Darwex

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
3.86 of 5, 7.00 votes

Price Paid:  $360.00 from HiFi City, Watford

Summary:
I can't understand the people who review these speakers and say they have no bass.

Possibly they have the bass unit wired up out of phase ? I accidentally wired mine up out of phase on first attempt and the bass was pitiful : I had to crank my amp up to get any bass out of it too.

However after swapping the contacts on one of the inputs oh boy ! Bass aplenty !

I chose these speakers because, well - not to put too fine a point on it I've got a wife.

You know, those people who won't let you design your room decor around your speaker positions.

I would prefer to have floor standings, true, but these are a happy compromise. And what a compromise !

The breadth that the satellites give is truly tremendous. I'm very happy with my purchase but would prefer more mid-range at low volumes.

A word of caution though : you can't just (as bose say) put the bass unit anywhere in the room. I at first put mine behind my large pine TV cabinet (it's about a metre tall) in an alcove to the left of my chimney breast. The result was you could DEFINATELY tell that all the bass was coming from one side of the room. Probably because (a) I have a large bay window on the opposite side of the room and (b) the TV cabinet was operating as a huge resonance chamber.

I moved the unit (using the huge amount of cable which is supplied with the system) to a more central position alongside one of my sofas and hey presto !

I wouldn't have chose these speakers if it were left up to me to design my own room, but I must admit I am very impressed with the result given my circumstances and would recommend them to anyone. Even my wife likes them, which is a huge added bonus - and quoting her "what cute little speakers !"

Strengths:
Bass response is good and won't 'boom' if you position the bass unit correctly.

Really fills the room with sound.

Wife friendly.

Weaknesses:
You have to position the bass unit appropriately to get the desired effects.

Need driving to get decend mid-range.

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Price Paid:  $399.00 from Bose online

Summary:
It's my second AM5. I bought the first series from the Navy exchange in Virginia and was very please with the overall sound quality. I sold that first acoustimass 5 to my friend and bought another set this year (series 3). Now its part of my HT system with a JBL EC35 as center and the AM5 at both front side. I also have a pair of JBL L810, JBL E30, E50, Cambridge M80, and coming soon (on order), JBL L890. Yea, I love to collect nice speakers and I can compare how the AM5 measure up with my other speakers in term of sound quality, price range, and placement. When I listen to my AM5 on stereo, they sound good and loud with 200-Watt rating for its size. Well it doesn't have the highest highs and the lowest lows but it's better than my lower end speakers. If I want to go really deep, my cambridge P500 subwoofer takes care of that. I will make it as a REAR surround when my JBL L890 arrives. I like mixing the AM5 with JBL because of the sound timbre and JBL has the Titanium tweeters that can provide the real highs but the AM5 has the warm and realistic sound of music instrument, the action effect on movies and the stereo everywhere effect. I also tried to use it as rear with my JBL L810 as front or sometimes the Cambridge M80 as fronts.

Strengths:
Small form factor and loud enough. Excellent sound quality. Can be match with JB's but not so with the cambridge front speakers. Super REAR speakers as a Home Theater system or an excellent stereo speaker by itself. Better than Bose 301 (returned it after several days of testing it). Price is about right compared to how much I paid on my first AM5.

Weaknesses:
None.

Similar Products Used:
As mentioned above.

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seanfer69

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.33 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $500.00 from Abu Dhabi

Summary:
Listen guys,

It's very simple really. Bose are over rated speakers. I have owned these AM-5, 3 series speakers for a long time. They are crap in comparison to my B&W Nautilus 801 and my JBLs plus my Miller & Kreisel THX certified subwoofer. If you want cheap thrash around speakers, then the AM-5s are the way to go. Today you can get them for $359 according to www.bose.com
I have reviewed every speaker from bose including the so called infamous 901s. They are crap, no bass, and the showroom guy always play Richard Claydamon as a demo. He got a rude awakening when I produced my THX bass test tone CD. Believe it or not, those speakers were rated @ 400watts. God knows if it were RMS or PMPO but nevertheless, I managed to bust the left channel @ around 100 watts. The amp was a super Denon so no excuses there. I told them that I had cheque book in hand ready to buy a winner, but unfortunately there were none.....well until I finally tried out the 301s and the AM-5s. Let me tell you, The AM5s sound way better than any other bose system.

Either way, bose is still not a very good speaker in general. Let's talk about bass response. Since bose do not reveal the ACTUAL specs of the speakers, I had to studio test them using a THX rig to see how low the sub goes. Sorry to say, they only went as low as 47Hz without distortion. Anything lower made it crackle.

Bottom line is, if you want great sounding but more expensive speakers, here are some brands to consider. Miller & Kreisel, Mordaunt Short, Jamo, JBL, Infinity, B&W, Cerwin Vega, Bang & Olufsen, Paradigm and so on.
I highly recommend THX certified speakers though. The only 2 I can certify are B&W and Miller & Kreisel. Even JBL has lovely speakers. These speakers are perfect and when used with a Denon or Yamaha amp, how sweet they are.

Notice how bose never gives proper speaker specs on their site? hmm, a bit strange don't you think?

Strengths:
Well they say that they are rated @ 200watts RMS. I don't believe it. They are very small and easy to fit into a suitcase for quick transport to a beach party or something. Can hide them well. They are certainly better cubes than the JBL cubes, but the subs are better in JBL.

Weaknesses:
No bass output @ low volumes. I had to crank my Denon to about -10 decibels just to get the sub to come alive. Not Punchy enough. My Miller & Kreisel THX sub will blow it out of existence!

They are not as video shielded as they claim.

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thedonn

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.20 of 5, 5.00 votes

Price Paid:  $599.00 from Dealer

Summary:
No avid audiophile would ever own these speakers, right? Wrong! I have a few sound systems in my home. I (of course) do not, do my "critical listening" with the AM-5's. I just CLEARLY understand what they are. The are so small and out of the way, most folks keep looking to see where the music is coming from. I have a small room that I host friends and family in, these speakers are a wonderfull addition to the decore. YOU DON"T SEE THEM. The sub is under a sofa and the "cubes" are on white stands in the corners. The sound is much better than any smaller room system will do. They will play as loud as most could want. Proper sub placement (port aimed near a corner) will produce MORE than enough bass. As a matter of fact, I have to "tone down" slightly. The highes are crisp and clear. Will this speaker produce the sounds I get from my Kef or Klipsch systems? No. No way! However, for the size and price, they are impressive. I would further offer, I can't remeber a time when a guest has not commented on the sound. So to those "bose" bashers, I would offer, Why do you think this is one, IF NOT THE, top selling speakers of all time? It's because most folks are not into audio, the way most of us are. Most do not have or are not willing to spend the small fortunes we have. They just want good sound for modest money. I know of nothing that does it as well, as the AM5's. The sound these speakers produce is fantastic. If you are not a critical listener, these will be perfect for a small room. Buy them, they sound even better in your home.

Strengths:
Small and unobtusive. Very forgiving placement.
Fantastic sound. Highs, lows, a good package!
They have a sound that pleases all but the crical listener.

Weaknesses:
They are not a tower speaker, or even a highend bookshelf!
Vocals are not produced as well as some speakers.
The rating is high, because I understand what they are.

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franxavier

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
2.33 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $359.00 from eBay

Summary:
I think I was so stupid buying this, If you want to hear base sound, You even better beating up a table surface then compare to that sub :( /The both cubes yell such a crazy isolent treble.. You get tired hearing this in 15 minutes 1/4 volume of any 100w amplifier, I'm a sucker, I 'll give it to anybody for free..

Strengths:
NOTHING

Weaknesses:
ALL ABOVE SUMMARY

Similar Products Used:
NOW I USE HIGH-END, NO MORE LOUSY STUFF FROM THESE/ HALES, JEFF ROWLAND, REGA, PASS LABS, GOING TO STAY IN MY HOUSE IN REVENGE TO THAT