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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. 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. 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.
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.
The entire system is pretty compact, especially the speakers - but what power they punch. 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.
Also - the audio level never is quite the same from application to application. But the pros outweight the cons for me - I love hearing all those great sound effects that my TV just cannot capture.
I just bought a Series III Bose 321 system. 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 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. I wish Bose had more optical audio inputs. 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 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. The music and sound is so crystal clear. 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. Costly system, but worth every penny. I am one happy camper.
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 now simply way better at all volume levels. The set-up I did was not your standard set-up either. For such a simple system I was amazed at the performance.
There is no equalizer if you wanted to create a different sound other than the Bose standard. Lastly, you almost need to use the optical audio connection to ensure full volume control. It did not take long to find out that it can't be beat. The sound is absolutely unbeatable for the size of system. Even 2.0 sound sounds better through these tiny speakers than they did with my old system.
The aqua display of text on the front of the unit can detour your focus when watching the TV screen. I took advantage of running optical audio from my cable box (good idea) and I use the HDMI output to a 37inch LCD. If you are a sound junkie like myself you will appreciate the clarity and reality of the reproduction. I use the optical so I have no complaints.
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. Now for the not so good: You need a fairly recent and not so cheap universal remote if you want to control this thing. Unless you don't mind the remote it comes with which claims to be universal but I found otherwise. 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. 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. Let's start with the good: Very stylish, compact, and super easy to set up.
You can put a pretty nice system together for the price of this thing but what for. Music is concert-like, DVD's play like you are in a mini-theater. I replaced a high end Sony 5.1 system with this for aesthetics and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner. 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.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. Sounds better than my old true surrond sound unit a(Sony) I purchased eight years ago. I just purchased the Bose 3.2.1 GS Series III last week. In fact, I had it backed up to return the next day. Spend the extra BUCKS and Get ONE. 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. What a product.
Never owned Bose but their reputation out did itself. Looked at several other systems but realize you always "get what you pay for". I would recommend this unit HIGHLY. I was ready to return the unit because of not enough sound volume. 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. The small system looks "nifty" and MY what a sound. fkwalter
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