Bose 201 Series IV

[UKBrad]

Are these any good? What about series III? My friend just gave me his old set up and it has everything but speakers. There are some Bose for sale on Craigslist. Anything I should know about them good or bad? Thanks all!

 

[JoeESP9]

Bose products are the most controversial of anything that gets discussed on any forum. There are a few people that like them and defend them no matter what. The majority of posters don't particularly like Bose, their marketing techniques or the perceived lack of value for the money in their products.

In other words; Bose makes mediocre to average (at best) products that are usually extremely overpriced. Recent and current Bose electronics don't work with anything but other Bose gear. There are worse speakers than the 201s (IMO not many). Whatever you have that you got for free may be worth using. Only you, your ears and room can determine if you like the sound.

If someone offered them or any other recent Bose product to me I would politely decline.

 

[GD70]

I haven't heard he 201's so I can't say how they sound. I do have the 301's series II's which do sound very nice.
As stated, some swear by Bose, many don't like them. There are hundreds of good speakers out there, so I would be open and start researching good vintage speakers within your budget. Good luck and have fun!

Glenn

 

[jrtrent]

I'm one of those that likes Bose. I use and enjoy their 301 series V speakers as well as a couple of Bose Wave music systems. In my opinion, however, the best way to try Bose is to buy them new. The 201 series V are only $218.95 for the pair. Try them for 30 days in your own home. If you like them, great; if not, you take them back for a full refund. In addition to the home trial period, they're brand new, with a five-year warranty. The biggest problem with older speakers like the series IV (discontinued in 2002) and the series III (discontinued in 1996) is that they're old. Bose speakers are so inexpensive to buy new, why take a chance on a shorter life span with used, especially since when buying new, their return policy makes it a no-risk purchase?

 

[icenine]

Not bad at all for a small bookshelf for a bedroom listening environment.....$40 is about what I would pay. You could do worse. I recently gave mine away I had them since 1996.

 

[bobaloniny]

201s were my first store bought speakers years ago. They werent horrible when screwed up on the wall a few feet away from the corner so they could direct reflect to their hearts content. Take them out of that scenario and they really had nothing much happening at all.
Other part is, it didn't take me very long to get over them and move on, they didnt hold my attention very long.

 

[charlie2951]

I've never heard any of Bose's stereo speakers except for the 901s, but I've done a lot of reading on Bose recently, and while many support the 201 as a fine bookshelf speaker, the 301 actually gets rave reviews. There are a TON of 301s out there, and they can be had pretty cheap ($50 a pair in my area). I'm waiting for a pair myself. If I were you, I'd look for a pair of those before you truly judge Bose.

On another note, while JR makes the point that new Bose speakers aren't that expensive, many Bose fans actually prefer the older 301s and 201s to the newer ones, so keep that in mind.

 

[jrtrent]

I've never heard any of Bose's stereo speakers except for the 901s, but I've done a lot of reading on Bose recently, and while many support the 201 as a fine bookshelf speaker, the 301 actually gets rave reviews. There are a TON of 301s out there, and they can be had pretty cheap ($50 a pair in my area). I'm waiting for a pair myself. If I were you, I'd look for a pair of those before you truly judge Bose.

Whether the 301's or the 201's will work best depends to a great extend on the room they are being put into and way they will be mounted. At least with the current models, the 301's have a rear-mounted tweeter as well as a rear-firing bass port, and they simply need some space to work properly. When used on the stands (available as an accessory), the 301's can be placed to work very well in a wide variety of settings, but in a smaller room, such as my bedroom, or when actually used on a bookshelf, the 201's performed better. The front-firing port and no rear tweeter to have to bounce off of back and side walls for proper performance make the 201's easier to get good sound out of in many installations.

Again, the nice thing about buying new was that I bought both the 301's and the 201's. The 301's worked better in my main living space, so that's what I kept. The 201's were fine in the bedroom, but I ultimately decided to simply use a Wave music system there, so returned the 201's for a refund. In another place, I wondered if the larger Acoustic Wave would provide better sound and coverage than the smaller Wave music system. The answer was as simple as buying the Acoustic Wave and comparing it with the smaller unit I already had. I preferred the smaller unit's feature set, and it actually sounded better to me than the larger unit. Again, I got a full refund on the Acoustic Wave and used part of it to buy my second Wave music system.

By the way, Bose does not sell returned gear as new, but uses returned items to help stock their outlet stores (after being fully checked at the factory), selling these little-used items at reduced cost but with full warranty.

This probably comes across as a Bose ad, but I really think that many of their products offer good performance at a low price and with exceptional customer support. I've never understood the Bose-bashing that occurs in most audio forums.

 

[janikphoto]

I've had Bose 901's, 301's and 201's in my house to flip. I was surprised by all of them... good, big, full soundstage. Sure, they were lacking in some areas, but they aren't as bad as some people make them out to be. If the price is right, I'd consider them... but, price gets discussed in the Dollars and Sense section of this forum, so I'll end my value discussion so your thread gets moved.

 

[charlie2951]

Whether the 301's or the 201's will work best depends to a great extend on the room they are being put into and way they will be mounted. At least with the current models, the 301's have a rear-mounted tweeter as well as a rear-firing bass port, and they simply need some space to work properly. When used on the stands (available as an accessory), the 301's can be placed to work very well in a wide variety of settings, but in a smaller room, such as my bedroom, or when actually used on a bookshelf, the 201's performed better. The front-firing port and no rear tweeter to have to bounce off of back and side walls for proper performance make the 201's easier to get good sound out of in many installations.

Again, the nice thing about buying new was that I bought both the 301's and the 201's. The 301's worked better in my main living space, so that's what I kept. The 201's were fine in the bedroom, but I ultimately decided to simply use a Wave music system there, so returned the 201's for a refund. In another place, I wondered if the larger Acoustic Wave would provide better sound and coverage than the smaller Wave music system. The answer was as simple as buying the Acoustic Wave and comparing it with the smaller unit I already had. I preferred the smaller unit's feature set, and it actually sounded better to me than the larger unit. Again, I got a full refund on the Acoustic Wave and used part of it to buy my second Wave music system.

By the way, Bose does not sell returned gear as new, but uses returned items to help stock their outlet stores (after being fully checked at the factory), selling these little-used items at reduced cost but with full warranty.

This probably comes across as a Bose ad, but I really think that many of their products offer good performance at a low price and with exceptional customer support. I've never understood the Bose-bashing that occurs in most audio forums.

Very interesting post, thanks. Ill keep that in mind because there are a few 301s and 201s for sale in my area now

 

[TomInTacoma]

I've had Bose 901's, 301's and 201's in my house to flip. I was surprised by all of them... good, big, full soundstage. Sure, they were lacking in some areas, but they aren't as bad as some people make them out to be. If the price is right, I'd consider them... but, price gets discussed in the Dollars and Sense section of this forum, so I'll end my value discussion so your thread gets moved.

Like janikphoto, I've also had a few pair of Bose pass through my hands: 101, 201, 301, 901, Acoustimass systems and a pair of 501's. I bought them because they were cheap, easy to get parts for and people buy them on CL all the time. Easy to flip with a few bucks in the pocket for other purchases.

They play music, if they put a smile on your face - then they're good speakers.

 

[cgutz]

Not bad at all for a small bookshelf for a bedroom listening environment.....$40 is about what I would pay. You could do worse. I recently gave mine away I had them since 1996.

My son has 301 for front speakers, 201 for rear surround. Paid $40 and $30 respectively at thrift shop. Ok at that price, but you can do better for their new price.