Bose® 3 2 1® Series II DVD Home Entertainment System
By: Bose Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 28
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 On: 2008-06-28
first of all the inputs are extremely limited. not to mention there isnt hdmi so you cant do HD audio signals just simple dolby with a low bitrate
for the money it costs, most people who buy it probably have an expensive television as well as possibly blu ray. if you are gonna put all that money into it then you should get the best.
the surround isnt really surround it simply puts sound behind youbut its not the same as "surround sound"
with my 5.1 setup there is a different source coming from each speaker so you can hear a bullet fly by you and hit a wall behind you. on top of that the subwoofer cant produce lows that a comprably priced subwoofer can. and the two speakers have virtually no bass at all
i work at best buy and could have gotten this set for pretty much 50 pct off but i never would its just not worth even that amount. and that also shows you just how much they jack the price up simply because of the name
 On: 2008-02-26
A typical Bose product -- marketed with lots of hype, expensive, and performs much less well than other systems that cost at least 30-40 percent less. The sound is uneven, and your options for dubbing etc are very limited. Dont waste your money on this one.
On: 2007-07-14
Sound is good, but the dvd player is the worst machine ever. My 36 dollar dvd player actually out performs this one by a long shot. It wont open or close 99 percent of the time and then when it does, cannot read disc. I have since read about other having this problem, not getting the player to open or close. Here it is Fri. night, put in dvd, wont play and cannot retreive it to plug in somewhere else. PLEASE, spend your money on something other than this system.
On: 2007-07-13
Sound is good, but the dvd player is the worst machine ever. My 36 dollar dvd player actually out performs this one by a long shot. It wont open or close 99 percent of the time and then when it does, cannot read disc. I have since read about other having this problem, not getting the player to open or close. Here it is Fri. night, put in dvd, wont play and cannot retreive it to plug in somewhere else. PLEASE, spend your money on something other than this system.
On: 2007-04-11
After comparing the 3.2.1 Bose system with their 30 day money back guarantee to my neighbors system (Paradigm Speakers and Pioneer receiver). It went back in the box and back to the store.
His system was almost identical in cost, and light years better. I dont know how any of the other reviewers can rate this system so high except that they purchased blind with out ever comparing it directly to any competition. What a costly mistake.
The sound from my neighbors setup was full, rich, tight smack you in the chest base. The Bose was thin, dull, muddy.
Whew! Glad I used my brain and compared to another system. Boy I would have looked stupid rating 5 stars for the system had I not heard what a REAL surround sound system is supposed to sound like.
On: 2007-03-21
I bought this system four months ago. Im not happy with my purchase for the following reasons:
1) sound constantly drops off
2) you have to turn the volume WAY up to get the full "surround effect"
3) systems mysteriously shuts down on its own
4) DVD picture is not good as a stand-alone DVD player
5) Limited options and inputs
6) expensive and over-priced for what you get.
My verdict...save your money and buy another system.
On: 2007-03-20
I bought this system four months ago. Im not happy with my purchase for the following reasons:
1) sound constantly drops off
2) you have to turn the volume WAY up to get the full "surround effect"
3) systems mysteriously shuts down on its own
4) DVD picture is not good as a stand-alone DVD player
5) Limited options and inputs
6) expensive and over-priced for what you get.
My verdict...save your money and buy another system.
 On: 2007-03-08
The Bose 3-2-1 system was extremely simple and easy to setup and the quality of the sound is amazing for only this 3-speaker system. It is truly incredible to achieve the home theater effect with only the two speakers in front of you, but Bose has done it. My previous speaker system setup had 6 total speakers and I must say that the sound from the 3-2-1 system is much clearer and precise than my previous setup. I recommend to anyone who wants a clean home theater look with amazing sound, to be serious in buying this product.
On: 2007-02-25
I can only say FABULOUS. This system is far superior to my six speaker home theatre system. The sound quality is unbelivable.
Jay Richards. Sherman Oaks, California
by: epinckney3 On: 2007-01-22
Simple, simple, simple. Thats the biggest thing. Right out of the box. Easy to set up and it sounds great. If youre the type that wants the equipment to "do it for me," this is for you. If you like to tinker with it you may want a more complex system. It does seem a little expensive compared to other systems available but we are very happy with the product.
On: 2007-01-10
My wife has wanted a Bose system for years and finally has exactly what she wanted. She is a music buff and likes to play it loud, she is thoroughly enjoying her new Bose.(so am I!)Butchiesguy
On: 2007-01-07
Never played DVDs very well. The sound seems to be not fully coordinated with the images. After a year stopped reading any DVD with even minimal imperfections. After a year and a half stopped playing even brand new DVDs
Looks good, but I would not buy it again
On: 2007-01-06
This unit is so simple to set up its ridiculous. No wires running all through the room. And the sound is fantastic given its small footprint. It may not be as good as true surround, but the difference is negligible. For better results, space the speakers about 5-6 feet apart.
The ease of switching from radio, to DVD, to TV is so effortless. Best electronics purchase I have made in years (perhaps ever). The price is a bit high however, but not insane given the quality of the unit.
On: 2007-01-06
Never played DVDs very well. The sound seems to be not fully coordinated with the images. After a year stopped reading any DVD with even minimal imperfections. After a year and a half stopped playing even brand new DVDs
Looks good, but I would not buy it again
 On: 2006-12-17
If all you want is good sound and simple set up, this is for you. BUT for the cost, they should have given it a DVD player that would play jpegs, avi files and all the rest like my $25 JVC one does. It kicked out my 40 Year Old Virgin DVD the day I bought the system, and is very select about what DVDs, and yes, they are all purchased in the good old USA, that it decides to play. If I had my way, it would go back to the store, but my husband insists that we can still use the JVC one for other DVDs, what a waste!
On: 2006-09-12
I compared the Bose 321 Series II system with the Sony and Denon 2.1 systems. No comparison in terms of sound quality. Denon and Sony have some very nice features but if your goal is sound quality then you cant beat Bose. The system is very easy to setup and use. If you dont have room for rear channel speakers or dont want to run wires all over the room 2.1 systems are the way to go, but keep in mind they are not true surround sound. This system is also very good for just listening to music and has a decent AM FM tuner.
On: 2006-08-30
This is a great system. This is my second Bose and I highly recommend. I like that there is minimal wire while still providing great sound.
On: 2006-06-15
I submitted an image above. The Bose 3-2-1 delivers realistic sound which makes watching any show or movie a much better experience. We always were satisfied with our mediocre HD TV speakers. But this Bose 3-2-1 system delivers such clear sound effects, music and speech that I couldnt believe what we had been missing. Because of this great sound improvement we started watching action movies, concerts and other programs that wed never seen. The Acoustimass® module vibrates our wood floor and the two speakers create amazing sound clarity. Even faint sound effects are easily picked up with these speakers. This system doesnt knock your walls down with the thuds and exaggerated sound effects that some Home Theater systems use. Instead, because the Bose sound is so real, sometimes people think that the speaker noise is coming from outside our house .
On: 2006-06-14
I submitted an image above. The Bose 3-2-1 delivers realistic sound which makes watching any show or movie a much better experience. We always were satisfied with our mediocre HD TV speakers. But this Bose 3-2-1 system delivers such clear sound effects, music and speech that I couldnt believe what we had been missing. Because of this great sound improvement we started watching action movies, concerts and other programs that wed never seen. The Acoustimass® module vibrates our wood floor and the two speakers create amazing sound clarity. Even faint sound effects are easily picked up with these speakers. This system doesnt knock your walls down with the thuds and exaggerated sound effects that some Home Theater systems use. Instead, because the Bose sound is so real, sometimes people think that the speaker noise is coming from outside our house .
On: 2006-05-26
Bought this system back in December 2005. Two weeks later the center unit started skipping on any DVDs or CDs. Sometimes it just turned itself off while trying to read a DVD. I brought it back to a retail store for exchanging. This "exact" same problem did happen to the replacement too. The system is now at one of the Bose repair centers. I hope they could get it all straight out this time :(
On: 2006-03-23
i got my 3.2.1 system from a big retail store it sounded great in the store so i took a chance knowing great history of sound from bose the hook up only took five mins. i very pleased how good this unit sounded not running wires to the back of the room was great too so it looks clean and sounds great it does seem kind of overpriced but still i have heard true 5.1 systems that dont sound this great the 3.2.1 it a great choice for someone who wants simple but great sound .........
 On: 2006-03-16
I initially had a Series I 321, and recently upgraded it to a Series II. For me, the 321 systems are great in principle, and until fairly recently, there really wasnt much in the way of competition in terms of simplicity and portability. With new competition from Sony and Denon, however, Id say the 321 has become less compelling, and youd do well to shop around a bit.
That said, the 321 Series II is very nicely designed for what it is. It is unobtrusive and the controls are very nicely laid out. The sound is good, but not excellent.
I have had quality issues with the Series II, but to the credit of Bose, they are very much standing by their product. Im in the process of exchanging my SECOND system since upgrading in December. Although that has been frustrating, their customer service has been outstanding. I can call a toll free number and talk to a real person with minimal waiting. Most importantly, they take what I say seriously, and have not jerked me around at all; for both exchanges they paid shipping both ways.
If I could do it over again I would look hard at the Denon S101, or even consider buying separate components, but at the end of the day theres something about the Bose design that I really like. Whereas most HTIB systems are gaudy in appearance, the Bose is elegant and simple by comparison. And, even though Ive had some quality issues, I have never had such a good experience dealing with customer service in the electronics industry. That goes a long way for me, and accordingly I gave this four stars.
On: 2005-12-30
This Bose system is great and completely lives up to the Bose name. We installed this system in our family room which is long and narrow and difficult to run speaker wires. We had a traditional Home Theatre system with the 5 speaker and bass set up and we were not satisifed. First of all, the system was so complicated to set up that we never felt we were fully utilizing its capabilities and it sometimes didnt function as we felt it should! Secondly, you had to hassle with all the speaker wires run everywhere! We decided to invest in this Bose system and it is GREAT! Simple set up and operation and the sound literally fills the room. We first heard the Bose system at a Sams club and if the acoustics can sound good in a warehouse setting, imagine how good it can sound in your home! Well worth the money and so simple to set up that a child could do it!
On: 2005-12-12
With hardwood floors and a lofted ceiling, running wires for a surround system was out of the question. The Bose 3-2-1 system was a nice alternative. Great sound (not quite surround sound) and stylish apperance. Very easy to hook up but a bit pricey.
On: 2005-12-01
Simply put, the Bose 3-2-1 series (all of them) DO NOT produce true 5.1/7.1 sounds.
I was able to find two demo unit in a nearby electronic retail chain, and the demo film features X-men 2 (the F-16 chasing/tornado sequence). Since I do have a 5.1 setup and also the X2 DVD, I did a comparison of them. My finding is that in the case of Bose 3-2-1, I cant hear any sound sweeping from back to front, and on the contrast my 5.1 setup at home does that much better than the Bose ones. Additionally, the Bose units have too much bass, which results in a "pounding" experience, but not true to the real dynamics of the sounds from the movies.
Yes, it does sound better than your TV, but for true surround sounds, go find yourself a REAL 5.1/7.1 setup, you are much better off, trust me.
On: 2005-11-30
Simply put, the Bose 3-2-1 series (all of them) DO NOT produce true 5.1/7.1 sounds.
I was able to find two demo unit in a nearby electronic retail chain, and the demo film features X-men 2 (the F-16 chasing/tornado sequence). Since I do have a 5.1 setup and also the X2 DVD, I did a comparison of them. My finding is that in the case of Bose 3-2-1, I cant hear any sound sweeping from back to front, and on the contrast my 5.1 setup at home does that much better than the Bose ones. Additionally, the Bose units have too much bass, which results in a "pounding" experience, but not true to the real dynamics of the sounds from the movies.
Yes, it does sound better than your TV, but for true surround sounds, go find yourself a REAL 5.1/7.1 setup, you are much better off, trust me.
On: 2005-11-11
This is an easy system to set up. So what? What is there to it? I rate it equivalent to a set of Harmon Kardon Soundstick IIs. For $119, Ill take the H/Ks and buy three or four sets.
The Bose System offers a built in Hard Drive to store your music on MPEG files, but doesnt offer a good way to organize your music.
For this kind of money, buy a 17" iMac G5 and a set of Sound Stick IIs and you will be a whole lot happier. Shove your Cds in and you will have space for a lot more than a the Bose system will store, plus the ability to display movies and visualizations--and have a bug-proof, boomb proof computer.
On: 2005-10-10
An awesome system. Didnt want the complexity of wires that come with a surround sound four speaker system and this has been great and easy to set up. The dogs have even gone to bark out the windows at the other end of the room at dogs that were barking on the TV. Bose has provided great support in updating the system with upgrades too by sending out periodic CD-Roms ***Note: Remember to send in your warranty card when you buy it so Bose knows you have it to send you the updates - when you buy it in their stores they register you for their updates!!!!
Enjoy the movies, stereo, and TV!
On: 2005-05-25
This system is clean, easy to install and nice looking, but there are serious limitations to its design. For starters, theres no headphone jack. Bose seems to think that you would never want to listen to your CDs or DVDs on anything other than their speakers, because theres no other way to get any sound out of this unit. Theres no analog audio output, either, so forget dubbing CDs or DVD to any other analog source. I can understand the desire for simplicity in the design, but at this price point these limitations are simply unacceptable.
In short, this system is overpriced for the performance you get. There are much more capable systems out there for a lot less money, with better sound quality. Bose is known for using cheap, paper-coned speakers in their systems. They cant call their "Acoustimass" unit a subwoofer because its not capable of producing true subwoofer frequencies. Buyer beware!
On: 2005-02-08
I just hooked up my Bose 3.2.1 Series II system tonight and am completely thrilled with it. Totally easy to hook up. Rich surround sound, even without rear speakers, thats perfect for my small living room. Gets so loud it shakes my windows... Im sure my neighbors are thrilled too ;) The universal remote works with my TV and my digital cable box! Im am more then satisfied with this system. I LOVE IT!
On: 2005-01-28
I ended up getting the Bose system the same day I spent $2500 on a new HDTV, with the idea that I would have the best sound and look avaliable...In the store the system sounded great! The demo was playing Lord of the Rings...but when I got home, listening to regular movies or tv there is no surround sound about it...The pros are the size and looks. I like the fact that my living room doesnt have a large shelf system or 5 or 6 speakers arranged all over the place. The sound quality is very nice, I like the radio feature and the remote. The progressive DVD player has a quality picture...but the sound didnt "wow" me when I got it home. For the money, I need "wow"...The con is the price, I think there is a lot more out there that you could get and still have some money in your pocket.
by: zenderman On: 2004-12-24
Their money-back policy.
My neighbor bought one of their pseudo-surround systems and exercised such policy within a week, much helped by coming over to my house and listening to a REAL home theater system, which actually cost a couple hundred less.
The second best thing about Bose is that they do have very nice-looking industrial design, most of their products are admittedly quite attractive. But you know the old saw, "Beauty is as beauty does."
Surround sound with 3 speakers? Im surprised they dont promise you the Tooth Fairy jumping out of the subwoofer too.
On: 2004-08-20
Bose claims that this system, with only two speakers and a subwoofer (Acoustimass module in Bose-speak), approaches the sound of a conventional 5 speaker system. This was evident the first night we listened to it. I had not yet taken down the rear speakers of my old surround-sound system, and my step-son commented that the sound of the movie was great coming from the rear speakers. They were no longer hooked-up! Its not a perfect surround-sound experience, but for two speakers and a subwoofer its amazingly close. And the clarity! From old movies to newly recorded music, the detail if fantastic. The Acoustimass module delivers outstanding performance. The ease of setup was inline with Apple standards -- very simple directions, and the setup CD was a bonus. Its difficult to believe that three speakers and a media center replaced 6 speakers, a DVD player, a receiver, many and lengthy wires, with the end-result being a far more satisfying experience. Oh! The universal remote actually works for all my devices! I suppose I have to list a "con", so Ill say that $1000.00 for a home theater system is pricy, and should indeed provide a lot of bang for the buck. Yet the 3-2-1 Series II delivers on these expectations. I highly recommend this home theater system.
On: 2004-08-19
Bose claims that this system, with only two speakers and a subwoofer (Acoustimass module in Bose-speak), approaches the sound of a conventional 5 speaker system. This was evident the first night we listened to it. I had not yet taken down the rear speakers of my old surround-sound system, and my step-son commented that the sound of the movie was great coming from the rear speakers. They were no longer hooked-up! Its not a perfect surround-sound experience, but for two speakers and a subwoofer its amazingly close. And the clarity! From old movies to newly recorded music, the detail if fantastic. The Acoustimass module delivers outstanding performance. The ease of setup was inline with Apple standards -- very simple directions, and the setup CD was a bonus. Its difficult to believe that three speakers and a media center replaced 6 speakers, a DVD player, a receiver, many and lengthy wires, with the end-result being a far more satisfying experience. Oh! The universal remote actually works for all my devices! I suppose I have to list a "con", so Ill say that $1000.00 for a home theater system is pricy, and should indeed provide a lot of bang for the buck. Yet the 3-2-1 Series II delivers on these expectations. I highly recommend this home theater system.
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