Customer Reviews

Bose 3·2·1 GS Series III DVD Home Entertainment System - Silver

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I bought this late August '08 from a Bose store (prices fixed at $1k at all stores right now). First off, it is 2 speakers that fit in the palm of your hand, and a somewhat large woofer that can be put out of sight (e.g., behind TV cabinet). Sound is amazing given it's only 2.1 speakers. System does an okay job at filling the room with sound (I don't think it's fair to say it seems like there really are rear speakers, but the sound is for sure big and full), but it does deliver all 5.1 channels of sound through the 2.1 speakers when listening to those sources - awesome. Big + for me is that music sounds really good - not always true on home theater systems. Unit is easy to use and set-up - onscreen menus straight forward, and universal remote really is universal (including my cable box). Upconverting of DVD picture looks great. Sound from TV and DVDs is amazing (especially digital 5.1 sound from HD channels).

Now, for the cons: I wish it served as a video receiver as well - it does not. Example, this means when I watch cable I need to turn the TV on to cable video input and set the Bose to cable audio output - not a big deal but a bit annoying. There is only 1 optical audio input (which you can assign to any available source), but digital coax inputs are there for all sources (sound and signal for optical vs. coax digital audio is the same, differences heard are people playing vodoo). There is a bit of a sound delay when switching sound sources or when changing cable channels (~0.5-1 second) before the sound starts again.

Lots of people knock Bose because they are expensive. Well, Bose really does have superior speaker (always have) and now digital processing technology - look into it yourself, don't just trust reviews online from random people (such as myself). But, you should take a trip down to a Bose store or Best Buy and listen for yourself. And bring a full band audio CD to listen to of your own (the Dave Matthews acoustic demo they always play is stupid - acoustic guitar sounds good even on crappy speakers).

If you have the $$ and don't want to hassle with 5.1 speakers, at least give this some serious consideration.

Another note: I shelled out another $100 for the overpriced speaker stands (floor stands), and did notice a slight increase in quality as the speakers can spread out their sound a little better (as opposed to my previous set-up where they were on the edge of a shelf).

Being skeptical of such an expensive purchase, I really worked this thing over once I got it to make sure I was going to keep it. It did not take long to find out that it can't be beat. For such a simple system I was amazed at the performance. Let's start with the good: Very stylish, compact, and super easy to set up. The set-up I did was not your standard set-up either. I took advantage of running optical audio from my cable box (good idea) and I use the HDMI output to a 37inch LCD. I did not want all of my sound to always have to go through the unit so I had to use a few more wires. The sound is absolutely unbeatable for the size of system. If you are a sound junkie like myself you will appreciate the clarity and reality of the reproduction. Music is concert-like, DVD's play like you are in a mini-theater. People that do not like the sound of Bose generally like a lot of unnatural bass and Bose refuses to give in to that fake noise. I replaced a high end Sony 5.1 system with this for aesthetics and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner. The sound is now simply way better at all volume levels. Even 2.0 sound sounds better through these tiny speakers than they did with my old system. Now for the not so good: You need a fairly recent and not so cheap universal remote if you want to control this thing. Unless you don't mind the remote it comes with which claims to be universal but I found otherwise. The aqua display of text on the front of the unit can detour your focus when watching the TV screen. There is no equalizer if you wanted to create a different sound other than the Bose standard. Sometimes I want that cheesy bass although it pumps out plenty. Lastly, you almost need to use the optical audio connection to ensure full volume control. Without it you have to turn up the volume for different applications. I use the optical so I have no complaints. Before I go, I just want to let you know that if you want a small system that can fill your room with rich authentic sound then you are on the right track with this system. You can put a pretty nice system together for the price of this thing but what for??? 3 wires and you are done and have the best sound money can buy.

I just bought a Series III Bose 321 system. I have it connected to a Samsung 46 inch 1080P HDTV.

I wanted to run my cable box, Sony PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Apple TV through the Bose 321. The only way to do this without having to change wires non-stop is to run the digital optical audio cable from the TV to the Bose system, giving you PCM 2.0, not Dolby 5.1. There is a noticeable improvement over performance from just the TV speakers alone, but nowhere near as good a a direct 5.1 connection.

I wish Bose had more optical audio inputs.

Also, I wish they had a Blu Ray instead of a regular DVD player in the system.

Like I said, good but not great...

I just purchased the Bose 3.2.1 GS Series III last week. Looked at several other systems but realize you always "get what you pay for". THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!! You must cut TV speakers volume up(although you will not need them) and VERY,VERY IMPORTANT you must use either the optical or coaxial connection from Cable Box to the 3.2.1. I was ready to return the unit because of not enough sound volume. In fact, I had it backed up to return the next day. Then I thought, Bose is to good of a product to have this problem, so I unpacked and set up with the OPTICAL digital cable and BINGO!! What a product!! Sounds better than my old true surrond sound unit a(Sony) I purchased eight years ago. I would recommend this unit HIGHLY. Never owned Bose but their reputation out did itself. The small system looks "nifty" and MY what a sound!!! Spend the extra BUCKS and Get ONE!! fkwalter

Background: We purchased a 3-2-1 GS Series III along with our new LED TV two weeks ago from Amazon. We bought this system specifically because my wife wanted a simple, easy-to-use HT system. We have had a Bose Lifestyle stereo system with all-in-one tuner and CD player for 15 years, so we are used to Bose simplicity. While I am a technophile who could live with a zillion button remote, I was happy to purchase this system.

Pros:

1. Excellent sound from TV, DVD, CD and iPod sources. The new Gemstone speakers deliver much improved resolution over the older Bose Lifestyle AMT cube speakers. The new GS speakers and the Bose media console are also shielded against the noise that can come from video systems, the sound emerges from dead silence. Dialog from DVD movies and live TV is very articulate. Make sure that you locate the subwoofer/amp box in a corner where the two walls can reinforce its bass output (the sub should have the woofer port facing out away from walls). Don't leave the sub out in the open or away from a wall.

2. The upconverting DVD player is excellent through the HDMI port and compares very favorably to a very highly rated and expensive name brand Blu-Ray player that upconverts regular DVDs.

3. Ease of use is very good with just a TV and the Bose media console with the Bose universal remote.

4. Don't believe comments that imply that this system re-creates some of the rear-speaker sound of a 5.1 system. It doesn't. But it does create a beautiful, extremely wide soundstage in front of you with very good resolution of vocal details. I own $12K worth of Martin-Logan Vantage/Ayre CX-7e/Krell pre/power amps/vintage Infinity subs audio sytem, and this $1K system does a very respectable job for video. Not the last word in bass "slam" or liquid smoothness in the mid-range, but very respectable and pleasant to listen to at a fraction of the price.

5. Space-saving. Doesn't take up much space, the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) is extraordinarily high, and blends into any decor. You won't have wires running everywhere and you won't need to have an electrician run wires through your walls, etc. Five minutes into a movie and you won't miss having rear speakers, but you will hear everything on the soundtrack.

6. Fun to use. Not something usually mentioned about HT systems.

Cons:

1. Add more gadgets than just a TV and you will run into connection limitations. This is not a HT A/V receiver where all video inputs go to the HT A/V receiver (where switching & controlling occur) with a single HDMI that goes to the flat screen. For a muliple device setup (e.g. dvd recorder, Blu-Ray player, VCR, etc.), these devices will end up being connected to your flat screen and their video switched from there while the audio from some of these devices will have to also be switched by the Bose media console. Important to know; there is only one HDMI output from the media console to your flat screen. Multiple gadgets can be done, but research and plan how they will be connected ahead of time.

2. As mentioned, the Bose remote works well for just the media console and most flatscreens. But in order to control the multiple devices above, it is not optimum and began to get confusing for my wife. I purchased a Logitech Harmony One remote to replace the Bose remote for this reason. Big success, the Harmony One works well and allows even simpler one-button controlling of multiple devices.

3. I repeat again, it would be nice to have more HDMI inputs and outputs on the media console. This system was obviously designed for a simple or modest HT system.

4. The included cables for a) connecting the speakers to the subwoofer cube and, b) the media console to the subwoofer cube may not be long enough. Both cables also have proprietary connectors. Fortunately, you can purchase much longer versions at the Bose website for reasonable prices (surprise!). I did in order to place the sub in a corner position and it was more than worth every penny.

Bottom Line - An excellent solution for a simple HT system. If you intend to hook up additional devices, make sure that you know the available inputs/outputs and know that you will be able to control them BEFORE you buy this system. [PDF manual with input/output descripitons available for free download/reading at Bose's website.]

I been using the the system for about 6 weeks mainly for movie, TV and gaming. The sound is great so far and I am satisfy. The 2 small speakers able to provide the surround sound feel and the bass is good. Thats amazing. This system does what it advertise. Some people say this system is not loud enough, but I would say it does have enough sound with reasonable/good quality.

However, This is my second system because the first one was not working. It shut off randomly. The build quality is very cheap for the main unit. FYI, the inside component just a regular computer DVD rom hook up with a media motherboard.

I got it for a great discount so that I don't complaint at all. But for the regular price $999, I guess I will go for something else.

For a thousand dollar system, it should add some option, like extra optical/HDMI input and "Blu ray".

Overall, The sound is fantastic and i enjoy it. But Just make sure you got the working unit.

Pro

Very easy to setup, just plug and play.

Good surround sound feel (consider this is not the real 5.1)

Enough bass

Good sound for movie and gaming.

Con

Cheap built quality on the speaker and the main unit

The sound of mid and high range is clean but could be better.

It shut off randomly.

Only 1 optical input (big mistake)

No HDMI input

Option for sound adjustment is very limit.

Missing Blu ray.

I have owned this unit now for approximately 3 months. Set-up was a snap. It probably took me all of 20 minutes, but that is because I didn't want to mess anything up and I read the directions. In the end, I didn't need to read the directions. I am very please. Of course it is not 5.1 system sound, but if you are looking for very good sound and less bulk and wires then I would highly recommend the purchase of this system.

Yeah, it is expensive, but for sound quality, it is a great value. When I watch movies and DVD's with surround sound, it literally feels like I have more than the tiny speakers with the awesome output. The are compact and disappear on my entertainment center, projecting the sound to the rear (in fact, the best seat in the house appears to be my dining room, which is off to the side of my living room. The entire system is pretty compact, especially the speakers - but what power they punch! And it is pretty easy to set up which is great for a plug and play person like me - I just want to plug it in and have it work!

Of course every product has its limitations - on my 321, sometimes I will lose audio and have to turn the entire system off for about 30 seconds to reboot - it is a pain to say the least. And I would have liked more audio inputs (or are they outputs - I am technically challenged) so that I can add a CD player that can hold more than a single CD at a time. Also - the audio level never is quite the same from application to application. If I just watched a movie then want to pop in a CD, the sound can be deafening if I forget to turn it down. But the pros outweight the cons for me - I love hearing all those great sound effects that my TV just cannot capture.

I've been using Bose equipment for about 10 years now and each system that I own seems to satisfy my needs. The 321 GS Series III is no exception. I personally bought the unit for the simplicity and clean setup. I have a medium sized living room and the thought of 5 speakers, a huge subwoofer, and lots of speaker wire were not to my liking. I was looking for a system that produced great sound, was sleek, and disappeared into my room and the 321 system fit the bill.

Don't get me wrong, for $1000, you can put together a much nicer NHT, Paradigm, Klipsch etc. system that will sound much better than the Bose but NHT, Paradigm Klipsch and others only have mediocre (if any) all-in-one home theater systems. You can't compare stereo speakers to home theater speakers because that is not a fair comparison as they are designed differently. For example my Acoustimass 15 system, which I use in another room is a great home theater system but an average stereo system. I would rather have a nice three-way tower setup with a mid-size sub for my stereo needs. How many home theater systems have a three-way design?

Sound wise, the Bose can get pretty loud when you crank up the volume. I find that the high's could be better, mid-range sounds fine to me. I think the high's sound a little "shreeky" because Bose does not employ a true tweeter. The bass module for this system is surprisingly better than the Acoustimass module that I have with my Acoustimass 15 setup. I find the 321 system module to hit a little lower and it just sounds fuller. My Acoustimass 15 module always sounded like there was a gap between the low end and midrange. I called Bose to ask them for specs on the Acoustimass drivers but they wouldn't tell me. Actually, come to think of it, Bose doesn't tell you a whole lot of things; but that is for another review.

As far as the simulated surround sound, I find it to work best on certain movies only. I was watching Star Wars the other day and the effect didn't feel as good as watching a more modern film. Plus, to feel the surround effect, you really need to crank the volume up. Needless to say, I do feel the simulation. We were watching I Love Lucy DVD's and the sound reproduction for an older show like that was still pretty good although I think it involves some mono to stereo conversion. Also the automatic equalization balances the sound out so you don't find yourself constantly changing the volume up and down.

The remote is of very good quality, it controls my TV, cable box, and the 321 unit with ease. It is made strong and it feels good in your hands.

My only gripe with the system is that the 321 media center unit is a little on the cheap side. For $1000, you would think that the construction would be just a tad high end. Also, I find the input time on the system to be a little slower than I expected. For example, when you click on the menu's of your DVD, there seems to be a slight delay with the response. Strangely, I don't have this problem with my $75 Sony DVD player. I bought it on sale from bosedotcom for $899. Personally, judging from what's out on the market, I don't think this unit should sell for more than $700...even with the Bose name. It just will not produce what you would expect from a $1000 system.

All in all, you should judge this system based on what and who it was designed for. It's good for small to medium sized rooms and I think aesthetics take a slight precedence over sound quality in this case. I bought this package because it suited MY needs. This is not a be all end all entertainment system...but it does what it is supposed to do.

Easy to set up (over two days). Very satisfied with result. Works well with my Logitech One univeral remote.

I found the set up slightly confusing but I eventually got it.

Performance met my expectations for a Bose product. They just beat the pants off any competition. I sucked out some of the bass and slightly boosted the high end. The result is very competent, satisfying sound in a family room.

Bought on Amazon for $729. in Dec 09 from ShipItNowStores. Shipping was quick. A very good value proposition and we really like the set up. I got the speaker stands, at $52., a great price. This is my second pair. I highly recommend them.

I don't understand the negative reviews. Are you talking about the same product?

I would endorse this product to anyone who seeks a superior TV sound solution without a lot of hassle.