Bose 151 - Speaker - 40 Watt
By: Bose Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 2
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 On: 2008-02-20
Ive been using these speakers for a few years now. The speakers have handled inclement weather (direct sun, rain, snow) with no problems at all. The mounting brackets are showing their age, though. Thats about it for my positive statements.
For the negatives, these speakers are overpriced for their meager performance. I can hear them OK from my deck, but go another 30 feet to my kids playset and you get very little. The sound is tinny, which is comparable to most Bose products outside of their bookshelf speakers. If you listen to Pop, youll probably be OK with these. But jazz, classical, or even classic rock will all show the weakness of these speakers.
If you want better sound and a cheaper price, check out Paradigm or TIC Corp. Move up in the price range and youll find B&W (I own a pair of the 604s in my movie room) and Definitive Technology, to name a few.
Last point is to make sure you meet the manufacturer specs on placement. Some speakers need protection from the worst weather conditions, like mounting under eaves. My set-up requires direct exposure.
 On: 2007-08-10
Having been once around the block with another manufacturers "outdoor" speakers, I examined the Bose 151 set with a suspicious eye. But, Bose did not let me down.
For most people, the audio quality is what matters. Bose delivers - the sound is first rate with a nice bass response from a small set of speakers. Im no audiophile, so I cant give you numbers or compare to another set. But lets just say that my pool deck sounds like my living room.
As for weathering, these have been in place about five months. Theyre mounted under the eaves of my house so theyre somewhat shielded. But lest you think otherwise, they get plenty of exposure. We live in Florida about five miles from the beach, with a saltwater pool. The sunshine and saltwater have done no noticeable damage, even with yellowing. The enclosures appear to be glass-reinforced polypropylene which (as a former plastics engineer) is exactly what I would have chosen for such a product. The brackets also appear to be polypropylene, and not polystyrene - this means better weathering. I assume they have added light stabilizers to the plastic to be able to offer their 5-year guarantee. The white case and brackets will eventually yellow in the Florida sun, but thats a small concession to the environment and easily remedied with a little paint.
My pool deck is mostly white pavers, so steel rust spots are a big concern for me. This may be the only weakness with this product. Bose supplied galvanized steel screws for attaching the speakers to the brackets. For about a dollar or two, they could have (and I believe, should have) used stainless steel. However, this is again easily remedied by a visit to your local hardware store. I chose to install the supplied hardware; but at the first sign of rust, Im replacing the screws with stainless steel.
On: 2004-05-20
I am so tired of reading so-called audiophiles bashing on BOSE for being a successful audio line. I personally own BOSE, JBL, Harmon Kardon, and other brands of audio products and think that saying a whole product line is "not taken seriously" by a bunch of audio elitest snobs is both the antithesis of the hyped marketing being lamented in the first place and also an indicator that the reviewer is trading one set of hype (BOSE marketing) for another (so-called audiophile popular opinion). Let me give you a clue -- I like the way BOSE sounds and so do many other people. These particular speakers are great, and at around $150, these beat the socks off other outdoor speakers in its price range. If you dont like them, its ok. Just lay off the Bourgeois audiophile rhetoric, ok?
On: 2004-04-25
...if you have thousands of dollars invested in so-called "high-end audiophile" products - because you will realize just how much money youve wasted. I have ten-year-old in-door versions of these speakers and have yet to find any competitors in the same price range that can match their sound. I also have 20-year-old 901s and have never found a pair of speakers - at any price (and that includes systems costing ten times as much) - that can compare to them for accurate and thunderous reproduction of acoustic vocal and instrumental music - from classical to jazz to broadway. (If you listen to heavy rock at unhealthy sound levels, Id suggest a more traditional speaker design.) The only people who dont like Bose are the ones trying to sell you systems that cost 2-10 times more and sound worse.Buy Bose and see for yourself. You can always return them if you dont like them.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-02-04
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 1960s 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. Youll find whole NEW world of audio products such as PSB, Paradigm, Vandersteen, Quad, Sonus Faber, ACI and many more whos products will put you on a much higher level of audio than youd ever imagine. Usually these speakers are SEVERAL times more electronically sophisticated than Bose at the same price! What you wont find in these websites of magazines are Bose articles. Bose just isnt taken seriously by the industry. Good luck and happy hunting!
 On: 2003-08-17
If you have Bose 901s and want to use them as a basis for home theatre? Pick up two pairs of these and use them for rear surround and front channel. Or, use all 151s and a subwoofer for an amazing sonic treat, stereo or surround. The drivers in these babies are the same ones found in the arrays in the 901s. They have a rich fat sound on their own, but we slapped a 100 watt Cambridge subwoofer with them and were astounded by the sound. Try them standing vertically when you listen to them. It really provides a nice sound, but the recommended way of listening to them in the horizontal mode is great as well. Bose really rules the roost in smaller speaker sound, and the 901 is a classic that everyone respects. These baby 901 clones may not be world class, but they are always smooth, distortion free and have a great soudstage. They show off intimate stereo sources just as well they handle Dolby Digital expansiveness. They are also very efficient and can run happily on 100 watt per channel amplifiers with all the volume headroom and dynamic range any sane listener could want.
On: 2003-06-25
I have always favoured Bose (and Sony) for sound. I was going for my first SERIOUS purchase for speakers in December 2000, at Future Shop in Toronto. A salesman asked me to try the newest Polk Audio bookshelf speaker, and compare it to the 151s. The dude loves Polk Audio. Polk Audio impressed me some with good sounding small speakers. It spilled out sounds that were a fair score. Not to impress me into buying them. Over to Boses 151 Environmental speakers. And I love Bose. The construction, although not a wood or grain, is made of a cool hard-weather-resistant poly structure, in order for its outdoor capabilities.
It can handle up to a hot 50 C, (apr. 125 F), or dip into the Greenland regions of around, -22 C (about 5 F). Wow. Winter parties! And for even indoors, it reall does OVERALL look like a neat speaker. For sound, it punches out a more than decent 80 watts per channel. And since BOSE is renound for its realistic natural sound, it more than proved its greatness over slightly polky Polk. The 151s made the music so well delivered, making them sound relaxed, yet strong and natural. Just like they were "breathing" music. You could feel the sound everywhere. However,(yeah, I know) these speakers are better with a subwoofer. Otherwise, youll call this review, "correct yet overgenerous". Polk on the other hand, are better than average....but with too much push and shove. They sounded like a couple of little loud punks with some manors.
I consider my 151s the boss of 80-120 watt speakers, indoor or out! And they also come with wall mounts that have a spacer to change angles at the notch of the bracket.
A blessing is the reliable 5 YEAR warranty it carries. No extra price for 5 years. All automatic with your purchase. But courtesy of Bose, not your store. So, if you need a good pair of bookshelf, outdoor, or even GREAT movie speakers (and not just as rear/satellites...great for front channels too), then Bose wants to ask you..... "What would you like to hear?"
BOSE 151 Enviromental Speakers : score - 9/10
On: 2003-05-21
I got these as a birthday present and once installed, found their performance was exactly as I had hoped they would be. Several guests at a subsequent outdoor party noted how much they appreciated the background music, and those who wanted to sat nearby clearly enjoying the music. Itll also be nice to have music while we enjoy our pool area from now on.I ran the cables from the speakers to my indoor stereo so I could have the same music inside and out, and as a result, it should be noted for anyone considering doing the same that you might want to wire in a manner that would allow you to disconnect them if you are showing something in surround sound, or enjoying music indoors so that your neighbors wont have to listen in to the fun. The speakers work very well, and their waterproof design will see them last us for quite a few future events- well worth it!
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