Customer Reviews

Acoustimass 3 Series IV speaker system - White

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

We just bought the Bose AM-3 Series speakers to replace 16 year old KEF speakers. We needed the space the old ones took up, and decided since we didn't listen to the stereo as much anymore, we could sacrifice some performance quality for size.
What a wonderful surprise to find that after hooking them up we lost nothing in quality. In fact, because we could place the mini-speakers up high (off the floor and out of the way), we have much better sound separation.
We weren't sure whether to go with the 3-Series or the 5-Series, but the 3's are fine for our needs. We would definitely recommend these for anyone who has moved past the old "audiophile" phase and wants really good sound at an affordable price.

I am always amazing at the amount of flaming that Bose products seem to instigate on message boards. Clearly, people buy the stuff and so perhaps it is just that web noise.

I have had a set of AM-3s for 11 years. I originally bought them for a rehearsal area where space was tight and I wanted something I could put on the wall, but I got more than I bargained for. As you might guess, I am a musician.

I have been using these in my main parlor/music room area now for 6 years and I am always pleased. They produce a remarkably full sound that is clear and emotional, and they occupy virtually no space. Instruments and voices are rendered with admirable neutrality, and music of all types and time periods sounds just plain good. They can play at surprisingly high volumes without complaint connected to my 150 watt Pioneer receiver.

My only beefs: The single cubes are a bit directional at high frequencies, but not overly so (the bigger double-cube AM-5s solve that). Bass is full down to about 60hz and falls off sharply below that. However, I cannot think of another $200 set of speakers that is so musically satisfying overall. I recommended them to my friends who almost always turn their heads and say, "That sounds great. Where are the speakers?"

11 years and no problems. That speaks for itself. For $200 the AM-3 just can't be beat.

Let me start this review by saying that I'm not an "audiophile" and won't be including any gibberish about audible ranges or anything like that. I just can tell when I hear good sound that I like. And these speakers produce that. Plenty of bass (almost too much, I had to turn down the base on my receiver) and beautifully clear mid-range and high notes.

Connected these Bose speakers to my 25 year old Yamaha 500 RX receiver and an old Toshiba DVD player. The system sounds great. In addition to CD and Tuner, I bought a cable that allows me to connect the receiver to my laptop computer, and now I get the best sound I've ever heard from all my Internet radio stations, CD's, ITunes, and games.

And best of all, these speakers are small enough that they don't take up hardly any room in my home office. Little cubes are on the side of the room and are not obtrusive. Acoustimass module shoved in the corner.

Only really down side I can see is the cost of Bose products. These are pretty expensive and you can probably find speakers that sound just as good for less money. But, I guarantee you they will not be as small and fit as well in your room.

I needed some small, wife-approved speakers for the living room. We have an entertainment system in the basement but I wanted the ability to play music on the main floor of our house. These speakers are very small but sound great for the size. You won't mistake them for big full-range towers.

1. These require a stereo receiver / amp.
2. The speakers hook up just like regular speakers. Wires are included.
3. The sub-woofer is passive - it doesn't need AC power.

I did a lot of research on speakers, I wanted something that didn't dominate the living room, and that would even look nice. These speakers are perfect. I bought the white ones, and bought the Crutchfield wall mounts for $25 each. I highly recommend these wall mounts. They look nice and you can partially aim the speakers.

These speakers are loud enough for parties and hip-hop music, and nice for movies on the dvd.

I was torn between the Bose AM3 and the AM5 speakers. I didn't want to pony up $200-300 more in the end, and I'm glad because I recently went to a Bose store and they played the AM3 and the AM5 speakers back to back in a comparative test. Both were very similar, and didn't warrant the price difference.

These speakers will not let you down. I paid $189 for the pair during a christmas sale on Amazon that were sold direct from Bose.com.

I origianlly thought this was an excellent offer. Two rear Bose speakers with a sub woofer. The setup was simple and the sound from the cubes was unmistakable. What was lacking was coming from the subwoofer. This is not a true subwoofer since it's power is derived from the the two rear speakers. When you are trying to get enough bass you can hardly hear a rumble. This caused me to go out and spend a bit more on a good subwoofer. The cube speakers are well worth it and give more than average sound. I just wasn't happy with the complete package.

I can't believe there are so many good reviews of these speakers on here. I read mixed reviews on other sites and figured that I would give these speakers a try. What a bad decision! I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile, but I have a pretty good ear. I hooked these speakers up to my home audio system (to replace a pair of Sony bookshelf speakers) and the sound was so disappointing. It was basically on par with my Dell laptop speakers - tinny with no bass. I called Bose because I figured maybe I had a defective product and they told me that it was my "opinion" that they sounded tinny and and that it's normal for there not to be a lot of bass because this system does NOT come with a powered bass module. The bass module is just a big box basically - not much comes out of it, no matter where you put it in the room. Needless to say, I returned these speakers. Even though they are on the lower end of the Bose line, I still expected so much more from both the product and the support staff. A word of advice - think twice before buying these. There's a reason for which there are so many mixed reviews.

Great sound for the money. I know you can get better speakers but not for $200.00. I got these at Circuit City and am very pleased with the sound. If you think Bose does not sound good it is usually your speaker placement or the acoustics of your room. They sound very good in my living room and I would recommend to anyone.

For decently recorded solo instruments, chamber music and choral music this rig is fine once you get over Bose's pricing. As for more modern "pop" stuff on which more recording care is initially lavished, Bose setup is damn near perfect. Generally nice separation of frequencies affords hours of listening without the unconscious strain that results from trying to compensate for system's inadequacies. Considering space-saving size and audio quality: a worthwhile investment for the not-overly-finicky audiophile.

I really like these Bose speakers. I use them for my home theater as well as for listening to music, and the sound coming out of them is rich, warm, clean, and loud, especially considering their small size. I'm powering them with a Sony STR-DH100 receiver which I bought for $130 on Amazon, and I believe this is a good pairing. At the current price, these are also excellent value, which is a odd thing to be saying about a Bose product, as they are generally known for being over priced.

There are only two caveats to mention. First, the cube speakers sound very directional, so you really need to be in front of them to get the full effect. Secondly, while this system produces a very warm sound, it doesn't do a great job with deep base because the sub-woofer is just too small to hit those lows, and on top of that, it doesn't have its own amp. What this means practically, is that playing songs by the Beatles, or Green Day is going to sound great...but playing something from Bone Thugs in Harmony will sound a bit muted.

One more thing to say. I've had the small cube speakers by my TV for a few years, with the sub-woofer in a corner nearby. My fiance, who's lived with me the whole time, recently found the box (the sub-woofer) sitting in the corner and said, "what's this box doing here, can we throw it out, or move it to a closet?". Funny, but I guess it speaks to the small profile that the system has in your home. She just assumed it was only the two small cube speakers.