Bose Acoustimass 5 - Speaker System, ideal for stereo or home theater use - White

Other products by Bose

Product Details

Product Manual [156kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 3 x 6.3 inches ; 31.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 31 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000069E21
• Item model number: 21726
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,709 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #8 in	Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Speakers > Surround
  #47 in	Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Speakers > Home Theater Speaker Systems

• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 26, 2008

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Experience enhanced sound from Bose's most affordable, next-generation Acoustimass stereo speakers. The Acoustimass 3 system delivers bass that's the deepest and fullest yet. Two single-cube speakers--smaller than ever before--are elegantly designed to fit virtually any decor. And the module easily hides away behind furniture or off in a corner, so all the lifelike sound seems to flow from the tiny cubes.

You will expect to find much larger speakers when you hear the Acoustimass 5 Series III speakers. Yet the spacious sound actually comes from two tiny cube speaker arrays and a hideaway Acoustimass bass module. The improved cube speakers offer enhanced performance, contemporary styling, and a smaller size than the Series II. And the improved module fills a room with even deeper, fuller bass. These Virtually Invisible speakers are the definitive answer to the question of how to combine spacious sound with space-saving design.

Though the Virtually Invisible speaker design may seem like a disappearing act, the performance is quite noticeable. Full, resonating bass and crystal-clear highs envelop a room in beautiful stereo sound. It's all the result of years of intense research and testing. The Acoustimass 5 speakers accomplish what no conventional speakers can claim: big, lifelike sound without big, bulky speakers. Now or in the future, Acoustimass stereo speakers can be turned into a home theater set by simply adding the compatible Bose VCS-10 center-channel speaker. For full five-speaker surround sound, add the VCS-30 center-surround speaker package.

Product Description

A revolution in speaker design and thinking was launched with this speaker system from Bose. The two satellite speakers are so tiny they fit in the palm of your hand. Perfect for any room in your house! They may be small but will still provide the famous Bose Direct-Reflecting M-^Y sound. The Bass Module will fill your room with deep, rich bass, while staying out of sight. Invisible sound! Color: White

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I think I know why opinions differ on these speakers, March 22, 2008

By	Kevin L. Devereaux (Snellville, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bose Acoustimass 5 - Speaker System, ideal for stereo or home theater use - Black (Electronics)

I was having issues myself with sound quality with these speakers until I went to Bose.com and read the user guide. These speakers are meant to produce sound both directly and reflectively. If you have all of the elements pointing forward with no surfaces to bounce off of the experience is not satisfying. You need to tuck the sub away in a corner (to reflect off the walls) and the smaller speakers I find work great with one element pointing directly and the other pointing at a wall (each speaker has 2 elements). The sound with the reflection is much richer and satisfying than when everything's pointed directly at you.

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Limited Appeal, February 21, 2008

By	D_Strasse "D_Strasse" (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

Bose seem to elicit a passsionate response whenever their name is mentioned, and I will try to elaborate on my experiences and let the reader decide if these speakers are right for them.

I currently own a set of Bose Acoustimass speakers that I purchased from a friend. The speakers were in excellent shape and I felt lucky to be able to afford Bose a few years ago on my meager salary at the time.

The speakers are definitely room *friendly*, they blend in easily as their size is unobtrusive. That said, after investigating speakers recently for a planned theater upgrade, I now feel that they are lacking.

When I first got my speakers I compared them to a pair I had purchased back when I was in high-school. I didn't know anything about those speakers at the time but was happy with their sound as well(AR Holographic M1's). The results of the comparison left me thinking my ears were deceiving me "my old speakers sound better?" Anyway, I put those thoughts away thinking that I must not understand because "obviously Bose were the best."

Fast forward a couple years, all the while the Bose were up front in my surround system with the old speakers in the rear. That whole time I had no issue with the Bose, they performed well enough. After buying a new TV, I thought it might be nice to upgrade the speakers so I would have the same brand in the front and back. And so began the research.

I spent time listening to number of speakers, including high end and mid level brands at custom shops as well as entry level speakers at Best Buy and Circuit City. I have now come to desparately desire replacing my Bose speakers.

They just sound *thin*, which oddly enough was my initial impression, the one I thought I must not understand. That is the best I can describe it, music on the other speakers just sounded *fuller*, like it had more body.

I will freely admit I did not know what I was missing until I sought it out, but now that I do I feel that my Bose are no longer good enough. I will also say that this is not based on cost, I listened to a number of speakers that sounded much better at the same price, although they are NOT the same size.

In conclusion, I was looking for that fuller sound, willing to devote the floor space to much bigger speakers in order to get it. Some people might not be willing to make the trade of size for sound but for me it was worth it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A bit under-rated (an unbiased review), May 21, 2008

By	P Sybe "CAT" (Butler, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bose Acoustimass 5 - Speaker System, ideal for stereo or home theater use - Black (Electronics)

Pros: High and mid-range sounds from the cubes are very crisp, especially during gaming. System has a good all-round sound for the xbox 360, dvds and for music but fall short of excellent. The cubes deliver an amazing sound volume for their size and look great on the top of the piano.

Cons: Bose should make it clear that the bass module is not a powered sub-woofer. It does not deliver any where near the lows of a powered sub. This did not matter to me because I planned to add a sub anyway. Bass module is not all that easy to hide.

Other Thoughts: I've read many negative reviews about these (positive as well). I would rate them an 8.5 to 9 on a scale of 10. I played with these quite a while during set-up. Wiring, placement and amp quality are huge variables with this system. If the buyer expects subwoofer lows from the bass module, it won't happen. The bass module is not easily driven, a weak, low current amp won't adequately drive it. I replaced inferior speaker wire with high quality Monster Cable and it made a significant improvement. Lastly, the bass module provides PLENTY of (non-sub) bass when wired and placed correctly.