Bose Accoustimass Review

Overall Rating

Well rounded sound with great stereo presence and lifelike reproduction of sound from stereo music to digital surround sound. Compact packaging and clean installation provides great coverage (with a little experimenting) for nearly any room configuration.

Passive Acoustimass modules need to be tweaked for volume output with your receiver bass controls or EQ, powered modules should be tuned for crossover frequency and bass volume with your receiver (if so equipped) as well as adjusted with their own volume control. This is not a bad thing, but it is critical. I suggest you do not use receiver features such as "loudness' (pre-determined bass and treble boosts) or "double bass". Though Bose bashers are correct about an inherent absence of frequency response between 220 and 280 hz I say that these frequencies often "muddie" the sound of any system detracting from the overall clarity and pleasing sound quality. I think Bose may very well have designed their systems to sound that way intentionally just as they are not hot in the 2 to 4k range as these frequencies are sharp and painful to one's ears. Paying for new Bose products does open the way up for many other options, some may even be technically more efficient for the same or less money, but few can match the end result for your ears.

1. I was a professional sound engineer (studio & live) for 17 years and also played keyboards professionally for many years. 2. I now own a music company providing CD and Digital jukeboxes and sound systems to bars and taverns throughout the Northeast. 3. I was anti Bose (price vs sound) for better than 2 decades! I've used numerous professional and extreme high end products in my work including studio monitors and live sound speaker arrays. Stereo imaging and clear, "pleasing to the ear" sound top to bottom are not always easy to achieve. Then I installed my first Touchtunes Digital Downloading jukebox with an integrated Bose sound system. A Touchtunes representative and a Bose rep both helped with my first installation and I despite my musical and audio experience I proceeded to learn a great deal more about sound staging and room area coverage. Then I installed a few more systems... each and every room configuration I've encountered, whether it required 1 zone or multiple zones, has been easily covered with clear stereo sound stages, minimal dropout, and tight, punchy lows, adequate midrange and clear highs. I now have replaced many of my pre-existing systems with used Acoustimass modules teamed with and assorted 201s, 301s, 161s and 141s driven by a variety of pro amplifers, jukebox inegrated amps, and inexpensive receivers and amps and I can honestly say that for the end user, the listener, Bose systems and products perform very well indeed. My home systems are now comprised of (1) an Acoustimass 15 system with dual cubes (front and rear) and additional 301 fronts and 141 rears and center powered by a mid-priced Onkyo (primarily for A/V surround system), and (2) another system (NSM CD jukebox, turntable and DVD), with 901 fronts, JBL center and dual cube rears all powered by a Rotel RSX 1065 with a Kenwood programmable EQ and parametric. In all instances, I set up sound systems not only with my ears, but with scope analysis, pink noise and a Phonic Audio analyzer. The Bose systems require very little EQ (a small boost from 10-20k and a small dip around 1k) to achieve an essentially flat response. USED Bose products provide tremendous bang for the buck over-all performance no matter what the critics and nay-sayers write or say!!!!