Customer Reviews

Bose 151 Indoor/Outdoor Speaker Pair (White)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having been once around the block with another manufacturer's "outdoor" speakers, I examined the Bose 151 set with a suspicious eye. But, Bose did not let me down.

For most people, the audio quality is what matters. Bose delivers - the sound is first rate with a nice bass response from a small set of speakers. I'm no audiophile, so I can't give you numbers or compare to another set. But let's just say that my pool deck sounds like my living room.

As for weathering, these have been in place about five months. They're mounted under the eaves of my house so they're somewhat shielded. But lest you think otherwise, they get plenty of exposure. We live in Florida about five miles from the beach, with a saltwater pool. The sunshine and saltwater have done no noticeable damage, even with yellowing. The enclosures appear to be glass-reinforced polypropylene which (as a former plastics engineer) is exactly what I would have chosen for such a product. The brackets also appear to be polypropylene, and not polystyrene - this means better weathering. I assume they have added light stabilizers to the plastic to be able to offer their 5-year guarantee. The white case and brackets will eventually yellow in the Florida sun, but that's a small concession to the environment and easily remedied with a little paint.

My pool deck is mostly white pavers, so steel rust spots are a big concern for me. This may be the only weakness with this product. Bose supplied galvanized steel screws for attaching the speakers to the brackets. For about a dollar or two, they could have (and I believe, should have) used stainless steel. However, this is again easily remedied by a visit to your local hardware store. I chose to install the supplied hardware; but at the first sign of rust, I'm replacing the screws with stainless steel.


UPDATE 2009-05-10:
The speakers have been up for about two years now. No rusting yet on the hardware (that I can see, anyway) and the color has not yet yellowed. Pool parties are a blast...

I've been using these speakers for a few years now. The speakers have handled inclement weather (direct sun, rain, snow) with no problems at all. The mounting brackets are showing their age, though. That's about it for my positive statements.

For the negatives, these speakers are overpriced for their meager performance. I can hear them OK from my deck, but go another 30 feet to my kids' playset and you get very little. The sound is tinny, which is comparable to most Bose products outside of their bookshelf speakers. If you listen to Pop, you'll probably be OK with these. But jazz, classical, or even classic rock will all show the weakness of these speakers.

If you want better sound and a cheaper price, check out Paradigm or TIC Corp. Move up in the price range and you'll find B&W (I own a pair of the 604s in my movie room) and Definitive Technology, to name a few.

Last point is to make sure you meet the manufacturer specs on placement. Some speakers need protection from the worst weather conditions, like mounting under eaves. My set-up requires direct exposure.

The seller needs to change the Desc. of this item.. It states Bose 151-Speaker... (Actually it should be clearly stated "Speaker Pair" or Speakers) With the price being so reasonable I almost didn't order it because I thought there was a chance that they were sold by the each.
I went ahead and ordered it and figured that if only one speaker arrived, then I would return it.. I had a very positive surprise. There was a pair of great speakers and a really great price.. Thank You

I moved into my home 3 years ago and I have been using my "Boom Box" setup from my garage and moving a speaker to the open door to the back of my patio and pool area for my music needs. I grew tired of moving the speakers back and forth and moving the boom box setup outside to inside worrying about the weather. My wife found these Bose 151 speakers locally and decided to give them a shot. She was able to get them on sale for $150 ta boot! With the help of a good friend and letting me use her Pioneer amp and Teak 5 disc CD changer I have a very good system for parties and to just chill out to. The kids were so happy they can swim to good tunes and just enjoy.

I have the benefit of having 2' eaves and mounting was a breeze. I suggest mounting under an eave if you have the option but the quality of the speaker wouldn't make me worry about water, snow or sunlight if I didn't have an eave to work with. Getting a 5 year warranty out of the box has to tell you something about the product and company.Kudos! And it was cool to swivel them to any side angle I prefer.

For a single speaker in each casing it offers plenty of sound but the bass gets kinda muffled when pushed too hard. Not a negative because I can hear music cleanly and clearly for about 40 feet away from the speaker area no problem when the amp was only a quarter the way up! The best part is I can use another pair of speakers in my garage on the separate channel through the amp for even more sound and switch each pair on or off at will through the amp.

All in all I would recommend these speakers to anyone. You get what you pay for. They were a little pricey but now I know why.

P.S. I am just happy I don't have to move anymore equipment from inside to out and back in anymore. LOL

I just took mine apart after one quit working. To be fair, they are about 12 years old, which is why I gave 2 stars instead of one. The cabinet had water in it, and I think it was corrosion from the humidity. But the thing is, there is nothing in the cabinet but a single small speaker, maybe 4". No crossover, no other drivers. I know that's kind of the Bose thing, but the old saw "no highs, no lows, must be Bose" makes sense when you see what they're doing it with. I would never buy these again. Kind of like that wave radio they make--nice, for a radio, but not really what you want from your stereo.

I ordered the items on the 11th Nov and had an indiaction online that delivery would be made by the 1st Dec

When I tried to make a review on the 1st Dec the online info indicated that I should expect delivery only between the 1st - 16th Dec

This was the first I had heard of this. I wrote an email to the seller and to date have NOT had a reply

Not a very happy customer