Bose 161 Bookshelf Speaker System

Overall Rating:
Total Customer Reviews:(38)
Release Date: n/a

Product Description
A versatile pair of compact, high quality speakers / Ideal for rear channel, second room or main speakers in small rooms

Amazon.com Product Description
A versatile choice for both listening to music and appreciating the sonic splendor of big-budget blockbusters, the Bose 161 multipurpose speaker system offers topnotch sound in an elegant package. Unlike conventional speakers, which radiate sound in a single direction, these speakers use Bose’s Articulated Array and Stereo Everywhere technologies to project sound throughout the entire room, so listeners in the corner can appreciate the same subtleties as those in the middle. In addition, the proprietary Twiddler drivers (two 2.5-inch drivers in each enclosure) make the speakers sound much larger than they actually are. The end result is a consistently impressive sound field that simulates the cinema experience. Meanwhile, the speakers’ actual size–they measure 11 inches wide by 4.12 inches tall–belies their big sound, so you can store them easily in compact locations, such as small dorm rooms or crowded offices. They even come with mounting brackets for installing on a wall or ceiling. The speakers’ sleek black housing also blends into practically any décor.

Additional features include magnetic shielding, which protects your TV from video interference, and automatic overdrive protection. The speakers are computer tested for quality and reliability and carry a five-year warranty from Bose.

What’s in the Box Left speaker, right speaker, mounting brackets, self-adhesive rubber feet, user’s manual.

Features:

  • Versatile speakers for music and movies
  • Use in bookshelf or wall-mount applications
  • Articulated Array® speaker design
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5 Responses to “Bose 161 Bookshelf Speaker System”

  1. Customer rating:
    Normally I stay away from reviews of products outside the realm of cds and books. Not this time!

    If your idea of fun is waiting on a customer service line with the words “Please wait for the next available agent” ringing in your ears endlessly, only to find out – after missing several important business calls – that you are being required to spend additional money (120 bucks) to get your problem resolved, then go through Bose. Cd players getting stuck and static on the speakers is not how I used to enjoy music when listening to Pioneer equipment. And I spent less money with Pioneer.

    This company (Bose) charges way too much money for original product purchases to justify the customer spending hours of his own time trying to fix a problem generated by lack of real ingenuity on the part of the company. In other words, they should build this stuff BETTER! One who can afford these products does not have time to re-enact choice product abuse scenes from movies like “Office Space” (i.e. in this case, hacking away at a cd magazine with an ice pick in order to try to remove it).

    So if you do want hassles and a company website that does not empower you to directly contact anyone with any power in the organization, go through Bose.

    They will not disappoint!

  2. You Know Me says:

    Customer rating:
    I bought these for a friend (with his cash ;) )because they sounded as if all you need to do is plug them in and enjoy great sound. THINK AGAIN. Oh, you mean you don’t have 18 gauge speaker wire laying around the house or perhaps you will need the 16 gauge if its more than a 30 foot run. How about an amplifier? BOX OF THESE ARE REQUIRED!

    All I want to do is plug this into my damn cable box and enjoy. Why does life have to be so complicated.

    This sucks and is going right back to amazon.

    I got Bosed.

    you can find the real bose manual here: [...]

  3. Anonymous says:

    Customer rating:
    Bose is a fascinating case study of what the power of advertising can do for products that are acknowledged within the audio industry as being cheaply made and technically outperformed by all of its competiters. Based on audio theories from the 1960′s and parts of lower quality than what can be bought at Radio Shack, Bose has built an incredible empire out of poorly designed products driven by a huge advertising budget creating an aura of “Bose”.

    Consumers should do their research before shelling out money for Bose speakers. A google search will bring you to epinions or audioreview websites where you can find review after review, mostly negative, from buyers of Bose products.

    The commonly accepted wisdom in the audio industry is that Bose makes low audio quality products and sells them at very high prices. In other words those Polk, JBL, Wharfedale or Infinity mid-fi products you can find at Amazon are usually higher quality at much better price points.

    Compare the sound if you ever get a chance. Make sure you DO NOT depend on volume, in other words volume is a bad indicater of quality. Listen for the high and low notes and to the clarity of the music. Tough to do in a showroom at Circuit City or Best Buy, but even there the differences will show up. Bose attempts to prevent consumers from doing this by segregating their products away from the competition.

    After this you might look at online audio magazines (do a google search), Audioreview (one word) and Audiogon. You’ll find whole NEW world of audio products such as PSB, Paradigm, Vandersteen, Quad, Sonus Faber, ACI and many more who’s products will put you on a much higher level of audio than you’d ever imagine. Usually these speakers are SEVERAL times more electronically sophisticated than Bose at the same price! What you won’t find in these websites of magazines are Bose articles. Bose just isn’t taken seriously by the industry.

    Good luck and happy hunting!

  4. Binh Lam says:

    Customer rating:
    I watched Spiderm-man on a Bose set of speakers in 5.1. This consisted of the vsc-10 center, bose towers (i dont remember the model number, but its the one with the tweeter that point the wrong way and woofers in the backside), and these Bose 161 for surrounds.

    The sound coming from the center speaker and these speakers was so unbearable at high volumes, that me and my friend agreed it would be best to turn them off and just watch the movie in stereo. They both sounded very muddy and resonance comming off the plastic construction was quite annoyting. Theyre both cheap feeling in construction and i would not be surprised if they both used the same woofers inside (the center and these).

    When you are buying these speaker, you are basically buying from the bottom of the barrel of what Bose has to offer, which is really bad, considering how mediocre their more expensive offerings sound.

  5. T. Loughrey says:

    Customer rating:
    These were installed in the theater room of my new house. I am pretty into stereo gear, and I have points of comparison.

    You can hear the cabinents vibrate. They are made of cheap plastic and weigh very little. They sound like the speakers that come in your cheap TV.

    The only reason that I wrote this review is because people are spending so much money on them. It is just not right. If you like these speakers, do a little research and find something in the $20 price area that sounds the same and save money.

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