Customer Reviews

Bose MediaMate Computer Speakers - Computer Gray

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

These speakers are apparently no longer available, but I write to recommend them used or their newer model replacements based on a very positive experience owning them for a couple of years.

I bought these speakers originally to supplement the pathetic sound on a Dell Inspiron laptop and have since moved them over to a desktop Mac EMac, and found them to be outstanding for both machines. However, I've also found them portable enough to move them over to our low-end TV when we wanted a big sound out of a DVD or a musical performance, over to an iPod, and off a digital camera to show off some baby videos. The independent volume controls and deep range on the speakers provide lots of flexibility in mixing in a variety of sources, and we've actually found the dual sound inputs on the back (there's an A to B mix switcher to allow simultaneous dual sound sources) to be quite useful. One can, for instance, hook up a connecting line from the stereo and use these as a second set of bookshelf speakers without unhooking it from the computer, and with a flick of the dial on the one speaker, change the mix between the two. We're sort of halfway between using traditional music sources and computer-based sources, so having cables running "both ways" has been nice.

As with most Bose speakers, the range and fidelity are excellent, and it is possible to turn the volume up too loud to the point of distortion, but (thus far) when we've done that there's no apparent damage to the speakers. In other words, for a pair of tiny desktop speakers, they provide more sound and volume than we really ever want or that the source can actually provide with any fidelity.

I particularly like the slight angle to which these speakers are canted, as they point the sound sources towards one's ears. They're also directionally accurate, so if you want to "point" your sound and still get the surround effect, it's easy enough to do.

The RF shielding is outstanding; I have one speaker crammed right up against a traditional CRT, and I've never seen a quaver on the screen, nor has there been any noticeable distortion in the operation of a variety of electronic devices that get thrown into a space close to the speakers.

My only quibble with the provided package is the length of the cables and power cable, a common problem for all the desktop arrangements; one does want to stretch the cables around an astonishing array of stuff sometimes.

In any event, I rarely write reviews of electronics products, but I've been so happy with these speakers I decided to go ahead and make an exception. I've been very disappointed by desktop speakers before, but not this time.

Wow, this is the best-sounding pair of portable speakers I have ever heard, producing sound to rival only JVC's mighty -- and much larger -- Kaboom Box blaster. It seems that Bose has put the bass waveguide technology from the Wave Radio into this pair of baby speakers, and the results are impressive to say the least. Thanks to this surprisingly deep and rich bass plus some fancy signal-processing technology including a spatial enhancer, the sound seems to fill your environment. It's hard to believe all this fat sound is emanating from these two little speakers. I am teaming these two with an Archos Jukebox Recorder, which basically allows you to take all your favorite albums with you wherever you go, and this is just about all the stereo many folks will ever need. As a portable solution, it's without peer in my opinion. I just wish Bose offered a padded travel case for these two little gems, with a pocket for the player.

Basically, it's about time that Bose Corporation decided to extend their technology into the PC market. The separation of highs and lows on these speakers are no different than that of any other Bose speaker, which is more than enough reason to find yourself as an owner of several pairs. Bose has always manufactured their products to a completely different standard. I'm pleased to report that the Media Mate speakers are no exception to what you would expect from this company. These do not have incredible bass response but I find low end to be very unnecessary, unless of course your PC will be used as your primary source of digital entertainment. Other speakers are available that deliver low end, such as the Creative Labs 5.1 series, but the properties of sound are quite different if you were to place the Media Mate next to any PC speakers equipped with subwoofers. It all depends on what is most important to you - clarity or being able to feel every last beat through your speakers. Personally, I've found many speakers (and I've purchased several over the years) to have quite a bit of distortion at moderate to high volume, and the Bose Media Mate seems to have eliminated this factor entirely. These speakers are made so YOU can hear the music clearly, not your neighbors, which is how it should be in the first place.

...they are the best Compact 2 speaker set for Computers!

... I have owned my Mediamates for a year and 2 months right now, and I must say I am very happy with them. I have tested this speakers against the ones my old computer came with, that are JBL. Also, I have tested them against the ones my new computer came with, which are Klipsch 2.1 speakers. To tell you the truth the Bose sound way better, more clear, more spacious and more bassy than the JBL speakers, considering the JBL dont go as loud and cant take much bass at all. The test against the Klipsch 2.1 wasnt bad also.. considering these speakers are compact and dont have an extra subwoofer, and that the Klipsch are HUGE and have a BIG subwoofer(also way more pricey! They used to be over $, now like $).. the Bose have the same sound quality.. with some things sounding even more spacious, they just lack the room shaking bass that the Klipsch had. The sound fro mthe Bose is also more balanced and theres no gap between bass and the rest of the music. If you are gonna get these speakers know two things:

1) They provide amazing bass for their speaker category, but it isnt something that is room shaking, and the sound can be room filling as long as you place them well.

2) They are EXCELLENT for gaming(I have tested them with HALO and Nightfire), EXCELLENT for movies (I have tested Die Another Day, Star Wars Episode 1 and 2, Finding Nemo and many more, with certain scenes you can feel almost surround sound), and they are EXCELLENT for some types of music.. for others they are just good.

To give you an idea, orchestra music and movie soundtracks sound perfect on this speakers just by connecting them to a CD Player. But for other music like Rap, Hip Hop, some Rock and Techno youd like to have a nice soundcard that has an equalizer or at least Bass and Treble controls, or youd like to have a nice hoometheater receiver with good controls, or also youd need Windows Media Player 7.0 or higher and set the equalizer to your preferred settings. With Rap I get a lot of Bass with Eminem (Eminem Show), but when it comes to Ja Rule, a song like Furious or Always on Time doesnt get much bass. With Rock, I have tested Green Day and Good Charlotte and they sound excellent. With Techno I have tested 007 Nightfire music and songs from the internet and they sound nice. Reggae sounds good on them, and the best is instrumental music. A great sounding song on them is Here Without You from 3 Doors Down.

The speakers have 2 RCA Inputs, you can connect 2 things at once and mix both things. (For example get the alert sounds from your computer and have an Ipod connected to the other input, and just turn the mix knob a little). They go loud enough to get your mom yelling at you or to be heard around your house. They provide "lifelike" voices and instruments, especially with CDs recorded live. This is the perfect choice if you dont have more than $1! I am happy with them, they are way more then what I expected them to be.

Just remember the main things you need: A NICE sound card, dont expect great sound if your soundcard is crap, and if you dont have a nice soundcard that lets you adjust bass and treble controls, then just use Windows Media Player's Equalizer on Techno mode, but with the first 3 bars set to the medium level. Youll love them!

If you get this speakers and for some reason, when you connect them to your comp they sound bad or distorted, do this: Test them with your CD Player, connect Xbox or Ps2 directly to them, if those 2 things sound better than in your computer then consider changing your soundcard. These speakers also have a protection system that protects the speakers and makes sure the sound is not distorted. It starts working when your bass settings are way too high for the speakers to handle and you just have to either turn down the volume or decrease the level of bass. In your computer these speakers should sound better. I hope this helps many of you! :) One last thing to say: I also tested them outdoors and they bring out nice bass and are heard throughout my backyard.. they just arent weather-resistant though. Bose is the best in sound! ...

I had a chance to test these speakers side by side against other 2, 3, 5, and 6 speaker systems for the PC (Products like the Klipsch ProMedia 4.1 - $300, Creative Labs Inspire 2.1 - 2600/4.1 - 4400/5.1 - 5300, Logitech Z540, and Altec Lansing 2100 and 641).

Simply put, these Bose speakers had the BEST overall sound quality. The speaker casing seems to be a hard metallic compound. Combined with the type of drivers and acoustic volume configuration, there is very little bass distortion. The other speakers, even the expensive 5.1 systems, produced noticeable bass distortion at medium volume settings and above. And, with the exception of the Klipsch ProMedia 4.1, the other speakers had a slightly uneven sound balance that either favored medium (hollow sound) or high pitch (tinny) when compared to the Bose.

These Bose speakers reproduced sound beautifully -- very impressive for their small size. The only downside is that they are just a pair of stereo speakers -- not true surround sound. However, there are 4 RCA inputs in the back of the left speaker (the control unit). The second of the two dials in the front (the first being volume control) controls the Channel A - Channel B sound mix. Therefore, the two speakers allow surround sound mixing, producing a full and rich sound effect.

A personal plus is the headphone jack on the left (control) speaker. A personal minus (minor) is the lack of a remote (either wired or wireless).

In summary, compared with the other speakers mentioned above, the Bose speakers sounded the best. The lack of true surround sound (5.1 channel) should be counterweighed by sound quality that is not matched until you go beyond the $300 price range for quality home theater speaker systems.

I bought a pair of Mediamates to replace my CS Microworks speakers. The old set performed best at medium listening levels, but since I do most of listening at low to very low volumes, I decided to go with the Bose. These little speakers are capable of reproducing bass at low volumes without getting too loud and disturbing anyone. Of course, I had to fiddle with the computer's EQ settings to give the bottom end a bit more boost. Also, I like the fact that the bass port is the front. At very low volumes, the bass seems loudest when you are directly in front of the speakers. By contrast, the Microworks subwoofer would go everywhere, including through walls. Overall, when I'm playing games late at night, the sound is clear, and I can hear the bass without disturbing anyone.

If you are looking for music speakers played at medium volumes, then I would look elswhere. The Bose seem lack the very low bass found in pop music. I would say that these speakers go down to 90 or 100 hertz. Good enough form most uses, but I keep a home theater sub under the desk for those rare moments.

I got these a while ago upgrading from some harmon/kardon speakers that came with the computer. In the begining i had the speakers hooked straight up to my computer. They sounded great, and i've had a lot to compare to, my dad had cambridge soundworks speakers, my mom had yamaha speakers, and my sister had one of those huge logitech speaker systems. These still sounded better than all them. Bose only makes speakers, nothing else. Unlike Panasonic, Sony, and Logitech who make other products and don't really specialize in speaker making. They sounded great connected to my computer, loud, perfect bass, and everything you would be looking for in a quality speaker. Then i decided to go buy Creative Audigy2, and hooked my speakers up to that. They sounded even better, but it came to a little over $200 for bth things. Surprisingly the speakers alone are better than most home theatre systems. If your looking for quality speakers, these are the ones for you
Pro's- 1- perfect bass (not to much, not to little)
2- Sound great at high volume levels
3- Nice surround sound while watching a movie
4- Cd's sound Great
Con's- None so far

I got these speakers from a Bose store (ice blue) and replaced my sony computer speakers with them. I've always believed that Bose products are the best out there and I was right. My friends were impressed with the tiny speakers' performance. Some of them have just bought these speakers and are appreciative.

Own these and you won't be sorry.

For a stereo pair of computer speakers, these aren't too bad (Which is rarely the case with Bose, but we won't let my opinion of the company get in the way with my opinion of the product). They do indeed sound quite decent for a fairly small set of computer speakers. Bass is present, unlike most small speakers, and they have a reasonably full sound.

They also have a nifty feature that some people might put to great use - they have 2 audio inputs, and can actually mix them together (And you can control the volume levels of both of them), which is as far as I know, a unique feature to computer speakers. This is nifty because you could do something like run your TV's audio output into them while having the computer plugged into them too, so you get somewhat better sound than cheap TV speakers and can still hear the sound from the computer.

The problem is for the price, you can get significantly better sound with some Monsoons or other similar computer speakers, which not only sound a bit better in the mids and treble, they also include small subwoofers that handle bass better than the MediaMates.

Overall, these aren't a great deal for most people, but if you are looking for a powered stereo pair of speakers and plan on using the mixer feature, they are your only choice. If you don't plan on using the mixer feature, I reccomend you compare them to other speakers in the price range, especially if you have the room for a small subwoofer.

"Incredible" is the best way to describe these speakers. The sound is crisp and clear, the bass is great and not at all mushy. You can play them low and still get a very enjoyable sound. They work perfectly in the office with my (Creative ZEN Nano plus) mp3 player. They weren't available here so I picked up a pair from Sam's Club(...).
I don't think I've ever been so pleased with a product!