Bose 301 III's compared to......

B

bd1886

Super Member
An aquantance gave me a call today and was wondering if I'd be interested in a pair of Bose 301 III's. I told him that I was DONE buying speakers for a good stretch but I'd investigate his speakers and try to help him move them along.

Guess I could just ask "What do you think of these? and get all kinds of opinions but what I need is "What league of sound do these speakers compare with?" Bose haters are everywhere (and I'm not versed well enough on listening to them to have an opinion) but any time I see such knee jerk reactions it makes me suspicious as to "Is this just some "Big Boy corp. marketing hating?" or is this from a true subjective listening experience...from a neutral perspective.
1. How do they compare to say ADS L710's,Polk Monitor 7's etc....
2. What are the audio properties and how does the ear perceive it compared to more "regular engineering"?

Regardless....I'm going to help him move them and need to attach a realistic value to performance number that is real. How do these compare....sorry but Bose is not treated with comparisons at all it seems.
 
Register to hide this ad
People can hate all they want, but Bose sell very well on CL. And, sound wise, their strength is in the way they develop a huge soundstage. Even their dinky 201's sound so big, like you are listening to the band play on a big theater stage. What they lack is a precise attack, as the cheap speakers just can't be as nimble as some of the expensive exotic material drivers in more respected brands.
 
Listen for yourself and make up your own mind.

IMO they're not in the same league as ADS 710's or Polk Monitor 7's.

Sure, they sell well on CL, mostly to people who buy them on the name and not on how they sound.
 
You didn't mention how much they were. I bought a pair of 301 series III's for $20 and they were worth every penny. Would I pay $100 for them? Probably not, but they do sound good to me. The nice thing about them is that they are small and they look good. If they are cheap, grab them and try them out. They will probably sell for double what you pay for them. If they are like $60 or more and not in mint condition, I'd pass. They aren't exactly collectors.
 
I'm going to grab them and give a listen then. I need it to make a conclusion for myself and greatly appreciate that suggestion! There IS more than one right and this will let me place these in the "big fit". The comment of them having a huge sound stage, with lack of punch....would fit some needs well I think. Not mine.....but in a public place or where presence is needed, but not in adjacent areas? I'm looking forward to this!

Listening to some newly acquired ADS L810's right now.....what a rich little tank of a speaker. (My apologies for an apparent double post...computer is acting glitchy and wasn't sure if my initial posting went through.) You folks rock.

I'll not make a penny on this as he's truly trying to scout out other gear for me....and that is one good partnership that will help us both. (Always gotta leave resources on the table....grease of life.)
 
Last edited:
" a huge sound stage, with lack of punch"
I noticed this too so I run mine with a set of Cerwin Vega AT-12's and they sound fantastic together.
 
Sounds like your rolling with both worlds there...I'd love to hear those together! Fun!

You can say what you want about the different aspects of a speaker but that sound stage being there is the most important part. I have some Polk LS70's and as much as I like them for what they do well....the sound stage in no way compares to the stage the ADS L810's presents. Theater and a "more clear" two channel for some music, they are great. Older music or music that needs color....too clinical and not enough blend between the speakers. The ADS for theater sound woofy. Guess that's why we mess with gear...fun hobby with so much diversity and choices huh? (We just live for the occasional "Holy $h1t!".)
 
Last edited:
I can understand the bias against Bose because I really didn't get it either when I got my first set. Bose are nice if you have neighbors and you don't like loud in your face music. If I'm listening to Otis Redding or Ray Charles simply as ambiance music, I switch off the CV's and just let the Bose play. It's not distracting and has a pleasant feel to it. I will likely separate the Bose from the Cerwin Vega speakers and match them with my DCM CX-27's and either a Rotel or NAD amp if I ever find one. It's gotten so bad that I am building a different system for different types of music and formats....
 
I am not a Bose hater, as I greatly enjoy my 301 series V speakers. The series III are now 16 to 21 years old; in my experience, that's nearing the end of their useful life without needing repair or replacement parts, plus they're two generations behind in terms of design and performance. The brand new, fully warrantied model with a full lifespan of use ahead of it is only $328 for a pair. Even in mint condition, I wouldn't expect someone to want to pay more than about $50 for a pair of series III, and I wouldn't take them even at that price unless a call to Bose let me know they still had factory support for parts and service.
 
Series III are ok. I bought a set for $30 at a thrift for my son for his room. For that amount they sound great! For retail price, you can do MUCH better.

They won't be nearly as nice sounding as the Polk Monitor 7 and other compares here.

They are a speaker for moderate listening levels but not earth shaking music. They don't sound bad, they aren't as detailed or refined as other speakers.

I wouldn't pay much more than $50, as I would begin to look around for better options at that point.
 
A short while ago I asked to compare Bose 301 series 3 vs. Design Acoustics PS-10's, & 8's. One response from someone who sold hundreds of both said the PS-10's were a much better choice. I was initially considering the Bose for a vintage system I'm putting together for my daughters Christmas present this year. Ended up buying a pair of nearly mint PS-6's which will suit her fine for her small NYC apartment. I know they won't have the punch of the 8 inch woofer, but they sound very good.
 
Got them home this evening but to much going on to hook them up. Guess I'll do it tomorrow night.... Looks like $30.00 is what I'll get them for.

Side note: You know how there is some good "house brand" gear out there that sleeps to the point of almost being unknown? Dropped by a thrift and found a whole MCS Integrated setup to go with these! All of this particular gear is a re-badge of true quality performers from NEC,Hitachi and Foster. (My son is going to be jazzed....and owing me!)HEE!
What is it about the high level of enjoyment with sleepers? Once you learn the whole story with the different ones,it just make them special to you.
 
My neighbor is selling a pair of Bose 301 series II and Cerwin Vega series 20. Same price, $70/each pair. What should I buy? Any recommendations from the experts?? Thanks
 
BD, Personally, I'll take all the Bose 301 series II's and III's I can get - as long as they are "bargains." I try to snatch up every pair I come across that are less than $50 - even the beat up ones (got to be really cheap, though). I then turn around and re-sell them, often without doing so much as wiping them down, and I always double my money - at the very least. At $30 you simply cannot go wrong, even if it turns out that you hate them. While they do offer a 'big' sound, the sound is not well defined nor precise. And then there's the immense amount of Bose coloration. Hey, some people, scratch that, a hell of a lot of people prefer what Bose engineers do to all that is being listened to more than what the studio engineer was striving for. I still trying to get as close to the studio sound as possible. In short, I don't find this model and series of Bose to be 'bad' speakers - just different and not really what I prefer. They are clearly not junk, they sell like nothing else, and selling a couple pairs of these put a pair of BA VR-50's and a PV1000 in my possession. So, in that regard, I love 'em.

MCS, eh? The old J.C. Penny audio line. There were a few products offered under the MCS moniker that were quite decent - it just varied from year to year. Some years most of the line was produced by those companies you cited, but other years, well, occasionally lesser companies ended up with the contract. There were a few years in which almost the entire line was Technics - and not very good. During the 70's and 80's everything sold by J.C. Penny was contracted. RCA built the Penncrest line of TV's for years. Vacuum sweepers - Eureka. Major appliances - Westinghouse. J.C. Penny built nothing despite having numerous house brands. Hope you scored one of the better units.
 
I like Sound Design.....

Flaminroids said:
I've always been a Sound Design guy myself.
Click to expand...

if it is one of the tiny bench top rigs that do the "gear" to looks and scale. I have a little receiver/cassette player in my shed that sounds like hell but looks awesome! When I'm working out there...it makes me smile. (Guess it's my way to say "p!$$ 0## to excess cork sniffing!)

You will not ever hear me bash one brand (even JC Penney's MCS) categorically. The MCS 6600 TT is way better than a decent TT and the MCS amp is a clone of a very respected NEC product. I'm listening to the 6600 now, and I'll tell you right now....my son is not getting it. I'd rather give him a choice on others from Technics,CES clones and TT's from MOTL mainstream. It's heavy,quiet,easy to adjust, and sounds beautiful to the point that my nice Pioneer is getting boxed and shelved. Black Beauty for $6.00....it is a beautiful thing gentlemen.

If there was one product that taught me this? That is my Sanyo JCX-2900K Receiver......I will buy every one I ever run across....and wait for the "ignorance to die away"....or lay down and do receiver angels in my shop. Same for the good "middle aged" gear that still held on to quality.

Anyways, picking my son up tonight and going to go to his place and hook it all up. YEAH....get my Sansui G-9000 and Dahlquist DQ 20i's back! (Those make me grin too!)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom