Bose Companion 2 Series II multimedia speaker system

5 Comments

1. S. Pondalur says:

   March 10, 2010 at 1:59 am

   I have Altec Lansing ATP3 back at my home. They’re a pretty good 2.1 set, and never had problems with them. But now, I’m away from home.

   I set out to buy speakers to help me relax in my hotel room. My first choice would have been a 2.1 system. But since I am put up in a hotel room, a 2.1 system would prove heavy on my floor-space. So, instead I started to look out for good 2.0 systems.

   There are several tiny speakers in the market, but all of them compromise sound quality over portability. I am ready to drag along some weight if needed, but I didn’t want tin cans.

   After a lot of research, I ended up with two options – Bose Companion 2 Series II and Klipsch Promedia 2.0. The Klipsch ones had excellent reviews all over the place. The bose speakers were rather new and haven’t yet received a professional review anywhere. My deciding factor was the size. I wanted the smallest of the speakers without a compromise on sound quality. The klipsch speakers were larger than the Bose. So, I had to choose Bose. I didn’t get to listen to Klipsch Promedia 2.0 anywhere, so I can’t do a comparison. On the other hand, I did get to hear Klipsch Promedia 2.1 before and they’re exceptionally good. I would prefer them to any Bose system if I was OK with a 2.1 system.

   I had heard Bose Companion 2 (the older ones) at a Bose store, and didn’t like them much, as they sounded tinny. A lot of screeching sound, and a lack of bass. But I found Series II to be much better. Thanks to Bose for overcoming this problem even if that needed an increase in the size of the speakers ever so slightly.

   Now that I had only one option, I went ahead and brought these speakers home. Needless to say that these speakers were really good. I could hear the player’s fingers rubbing against the guitar wires and all.

   I listen to a lot of Rock, Jazz and Classical. The sound is really balanced, and reproduces bass, mid-tone and treble on more or less equal footage. I believe the bass and treble are amplified a little more. Maybe that’s a decision Bose have taken to “define” their desktop speakers.

   The advantage Bose has to other speakers of the same class, is the digital circuitry they probably use to enhance the sound to bring in increased stereo separation and roominess to the sound. The sound coming out is definitely more pleasing to the ears, and feels room-filling. You wouldn’t get this experience with speakers from other brands, however faithful they are in reproducing sound as exactly as recorded.

   Now, an advantage that’s almost a disadvantage. These speakers are so accurate in reproducing the sound that you cannot forgive playing mp3s at low bitrates. You need mp3s to be coded at least at 128kbps for the sound to be acceptable. I rip my music at VBR 192-320kbps and I find it hard to differentiate between the original CD and the mp3, So, never over-compress your music.

   Now, two clear disadvantages. The first is that these speakers are built to aim their best sound at the person sitting at the desktop. The sound fills the room, but you lose out on the spaciousness. The stereo separation is good at 6-10 feet away, but the spaciousness is lost. So, these speakers do have a sweet-spot, and that is a chair right next to the desktop. I wish Bose provided swivel stands, so that I could point my speakers at my couch and still get the best from the speakers.

   Disadvantage 2. I have played at least 200 tracks by now. The sound reproduction was near perfect, except for one track. I was playing a classical track “Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, “Eroica” – Scherzo: Allegro Vivace”. This is an mp3 that has been shipped along with Windows Vista. Somewhere in the middle of the track, when a trumpet is played at a particular note, the right speaker gives a buzz. It means that I hit the natural frequency of the right speaker, and that resulted in resonance. I totally understand every object has its own natural frequency and you can’t help it if you make a sound matching their natural frequency. But I am disappointed Bose didn’t build it tight enough to avoid the buzz. I am not sure if this a defect in the speaker. But I can’t return these speakers showing that the speakers buzz in only one track out of 200 tracks.

   That’s about it. The speakers are almost the best you could get in a 2.0 to my knowledge. The only contendor would be the Klipsch Promedia Ultra 2.0 and if you have enough desk-space and don’t need them to be as portable, you could as well go for the Klipsch. But you mght miss upon the spacious-feel circuitry that Bose uses.

   Advantages
   
   * Good balance in sound. Enough bass – I don’t miss the woofer
   
   * TrueSpace technology – whatever this thing is, your ears will like it
   
   * small size – almost portable

   Disadvantages
   
   * Speakers aimed at the desktop user. No swivel stands
   
   * Buzz on right speaker playing a particular track (not sure if
   
   this is a defect)

   I am tempted to put price as a disadvantage, but I failed to find speakers of the same class at a lower price. So, I would rather leave the price alone.
   Rating: 4 / 5
2. J. Vazquez says:

   March 10, 2010 at 4:54 am

   Bose is one very smart company. Over the years they have managed to create an iconic brand of top end speakers that retail for very high prices. Like Bose or not, there is no denying that their products sound good. Are they the best? No, not really. But they provide good sound and that is key to consumers.

   Enter the Bose Companion II Series II computer speakers. Right out of the box you will notice a huge increase in sound quality from your stock speakers. Most musical aspects are very clear, and for speakers that lack a sub-woofer, the bass is tight and defined. All levels are represented accurately, and there is a richness in the sound that is pleasing to the ear.

   This is all true until you push these speakers in terms of volume. Now, I understand that computer speakers are not meant to rattle the house (though Logitech’s Z-5500 can do that), but these speakers refuse to push out any type of real power. The sound is great until you go past the halfway mark on the volume knob. After that you notice the sound can’t get any louder. In an effort to offer you more, the bass becomes super muddy, as if the tiny speaker inside the unit have given up and decided to blow air in your face. The effect is embarrassing for a “high end” system.

   All this being said the speakers sound quite good at low volumes. Basically, these are speakers designed for one person to be listening to them at a reasonable level. It just seems that for $100, I should be able to push them a little. In comparison, my roommate has a $30 pair of Altec Lansing 2.1 computer speakers that really knock out some sound when you crank them, and they are only rated for 20 watts a channel.

   I have missed a few technical details, but if this is the only review you read, you don’t use the internet enough. Okay, this is what it comes down to…

   Pros –
   
   – At lower volumes, these speakers sound great. Good reproduction on sound, and the bass is not punchy, but rather defined. I own a good amount of high end headphones and find the sound reproduction to be comparable to them.
   
   – Since there is no sub-woofer, you save a lot of space. I wouldn’t call these portable speakers due to a fair bit of wiring and their weight, but they don’t take a lot of your desktop.
   
   – There are two stereo inputs on the back so you can attach different components to the system (they are stereo to headphone jacks, which are cheap to buy). Keep in mind that there is no switch between the two inputs and these speakers will play everything at the same time if you attempt to do so.
   
   – These speakers look nice. Easy on the eyes and they don’t take up a lot of room.
   
   – The headphone jack on the front delivers decent amplification. My Grado’s sound great on them.

   Cons –
   
   – No off switch. You can turn the volume to the lowest setting on the knob, but there is not a real off switch. This can be annoying when I forgot I set an alarm and there is no real kill switch for the sound.
   
   – Total lack of high end power. For $100 you get great sound for one person, but these speakers couldn’t get loud enough to fill a small room. Considering the alternatives, there is little bang for your buck here.

   Overall –
   
   – Depending on your needs, these speakers will either be a great investment or one you regret. For a cubical worker wanting great sound; grab these. For the college student wanting to rattle the room, go anywhere else.

   Rating: 3 / 5
3. S. Stanley says:

   March 10, 2010 at 5:31 am

   I have and have used a lot of speakers, including those for computers. I have just tried out these Bose speakers. They are very disappointing for the price. I believe that the Altec or Creative types for around 30 bucks just as good. These are highly overrated. I like, Bose, too. I have two different pairs of their headphones and love them. But, you can do a lot better than these speakers for the same amount of money (like a Logitech model with sub) and just as well for less than half (check ALtec or Creative. I’d give the edge to JBLs.) If you want to do something a bit novel, and speaker separation is not an issue for you, the Altec inMotion IM9 that runs about the same cost as these will give you dramatically better sound.

   Addendum since first post:

   Well, Not to be unsatisfied, I went out and bought similarly priced set of Logitech’s. I got the Z4 system. It is one of their mid priced ones with a sub-woofer. And, sure, I know what you may be thinking. It is unfair to compare the Bose Companion 2s to a system with a sub. Further,I have NO DOUBT that with the satellites for the Z4 system, I am giving up some quality of midrange. However, the comparison is sharper. For same price as these Bose speakers, you can get a better overall sound for less money with the Z4s. If you go up to their Logitech’s Z-2300 (I think the model number is), you will get vastly better sound. In fact, CNET says those sound best of all computer systems they tested (sound systems built for computers), outdoing systems costing upwards of 2000.00. That set up runs around 150.00. I didn’t want a 12 by 12 inch sub-woofer.

   Back to the Companions. They are disappointing for Bose. Very solid and rich middle with little bottom end and a somewhat tinny top end. Bottom line. I think these Bose Companion 2s are okay, if you were paying one half the price for them. At around 100 bucks, they do not give you what sound you’d get in other options, including the InMotion 9 built for iPod (but works great as computer speakers) or the Logitech Z4s.
   Rating: 2 / 5
4. Mr. T says:

   March 10, 2010 at 7:43 am

   I was looking for speakers for the desktop in my office. I only wanted 2.0 speakers, not those 2.1 (w/ sub), to listen to smooth nice clear cozy ambient music as you would here in a nice restaurant.

   I was skeptical at first based on some negative reviews on this product. I went to Bestbuy and tested on all the speakers available on the shelf (around 6-7 brands). I was really impress w/ the outstanding quality from Bose. I understand that Bose has it own kiosk as some other negative reviews claiming that they rigged up the speaker to be over performed. I asked the Bestbuy staffs and they doubt that would be true. The sound is really clean and clear. I could actually feel the music space like I was in the music (doesn’t sound flat)

   If you compare apple to apple, this is an outstanding speakers. Don’t compare this speakers w/ other 2.1 or 5.1 products. That’s not quit fare.
   
   But even you do so, this is still really great speakers.

   Back to my story, I finally decided to take a risk and bought Bose even thought I had read “some” really negative reviews about this product. I went back home and hooked them up to my laptop and “wow” the sound quality is as good as the one I listened to at the Bose kiosk.

   Let’s me put this straight. If you like the sound quality you hear at the Bose kiosk, that’s the sound quality you will get at home. Buy it!.
   
   But if you don’t like what you hear at the kiosk, DON’T buy it!
   
   It’s simple, go w/ other brands.

   One thing I need to mention. Make sure you have a nice quality sound output device at home.
   
   Of course, if you have a bad quality sound output device, that wouldn’t do much, so as other speaker brands.

   Rating: 5 / 5
5. chickenbutt says:

   March 10, 2010 at 8:40 am

   I agree with the others that these are far beyond your every day computer speakers. I am getting clean clean sounds and an excellent balance.

   I was able to adjust the sound to my specifications with the awesome sound software on my computer. Now, I am finally glad I paid more for an upgraded sound system when I purchased this computer! I was certainly not benefiting from it with my plain old cheapy computer speakers.

   I really enjoy having the headphone jack on the front of the speaker too.

   These speakers are nice and heavy…not all plastic like most of the ones I’ve had in the past. The box, as shipped, weighed 8lbs.

   I could not be more pleased with the Bose Companion 2 Series II speakers!
   Rating: 5 / 5