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If I just watched a movie then want to pop in a CD, the sound can be deafening if I forget to turn it down. Also - the audio level never is quite the same from application to application. And I would have liked more audio inputs (or are they outputs - I am technically challenged) so that I can add a CD player that can hold more than a single CD at a time.
When I watch movies and DVD's with surround sound, it literally feels like I have more than the tiny speakers with the awesome output. And it is pretty easy to set up which is great for a plug and play person like me - I just want to plug it in and have it work. Yeah, it is expensive, but for sound quality, it is a great value.
Of course every product has its limitations - on my 321, sometimes I will lose audio and have to turn the entire system off for about 30 seconds to reboot - it is a pain to say the least. But the pros outweight the cons for me - I love hearing all those great sound effects that my TV just cannot capture. The are compact and disappear on my entertainment center, projecting the sound to the rear (in fact, the best seat in the house appears to be my dining room, which is off to the side of my living room.
The entire system is pretty compact, especially the speakers - but what power they punch.
There is a noticeable improvement over performance from just the TV speakers alone, but nowhere near as good a a direct 5.1 connection. I just bought a Series III Bose 321 system. Also, I wish they had a Blu Ray instead of a regular DVD player in the system.Like I said, good but not great. I wish Bose had more optical audio inputs. I have it connected to a Samsung 46 inch 1080P HDTV.I wanted to run my cable box, Sony PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Apple TV through the Bose 321. The only way to do this without having to change wires non-stop is to run the digital optical audio cable from the TV to the Bose system, giving you PCM 2.0, not Dolby 5.1.
The music and sound is so crystal clear. I recently purchased this system and must admit after reading the reviews I honestly was not sure whether I would be satisfied with the bass sound. I am one happy camper. Costly system, but worth every penny. Well, let me tell you, I found a way to increase the base to what pleases your ear and WOW, what an impact, especially during movies. It had me jumping to unexpected sounds throughout the movie and kept me in suspense.
Let's start with the good: Very stylish, compact, and super easy to set up. If you are a sound junkie like myself you will appreciate the clarity and reality of the reproduction. The set-up I did was not your standard set-up either. Now for the not so good: You need a fairly recent and not so cheap universal remote if you want to control this thing. Being skeptical of such an expensive purchase, I really worked this thing over once I got it to make sure I was going to keep it.
You can put a pretty nice system together for the price of this thing but what for. I use the optical so I have no complaints. Before I go, I just want to let you know that if you want a small system that can fill your room with rich authentic sound then you are on the right track with this system. I did not want all of my sound to always have to go through the unit so I had to use a few more wires.
The sound is absolutely unbeatable for the size of system. It did not take long to find out that it can't be beat. There is no equalizer if you wanted to create a different sound other than the Bose standard. Unless you don't mind the remote it comes with which claims to be universal but I found otherwise. The sound is now simply way better at all volume levels. Even 2.0 sound sounds better through these tiny speakers than they did with my old system.
Sometimes I want that cheesy bass although it pumps out plenty. People that do not like the sound of Bose generally like a lot of unnatural bass and Bose refuses to give in to that fake noise.
Without it you have to turn up the volume for different applications. 3 wires and you are done and have the best sound money can buy.
Lastly, you almost need to use the optical audio connection to ensure full volume control. For such a simple system I was amazed at the performance.
The aqua display of text on the front of the unit can detour your focus when watching the TV screen. I replaced a high end Sony 5.1 system with this for aesthetics and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner.
I took advantage of running optical audio from my cable box (good idea) and I use the HDMI output to a 37inch LCD. Music is concert-like, DVD's play like you are in a mini-theater.
I just purchased the Bose 3.2.1 GS Series III last week. Then I thought, Bose is to good of a product to have this problem, so I unpacked and set up with the OPTICAL digital cable and BINGO. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. I was ready to return the unit because of not enough sound volume.
The small system looks "nifty" and MY what a sound. What a product. I would recommend this unit HIGHLY. Spend the extra BUCKS and Get ONE. Never owned Bose but their reputation out did itself. Looked at several other systems but realize you always "get what you pay for".
Sounds better than my old true surrond sound unit a(Sony) I purchased eight years ago. fkwalter You must cut TV speakers volume up(although you will not need them) and VERY,VERY IMPORTANT you must use either the optical or coaxial connection from Cable Box to the 3.2.1. In fact, I had it backed up to return the next day.
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