Bose Lifestyle 3-2-1 Home Entertainment System

by Bose

Product Details

Product Manual [1.44mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 49 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 49 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00005T3JX
• Item model number: LS321
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,591 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Lifestyle 3-2-1 home entertainment system with DVD player brings the surround sound experience to your movies and music, but with less equipment and fewer wires. Its one-piece media center replaces several components, playing DVDs, CDs, and AM/FM radio--even MP3 CDs created on your home computer.

The Lifestyle 3-2-1 system uses Bose proprietary signal processing technology and speaker array design that produces a surround sound experience from just the two Articulated Array speakers. The Acoustimass module works in concert with the small speakers to deliver the full range of sound. The magnetically shielded speakers allow for close placement to your TV without picture interference.

An elegant media control center offers a built-in DVD/CD player and AM/FM tuner and features digital 5.1 decoding and active electronic equalization for natural tonal balance and clarity throughout the audio spectrum. Bose's Videostage 5 decoding circuitry delivers a surround-sound experience to your videotape library, as well as your DVDs--making even classic films and older mono television programs sound better. The included infrared remote controls all system functions, and the Lifestyle 3-2-1 can also be controlled by most universal remotes.

Other features include 50 radio presets (25 for AM, 25 for FM), S-Video input and output, optical audio input, and 2 composite A/V inputs.

What's in the Box
Bose media center, Acoustimass module, 2 speakers, antenna stand, stereo cable, video cable, speaker cable, module cable, rubber feet for Acoustimass module, rubber feet for speakers, remote control, 2 AA batteries, AM antenna, FM antenna, 120-volt power cord, and printed quick-setup guide.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Simple, but that's it, July 30, 2003

By 

askCRM (Huntersville, NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bose Lifestyle 3-2-1 Home Entertainment System (Electronics)

We got our Bose 3-2-1 about 6 months ago. Overall, it's pretty good. It was easy to setup and the sound quality is good.

You'll like this system if: you want something easy to setup, you want a complete audio entertainment system with high quality (not excellent) sound, you want to be able to play CDs and DVDs.

You won't like this system if: you want true surround sound, you want a headphone jack, you want to play DVDs that you create with your PC (including VCDs, DVD+Rs, etc - the only DVD it plays is the kind you buy), you want a home stereo that has high volume, you want your universal remote to work with it.

If Bose made some very basic improvements, they would have a great system, including:
* Support all homemade DVD formats
* Have the volume range higher
* Add a headphone jack (better yet, have a wireless port for wireless headphones)
* Include a universal remote (or make their remote compatible with universal remotes)

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I wish I could give it five stars..., November 28, 2002

By 

A. Ort "aorto" (Youngstown, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bose Lifestyle 3-2-1 Home Entertainment System (Electronics)

I bought this unit primarily for its simplicity. Most surround systems have so many speakers and wires and components that it gets to be an eyesore and a real nuisance. You have to be an expert at home installation to hide them and mount them in such a way as not to become a predominant fixture in your home.

As for the sound, it puts out good sound. It is not very 'loud' (even at top volume, I can still speak to my wife and be heard without yelling) but it puts out a high enough volume that is not distorted or obnoxious. The bass gives out a powerful enough rumble that I feel it in parts of movies I never knew had such bass. That makes me happy. There is no equalizer and only a treble/bass setting to adjust to your home and, as one who used to love fiddling with equalizers, this is not so fun. But, again, it is simple.

There is a warmth that is lacking when playing CDs or from other music run through the system (if you have a turntable you'll have to buy a pre-amp to generate the power necessary to drive it through the Bose) but, again, it generates a nice sound. Keep in mind, also, that for bigger rooms it will sound a lot different than it does when you stand in front of it in the showroom at the store.

All in all, for simplicity, sound and convenience it is a nice package. The prices is a bit steep and I did have to return my original unit as it first lost its bass and quit playing DVDs and CDs altogether. Bose then, in the meantime, sent me an update on CD and I installed it and haven't had a problem with the new unit. Contact with Bose informed me that they were aware of the problems and the update was designed to fix these problems. It is all computerized which is a far cry from the tube amps of old (thus the lack of warmth) but it makes a nice addition to a home and puts forth good sound in a functional package.

Update: I've had this for about two years now. After the initial troubles and the efforts of Bose to correct the problems, the system works just fine. It is just as powerful and works just as well as noted in the original review above.

Here, in depth, are its limitations:

It is not true surround sound. It merely imitates it as best possible through two speakers. Even Bose's ads state this now. True surround sound can only come when you have speakers surrounding you.

The lack of headphone jacks is a bummer.

I still have a turntable. This thing just sucks when it comes to using a turntable. Turntables run analog sound; this is digital all the way through. I have a preamp to boost the power from the turntable that does ok but the sound is never as loud and full as CDs/DVDs and at the high end I pick up the static from the adapter required to run the preamp through the Bose. I think this is the greatest weakness of this system. It's just not designed for turntables and analog sound.

It can be fussy at times, delaying the start of a CD/DVD (especially ones that have been burned) and at other times, I find it necessary to turn the system off in order for it to read the CD/DVD. Not sure if this is a system problem or the limitations of the durability of CDs and DVDs as a source for various media.

It's designed for smaller spaces. A large room will reveal the limits of this system quite quickly.

All in all, I'm still quite satisfied sans the issues noted above.

Not sure if the newer 3 2 1 system is an improvement or not with the smaller speakers. This is an issue I have with Bose, not the system per se, in that I get this and it's soon yesterday's news. Just be very thorough before investing such a large sum of money.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Watch Out!, August 29, 2004

By 

M. Barr - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bose Lifestyle 3-2-1 Home Entertainment System (Electronics)

I don't dispute that Bose is a leader in speaker technology. But there is a reason this item is discontinued. It locks up when playing certain DVDs. Sometimes after selecting "play movie" it won't get past the menu, you have to guide it to the first chapter or else it will sit endlessly on the menu screen.

Other DVDs will play fine, but if you happen to shut off the system without removing the DVD, the next time you turn it on it will say "Bad Disc" and locks up - you can't play, you can't eject, nothing. You have to UNPLUG it and essentially reboot the system.

Maybe I got the lemon, I don't know. But it's worth writing a review given the fairly expensive price tag and the assumed quality the goes along with the name Bose... this system is definitely an exception to that rule.