Bose Acoustimass 5 - Speaker System, ideal for stereo or home theater use - White
By: Bose Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 23
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 On: 2008-07-02
I cant believe I bought this piece of crap. I thought Bose was good by their reputation. I bought this system and called a couple of friends to show it off. My friend Carl called me over and put on some music on his home built system. I was totally blown away. He put on Genesis "The Lamb" And my hair stood up. The detail, the highs the lows, he poured me a glass of single malt and it danced off the table. Like my $1,000 Bose system could do this? Not! He put on some organ music and I seriously thought the building was going to come down on us. He laughed like a mad scientist. My $1.200.00 Bose system sounds like a toy compared to this. Tinny, no midrange, deep bass or high trebles. Im either taking it back or selling it on eBay. Carl says he will build me a decent system in his cabinet shop. Sometimes one needs a good short, sharp shock. Oh yeah, listening to Pink Floyd on Carls system is like dropping acid and he says he can put one together for me for under $1,000.00. Everyone should have a friend Carl and everyone should avoid Bose.
 On: 2008-05-21
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: Ive 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 wont happen. The bass module is not easily driven, a weak, low current amp wont 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.
On: 2008-05-14
Another reviewer said: "Consumer Reports who compared Bose with other products that it sued (and lost)"
Bose won... the ruling said: "The District Court found that Consumer Reports "had published the false statement with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard...". The ruling was later overturned only because the higher court did not find "actual malice". [In short the courts agree with Bose but didnt award any money because there was no proof that Consumer Reports did the report to be mean.]
Reviewers dont like to be sued. Every since the law suit, reviewer tend to be bias against Bose.
With that said... Bose arent worth the retail price but are great speakers when you can get them on sale.
On: 2008-03-22
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 everythings pointed directly at you.
 On: 2008-03-06
Nice mid range and highs however I quickly found that I will need an "extra" amp to power this sub to levels that seems decent
 On: 2008-02-21
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 didnt know anything about those speakers at the time but was happy with their sound as well(AR Holographic M1s). 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.
by: zenderman On: 2008-02-06
I just started dating a woman who owns this system, and she was so proud of it that I simply didnt have the heart to tell her the truth. On our third date she took me back to her apartment where we watched a DVD: beautiful plasma TV, horrendous Bose hunkajunk. The only reason I kept my mouth shut was because shes incredibly hot and I wanted to be there for breakfast the next morning.
But it took a lot of drinks for me to sit through this audio nightmare: male voices often came out of the so-called "bass module" instead of the tiny and tinny little satellites, and those voices were mixed in with the smeared, flabby mid-bass coming out of the box...totally localizable mid-bass. The music (we watched "Amadeus") was completely hollow-sounding, like listening to a boombox. During a few musical peaks there was even audible resonance coming out of the pseudo-sub...no surprise since its just a cheap plastic enclosure, not even MDF like you get with even the cheapest REAL subwoofers.
Mama mia, the things a guy will do just to get some play...
For four hundred bucks these days you could actually get a pair of real bookshelf speakers (Infinity Beta 20s, Polk Monitor 30s, Hsu HB-1s) and a cheap sub (Dayton SUB-100 from partsexpress dot com) that would effortlessly destroy this Bose junk. Granted, it wont be in such a tiny and dainty-looking package, but it will sound a million times better!
I think Ill have to break the news to her on our tenth date or so, it actually makes me feel DIRTY not to, heh.
 On: 2007-12-13
Great speakers, dont know why are there some Bose haters, but are there really listening to them? buy this speakers, perfect match for any stereo receiver.
On: 2007-11-24
This set of speakers are great. I never knew so much sound could come from such small speakers. I like the way the top and bottom of the speakers swivel to get sound from almost every direction. No regrets here.
On: 2007-11-24
I bought the Bose Acoustimass 5 for a friend in Korea to use in his flat screen TV. Once we set it up the sound transformation was phenomenal--it immediately gave the small room a big arena quality to it. Now I have his friends asking me when I am coming back to Korea so I can bring back another one (these are terribly expensive in Korea, btw).
On: 2007-10-19
I paid what I thought was a premium price for premium speakers which sound like cheasy 1950s paper spekers. No bass, buzzes, no dynamic range, etc. , etc. etc. These speaker are all ads, ads, ads. No delivery at all. I have them hooked up to a good Denon 200 Watt receiver, and zip performance. Nada. They sound a thousand times worse than the rotted out 20-year-old Radio Shack speakers they replace. Bose is all puff and guff!!! No wonder they dont sell in regular audio stores; no one will handle this junk!!! Garbage!!! I was ripped off!! I am going back to Radio Shack. At least I dont feel bad paying nothing for junk then. And their junk is at least priced right. Jim Isham, Penfield, NY. God, this pisses me off. Bose can go jump in the lake and take their overhyped overpriced speakers with them; tied to their feet!!!!
On: 2006-10-29
Are they the best no.. Do they impress people who havent hear them before YES!! To me thats the best compliment, they are much more objective listeners
with no preconcived notions. All I ever hear is " Those speakers sound so Good" " I love those cool little speakers" etc. Ive played everything from Bach to Dio and they sound very realistic. Subwoofer placement is key to having the proper bass level. At [...] they are a steal.. I paid [...]in 1991 and listen to them everyday they still sound like they did when new..
On: 2006-06-02
I am not an audiophyle, just a music lover. My main system consists of Proac 140 speakers, MF x 150 amp and XRay cd coupled with PSU and MF DAC. I have a Michell Giro turntable. Whats this to do with Bose? may you ask. Well just intended to say that I am used to a middle range audio equipment with pedigree. It hapens that I spend many hours in a private office home, crowded with shelves, books and papers, so that I have no space to position box speakers. Recently I decided to purchase a Bose kit. My amp is a old Pioneer A 400, and a Marantz CD 76 MkII is my source.
My previous speakers were a Solid Ovale set built by B&W. It produced a boxy sound without live or body. Then the Bose kitt was seted up. WOW...WOW. Now my office is full of a rich and involving sound, realistic and detailed. I canýt undestand why are people saying there is no bass.... Well I have ears, and years of music listening experience. The results are amaizing. The most impressive is that I have the sensation of presence of musicians performing in the room. Probably stereo image is a bit confusing as is the sound stage in the classical sense of stereo speakers. However is what we got when listening music live. Can someone in a concert hall define the exact posittion of musicians while closing the eyes????. This one is a great speaker set. I canýt talk about buid qualities or engineering. Honestly I do not care if this set is based on cheap componets as some argue, since I am much more concerned about its sound, and it sounds lovely
On: 2006-06-01
I am not an audiophyle, just a music lover. My main system consists of Proac 140 speakers, MF x 150 amp and XRay cd coupled with PSU and MF DAC. I have a Michell Giro turntable. Whats this to do with Bose? may you ask. Well just intended to say that I am used to a middle range audio equipment with pedigree. It hapens that I spend many hours in a private office home, crowded with shelves, books and papers, so that I have no space to position box speakers. Recently I decided to purchase a Bose kit. My amp is a old Pioneer A 400, and a Marantz CD 76 MkII is my source.
My previous speakers were a Solid Ovale set built by B&W. It produced a boxy sound without live or body. Then the Bose kitt was seted up. WOW...WOW. Now my office is full of a rich and involving sound, realistic and detailed. I can�t undestand why are people saying there is no bass.... Well I have ears, and years of music listening experience. The results are amaizing. The most impressive is that I have the sensation of presence of musicians performing in the room. Probably stereo image is a bit confusing as is the sound stage in the classical sense of stereo speakers. However is what we got when listening music live. Can someone in a concert hall define the exact posittion of musicians while closing the eyes????. This one is a great speaker set. I can�t talk about buid qualities or engineering. Honestly I do not care if this set is based on cheap componets as some argue, since I am much more concerned about its sound, and it sounds lovely
On: 2006-05-22
Dont be fooled by the naysayers on the Bose speaker systems, especially the Acoustimass satellite systems. These speakers will blow you away for their size. I bought a Lifestyle system when they first came out back in 1994. I was amazed, and everyone who has never heard a LS system from Bose, is completely blown away by the sound from such a small package. The LS systems are overpriced UNLESS you need and want all their features (and then probably still given you could build your own theather system cheaper with "different" sound, but not necessarily better sound). Youre paying for the SMALLNESS, not necessarily the BEST equipment.
These speakers we are talking about for this review my friend purchased after I got my lifestyle system back in 1994. She hooked them to an Okyio (sp) with about 100WTS per channel. Completely blew everyone out of the house, which was about 2000 square foot two story.
If you dont have bass, then I would advised investing in a amplifier with more than 10 WTS per channel. If you want to test the naysayers, just pick a set up and plug them in. If you dont like them, take them back. You will see that 99% of the people who bad mouth Bose have more to say about "Bose marketing, you suck" blah blah than the speakers themselves. Those who say they bought a 35 dollar set of speakers that blew these away are so obviously writing from simply hating Bose its pathetic. If anyone can show me a set of 35.00 speakers that sound better to any random majority of people than these speakers, Ill send you a 1,000,000 check. But whoever takes me up on this, the reverse is true. You owe me 1 million if your random test fails you--so dont bother me.
Bose prides itself on spartan, small systems with VERY good sound, especially when you look at the size. And the bass in any Bose speaker system will not sound like your local low rider with a 20" bazooka sub in the trunk playing "Taste the Bass" CDs. In other words, you never get "boomie" loose sounding base from a Bose. They are very tight sounding, and if the CD calls for a "sub" frequency, you will REALLY hear it and feel it. Bose isnt into cranking up the volume gains and playing with frequency responses to get unnatural boomie, booingie bass that distorts the original music into a overpowering (headache inducing) Shiitey, boomie, boing, boing, boing sound. The Bose bass feels like someone patting your chest very firmly--tight, thump, thump like, very fast base response. Try the The Prodigy with the song "Diesel Power" and tell me these speakers dont thump. Yeah, right.
On: 2006-05-11
do not buy this system. for the money there are much better systems out there.
I bought this for my family room mainy for the small size of the cube speakers. The main problem with the system (which bose has corrected by the way) is that the "acoustimass" component (boses fancy name for a subwoofer) is not active (or powered) which means the base is totally inadequate and is overun by the cubes which have no mid or bass ranges. The result is that you get a very "tinny" sound out of most applications including dvds. I ended up getting a sony active subwoofer and it sounds much better.
In hindsight I would have bought a different brand than bose, but already had to much invested in bose to scrap the system completely, and the size of the cubes is nice. Still pissed that I spent that much money on a substandard system, but hey, got sucked into the bose marketing machine.
On: 2006-05-10
do not buy this system. for the money there are much better systems out there.
I bought this for my family room mainy for the small size of the cube speakers. The main problem with the system (which bose has corrected by the way) is that the "acoustimass" component (boses fancy name for a subwoofer) is not active (or powered) which means the base is totally inadequate and is overun by the cubes which have no mid or bass ranges. The result is that you get a very "tinny" sound out of most applications including dvds. I ended up getting a sony active subwoofer and it sounds much better.
In hindsight I would have bought a different brand than bose, but already had to much invested in bose to scrap the system completely, and the size of the cubes is nice. Still pissed that I spent that much money on a substandard system, but hey, got sucked into the bose marketing machine.
On: 2005-12-19
I am sorry to see the negative reviews on this board. I have had Bose speakers for more than thirty years. My first set, a pair of 601s is still functioning in a friends house. My 901 series VI blow away any home theater systems Ive heard. With the direct reflecting sound, there is no need for center channel, rear channel. You just get realism in the listening experience that is unmatched. I have two sets of Acoustimas AM-5s and I am totally satisfied. Ive had one set since 1991 and that is a tribute to the quality and longevity of the product. I purchased a second set when I finished my basement and they are nothing short of awesome. When I entertain, I almost always get a compliment on the sound of the speakers. Other reviewers have commented on the lack of bass. I would just say that you really do have to pay attention to the placement of the subwoofer. Bose intends for the subwoofer to use the floor as a platform to send the bass throughout the room. Placing the subwoofer nearer to the corner of the room sometimes will increase the bass. I have both of my systems set up with the subwoofer in a corner firing out at a 45 degree angle and the rooms are totally filled with deep rich bass.
I have always preached the gospel of putting your money in a good set of speakers. While your other equipment is important, the speaker system will make or break the quality of your sound. But with any speaker system, you have to finesse the placement for optimal results.
On: 2005-12-12
I have been very disappointed by these speakers. I have the series III ones. While the treble sounds fine, perfectly clear...this system has NO BASS! My husband recently bought a $35 set of 2 computer speakers and subwoofer and his setup sounds 10x better than mine!
Because the subwoofer feeds power off the stereo/reciever its hooked up to, and does NOT have its own direct power supply or amplifier, it literally lacks power. This subwoofer is the biggest joke ever! I can barely hear the bass on most things, even with the volume cranked up.
Bose products are extremely overrated and overpriced. Do not waste your money -- buy something worthwhile (for a fraction of the price!), and make sure the subwoofer has its own amplifier/direct line to outlet.
On: 2005-09-25
Several years ago when these first came on the market they were totally novelty priced, ie. more expensive than warranted. But now at 399. they are a great value and I say this not only because I own them and Im thrilled but also I know several people who have them in various sized rooms and varying placements, and these speakers simply kick it!! With all due respect to the naysayers, unless youre an ardent audiophile, these speakers will make you very happy.
On: 2005-03-15
I had a set of SE 5s (I think they were the predecessors of the original AM 5s years ago, but I may be wrong), and they were great, but when I read the reviews here I wasnt so sure about the AM 5s, but I ordered them anyway. I was very tired of having my nice but HUGE Yamaha towers dominating my living room.
Well I was NOT dissapointed at all!
I dont know if the reviewers that gave a negative review actually had the speakers (I tend to think they did not), or had a hearing impairment, but these things are INCREDIBLE! They also are not a set of $10,000 Martin Logan towers! They are what they are, a VERY modestly priced sub/sat system.
Very recommended!
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-06
Proof positive of the power of advertising, Bose has made a name (and money) for itself by designing mediocre quality audio equipment.
Unlike AKG or Sennheiser and other high-end manufacturers, Bose uses cheaper parts and less than average electrical engineering principals. These are highlighted especially in their speakers. Their principle of direct-reflection, while novel in 1969 is now incredibally antiquated and is far surpassed by high and mid-end manufacturers whose products outperform Bose. The company was so humiliated by Consumer Reports who compared Bose with other products that it sued (and lost). Someone once said "Theres a sucker born every minute". Now thats appropriate.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-10-21
I connected the Bose Acoustimass 5 with an onkyo tx-8511 receiver and the sound is incrediable. It really fills my entire loft area with lifelike sound. Definately a great speaker!
by: Anonymous On: 2003-10-20
I connected the Bose Acoustimass 5 with an onkyo tx-8511 receiver and the sound is incrediable. It really fills my entire loft area with lifelike sound. Definately a great speaker!
On: 2003-04-21
First, I bought these for the sound, not because Im ultra-concerned about the aesthetics of my family room. In any event, I dont understand why other 3 piece systems sell for this or more and get away with it. The sound is decent, crystal clear, bass is not quite cut out for Ludacris but otherwise tight and controlled. I would recommend these to anyone looking for a solid deal. Paired with a low-distortion high-watt amp, these arent the best speakers youve ever heard, but they will provide you with decent stereo sound...
On: 2003-01-23
amazingly clear and deep sound in an unobnoxious package! great system for home theater or music.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-01-23
My best friend bought one of these systems and eagerly called me over to hear it. I thought it was a simple minimal system good enough for a kids room. Then he told me how much he paid for it. I nearly fainted. The surround speakers that I built myself For under $300.00 should go for $100,000.00 by these standards. The acoustimass is not Hi-Fi. Distortion, Boomy unfocused bass, no lower mid range, no low bass, no high treble, poor sound stage and generally cheap. I thought Bose was high end stuff. This really burst my balloon.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-01-22
My best friend bought one of these systems and eagerly called me over to hear it. I thought it was a simple minimal system good enough for a kids room. Then he told me how much he paid for it. I nearly fainted. The surround speakers that I built myself For under $300.00 should go for $100,000.00 by these standards. The acoustimass is not Hi-Fi. Distortion, Boomy unfocused bass, no lower mid range, no low bass, no high treble, poor sound stage and generally cheap. I thought Bose was high end stuff. This really burst my balloon.
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