Customer Reviews

Bose Virtually Invisible® 191 speakers

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

sound O.K. need more base. don't buy if you don't have sub woofer. at $200 a pair is fair to buy, $300 is little too much. You can get better pair at this price.

These speakers are awsome. They come in pairs and you can swap and rotate them with the rectagle or round cover that uses the same size hole. I need to go get another pair for the front surround sounds.

They are worth the cost...

Easy to install, you don't need to buy the template if you're handy with a ruler, short level and pencil so you can use the paper template provided.
Hardest part is cutting a neat hole in the sheet rock without creating a huge mess, but with patience and a small fine short tooth saw it was easy enough.
No problems with the wiring as I had already installed them before putting up walls.
The sound is great to my ear, although we use the speakers mostly for background music. Had I known how good they sound, and easy they are to install, I'd have wired in a couple more in another part of the house, but I'm not about to tear up the place to run the wires.

Im a big BOSE fan and these fit right in with my home theater. They are discreet and install very easily.

I recently installed the Bose 191 speakers in a new basement finish, and have finally had a chance to test them. The clarity of the speakers on the higher end is very good, but what is immedately noticable is the rich bass that fills the room. I am not an audiophile, but I am picky about what I hear, and for what I intend for these speakers they are perfect. This will be a game room with the speakers wall mounted. For my initial test, I turned on Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" (a song by which any good speaker system should be judged) and made it nice and loud. Passed with flying colors!

These speakers are very easy to install and sound great. These speakers are much better than other in-wall speakers because the enclosure keeps the sound from emanating through the walls to other rooms in the house. They are great for the Home Theater as well as listening to music.

I love my celing speakers. It's like being in the theater ever day. The sound in unbelievable. We love them!!!!