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133 of 144 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best thing my ears have ever heard, February 23, 2008
In this review: an in depth comparison of Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 THX, Logitech Z-2300 THX, Bose Soundock, Bose Companion 3's, Bose Companion 5's and Altec Lansing t-612
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'd like to offer a review somewhat different than what you've read before. It's a long one so if you're looking for something quick, you may want to stop here. Otherwise hopefully you'll enjoy the perspective. My thanks go out to those who let us know who you are and what you do in your review, and how you use the system, it really makes a difference. It's important to know the story behind why someone is buying something and what they are looking to do, otherwise you get mismatched needs and solutions. My story begins during the first month of 2008, when I got myself into a bit of a speaker craze while searching for a sound solution for every room of my house. Three years ago I put my life's music collection in digital format on iTunes to the tune of over 5000 songs with perhaps the widest array of music than anyone else I know: Jazz, Hip-hop, R&B, trip hop, electronica, techno, country, audio books, Tony Robbins, metal, rock, dub, enigma type stuff, lounge, new-aje, world music, caribbean, Latin and on the list goes. So, when I say I've tested these speakers over a wide variety of music, you can take my word for it.
My demographic: Male, business owner (custom Italian leather journals, guest books and photo albums: see epica . com ) and hip-hop dancer choreographer, 30 years old, Southern California. Creative, very into pleasing the senses.
After growing up with stereo systems that catered to more bass than clarity, my initial goal was to discover what would be the most clear, best, space filling rich sound I could in each room of the house while still being incredibly aesthetically pleasing and unobtrusive at the best price. I wanted to turn up the volume and be amazed at what I heard without any distortion and I wanted to be thrilled at the lowest volumes as well. I wanted to feel like I was there, to have a music experience every time I turned something on. The best price part went out the door rather quickly.
So here's what I did: Apple sells a device called an Airport Express that among other things such as being a wireless router, also allows you to stream iTunes music to it wirelessly. All you have to do is plug in a stereo mini plug to one end and an audio source to another. Give it a name like living room and it appears in iTunes. you can have several of these devices all over the house. In the past I have always hooked up big stereos or shelf systems to it for sound but now in the age of tiny computer speakers and iPod doc systems, I've realized you can connect anything to it and have taken the experience to a whole new level. There are now 4 airport expresses in the house in different rooms along with an apple TV which also features this Airtunes feature in the living room, bedroom, second bedroom, kitchen and hallway... yes the hallway.
After having spent hours in the Apple Store and Best Buy listening to different sound docks and speakers with my iPhone and collection of music, I just decided to purchase and used every single unit that caught my interest with the decision that those which didn't give me everything I was looking for, I'd just return. (The manufacturers must love me.) Because what can you really tell about a speaker or sound system in a 30,000 foot warehouse with sound and people all around you? Are you kidding? Nothing. You've really got to setup these systems in your environment.
It's also important that you test your purchase in different places and positions all throughout your house. You won't believe the difference in sound from having say, a SounDock in your bathroom vs. a bedroom. Move the subwoofer around, adjust the bass on it, move the speakers, be creative. you'll surprise yourself.
Finally, a word about Bose. Of all the sound companies that I read reviews for, and I read about 400 before making a purchase, I have never seen such a contrasting fan base. You've got people who detest anything Bose and people who would buy it without listening to anything else. For the record I am neither of these people. I have owned Bose products in the past and enjoyed them as I have with other companies but was not biased towards or against them prior to purchase.
The Systems:
The Klipsch Prop-Media 2.1 speakers were my purchase. I was attracted to what I knew about the Brand, the subwoofer control on the actual satellite speaker and the $150 price point. I got them home and aesthetically I was just never really attracted to the speaker. My place has a very Asian-Zen and modern feel and these just kind of stood out in the wrong way wherever I placed them. But we're talking about sound so I looked past that. It's got a pretty large subwoofer, and the satellites where small enough to go anywhere. Klipsch does a great job with their horn tweeters and it really let's the highs soar. I tried them in my home office and bedroom for a week before I returned them. Why?
I loved that they were THX, which means there was no hissing whatsoever and they were dead quiet when music was shut off. I was also pleased and could not believe the power. These speakers have so much gain and get so loud, that I don't think full volume would even be tolerable to the human ear. But that was the thing. They seemed to distort at the higher volumes I tend to enjoy and didn't seem to fill a room at low volumes. The subwoofer is recommended to be set at 8 o'clock (very low) and if you adjust that any higher the bass is quite over powering. The sound coming from the Klipsch speakers was not a bad or poor sound, it was great, it was ridiculously powerful but it just wasn't the best sound I had heard for music. They ultimately went back to the store, and I give them a 4 star rating, but I'd be open to trying them in again in a different setting. I think I found them to be to cumbersome as well.
To their credit, RoomGroove wireless for $300, is their latest version of what I am doing with the airport express where you can link multiple room grooves up and they'll wireless send sound to each other. Points to them for finally getting something like this on the market.
Logitech Z-2300 THX: WOW. I was a little biased at first because I thought, Logitech? Really? The people who shine at making wireless mice and keyboards? How can they compare to these other big sound companies? What can they possibly bring to the table? Five stars no question. Here I had nothing to go on other than the $150 price point. I brought them home and unpacked. Ok, the subwoofer with this speaker set is not for the faint of heart. It is absolutely enormous and well suited for a larger office or larger room. It's got two attractive enough (without the grills) aluminum speakers, and a similar wired remote to the Bose only this has the subwoofer control on it (fortunately) and a headphone jack. (no external auxiliary mini plug)
Where to begin. This system has started off in and remains to this day in my office. At low volumes it is rich, deep, clear, and not overpowering in any respect. The music soars no matter what you're listening to. It's an absolute pleasure to sit before these speakers and I should start leaving them playing some sort of music more often because it really really sounds tremendous. And that's only the beginning.
Once the staff goes home and I can crank these up, every wall in the building shakes. The other bathrooms sound as though there is an earthquake and we should evacuate the building. I know it sounds like I'm a big bass person but this is the least of my desires. The clarity, much like the companion 5's just keeps getting richer and richer as you turn the volume up. Artist's vocals scream out at you and this system is the loudest of any I have heard. Interestingly it's also the most tolerable at high volume that I have heard as well.
I love the fact that it's got RCA jacks for speaker cables which allow you to easily extend them if you want them more than a few inches apart or want to place the subwoofer farther away than right at your feet. I love the power and clarity of these speakers, I love that the remote has the bass on the module and you don't have to adjust it behind the subwoofer. Five golden stars are easily awarded. Go Logitech.
Altec Lansing T-612 and Bose SounDock Portable:
Having tested the Harmon Kardon Sound Sticks, JBL On Stage, Klipsch iGroove, the Zeppelin monster, iHome, logitech pure fi and many others, these are the two I wound up bringing home.
Technology is great. We give birth to new ideas which create new ways we listen to music like iPods and iTunes, and that stimulates thought to a new level and we create devices made especially just for these things like the wide array of docking stations, something we had no need for in the past, and then we give birth to new ideas again and say wouldn't it be great to have our music collection on our phone and eliminate devices, and that get's created, and one company wins out over all the others and soon that creates a new problem: cell phone interference and shielding and that gives birth to the first of a new line of products: the iPhone safe Altec T-612. The first docking station to not be affected by sound interference from cell phones.
It worked well. I give it 5 stars for innovation, sound, it's own bass and treble controls on the unit that can be controlled by the remote control, size and a pretty unique look. (Which I am personally not attracted to) This purchase lasted 24 hours before it was returned. It was going to be used as a...
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Virtual 5.1 system with only 3 speakers! Must hear to believe!, January 29, 2007
The Bose Companion 5 speaker system is a fantastic addition to a multimedia home computer system. I've had several different sets of computer speakers, including one other Bose set, and this is hands-down the best set.
The Companion 5 set consists of two desktop speakers and an acoustimass-type sub-woofer unit or module. The module is the heart of the system -- not only does it control the speakers and bass, but it also functions as an excellent soundcard. The module connects via USB and not through the computer sound card because of that, and will function as the primary soundcard for your computer. Per the directions, they need to connect through a USB port directly on the computer, and not through a hub or docking station. The instructions do not specify why, but I presume it would be due to the delay present in most hubs. Additionally, one needs to make sure that your computers sound and audio settings for the OS and software are configured properly to make sure the speakers work properly. It should occur automatically when the speakers are set-up. The directions are all very clear on how to ensure this happens in a step-by-step process, and include a good troubleshooting guide in case problems occur. It took less than a single minute for me to set up when I did it as almost everything was handled automatically by the speakers. It is important to note that you must follow the provided directions if you want these speakers to work properly. Most of the negative reviews posted seem to point out what happens when you don't follow directions. However, once you follow them, you'll get unbelievable sound from the system. I had to get up once and check the door behind me because I thought I heard someone knocking, only to discover that it was sound coming from my game that I had heard.
PROS:
- Superb, full spectrum sound from a small, compact system
- Very rich sound when used with DVD movies, CD's, MP3's, and games
- Accurately conveys 5.1 sound when media/software uses that format
- Subwoofer provides excellent very low frequency sounds
- Uses very little desk space
- Very attractive appearance
- Excellent high-end sound card for all but the most specialized applications
CONS:
- Price (though I don't have "buyer's remorse" now that I have the system, and considering a soundcard is included makes the price more reasonable)
- Weakest area of the virtual 5.1 coverage is directly behind head
- No microphone input (important for those using online games in particular)
- No on-off switch; unit can go into a "mute" or "standby" mode, but seems like a waste of electricity
- Will disable/by-pass an expensive sound card if one is on your system
OVERALL: Highly recommended if you can afford it
Alternatives: If one of the problems above is a showstopper for this system, my recommendation would be to look at the Klipsch systems.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Did not like the sound with my music, September 23, 2007
I have a Bose Companion 3 (the original, not series II). Mostly what I use them for is listening to music on iTunes from my Mac laptop while I work on the computer in my office. Most of my iTunes music is 128 kbps bit rate, so we're not talking hi fidelity here. When I want real high-fidelity, I listen to a CD on my home entertainment system. I have been VERY happy with the Companion 3's with this set-up.
A couple of weeks ago I was in the market for another powered speaker system for my bedroom (again, high fidelity was not the goal). I learned that this was the last day of a 10% off sale at Bose, so I ran over to the Bose store intending to get another Bose Companion 3. When I got there, I learned of the Companion 5's. The salesman was very upfront, he told me that the sound quality was going to be similar to the Companion 3's, but the extra cost was mostly for the expanded sound that would occur with DVDs and games using the USB output on my laptop. I reasoned that the digital-to-analog converters in this expensive speaker system were likely to be better than that in my Mac laptop, using the speaker output connection. I listened to them in the store, and they sounded fine. So I spent the extra money and got the Companion 5's. Part of the decision was made by the way the speaker stands would work in my set-up.
When I got home and fired up the Companion 5's, I couldn't believe my ears. The only way I can describe the sound was "muddy" when listening to music from iTunes. I played the track that sold me on the Companion 3's in the first place, Greg Brown's "Blues Go Walking". Terrible, I could hardly hear the vocals. I played around with all the equalizer settings, including turning the equalizer off (as the very unhelpful Bose online Companion 5 owner's page suggested). I even tried using the old miniature speaker output on my Mac connected to the auxilliary input that Bose nicely includes on their volume control puck - no difference. When I played a DVD through the companion 5's, it seemed to sound fine - I was under the impression that it sounded better than the music from iTunes, but I did not spend a lot of time trying to verify this. The only thing that seemed to help the music was attenuating the lower fequencies on the equalizer setting. I tried to force myself to like the result, I wanted to keep these speakers! But then I reconnected my Companion 3's, and got the same sound that I had been happy with all along, much better than the Companion 5's. So the next day I packed up my 5's and returned them to the Bose store. I asked them if I could still get the Companion 3's at the sale price, which is was I went out to the store to get in the first place the day before. They told me the sale had ended, and in no uncertain terms, "no can do." So, having been through this dissapointing experience and wasting my time trucking back to the store a second time, I just gave up on the whole endeavor (who knows, maybe they did the same thing to the Companion 3 series II speakers, and then I'd have to bring those back as well).
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