Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Ahhhh the much maligned Bose 301 speakers, I can honestly say that I have always been happy with mine. I purchased my first set in late 1978 they had just been released and after hearing them fell in love with them and their warm all rounded sound. many people say they are crap and not worth the $$$ but I've had many other speakers over the years and while some may have been technically superior none could match the listening quality of the 301's. I had mine until 2004 36 years and they were still sounding great. Unfortunately a lowlife decided he needed them more than i did and so I now have another set of 301's newer but still sounding great. I believe that the stereo needs to match the speakers and I purchased mine in 1978 so I at least have a quality built system. Ther must be something right about the set up as all my kids are arguing over who gets the system when i pass on

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I can do nothing but jerk off and splatter goo all over the walls every time I hear these speakers!
I almost dropped my Schlitz malt liquor on my lap, WOW! I came like BARBARO! What a splattering.
You must own these speakers! My girlfriend rubbed herself to ecstacy ALL NIGHT as well! Evenutally we got together and slammed it, but even before that, these speakers induced massive loads of goo from me to the walls!

robbiefest

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.33 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I've live with the same pair of bose 301 series 1 since 1980.I have replaced the bass drivers once and they are still going strong. For 9 years I worked for Bang & Olufsen, have a sound degree for the film industry, and am a musician. I believe I know music when I hear it.

These speakers have the capability to really give a very warm musical sound, it's all in the equipment that's driving them, plus cables. If you've got harsh, cheap gear, that's how they are going to be heard. Get a nice warm amp and cd player, get some high end interconnects and some great speaker cables and the sound is wide, deep, detailed and warm warm warm warm. It's mainly the warmth that I have loved with this speaker, oh, and wide and deep. I have sounds jumping out at me, 5 foot beyond my walls.

It took me a long time to realise the importance of a good cd player and cables. I recently replaced all my cables and these speakers had a 2nd life. They have never sounded so brilliant.

Placement, I have rarely had them at ear level but have always had to put them on wall brackets at about 6 foot off the floor. They work great at this level. Having just bought a pair of series 2, I tried them for a few days. The series 2 will go on ebay very shortly. The series 1 leave the series 2 for dead. The series 2 will require a very large room. They are VERY direct and if you're too close, you'll be in the firing line of a very bright tweeter. They were harsh and fatiguing. I put them on the wall twice over two weeks. They will never go back on my wall again. Anpther really nice aspect of the bose 301 series is that you don't need to sit at a pin point position of an axis of a triangle to hear a stereo image. It doesn't hurt at all to be right in the centre, but if you're not you're still going to hear a pretty good stereo, live image.

I have toyed with buying some b&w 603 series 3 or similar, but I think I'll miss my lovely wide warm sound. I know these are not the best speaker in the world, but to be able to listen to them for 30 years says something for them. I'm just about to buy a rotel rb1050 amp that i'm trialling right now. Every step I take, just brings more life into these speakers. What more can I say.

TheRambler

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
2.72 of 5, 18.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is hard to describe product! As a long term audition addictive, thes small, poor-looking speakers shocked me in many respects. All negative comments to do with mis-placing or some other technical reasons within your system. To improve performance of those Jewel 301s try followings ;

First of as those jewels use direct reflecting technology, which means they have nothing to do with its poor wooden boxes (otherwise would be an awful results) but the drivers itself. What you hear is full range,direct driven full frequency, from lowest to upper registers!!!

- Place them on the level of your ears (just precisely check this!)
- Place contraverse what is written on the back; place the "left" written speaker on the "right" and same with the other.
- Use small rubber stickers at the bottom.
- Never use them upright position, always horizontal.
- Cables also very important: they do not need high end costy cables. Best result obtained by me is DNM Speaker Cable.
- Use tube preAmp or Tube buffer, or Tube Power AMp to get incredible, difficult to believe or hear lower bass performance.

Those jewels have everything hidden inside waiting for you to take them out one by one. After all you will also so much impressed with their performance, close to todays some high-end speakers.

wallace Karbe

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.68 of 5, 19.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I cannot for the life of me understand why it's become a national passtime to roast these speakers. In this site, folks talk of old technologytweeters, cheap electronics and poor stereo imaging.

The are missing the point comeplely. While most modern silmilar priced speakers are technically excellent and brilliantly detailled, they lose the plot when it comes to painting a portrait of the music.

These Bose do not!.

I've no doubt that many a speaker would trounce them on many levels, but they all seem to lack translating the OVERALL "musicality" of voices and instruments.
In fact I LOVE those miderange/tweeter cones; deliciously balanced and very real.
Too many modern speakers have wayyyy to shrill upper frequencies, almost to the point of wanting to make you screaming out of the lounge.

True, some more lower midrange would be welcome, as would some extra base extention, however it's the tonal balance that seems so sorted with these little 301's

I often get the impression that they were designed more by music lovers than by technicians and scientists looking for the "Holy Grail" in technical perfection.

Strengths:
Warm easy sound. Natural sounding

Weaknesses:
Poor Poor construction - more solid MDF cabinets would be wellcome.

Similar Products Used:
Castle, AR, PSB