PRODUCT REVIEW: Bose Companion 2 Series III Speakers
(The Sound Of Silence - Disturbed)
I need to doff my cap to a friend of mine named Keifer. He sort of made me get back into listening to music again.
I should clarify: I've always loved music, and I have it playing somewhere in my home almost constantly when I'm working from home. That said, I've strayed away from really -listening- to it while i work, settling for the sound made by my computer speakers or a pair of headphones. And yes, while you can get some masterful sound out of headphones, anyone who is serious about their sound will tell you that there's a certain something about letting music swell into the four corners of whatever room you're listening to it in. Somewhere along the line, I'd gotten away from that.
Some of that has to do with the fact that I've just found other things to spend my money on, if I'm honest.
Then, awhile back, Keifer approached me and suggested I try out a headphone and amp combo, and it sort of blew my mind. It also made me realize that it was probably time to invest a little money into my listening again.
I set a budget for myself of $200. Any more than that, and you can start getting into serious, house-filling audio systems, and I don't need all of that power for my office. Then I buckled down and started researching computer speakers in that bracket. I deliberately avoided systems with a dedicated subwoofer for the same reason I avoided more expensive systems. I just didn't really need all that noise.
Once I knew what I was looking for, I was able to refine my search a little, and I started noticing a few similarities showing up on my lists. I refined my list even more to exclude USB-Powered rigs and bluetooth. Once I did that, I started noticing one name not only popping up on lists, but popping up within the top three: The Bose Companion 2 Series III speaker system.
Now, for those of you rolling your eyes right now, I need to stand up for Bose a little. In the last five years or so, Bose has gotten off of their high horse when it comes to competitively affordable audio. Sub-$300, they're going toe to toe with price-points from other companies, if not outright beating them. Plus, let's not mess about here, Bose makes some good stuff, especially for someone who enjoys good audio without all of the fine-tuning associated with really high end systems.
I read several reviews, including an outstanding rundown from Tom's Guide, and decided to give them a chance.
Were they worth the $100 price tag?
THE SHORT VERSION:
Holy shit. Yes.
THE LONG VERSION:
I have a stable of songs that I listen to whenever I'm testing audio equipment out. These songs tend to push speakers in all of their corners, and I've had the opportunity to listen to these songs on high-end Hi-Fi equipment, so I know what I'm listening for. All of these songs are well-mastered, possessing incredible lows, meds, and highs in the sound department. They also all tend to have 'depth' to them. Good speakers will let you hear the layers of the sound, how one instrument is lurking behind another and so forth.
There are a variety of factors that combined to create a speaker that performs well, and like any other kind of technology, there's usually a law of diminishing return on them. Bearing those things in mind, I was really stunned by what came out of that Bose packaging.
Let's talk about the size first. There's a perceived corollary with speakers that a certain amount of size is required to produce a certain level of sound. In practice, this tends to be true, with few exceptions. Bose has made a name for themselves in the 'exception' segment, producing any number of products over the last 20 years that have been able to produce an astonishing amount of quality noise in a small package.
Now, to address the eye-rollers again: I know that your 2" cabinets produce more noise and that said noise is probably higher fidelity. I also know that they probably cost at least twice what these little darlings cost and they produce far more sound than my little office needs. I also bet I like my hearing more than you do. You need to look at these speakers in perspective! Again, I'm looking for a system to fill one room with sound, a room that might generously be a 10' square room. I don't need enough power to fill the Hammersmith Apollo.
That's a venue in Great Britain...never mind.
These speakers are the size of a few paperback books stacked next to each other. They're smaller than my water cup or the squirt bottle that I use to communicate with my cats:
In case you're wondering, that's a 34oz 1L water cup and a 750ml squirt bottle.
That's what comes in the box, folks. Two of those satellites. One for the right side of your desk. One for the left side of your desk.
Setup is a piece of cake. Plug the left satellite into the right one. You're given an ample amount of cable to spread them out. You have a removable 1/8"Male-to-Male mini pin cable that runs audio to whatever device happens to accept those types of connectors. I specifically chose this type of connection because my Late 2018 MacBook Pro still has this type of connector.
Yes, I know that I could have gotten a wireless setup with Bluetooth. I'm sorry, but bluetooth audio still hasn't caught up to Over The Wire audio.
You have one volume knob that also serves as your power when you turn your speakers all the way down. I'd say I missed having EQ controls but these speakers are so well balanced that I don't need them.
As for audio, here are the 'Challenge' songs I hold speakers against:
- "Time" by Pink Floyd
- "Seven Bridges Road" by The Eagles
- "Adagio For Strings In G Minor" by Tomas Albioni from Richard Kapp's Greatest Hits of 1720
- "Hot Like Dimes" by Pretty Lights
I won't bore you with technical measurements or graphs. When it comes to audio testing, the ear is just as important as the audio, and my ears love these things. All frequencies come across clear, and perhaps more importantly, balanced. These are not speakers for people who love their drum and bass music. That kind of music demands a dedicated Sub because it tends to be overproduced in that direction. My music -- and if this sounds elitist, it's because I am, thank you -- tends to be properly mixed and produced, so it's designed to be consumed on a balanced system that doesn't have enough bass to shake my windows or my bowels loose.
That system is down in the living room.
I've listening to a lot of computer speakers over the years. For $100, these things don't fall into the category of ultra-cheap audio that some people might be looking for. (Though if you -are- in that market, check out the Creative Pods. Seriously. They're kind of scary, especially for $30.) I wanted something a step or two up from what. Bose isn't just punching at their own weight with these speakers at this price point. They're chasing down speakers at twice the price.
Get over the name, people. Bose is officially a player in this segment, and that's bad news for their competitors. Audio quality like this used to be out of reach for a lot of people. It's not anymore.
Check them out online!
I need to doff my cap to a friend of mine named Keifer. He sort of made me get back into listening to music again.
I should clarify: I've always loved music, and I have it playing somewhere in my home almost constantly when I'm working from home. That said, I've strayed away from really -listening- to it while i work, settling for the sound made by my computer speakers or a pair of headphones. And yes, while you can get some masterful sound out of headphones, anyone who is serious about their sound will tell you that there's a certain something about letting music swell into the four corners of whatever room you're listening to it in. Somewhere along the line, I'd gotten away from that.
Some of that has to do with the fact that I've just found other things to spend my money on, if I'm honest.
Then, awhile back, Keifer approached me and suggested I try out a headphone and amp combo, and it sort of blew my mind. It also made me realize that it was probably time to invest a little money into my listening again.
I set a budget for myself of $200. Any more than that, and you can start getting into serious, house-filling audio systems, and I don't need all of that power for my office. Then I buckled down and started researching computer speakers in that bracket. I deliberately avoided systems with a dedicated subwoofer for the same reason I avoided more expensive systems. I just didn't really need all that noise.
Once I knew what I was looking for, I was able to refine my search a little, and I started noticing a few similarities showing up on my lists. I refined my list even more to exclude USB-Powered rigs and bluetooth. Once I did that, I started noticing one name not only popping up on lists, but popping up within the top three: The Bose Companion 2 Series III speaker system.
Now, for those of you rolling your eyes right now, I need to stand up for Bose a little. In the last five years or so, Bose has gotten off of their high horse when it comes to competitively affordable audio. Sub-$300, they're going toe to toe with price-points from other companies, if not outright beating them. Plus, let's not mess about here, Bose makes some good stuff, especially for someone who enjoys good audio without all of the fine-tuning associated with really high end systems.
I read several reviews, including an outstanding rundown from Tom's Guide, and decided to give them a chance.
Were they worth the $100 price tag?
THE SHORT VERSION:
Holy shit. Yes.
THE LONG VERSION:
I have a stable of songs that I listen to whenever I'm testing audio equipment out. These songs tend to push speakers in all of their corners, and I've had the opportunity to listen to these songs on high-end Hi-Fi equipment, so I know what I'm listening for. All of these songs are well-mastered, possessing incredible lows, meds, and highs in the sound department. They also all tend to have 'depth' to them. Good speakers will let you hear the layers of the sound, how one instrument is lurking behind another and so forth.
There are a variety of factors that combined to create a speaker that performs well, and like any other kind of technology, there's usually a law of diminishing return on them. Bearing those things in mind, I was really stunned by what came out of that Bose packaging.
Let's talk about the size first. There's a perceived corollary with speakers that a certain amount of size is required to produce a certain level of sound. In practice, this tends to be true, with few exceptions. Bose has made a name for themselves in the 'exception' segment, producing any number of products over the last 20 years that have been able to produce an astonishing amount of quality noise in a small package.
Now, to address the eye-rollers again: I know that your 2" cabinets produce more noise and that said noise is probably higher fidelity. I also know that they probably cost at least twice what these little darlings cost and they produce far more sound than my little office needs. I also bet I like my hearing more than you do. You need to look at these speakers in perspective! Again, I'm looking for a system to fill one room with sound, a room that might generously be a 10' square room. I don't need enough power to fill the Hammersmith Apollo.
That's a venue in Great Britain...never mind.
These speakers are the size of a few paperback books stacked next to each other. They're smaller than my water cup or the squirt bottle that I use to communicate with my cats:
In case you're wondering, that's a 34oz 1L water cup and a 750ml squirt bottle.
That's what comes in the box, folks. Two of those satellites. One for the right side of your desk. One for the left side of your desk.
Setup is a piece of cake. Plug the left satellite into the right one. You're given an ample amount of cable to spread them out. You have a removable 1/8"Male-to-Male mini pin cable that runs audio to whatever device happens to accept those types of connectors. I specifically chose this type of connection because my Late 2018 MacBook Pro still has this type of connector.
Yes, I know that I could have gotten a wireless setup with Bluetooth. I'm sorry, but bluetooth audio still hasn't caught up to Over The Wire audio.
You have one volume knob that also serves as your power when you turn your speakers all the way down. I'd say I missed having EQ controls but these speakers are so well balanced that I don't need them.
As for audio, here are the 'Challenge' songs I hold speakers against:
- "Time" by Pink Floyd
- "Seven Bridges Road" by The Eagles
- "Adagio For Strings In G Minor" by Tomas Albioni from Richard Kapp's Greatest Hits of 1720
- "Hot Like Dimes" by Pretty Lights
I won't bore you with technical measurements or graphs. When it comes to audio testing, the ear is just as important as the audio, and my ears love these things. All frequencies come across clear, and perhaps more importantly, balanced. These are not speakers for people who love their drum and bass music. That kind of music demands a dedicated Sub because it tends to be overproduced in that direction. My music -- and if this sounds elitist, it's because I am, thank you -- tends to be properly mixed and produced, so it's designed to be consumed on a balanced system that doesn't have enough bass to shake my windows or my bowels loose.
That system is down in the living room.
I've listening to a lot of computer speakers over the years. For $100, these things don't fall into the category of ultra-cheap audio that some people might be looking for. (Though if you -are- in that market, check out the Creative Pods. Seriously. They're kind of scary, especially for $30.) I wanted something a step or two up from what. Bose isn't just punching at their own weight with these speakers at this price point. They're chasing down speakers at twice the price.
Get over the name, people. Bose is officially a player in this segment, and that's bad news for their competitors. Audio quality like this used to be out of reach for a lot of people. It's not anymore.
Check them out online!
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