Great sound that can be adjusted to accomadate any room . I thought the price was very reasonable however full price might be a stretch

Should have come with the Dolby Digital optical converter. Takes quite a bit of time to set up the room properly but that was kind of fun.

I bought the Bose lifestyle 12 II with a some fear after reading some of the reviews here. It sounded great in the store (blew away any competition in that price range.). After seeing the prices that have been paid in the past and the prices I saw on E-bay I was convinced I was getting a good deal. After setting the system up (a breeze)I was overjoyed with the fact that it sounded as good in my giant room as it did in the store. I purchased the optical connector thru Bose for another 70 bucks for Dolby Digital conversion and I was glad I did. The sound is very real to life almost as good as being at the movies,crisp and true. Unbelievable for such a small package. I didn't mind the single cd player as I I listen to most of my music thru my dish system.

Price??? Easy setup(if you really care). Sound,easy placement and yes size(refer to above).

Well not any yet....Wait it doesnt turn up as loud as I would hope for..Maybe working around 500 Ton chillers is "my" problem...

Ok Ok..Iam not a audoiphile nor am I a dumb,I know what I like and thats about it.So far I am happy with this system.It sounds good,look''s good and tastes good. The hook up was simple to say the least but in my words if thats your biggest concern then go buy Sony or something. I dont notice any lasp in sound as far as the mid-range goes but who am I? Dvd''s sound good,T.V sounds good. (period) My only concern with it was the fract that it only had one digital hook up(Component).Which wasn''t going to work with my X-box...Now dont even get started with that one..Anyway I dont have it hooked up via a digital connection and it sounds great reguardless,there video staging or whatever does the job well enough to siute me. Overall I am happy with it and I dont have "Small You know what Envey" so I dont need huge speakers to satisfy my needs for my manhood.

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Well anything I could get my greedy little hands on....And anything available for my ears.

Virtually invisible. Remote. Sound Reproduction.

Not upgradable

I have had my BOSE LS 12 for over a year now... I rate it! I enjoy the fact that it is discreet and not in your face. Sound is a very personal issue, so I find it strange when people trash BOSE (or any other system for that matter). For me the 12 delivers what I like in sound... good bass (but not over-powering) and good clarity. Movies sound fantastic (and that is with VHS), CD''s brilliant. No flashing lights to cheapen the sleek appeal and a remote that you can use from anywhere in the house... a revalation! The 5.1 and video staging are revolutionary, and produce virtual cinema sound. Well done BOSE!

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Rotel. Boston Acoustics

RF Remote. Nothing beats the looks of a Bose LS system. Everything fits into one box.

Very distorted and boomy bass with certain sources. No depth to midrange.

Well. I owned the Bose LS 12 II for 6 months. I couldn''t stand it any more so I resold it. Personally I don''t think any other SMALL speaker systems sound much better. If you really want small speaker systems, take a look at Energy Encores and get yourself a good receiver. People complain about the bass, but in my opinion that is not the worst thing about the bose. It has enough bass but if you can get really distorted bass depending on the source. The biggest weakness is actually the midrange. And I feel this is true with any small speaker system. The Encores were free of distortion but there is a noticeable hole between the subwoofer''s top range and the other speakers'' bottom end frequencies. Small speakers can only push so much air no matter what any manufacturers say. Otherwise they would discontinue making floorstanding speakers. If you really need small speaker systems, there are better choices out there. However, SONY is not one of them. But it''s still half the price.

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Encore Energy with Sony DE975 receiver.

Great bass, cool remote, practically invisible, easy to use

somewhat expensive

For some reason there seem to be many Bose Bashers out there. They scour every review site to give Bose products the lowest reviews possible. I think they''re just upset that nobody thinks it''s cool anymore to have speakers larger than your refridgerator. Let''s address their concerns. Dolby Digital: Many of them complain that Bose is not Dolby Digital combatible. That was remedied LONG ago and all the lifestyle systems you see in stores are 5.1 compatible. Make sure they say series II if you purchase it off the internet. DTS: The second complaint is that it is not DTS compatible. That is only true of the Lifestyle 12 system which is the LOWEST end of the Bose systems. Every other system above that is DTS compatible. Pro Logic I or II: No it doesn''t have Pro Logic I or II because it doesn''t need it! It has VideoStage Decoding proprietary technology which is equivalent to Pro Logic II Sound quality: The other complaint by audiophiles is that the sound quality is not the same as if you built your own system from scratch. The number one complaint I''ve heard is that the bass is not rich enough or powerful enough. Most of them base that off the fact that it is a passive subwoofer, not an active one. The only thing to say for this is listen for yourself! Apparently these audiophiles have subsonic hearing because I went to circuit city and a few other stores to compare and EVERY time I thought Bose sounded better. So, I bought Bose. I brought it home and the highs are crystal clear and the bass is only turner up halfway and it shakes my walls. I love the sound and I am very pleased. So, take a listen for yourself and decide if it''s for you or not.

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Infinity HTS-20

Size, Style

Sound quality for price, base module, no DTS

One of my good friends just purchased the Bose Lifestyle 12 II packages. I''ve just recently started putting together a new home theater system consisting so far of the Axiom m22 fronts, Axiom vp150 center, some 1-way kenwood surrounds, the HSU VTF-2 sub and a kenwood vr507 reciever (the kenwood stuff is the left overs from the htb504 system). I just purchased my Axiom speakers and they have a 30 day money back deal so I wanted to compare my system to my friends. My opinion on the bose..... I like the small size of the speakers, you can hang them from the ceiling and they practically disappear. The sound is surprising loud and clear, without distortion. If you have never really heard good home theater I can see being impressed with Bose cubes. The sound of the Axioms on the other hand are quite different. Without getting into some sort of audiophile type of description, I''ll just say they have a deep, rich sound that makes you want to keep turning the volume up. It isn''t that they can''t play loud, it''s like they never sound as though they''ve hit their limits. The sound never feels too harsh. The Bose on the other hand can become a little harsh at high levels, not bad but not relaxing if that makes sense. The base module is basically the shape of a home pc tower, it houses 2 5 1/2" or so drivers. The first thing I noticed was that I knew exactly where the box was located (behind the couch). Maybe location is critical, but it didn''t disappear like my HSU sub does. Actually there really wasn''t any comparison between the two subs. The HSU adds a transparent depth of sound that the bose (and most others I''ve heard) sub couldn''t dream about. Also when called upon the HSU can actually be felt in distant sections of the house. I really couldn''t imagine anyone honestly choosing the bose module over the HSU... actually the sub I got with the kenwood system outperformed the Bose. The Bose receiver was sleek in appeareance an included a cd/dvd player. It was able to decode dolby digital, but didn''t include DTS, pro-logic I or II like my inexpensive kenwood does. Overall, I perfer the sound of the Axioms by far... they are larger which can be an issue for some, but the sound quality for price is excellent. I would recommend looking into the Energy Take5 speakers if size is an issue or possibly Aperion. Al

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Axiom , energy, m&k.

Bass (yes, I said bass), size

Cost (if you payed actual costs)

Well, I must say, I was quite dissapointed by some of the review that I read about Bose products. Let me start off by saying I shop for anything I'm going to buy. I shopped for 3 and a half months before settling on this little bundle of joy. I've been here and there checking out what stores had, everything from Harman/Kardon, Cerwin Vega, Polk Audio, JBL, Bose, Boston Accoustics, and a small selection of Infinity. I listend to them all and even had most sales associates steer me away from the Bose.

Some of the bass was deeper and some of the boom shook an extra display case. One guy compared Bose to this almost exact copy (size wise) made by Polk Audio, and showed how just a tad better PA was. Wait, this was PA's new system, and Bose is alot older than that? And your still cmparing the two with a tad of difference? Thats gotta say something about Bose, ages old yet still kicking ass of the new technology. After a few more wall speakers (small ones) I then turned my attention to the floor speakers.

JBL had some impressive floor standing speakers. However, these suckas were just way too big. most other systems were the same way. So basically it came down to Bose. It was small, and the sound was great.

Now, many of you can pick apart this sound and pick out lows and highs and mids, and where they fall, but what the hell? Do all of you listen to classical music? Damn, the only time I should hear anyone complain about sound and what not should be in classical. I myself am a lover of Rock, Hard Rock and Jazz. Any of you who have ever gone to a concert should know sound will always be differnt, and to pin it on the speakers is the same as blaming the singer is the orchestra for missing a note. Wait, there aren't any singers in an orchestra. I play in both an orchestra and jazz band. Bass for jazz is perfectly reproduced with the accoustimass bass module despite what many may say. My butt sits next to out bass and it definately has a sound of its own. So when it comes to listening to music, its just like going to the movies, if you go in with low expectations thats exactly what you'll get. I had options, heard them all, and when it came down to it, chose Bose.

Kind of hard to read a personal journal and be an college writing professor, you'll pick every damn thing wrong out of it you can. If your going to critique something save it for a reason, if your going to experience something let yourself enjoy it.

I have had this unit for a yer now. I bought it for about $700, thats the bonus you get for working at the store. Price aside, I would have still payed the full amount for it. If any of you are discouraging yourself from buying this product due to reviews you have read, then don't. Its great for Movies and Music. If any of you doubt be, check this system out with a little CD called, Fear Factory- Digimortal.

Thoght I'd throw my word in for all of those that think Bose is a waste. Give it a try, and for those who did and disliked it, some people are too hard headed to something good when it passes by.

Note: The 4 star is for price, while i did pay about half of it I do understand the hang up for other people.

Styling, size, remote, sound (for the size)

Upgradability, price

Let me start by clarifying that my system is the original LS12, not the series II. Unfortunately I was a few months early with my purchase and missed out on the series II.

Anyway, after many years of using some very nice but very large and bulky equipment (some home made) I have progressed to having a nice house with nice furniture and the decor is important to me. This is why I purchased the Bose and from that aspect I could not be happier. The remote that works outside the house is simply priceless.

Regarding the audiophiles that have bought Bose and hate it - well you deserve it as you should know better. Bose LS systems are NOT for the Audiophile. The sound is not accurate as an audiophile would expect. There is no doubt that you can get much better quality and sound for much less money. You will of course miss out on the styling and convenience that the Bose LS systems deliver so well.

Sound is good but not fantastic. Considering the size of the system, the sound it produces is incredible. Unfortunately, size does matter and no matter how good the Bose technology is, you really need full size speakers to get accurate sound. For most people though, the Bose should sound more than adequate. A simple test CD with a sweep will show that the response is all over the place - but if you are like most people - who cares? Be careful though as speaker placement is CRITICAL to getting good sound from this system. It can sound shocking if the speakers (bass module especially) are placed in certain ways. Also, don't be tempted to play CD music in any mode other than normal stereo - it will sound terrible.

I recommend this system to anyone who has pride in their decor and wants a simple and convenient system that sounds "good". If you are an audiophile that wants a system with a flat accurate response (which may I add doesn't normally sound "good") then stay away from this system - it is not meant for you. If you want maximum sound for your dollar, this is also not for you. However, if you want to maintain the appeal of your $5000 furniture - this system is well worth the money.

Oh, if you think you may want to upgrade later - be prepared to replace the entire system.

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Several large and bulky systems

Ease of set up. Sound quality.

EXPENSIVE FOR WHAT YOU GET. NOT UPGRADEABLE.

After completing the demonstration in the Bose store, I had to own one. Got it home, good for the movies, but lacks the bass that I had before with floor speakers and a large receiver. The sound quality is very accurate, but you have to adjust the cubes for a day to get all you can get out of the system.