capable hearing range of humans or an oscilloscope, take a good look at these speakers. The stands are well made and display the speakers quite nicely.

Similar Products Used:

None

I bought these myslef on Bose's incredible marketing "hype".They sounded great in the store. At home I have a tough
time searching for any bass! Sometimes I wonder if there is
any base at all. I don't know what the subwoofer is doing.
Where is all the $700+ invested?

Besides that, they are elegant, compact. Decent tweeters. (the cubes)

Zach

Just a mass market star. Not for serious listening.

Sound Space & design

Need a powerfull amp

First, I do not understand how people can be so negative about this system ? Expensive... for sure, but the sound is there !

Bought in 93' for more than 1000$, I still love them... myself and friends of us everytime amazed with the sound (I did not say the "noise") delivred by such tiny speakers.

High frequencies are there, and bass too ; I would just say that the medium range is... hummmm... not as expected.

When I originally purchased them, I wanted an Onkio amp, but the mix was horrible. I switched my choice to a Yamaha amp, with plenty of power, and I loved the sound.

Yes, it's sometime agressive
Yes, you can find good quality for less... now
But, but, but Bose provided a good system years ago which is still on shelves today !

The fact that some love it, and others hate it is suspicious 4 me...

I just plan to add 2 additional KEF Coda 7 now (6 years after !) to make the system better.

Amp : YAMAHA
CD : NAD 513

Sales pich

Bringing them home

When these first came out I was in Best Bus Shopping for a new set of speakers. I was asked if I ever heard Bose before I said no. The sales person brought me in this room and let me listen to these speakers, I beleive that they were the AM-5s. Wow what sound I thought so I threw my hard earned money down. I could not wait to bring these home, I was haveing a party that night and I thought I would WOW my friends. I got home hooked them up and it sounded like some stole the speaker out of the Dash of my dads duster and crammed in a small plastic cube. I packed them back up brought them back and never bought anything from Best buy again.

Small, compact, good re-sale value

Can get a better product for the money, unless bought used

The reviews on these speakers are scorching. Yes there are much better speakers for the money but they are not all that bad if used correctly. Bose has done a great job at making people think Bose is the way to go. If you need a small system and are not overly critical buy a bose system used and you will be ok. Don't pay full price. I will say for a non-powered subwoofer the bose is very impressive. I have compared it to other low end subs and it far out performs low end non powered subs. However you must get the sub used or cheap to get the full value. In my home theatre system I had an acoustimass non powered sub out of an aiwa receiver. All low end stuff, but when watching Godzilla, the booms were impressive and the bass response was great. I found a low end powered phillips sub for $50.00 at a pawn shop and It was much richer with a lower frequency response so now I use both. I picked up the sub for $70.00 and it was worht it with some mid sized speakers that has a little bass of there own. The small cubes hurt the midrange in the bose system. Know your needs before buying bose and do not buy brand new.

Similar Products Used:

JBL,AIWA JVC

Size

Sound

I returned my AM5 speakers after just one week. They sounded SO great in the store - but in my home!?! They sounded terrible; the bass was muddy, the midrange virtually absent and the treble very overdone. I tried to turn them around in every possible direction and moved the sub around too, but it didn't help.

I know how my music should sound from my previous Dali 450 speakers. I didn't expect the sound to be quite as good - I was ready to give up some sound for the size - but not this much.

I don't know what went wrong. Probably the acoustics of the room and the music played has a huge effect as to how these speakers sound.

My advise; if you really want these speakers, bring your CD's to the store and listen to them there, and if you still choose to buy them, make sure the store has a liberal return policy.

Similar Products Used:

BeoLab 4000

Smooth and classy.

Difficult setup.

If you own a high-quality system you will find that these speakers (Acoustimass 5 III) are outstanding for their size. But contrary to what Bose states they are quite difficult to set up (mine are finally wallmounted - height: 70 cm). And talking about sound quality, you will certainly need a capable amplifier (i.e. high ampere capacity) for them! Believe me, I have listen to them in many configurations and they do certainly sound awful in low-quality systems. My Adcom (lots of amperes) really makes them sound good. Get them if you own a good amplifier (Musical Fidelity, Naim, Linn, Mission, Adcom, Thule, S.A.T, etc) and a decent cd-player (i use a Sony CDP-XB930). They are great for classical and instrumental music.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, AudioPro, Infinity, Bang&Olufsen

The definition of a good speaker must include its sound, size, and aesthetics, unless we live in a world where nothing but pure sound matters. I like listening to music, but there are other things in life. Cannot give up the dining room or living room even for a stereo system made of perfect crystallite. And don't want to move the hugh tower speakers when vacuuming every week. The small and stylish Bose speakers are in that respect great. Because it integrates into how most people really live.