Odd question for this forum but I was wondering if anyone here has any opinions on the Bose-321 system.I have heard it and in the store it seems pretty good but I am a novice when it comes to home theater.Any response would be appreciated.
James I have not heard the system in question, but Bose make good gear. I used to sell that stuff and I can tell you that the sales guys know how to make most anything sound good. It will also sound different in your house. Possibly better if the store acoustics are bad. Also check the equipment driving the system. Is it close in price to what you plan on using. Often sales guys use the best front end(amps players etc) to drive speakers. I’ve seen ten grand worth of amps driving $300 speakers. It makes a difference. Here’s what I would do. Listen to something familiar on the system using gear similar to what own or intend to buy. Then if you still like it, ask them for setup if you need it. Finally ask them if you can return it for a refund/credit if it doesn’t sound good at home. Of course do all this before you agree to buy. Most will be accomodating as they want your money now and in the future.
pnasty Thanks for the information.
Read the Crutchfield catalog – great stuff for the novice. Will give you a decent enough education to at least have an understanding of what you’re looking at in the stores.
You usually get what you pay for. I bought a high end system which cost about 25K. My Sub cost about 1800(REL), B&K AV Receiver 3K, Mirage speakers 6K. The cables alone cost about 1500. You wouldn’t buy a high end PC and use a 12" VGA monitor.
Most folks think this is overkill until I put on the Matrix and play the Helicopter scene at sound level which approach a Helicopter in my house. It is amazing as each detail is there, loud and clear.
A 300 Bose System will never do that. It will not drive that loud or clear. Try it in a store and then listen to a high-end system. Compare the difference and decide if it is worth it.
unless you have an exceptional room for the most optimal setup, and HDTV, i see no sence on spending more that $800-$1,000 on a home entertainment system
Fit, glad to see there’s another audio head here. Sounds like a great system. I’m jealous as I had to sell my system a few years back. I had the first series M1’s/Pioneer Elite C-90/M90. The Pioneer couldn’t quite handle the M’s(power hungry). I loved shaking the walls with that gear. I’m saving for a new system though. Can’t wait.
hmmm…i have been disappointed in most Bose products with the possible exception of the wave radio for some applications. Bose spends a whole lot of money on adverts (direct mail is friggin expensive) and really hasn’t come out with too many products that are all that great in the past few years. If you are primarily interested in home theater, you will be seriously compromising quality with the absence of a center channel speaker. The center is the workhorse of any home theater system as it is primarily responsible for dialogue. Also the 321 isn’t expandable at all. I would only consider it for a very small room or as an interim system.
As a general rule, Bose products are horrendously overpriced, but marketed to people who are not familiar with high end audio. If you’re looking to spend under 500 bucks, a home theater in a box by Sony will be much better for your money. If you want to spend in the 1000-2000 dollar range, you can do a little bit of homework and assemble a system significantly better than Bose products. Some speaker companies you may wish to research are: Paradigm, NHT, PSB, B&W, Definitive Technologies…and for subs: Velodyne, Hsu Research, SVS.
My sense has been that they’re “OK,” but pretty much way over-hyped. An audio salesperson once said to me, “No highs, no lows, must be Bose!” meaning that true audiophiles don’t have much respect for their systems. It all depends on what you want to spend, though, and what the other competing products are. You’ve got to do some listening comparisons for yourself.
To everyone who has replied to my post thanks the information you all have provided has been very helpful.
I tested Bose but found them overpriced. I am happy with my Polk 6600 series/350 subwoofer and my onkyo receiver. If you are looking for smaller satellite systems, Polk and other sat systems sound much better than the Bose. The Subwoofer is to key to any good sat system. I found www.audioreview.com useful for research.
My two cents!