• Digital 5.1 decoding & Bose Videostage 5 decoding circuitry that deliver multi-channel presentations from the 2 visible speakers

• Automatic Tonal Adjustment

• Active Electronic Equalization

• Digital Dynamic Range Speaker Compression

• Includes an infrared remote control

You'll like this system if: you want something easy to setup, you want a complete audio entertainment system with high quality (not excellent) sound, you want to be able to play CDs and DVDs.

You won't like this system if: you want true surround sound, you want a headphone jack, you want to play DVDs that you create with your PC (including VCDs, DVD+Rs, etc - the only DVD it plays is the kind you buy), you want a home stereo that has high volume, you want your universal remote to work with it.

If Bose made some very basic improvements, they would have a great system, including:
* Support all homemade DVD formats
* Have the volume range higher
* Add a headphone jack (better yet, have a wireless port for wireless headphones)
* Include a universal remote (or make their remote compatible with universal remotes)

31 of 33 found the following review helpful:


I wish I could give it five stars...  Nov 28, 2002 By A. Ort "aorto"
I bought this unit primarily for its simplicity. Most surround systems have so many speakers and wires and components that it gets to be an eyesore and a real nuisance. You have to be an expert at home installation to hide them and mount them in such a way as not to become a predominant fixture in your home.

As for the sound, it puts out good sound. It is not very 'loud' (even at top volume, I can still speak to my wife and be heard without yelling) but it puts out a high enough volume that is not distorted or obnoxious. The bass gives out a powerful enough rumble that I feel it in parts of movies I never knew had such bass. That makes me happy. There is no equalizer and only a treble/bass setting to adjust to your home and, as one who used to love fiddling with equalizers, this is not so fun. But, again, it is simple.

There is a warmth that is lacking when playing CDs or from other music run through the system (if you have a turntable you'll have to buy a pre-amp to generate the power necessary to drive it through the Bose) but, again, it generates a nice sound. Keep in mind, also, that for bigger rooms it will sound a lot different than it does when you stand in front of it in the showroom at the store.

All in all, for simplicity, sound and convenience it is a nice package. The prices is a bit steep and I did have to return my original unit as it first lost its bass and quit playing DVDs and CDs altogether. Bose then, in the meantime, sent me an update on CD and I installed it and haven't had a problem with the new unit. Contact with Bose informed me that they were aware of the problems and the update was designed to fix these problems. It is all computerized which is a far cry from the tube amps of old (thus the lack of warmth) but it makes a nice addition to a home and puts forth good sound in a functional package.

Update: I've had this for about two years now. After the initial troubles and the efforts of Bose to correct the problems, the system works just fine. It is just as powerful and works just as well as noted in the original review above.

Here, in depth, are its limitations:

It is not true surround sound. It merely imitates it as best possible through two speakers. Even Bose's ads state this now. True surround sound can only come when you have speakers surrounding you.

The lack of headphone jacks is a bummer.

I still have a turntable. This thing just sucks when it comes to using a turntable. Turntables run analog sound; this is digital all the way through. I have a preamp to boost the power from the turntable that does ok but the sound is never as loud and full as CDs/DVDs and at the high end I pick up the static from the adapter required to run the preamp through the Bose. I think this is the greatest weakness of this system. It's just not designed for turntables and analog sound.

It can be fussy at times, delaying the start of a CD/DVD (especially ones that have been burned) and at other times, I find it necessary to turn the system off in order for it to read the CD/DVD. Not sure if this is a system problem or the limitations of the durability of CDs and DVDs as a source for various media.

It's designed for smaller spaces. A large room will reveal the limits of this system quite quickly.

All in all, I'm still quite satisfied sans the issues noted above.

Not sure if the newer 3 2 1 system is an improvement or not with the smaller speakers. This is an issue I have with Bose, not the system per se, in that I get this and it's soon yesterday's news. Just be very thorough before investing such a large sum of money.

24 of 26 found the following review helpful:


Watch Out!  Aug 30, 2004 By M. Barr
I don't dispute that Bose is a leader in speaker technology. But there is a reason this item is discontinued. It locks up when playing certain DVDs. Sometimes after selecting "play movie" it won't get past the menu, you have to guide it to the first chapter or else it will sit endlessly on the menu screen.

Other DVDs will play fine, but if you happen to shut off the system without removing the DVD, the next time you turn it on it will say "Bad Disc" and locks up - you can't play, you can't eject, nothing. You have to UNPLUG it and essentially reboot the system.

Maybe I got the lemon, I don't know. But it's worth writing a review given the fairly expensive price tag and the assumed quality the goes along with the name Bose... this system is definitely an exception to that rule.

38 of 44 found the following review helpful:


Paying... for Simplicity  Jan 20, 2002 By deborah dlugokenski
it's exactly as advertised...while it is not a "true" surround sound system (but Bose doesn't say it is)it does a credible job with THREE given speakers...this is important if like me, you have a tiny living room with low ceilings (typical Queens apartment)While I do believe [the price] is a bit...you must pay for the Bose sound and believe me, it does not disappoint... I recommend that you purchase it from a Bose store as they have a 90 day return policy and while I was in the store, I mentioned other reviewers' problems with the DVD (i.e. the drawer sticking, error messages and other glitches ) and the salesman said that Bose would send an update disk to reprogram the main unit which is probably some type of computer and that your satisfaction was pretty much guaranteed. The system is easier to set up than those multispeaker surround systems as there is no guesswork involved.

25 of 28 found the following review helpful:


broke twice!!!  Jun 28, 2004 By K. Morison
I bought this 18 months ago and while I had some problems with the set up, I got help from the store where I bought it. It has really nice sound, but it has a serious problem: not once but TWICE, when my children inserted DVDs in the player they would NOT eject! Since no one could service it locally (I went to 3 places, and each claimed they could fix it but then later admitted they couldn't since they would have had to open it up), I had to send it to Bose. That cost a lot, plus Bose charges a minimum of about $240 (I forget the exact amount) to even look at it. Now, the exact same thing has happened (this is the second episode)! They say you can repair this easily but I went through the recommended procedures with a Bose technician over the phone and it didn't work. There's NO WAY I'm sending this machine back to them; I'm getting something else! Any recommendations? Finally, lest you think the kids are somehow to blame, let me note that they work daily with other DVDs, CD-roms, CD players, and personal computers and have never had any problems with any of them. I normally don't like having to pay extra for a warranty, but if you insist on getting this product, I'd recommend buying it from a place that sells it with a warranty.

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