The gift of music: B&W 601 or Bose 301

[leosagna]

For Christmas I'm putting together a starter audio setup as a gift for my sister-in-law. I've already picked up a 65wpc Yamaha RX-700U that's very clean and sounds really nice. I'm having difficulty deciding whether I should include a pair of B&W 601s2 or Bose 301 series IV.
Now please hear me out.
The B&Ws have great upper mids and highs with quite a bit more detail, but would benefit greatly from an additional subwoofer. The Bose don't have the clarity but a much fuller lower end.
The B&Ws imaging and clarity stay constant regardless of how much power you throw at them (with a 65wpc amp), so long as you stay in the sweet spot. The Bose don't give a **** where you are, you'll hear both channels and it'll still sound acceptable at most levels.
For someone's first dedicated setup, which pair would you guys recommend? Considering at least a 2-3 years before any upgrades.
She's into rock, hip-hop, alt-rock (read:Radiohead), jazz and blues. The source material will be either Spotify or a AT-LP120 and new records.
Looking forward to hearing your suggestions! (Or shitting on my broke ass lol)
Thanks!

 

[jdmccall]

I'd let her see and hear both pairs and then let her have her choice.

 

[Dazaa]

Heard both and owned many pairs of 601's. They have plenty of bass, sounds like they aren't suited to the amp.

 

[2ndGenSansui]

I owned 601's for a few years, and they are great, but I think you're on to something with the speaker placement. If these are a gift for someone who has no interest in setting them up "correctly" (tweeters at ear level, equilateral to listening position, etc.) then the Bose might actually be the better choice.

 

[Boonaroo]

You would be a real winner in her eyes by giving her ANYTHING with the Bose name on it. Remember, "Better Technology thru Marketing!!!"

 

[leosagna]

Thanks for all of your responses! Since the poll thus far is literally a 50/50 split, I may take jdmccall's advice and have her do a listening test to see which she likes better. Luckily they're smaller so I can wrap one pair and keep the other in the car lol

 

[gongli]

B&W clearly for me! Bose is not as refined sounding although they do have more bass.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

B&W of the two. I don't hate the Bose 301 (for me one of their better offerings and reasonably priced).

 

[GordonW]

One thing to consider- the B&W only has a 6.5" woofer, while the Bose 301 has an 8" woofer.

With hip-hop on the menu- the 8" driver will likely be better able to handle the large bottom-end content of this type of music, without overstressing as much and potentially failing...

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[chop_sooie]

May I ask, how you came to narrowing it down between these two choices?
(Bose would be my choice BTW-- audiophiles/ enthusiasts are sure to pick the B&W of course, but for the unitiated, considering the music she's listening to, and the rest of the setup, Id' go with the 301.)