Bose 161 Speaker System (Black) - Ideal for Stereo or Home Theater use

I get a kick out of questions that think these speakers have bluetooth or an amp built in. But they are designed like old school bookshelf speakers. They need some form of amplification and your home theater receiver would work perfect. You could also use them with a bookshelf stereo receiver and whatever you drive them with, they are very flexible. They include buttons for the bottom or sides to place them on a shelf. The nicest thing about these is using the wall mount. Lots of adjustment when mounted vertically or horizontally and even include screws for the most common mounting substrates. I bought the white ones since my walls are white. Right now, I'm using on my computer that is being used as a home theater. Originally I was using a set of speakers that sounded just fine but wanted a different mounting configuration. They replaced a set of speakers that were Amazon Choice ones and a bit less expensive but when I hooked up the Bose 161's there was a real sound difference. The first difference was that voices were "muddy" on my old speakers in comparison to the Bose. So much so, that I found that I did not need the volume turned up as much on a typical movie or TV show. I know that some of the Bose TV sound systems/sound bars promote that as a feature. Even with these budget speakers, it's evident that it's part of the Bose sound and one I do like. Second of all, my older speakers had fine separation from right to left. Same a pretty much every bookshelf speaker out there. The Bose 161's seemed to give the same separation but sounds were more localised. Kind of hard to describe, but had a more 3D where you could point at the sound and my ears and eyes can follow the motion in an action movie. And even the depth to a show that I had never found with my old speakers or any other ones I have. It was a surprise which makes every show just a bit more enjoyable. Now, I know everybody wants a speaker with a lot of low end bass. And if that's what you want, you should have the equalization knobs on your receiver for that or in your device manager on your computer to get the sound you need. Out of the box, these Bose speakers are going to give you a natural sound. You can adjust frequencies as you need with the option of adding a subwoofer to your system. But on their own, they are not going to shake your room or get you tossed from your apartment. But I don't think they were ever designed to be a 901 or 602 replacement. Those are definite lease busters and need an amp to back them up. These are a quality speaker system for home and home theater use. Priced right with the flexibility to position them where you want. Also no need for speaker stands and mounting is included. All you need to buy is speaker wire. Most likely since Bose didn't know the length or color you need. I hope you get a chance to listen to these Bose speakers and add them to you home theater. I've been using them for about a month and a half and pleased with them. The only downside is that the other speakers I have are going to need to be replaced. Since I have 3 subwoofers kick'n around here, this could get pricey.

I just did my HT setup... Man i cant sing enough praises for all the components... I don't get the muted sounds on Bose claim.. i can hear everything loud n clear... each dialogue is as clear as it gets... don't have to strain to hear em anymore... The tonality of the mid range... to the sharpness of the highs... its just beautiful. 201's are a bit bigger than i thought they would be... but look amazing once set up... and sound real good too... They dont have enough base you say... n i'd raise my sub to you (albeit briefly... it's heavy you know ;) ) but what clarity of sound.... it really makes the sound pop... All the Bose's put together make a real good sound stage. Now on to the non bose components... Kudos to Polk audio for the woofer... it's a bit too loud for my taste... so its turned down to about 1/3'rd of its max o/p...but amazing difference the 12" sub makes. Setting up was a real breeze... plugged in the lfe n adjusted the volume to my taste... The Onkyo receiver is a real amazing piece o tech for its price... Audessy 2EQ (the auto sound setup) is really easy to do... sets up the speakers just right... i tried tweaking my setup... but outside the sub (set to put out a wee bit too much) it had everything nailed... Just an FYI... my living room is 15" x 15"

I was able to buy this pair of speaker for $142 from Amazon which was a good deal given that Bose never have any deals for its products. I'm not a Bose fan. I'm not a sound professional but I like music and I listen to all kinds of music. If I buy something to plug in my old Pioneer receiver to enjoy music, I would never buy this pair. Let me tell you my journey to the purchase of these speakers. On a nice sunny day, I came to Goodwill store on Berry Road and saw Bose sub from the Bose Acoustimass 5 (just the sub). I bought it for $4 (four dollars) and was pretty sure that it would not work. Surprisingly, the sub still works pretty well with my receiver. Then I looked for its satellite speakers on Ebay, and surprisingly (again), the used old tiny satellites never cost under $100! Why should I pay for those used things more than many new speakers? Then another day, I found this pair, which is new, and price is not so different from the used satellites. I was delivered to my home with another big surprise: Vanns packed it in a 10 times larger box with a lot of foam inside. I plugged them in the sub and they sound great, crisp and clear I guess. As my experience with Bose products, it will last for years. Bose Acoustimass 5 subwoofer + Bose 161 bookshelf, anyone heard that?

I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my novio. He had wanted this exact product for sometime after seeing it in a store. Although many of the salespeople insisted the complete set (i.e. - the speakers + the receiver, sub-woofer, etc.) was a much better option, he is actually quite adept at piecing equipment together. As a musician, he also has the materials to do this with, as well. This was to be used with our TV, and although it did take him some time to hook everything up, the end result has been well worth it. The sound is crisp and the lines of everyday conversation are extremely clear and resonate well to the ear. One of the biggest advantages I have found is the "little" nuisance sounds that aren't necessarily heard with speakers of lesser quality. The background crickets, birdsong, rain, etc, are profoundly more audible than I've ever noticed before. They have a sleek, black design that fits well into our overall home decor and they sit well (albeit snuggly) on our large tv stand. With everything considered, overall looks would receive a 5 star rating from us, and overall sound would receive a 4.5. My only caution would be the amount of time it may take to install for someone without the right know-how; time and patience will definitely be needed. As noted above, though, I do believe it is worth it. The Bose name is synonymous with quality (and has been for years), and we have certainly been pleased with this purchase. For the price, quality, and brand these speakers really cannot be beat.

When switching over from a standard stereo to a home theater configuration, it became apparent that the Bose stereo system satellite speakers and Acoustimass (Acoustimass V System) was being 'wasted' due to the fact that the added Sub-Woofer on the LFE Channel could and was handling all the bass. The Bose 161 speakers were substituted for the dual satellite speakers, thus freeing up the older Acoustimass V system (both the satellite and acoustimass combination - which are an integral system) for use as a great stereo speaker system in another room. We selected the WHITE colored system so it would 'blend in' with the white ceiling, as the older white satellite speakers did. This is strictly aesthetic, but does make the speakers a lot less noticeable. The sound is great, and they look good -not as physically over-powering as some of the other larger speakers would be. I realize there is a raging debate regarding the sound quality of Bose speakers Vs. their cost - for the size, i do not think you can get better sound - not without spending a lot more. There may be better sounding albeit much larger speakers available, but aesthetics and size being a consideration, these fit the requirements. And, it is doubtful that over 90% of listeners could tell a difference between these great sounding speakers and a larger, more expensive configuration.

I like Bose. While many of their products are overpriced and overrated, these speakers along with the 301 bookshelf speaker are some of the best speakers on the market for the money. While the 161 is a small speaker it's perfect for a home theater setup. Coupled with some 301's in the front a good subwoofer (Polk Audio) they do their job and do it well. On the other hand, if you've got small living quarters like a dorm room or an efficiency apartment, these speakers will sound fantastic. Remember that when you utilize Bluetooth, you do lose some fidelity so you will need a good receiver/amp to run them as the 161 is not Bluetooth compatible.

I purchased these speakers to use as surround speakers. In my opinion this function is what they were intended for. Used as surround speakers they are great. They reflect the background channels very well. They are also very easy to install them on a wall or ceiling. I have mine installed high on the back wall tilting down. In another room I have a second set installed on the ceiling tilting slightly downward. The ease in which they install is one of the reasons I purchased them. They also sound very good for surround purposes and they look good. I don't believe they would make a very good left and right front channel speaker. They just don't have the sound quality for main speakers in my opinion. That being said I am very happy with them as surround speakers. This is actually my second set because I have surround systems in two separate rooms. I was pleased with the first set. This is why I had no hesitation to purchase the second set for another room.

We bought several pairs of these 161 speakers when they were first introduced a little over a year ago. We use one pair for the surround speakers in our theater system, and a pair in each of the other rooms of our home. Although we are longtime Bose fans, we decided to audition these in an audio store as we had been disappointed in a Bose center channel speaker we had purchased previously, (based on reputation, we didn't listen first!). We were favorbly impressed in the store and have been very pleased with them in our home. Regardless of room decor, the speakers produce clean, stereo sound. (Its possible to identify orchestral instruments and their location!) These speakers are very linear above 80-90Hz, to the audible limits. They drop off rapidly below about 80Hz. Bass frequencies are adequately reproduced for orchestral music but will need to be augmented for heavy bass or special cinematic effects. (sub-woofer) These speakers are intended to be wall mounted and are easily installed with the included brackets. They do not sit well on a shelf!

Yo lo tengo con mi equipo 5.1 y he notado una mejora del equìpo notable, añadir que el precio es muy bueno y la calidad tambien. No suenan a lata como se comenta en la opinion de otro comprador, creo que eso depende del equipo que tengas y como lo tengas configurado.

Easy to angle to the main listening position using Bose brackets in my 7.2.4 ATMOS home theatre system - sounds great !

Las compré para los canales traseros (surround) de mi teatro en casa y estoy muy a gusto. Estas bocinas no tienen mucho bajo, lo cual es normal por su tamaño. Algo que si me costó trabajo fue colocarlas en la pared, ya que forzosamente tienes que taladrar la pared. No hay forma de poner unos clavos y colgarlas nada más; puedes buscar el manual en internet para darte una idea. Fuera de eso, el sonido es bueno. Se escucha fino y claro. Los graves los compenso con los canales frontales y el subwoofer. Y visualmente se ven modernas y elegantes, además de la marca, Bosé.

Habitué a du très bon son avec de multiples ensembles HIFI , ces deux petites enceintes m'impressionnent ... D'abord par la précision du rendu , le son est cristallin , pure . La spatialisation est excellente avec une grande profondeur . Pour les basses ça dépend de vos attente , elles percutent pas le plexus mais sont bien présentes ( après rodage ) , ma précédente configuration comportait un subwoofer mais la bizzarement je n'en ressens pas le besoin tellement l'ensemble est homogène . Le seul reproche que je peux faire c'est a propos des borniers un peu cheap ... Mais bon ... Franchement allez y les yeux fermés surtout pour un prix aussi abordable .

角度調整が出来るので、取り付け方法次第で、Atmos用にも出来る点は良い。 同形のスピーカーユニットが2個付いており、取付位置が同一方向で無いため、指向性はかなり広い。 気になった点は、ウレタン系エッジとペパーコーン。 ウレタン系エッジには、自転車パンク用のゴムのりを、コーン部分には木工ボンドを、施行。 低音の盛り上がり、1kHzのがフラットになりました。 フロントメンイでも使えるレベルです。 高級スピーカーで自分の音色を探すより、最近BOSEを自分の好みにするのが最近の趣味です。