Bose Virtually Invisible® 191 speakers

by Bose

Product Details

Product Manual [1.43mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 23 x 23 x 13 inches ; 4.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 14 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00009P2YQ
• Item model number: 31509
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,448 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #88 in Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Stereo Components > Speakers

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Bose 191 flush-mount speakers blend into your room so beautifully, only their noteworthy performance will remind you they're there. Install them in your wall, connect to your stereo or surround sound components, and enjoy wide, spacious sound coverage while these Virtually Invisible speakers almost disappear.

Bose 191 flush-mount speakers seamlessly and beautifully blend into your room

It's music to your ears--and easy on your eyes, thanks to proprietary Bose technologies. Articulated Array speaker design delivers spacious, natural sound throughout the listening area. And Stereo Everywhere speaker performance makes it possible to hear balanced audio almost anywhere in the room, unlike conventional home audio speakers that focus sound in one "sweet spot."

A proprietary ported enclosure delivers smooth, consistent low-frequency response. This innovative built-in speaker design compensates for unpredictable environments behind walls that can diminish performance, and also prevents sound from radiating directly into adjoining rooms.

Use as in-wall surround sound speakers with your home theater components or your stereo system

Use as in-wall surround sound speakers with your home theater components or your stereo system. These flush mount speakers are unobtrusive and easy to install. Both rectangular and round grilles are included so you can use either, according to your preference. You can even paint the grilles to match your decor.

If you own a Lifestyle system, Virtually Invisible 191 speakers and an SA-2 amplifier can bring music to another room in your home. You can even listen to music from your Lifestyle system in one room while a movie or different music plays in another, at the same time, from the same system.

Stereo Everywhere in a Compact Bookshelf Design

Stereo Everywhere speaker performance produces balanced stereo sound over a wide area, unlike conventional home audio speakers that radiate sound mostly in a single direction. This is thanks to Bose's Articulated Array speaker design with two precisely positioned full-range drivers (2.5") provides consistent, lifelike sound over a large listening area. Proprietary ported enclosure technology ensures consistent performance regardless of the space behind wall, and produces cleaner and deeper low-frequency performance to ensure that lower frequencies are mainly directed into the intended listening area, not into adjoining rooms.

Product Description

Bose 191 flush-mount speakers blend into your room so beautifully, only their noteworthy performance will remind you they're there. Install them in your wall, connect to your stereo or surround sound components, and enjoy wide, spacious sound coverage while these Virtually Invisible speakers almost disappear. It's music to your ears--and easy on your eyes, thanks to proprietary Bose technologies. Articulated Array speaker design delivers spacious, natural sound throughout the listening area. And Stereo Everywhere speaker performance makes it possible to hear balanced audio almost anywhere in the room, unlike conventional home audio speakers that focus sound in one "sweet spot."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't live up to marketing hype., June 14, 2010

By 

John Prentice (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bose Virtually Invisible® 191 speakers (Electronics)

Below is my initial review of these speakers. It's still basically true, but as the frustration with the initial install has faded, my estimation of the speakers has risen (a little). What seemed a thin and limited sound at the time now seems very clean. Just with very little bass compared to some other speakers. When things break on install, you do have to wonder, "who's fault was it, really...". I'll just say that the other speakers I bought at the same time had a much heavier set of clips...
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I am extremely disappointed with these speakers. If you read the product description carefully, you are basically getting a pair of smallish 2.5 in drivers / speakers which are only capable of a thin, limited sound. All the rest ("Virtually Invisible", "Articulated Array configuration", "Stereo Everywhere", "proprietary ported enclosure" etc.) is great marketing, but it does little to improve the sound of the speakers and a lot to increase the cost. There is no Bose waveguide technology here, for example (don't be fooled by the big plastic box hanging off the side). Limited bass? Try zero bass.

To make matters worse, the unusual design made these speakers harder to install (I have a lath and plaster ceiling), while the "virtually invisible" design translates into "make a perfect cut because there is no margin for error". Finally, part of the mechanism designed to hold the speakers in place simply snapped off while I was tightening it.

In contrast, I bought a pair of Polk Audio speakers at the same time for 1/3 the price, they were a breeze to install, and they sound great. I walk from one room to another and cringe when I go from listening to the Polk Audios to the Bose.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for home theater, poor for whole-house audio, March 15, 2010

By 

T. Chambers - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bose Virtually Invisible® 191 speakers (Electronics)

I've had these speakers for 3 years in a whole-house audio setup as in-ceiling speakers. The clarity as you'd expect from Bose is great, however if you want good bass response nothing compares to a large woofer. I'm actually in the process of replacing 2 out of 3 pairs with typical in-ceiling 8" woofers to get more bass in my living room and bedroom with high ceilings.

I highly recommend these for in-wall home theater speakers with a separate subwoofer.

I do not recommend these for in-ceiling stereo speakers.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In-the-wall speakers, October 30, 2008

By 

Alexander Kogan "[e-mail]" (East Hampton, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bose Virtually Invisible® 191 speakers (Electronics)

These were a husbandly-compromise, as my wife was adamant about not having a big bass unit in the newly refurbished living room. They're not quite as great as advertised, especially on the bass, but they do have as small a profile as you could want, especially if you paint the grills (and you get a choice of round or rectangular) the same color as the wall. The only objection is that although I used the Bose mounting plates before sheetrocking, they do not lie absolutely flush with the wall. However, the sound is pretty good, all things considered.