After 15 years using Kenwood 3-way towers, and since my cheap A/V receiver died, I decided to go for the home theater experience. The centerpiece is now an Onkyo 575 receiver, and it's quite good. For sound, I was extremely disappointed with the Energy and Infinity auditions, but really liked the Bose Acoustimass 10 demo at the Williamsburg Bose outlet store. Must've been because it was a small room....
I purchased a set (no, not from the outlet store that admittedly sold refurbs) and got set up. My first reaction was disappointment. The passive subwoofer just does not produce the bass that even my old Kenwood's do. Also, I notice a lack of depth/clarity, mostly in the mid-range area.

With the size of my home and family, I don't want the big speakers--I'd like a small speaker satellite system. What's the answer in this price range? Is the Klipsch Quartet a salesman tried to sell me without even having a set wired for auditioning? Is it the Polk RM5400 for $700 I'm looking at in a Crutchfield magazine? I certainly don't believe Infinity or Energy is adequate. I suppose based on Polk reviews here that perhaps they're worth a try, especially if they can be returned!

Because of the sturdiness of the speakers themselves, the self-contained wiring, the visual appeal and the reflecting effect that I believe helped the overall sound, I'm giving these a 3 rating. The lack of REAL bass and lack of mid-range depth/clarity each lose a star for this product.

A friend of mine bought a set of the Acoustimass AM10's for his home theater setup. I've listened to them several times in his living room, and I have to say..... don't even consider them for the price! If you want to spend less money, and get better sound, go to your local Radio Shack dealer when they are having one of their sales, and pick up some Pro LX5 Series II's for front and rear, a Pro CS5 for center, and a good sub to fill in the bottom end. Or if you want to spend a little more, check out NHT, Polk, Energy, or the new Infinity or Acousitic Research speaker lines. There are so many speaker lines out there that offer more performance / value for the money.
Please do yourself a favor and check out more than the Bose, you won't be sorry.

I am a happy Bose AM10 owner. In terms of buying speakers, there are lots of people forget the rule number one, which is what those speakers are using for.There is no single brand of speakers doing great for every type of music or sound, there is no "one size fits all" in this area. Even within the Bose product family, they have different types of speakers for different application. For what AM10 designed to do, it does very well.

I've had my Bose AM 10's for about 3 years and have been very happy. Bose offers a 5 year warranty on their speakers and is extremely helpful if you have any problems. I even traded in my AM 7's after owning them for about a year for AM 10's and paid the difference to Bose directly.
Coming from a 6-year-old Dolby Pro-Logic Kenwood receiver environment, my new setup with the Sony STR-DA555ES Receiver sounds incredible. Just watched Godzilla & parts of Titanic, I never knew my Bose system could sound so good! Had me ducking for cover when the helicopters flew by. The satellites are crisp and sharpe and the bass is deep and full.

I'll admit, the Bose could be pricey but you are getting excellent product quality and a company that will back their product 100%. Not to mention they also look very nice mounted in the corners of my living room.

There probably is better speakers out there, I won't doubt that, but the Bose AM 10's kick ass!!!

Good luck...FW

Powerfull crispy sound, hidden power

Need a little bit more bas to feel in my stomak

Need a little bit more bas to feel in my stomak, when listening a stereo music. I can feel it though when watching the VHS movies recorded from a (surround decoded audio) laser...
Is this bose system good for 5.1 DD created by DVD Phillips 860 (apparently the best in the market at moment?) and Yamaha RX 592 (DD ready)?
I am sick and tired of all the negative comments about this Bose miniature system.
Do I really need a powered sub to buy as well? I was happy with a sound from VHS movies recorded from laser disks...I believe that DVD (coming to my home in two days) will do even much better job.
Someone said that bas module of this Bose system is not outputting the stereo surround on rear speakers? Any comments?

None that I know of.

Terrible sound quality at even half their asking price.

With inexpensive products such as Energy's Take 5 and a sub offering great value and pretty good sound, How can anyone give more than 1 star to these dreadful AM 10's

Similar Products Used:

I have not found any other products of similar poor quality or poor value.

Compact size, great for watching DVD and videotapes

PRICE, wish it could have more bass, not that great for music

Bought these because space is a premium in my living room. I am satisfied with the sound. I like the compact sound cubes, easy to integrate into my living room. Although I have a weak understanding of physics, I know it is too much to ask those small (2") drivers to deliver more midrange sound. You would need drivers about twice or 3 times as big to produce more midrange. In other words, these speakers perform as designed.

Movies sound great, music sounds so-so. I wish it could have more bass. At the same time, though, I don't need that much bass right now since I live on the second floor of an apartment building (military housing). If I move to a house I may get a subwoofer to really take advantage of my digital Dolby receiver.

I bought my AM10 for $799.00 from AAFES (Army-Air Force Exchange Service). I wish Bose would bring down the price of these speakers. That would have added two more stars for value.

Small Speakers that do not take up your entire living room.

Sound quality is not very good when listening at a low volume.

I recently purchased the Bose Acoustimass AM 10 II speaker system. After listening to them for only 1 week I am not sure what I should do. I am tempted to take them back to Best Buy and get something else that would cost less and sound better. I do like the smallness of them, however, I want my Home Theater System to sound awesome and not just ok. I have a 63" Sony and I want the audience to feel like they are at the movie theater. I am using them in a room that is 18' x 15' with a vaulted ceiling; maybe that is some of my problem. They would probably sound better in room that is 10' x 10'; not sure. The only thing I know is, that I have 3 weeks left on my 30 days and I need to make a decision. I thinking about either Klipsch or JBL610 Speakers, JBL HLS Center, and JBL PSW 110 Subwoofer.

Small size

No deep bass, lack of lower midrange, cheap build quality, WAY too expensive for what you get

These are terrible! I thought they were going to sound good because they used "state of the art" technology and patented techniques. They have no real midrange, only upper and mid-bass. The "acoustimass module" does not even compare to my brother's cheap Kenwood subwoofer! Paper cones, faom surrounds, plastic enclosures, and excellent marketing. What a horrible combination! Yuck! I returned these a little after a month of audition.

Size is absolutely its major strength. These speakers take up absolutely no room so if size is a factor for a Home Theather system these can't be beat.

Very directional. The cubes can be directed to achieve noticable differences in sound quality. Angle of direction can make a great difference in one saying they don't sound good and another saying they are great.

The Acoutimass 10 system is absolutely great for home theather especially if you can't use large speakers. It is amazing that they get the sound they do for the size. I know these speakers have been bad mouthed by many but I have listened to many speakers before purchasing this system. For home theater and stereo they are great. I have demonstrated this system to quite a few people and eveyone is amazed at the sound. I am also a musician and very critical of sound reproduction especially when playing jazz or classical CD's.
These speakers have more thanb met my criteria for my needs.

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Acoutic Research
Events
Dynacos