Review about Bose 201 Direct /Reflecting speaker system

[vinothkumar]

Hi Guys,

Anyone has experience about bose 201 Direct /Reflecting speaker pairs?

It has 6 1/2" woofer and RMS rating: 10-120 watts per channel
Impedence: 4-8 ohms


I want to buy it and use for surround. AVR is SONY STR DN1050.

Thanks in advance.

 

[George T]

Yes I have the 201. It had a break in period but now it sounds just as good as my 13 year old Infinity Alpha 20 book shelf speakers. I use it to play music and is connected to an old JVC integrated amp. Initially I connected it to my surround sound setup which has an ONKYO TX-NR 828 with Audyssey calibration. The Audyssey calibrated it on par with my JBL Center Speaker. A lot of folks do bad-mouth Bose Speakers but I think they are on par with the likes of JBL and Infinity. Obviously if you have deep pockets and consider yourself an audio-purist then there are many big names on the market. But for econo-audiophiles it is value for money. Happy listening.

 

[bose]

I suggest go to the Bose showroom and check it out for yourself. It can't get simpler than that and you will get the best opinion on them when you listen for yourself.

Bonus, it's easier to get an audition at Bose showroom than most audiophile dealers. It's a hassle-free and zero commitment affair.

 

[SuhasG]

AFAIK, 201 speakers don't use reflected tweeters , Bose 301 speakers have that.

Once I had Bose 301s at my place for good six months before my cousin snatched them from me. To be honest , I enjoyed them much compared to my Cadence kit (VA-1 + Anina Electrostat) !

Even today for casual listening , l would still prefer 301 , but when it comes to critical listening Bose speakers fail miserably.

301 (and 201 too) may not withstand to audiophile scrutiny, I agree. Bose speakers are not meant for audiophiles. Period. So view then in that context.

The Room filling sound effect created by Bose is damn good.

After all Music is an experience, if it sounds good TO YOU then it is good FOR YOU.

Don't listen to anybody (especially those who are infected with Upgraditis. A terminal condition, the main symptom of which presents as the insatiable desire to upgrade.), 301 is good , 201 is stripped down version of 301. Audition both and decide.

 

[vinothkumar]

Thanks george, bose and suhasG for your valuable comments.

I had a demo (301) with bose service center because it is not available in the showroom. At their service center they had a bose module with mobile music as an input. It was performed very well with music. I didnt have any other chance to play movies and check there.

Still I am stuck with what to purchase as I have a sony AVR which quite powerful.

 

[Srinath_seshadri]

201 and 301 got better towards the later part of their life. Especially the 201 that didn't have those angled face, the curved face series was better.
Bose has a bad rap not just for having poor sound, they also get a bad rap for being horribly overpriced as well as having sales and service staff that are clueless and seemingly willing to shake you upside down by the ankles to pick up what change falls out of your pockets. Like they make blue tooth phone headsets that you cant replace the battery in. I am on my 3rd battery on a Motorola H350, no need to buy a $50+ headset, when a $6 battery will do right ... well, not if it is bose.
Cool.
Srinath.