Side by Side Comparison of: Bose vs Yamaha

wow. i had a few different home theater systems before this one for a lot years. all i have to say is wow. big sound for such a tiny speaker. my ;ast set up was a pioneer 5.1 with front tower speakers and a 10" polk audio bass module. let me tell you the quality and crispness of the sound was noticeable even to my wife who doesn't really pay attention to these things lol. everything is compact with BIG BIG sound. from that point i only bought bose. from headphones to portable speakers. Bose has a customer for life now. the set up was plain and easy with a colored manual for people who might need it. i have installed plenty of these things and it was easy. the wires are a bit bulky and long, your going to need to learn and figure out where to hid the excessively long speaker wires. so incase you have a huge room dont worry you have plenty of slack. these are fiber optic cables so make sure they are all plugged it because if one isn't firmly snugged in there non of then speakers will sound properly. easy to match in the back of the speaker, red with red black with black. this really makes you feel like your in a theater. i highly recommend this brand and system ive had it for a few years now and no problems. the warranty on these things are great if you need it. no wonder high end cars use them for their audio. good buy

I got these speakers from Amazon for a GREAT price ($369 on sale). It looks like they have sold them all and they are only available from other vendors at the time of this review. These were bought to replace the Infinity speakers I had to leave in my house when I sold it. I could not be happier with the change to these speakers and I LOVED my Infinitys. I really do not get the hate for Bose that people have. I'm sure I don't have the perfect ear for sound and everything but these sound amazing to me! I have had people comment the same when I've had guests over whether it be for music or just the surround sound. If you can get them at the price I did, do not hesitate to jump on it. Even at the $700 full price it's worth it in my opinion.

While these may not be the loudest speakers you can buy or the deepest bass, the volume of sound that they produce are unparalleled in my experience. When positioned properly, it's truly amazing how sounds are projected all around the room. There are times where I have to pause the TV and rewind to determine if something that I heard was on TV or if it was elsewhere in the house.

I would recommend this Bose system to anyone who values quality entertainment and wants to get the most out of their home theater system.

I'm aware some believe Bose stands for Buy Other Sound Equipment but for the price I had a hard time finding competing speakers of this size. I have no interest in huge towering speakers taking over my living room, and would much rather be able to hide my speakers behind something light like a curtain or the TV and have the sound come from seemingly nowhere, which I was able to achieve with these and also scare a few of my guests when they came over to watch movies since they thought I was still using my dull TV speakers.

Setup is easy: the sattelite speakers are identical so any one speaker can go anywhere, all you have to do is connect the correct cables to the speaker in the right location. The cables then connect directly to the subwoofer, and the subwoofer has a long dongle that connects to your receiver (which is not included). Everything is labelled well and color coded, so it's extremely difficult to connect incorrectly. The cables feel heavy and like they are made well, and the speakers even have some heft to them but the subwoofer is surprisingly light. The cables are also extremely long so you should be able to run them anywhere. Each speaker comes with rubber mounts to prevent them from moving if on a vibration-prone surface, and because each speaker is identical if one dies it's easy to contact Bose and send one back for replacement (although I've had 2.1 Bose speakers for years and they still work like new so I'm not that worried about them dying).

When it comes to the sound I already knew what to expect, but I was still blown away with how much more oomph was given to them compared to my TV speakers. The small speakers even seem to get some bass in them as I found when I turned the subwoofer down as low as it would go, and everything is extremely clear. Being able to hide these pretty much anywhere is a huge plus, the only real speaker I have visible is the subwoofer but being black and sleek it doesn't look obnoxious. They can be pretty loud with zero distortion to the point of shaking my walls and being ear drum splitting so I don't have any idea how loud they can really go.

While I don't have many other speakers to compare these to since this is the first 5.1 set I've used in over 10 years since I bought an old Logitech system, I will say if you want small speakers that sound good then these Bose the ones to get.

Why does this require a review? It's the undisputed king of middle-class surround sound systems. It will never win an award for fidelity but compared to the competitors, it's an excellent bargain for good quality sound.

I did a fairly significant amount of research before purchasing these speakers and I simply consider myself to be someone who enjoys a good audio experience. These speakers deliver more than I thought possible. My room is not too large 10'x14' roughly but these truly deliver. I can turn movies up to a comfortable level and I haven't noticed any clipping at all. I've played music on them too but they don't really shine in that case, simply good. Movies really come to life though. Center speaker is noticeably weaker than the others, dialogue isn't muddy but you can tell it's not as powerful. Still no complaints though. If you're looking for small, entry level speaker system I highly recommend this. It has not disappointed me at all.

Excellent quality for the price. I am using these with a 7.2 Sony receiver and the sound is amazing. They are clear and powerful and much better than I expected for the price. I was impressed by how solid everything felt for the money. The subwoofer seems to be of the same or better quality than other subs that run for $150 alone. Best deal I've seen on speakers.

This set is great. This is actually the second set of the same speakers I had back in college (9 years ago), and I loved them then as well. I have these connected to an older Yamaha 5.1 head unit with 2 Polk Audio bookshelf speakers as the mains. The subwoofer is more than enough to rattle the crap out of the walls in my apartment, and I'm sure my neighbors appreciated my loudness test when I moved in. The center and satellite speakers are clear and bright for enjoying movies and music.No, these are not the super fancy high-end home theatre speakers all of the audio snobs will namedrop in their reviews, but these will totally rock your socks if you're looking for decent sounding home theatre speakers on a budget.

This speaker system sounds great. The powered subwoofer is excellent. The center speaker is larger than most and gives great sound. THe system comes with wire but I suggest ordering 16 AWG. Also, I suggest brackets so that you can angle and position the speakers in your room for the best sound. The threads in the back are for 1/4 inch screws which must be purchased separately.

Let me start by saying this...I am no audiophile but I do appreciate, good decent sound. That being said, I bought these for my new Yamaha RX-V673 7.2-Channel Network AV Receiver. The speakers sound great with my set up!! (I have an open living room floorplan that is 20' X 30') The sub puts out nice, clean bass, and the center channel and satellites put out good, clear surround sound too!! (I'm sure my receiver deserves most of the credit though) I am impressed with the base that this sub puts out so far!! These may be cheaper speakers, but they don't look, feel or sound cheap!! Maybe later down the road I may upgrade the satellite speakers to one of the more expensive sets(Polk, Energy or Klipsch). Not the sub since I think it sounds better than some of the higher end ones that my friends have!! For the time being I think these are awesome!! Sure I have heard bigger better sound, but for the price you get no complaints from me!! If you are not a big time, big money audiophile then these are your answer!!

I've had these speakers for a week now and am very satisfied with them. They produce quality sound that I have previously not have been exposed to due to using a logitech speaker setup for the past 5 years. Eg I can now hear the high pitch sound when an old CRT Tv is turned on in a movie. I decided to change the analog audio system and used the fact that it was my birthday to go for an upgrade.The bass provided by the Yamaha YSTSW012 8" Front-Firing Active Subwoofer, Black is great, and is a $90 dollar value in itself.I paired these with the Yamaha RX-V373 5.1-Channel AV Receiver and they go well together. The only gripe is the sensitivity of this system. I listen to movies between the ranges of -10 to 0 db and music between -25 to -15 db . Sounds great but I gotta crank it up pretty high. I would deduct a star, but at this price, speakers are definitely a 5 star product.

It will meet your expectations based on your room size. If you are not using for large living room this system is the best in crisp quality and bass it produces through the sub. Choose a best quality receiver and you will have an amazing sound!!

Works great. Fabulous sound. Just wish the sub-woofer was a bit more compact

If you have home theater pre-wiring, please read this first. The speakers sound great, but they come with RCA connections from the sub-woofer to a Bose proprietary two prong plug on the speaker cubes. That means that you will need Bose Bare Speaker wire adapter ($30 incl. shipping) which is white vs. black speakers, fortunately it's behind the cabinet for me. This will connect the sub-woofer to your home theater input ports. You'll also need a 5 pack of Bose AC-2 speaker wire connectors, (fortunately black, $25 incl. shipping), and additional speaker wire to connect the speaker cubes to the output ports. You'll also need wall mounts or stands. The Bose wall mounts are $35 apiece plus shipping and a couple of online reviews said they don't work well with the Acoustimass 6's. I found an alternative wall mount that was 4 for $40. Both the adapter and the connectors say that work with 14 gauge wire, but it is a really tight fit. All told, I spent nearly an additional $100 to make these work. But they sound great.

Have these in an outdoor sunroom and it fills the space beautifully. The sound extends to the surrounding areas as well. Highly recommend.

I've wanted a set of Bose Acoustimass speakers for years. It was my father's day gift to myself. I've really enjoyed it. So have the girlfriend, the kids and their friends. I love the surround effects and how the room shakes when watching movies.

It was simply serendipity that my girlfriend had the same speaker set. So when we moved in together we were able to combine our systems into a 7.2 setup. The reason why I only give four stars is because a couple of the speakers blew out - lucky we had extras to maintain the 7.2 setup. I am currently running an Onkyo THX receiver through the speakers via Monster speaker cable. Our projection system is a cheapy Dalite pull down screen and Viewsonic 1080p projector. The top of the screen hangs low enough to give space to the LCR configuration to project its sound from the wall and about the screen. I was amazed how the speakers gave a broad soundstage and I did not experience any localization. One sub is situated under our grand piano and the other is raised on the fireplace mantle about a foot of the ground. In the opening scene of The Fellowship of the Ring where (spoiler alert) Sauron is defeated, the system showed minimal strain on the low end. I've owned Bose acoustimass, Klipsch, Fluance and have found these speakers to be quite the catch for only about $140 with tax and shipping. It's comforting that if any of the speakers do blow out - most likely it would if we view stuff at THX reference levels - these can be easily replaced because of its affordability. Highly recommended!

I bought this set because it was cheaper than buying separate front, surround and center channel speakers. I already have a much larger and powerful subwoofer, so that's not even being used. Sound quality is pretty darn good for this price point. I have them hooked up as a 7.1 setup with a Sony STR-DN850 receiver and it sounds great. I may hook the other sub up and go to a 7.2 setup, but we'll see. Judging from the weight of the sub, I don't see it punching out tons of bass. It weighs less than half of my 200 watt sub I have already hooked up. This setup is in a 20'x20' family room, and I've never taken the volume up higher than 12 and it is LOUD, CRISP AND CLEAR. I think it goes to 30.

For this price, this is a pretty good deal. Speakers are decent and can get loud. Sound good. The subwoofer bass will clip and distort at half volume so don't expect big bass. I had to swap out the Yamaha woofer's speaker for one that could handle the sub's wattage to get good thump, but after doing that this system is top of the line.

Perfect solution at an affordable price. I live in a condo and could not get the full benefit (or even a partial benefit) of a much more expensive speaker setup. This work flawlessly and still has much power to spare. The only thing that I can say constructively is that I'd like the sub-woofer to go on and off automatically. This one does not. I often forget it in the "on" position. I don't think that it hurts anything.

easy to install. nice speakers. sub works fine. used in a 20x15 room, wood floors. very nice sound. great price. fast shipping. My only compliant, 4 stars, is the box it came it. is the manufacturing box, so when it was delivered everyone passing by could see what it is, which is not good. That sets up possible theft of the box before I get home, as well as people knowing what I have in my home for future theft.

I'm currently using them in the basement where we use our older TV/receiver for video games, etc.For the money, they are great. But you have to keep in mind they are $100 speakers.You are not going to get a full, rich sound out of these like you would with a larger style system, but if you are buying this chances are you don't really want bigger, more expensive speakers anyway.I'm not sure what high end system folks are comparing these too but my Boston Acoustics that are used upstairs on the main TV sound about 10x better than the Yamaha's. They cost many times more than $100 though, so it's not to be unexpected.I enjoy having the 5.1 sound and a surprisingly "nice for the size" subwoofer on our second TV without breaking the bank. This set of speakers is perfect for that kind of usage, and they were very easy to mount on the walls as they don't weigh much.

Kind of good so far. Ish. One speaker, or speaker wire has gone out, not sure yet. The speaker in question was on the Front Left and it was scratchy every once in a while. It seemed to get worse and then finally cut out. I tested putting it on the Center wire(which had no issues) and it was fine for a minute but then got scratchy again, so I disconnected it.

I will update after I contact Bose for a solution or Amazon for a replacement.

It's a good sound system, but i guess i was expecting a little more from Bose.

The sound quality, even though it is really good, is not as good as they make it sound like in stores. When i toggle between my TV's original sound to this Bose sound system, there is a clear improvement in sound quality but as I said it is not day and night change. Considering I bought this for under $400 i am not complaining but I thought it was going to sound a lot clearer.

I was hoping for and expecting much more quality from this setup. Speakers do not produce a full range of sound I was hoping for.

Like everybody else says it is easy to set up. Wires are color coded and it is almost impossible to make a mistake. However...what disappointed me the most was the subwoofer. I have 2 Kilspch subwoofers that shake the room. This one is barely audible up front and close. You have to put your hand on the subwoofer to hear a light vibration. But the size is almost as big as my two other Kilpsch SWs. This was for a family room where I could not position any large speakers, it is a very asymmetric room. Yet they are connected to a Samsung 48 in 4K curved TV. We have to make do, I guess.

The Bose AM 6 speakers are attractive and small, so they won't distract from the room decor. The bass module on the other hand may prove a little more conspicuous, as it is rather large, and their recommended setup of having them horizontal to the wall leaves the unit looking like the side of an old computer tower... The proprietary wiring/cabling makes it rather cumbersome; you will end up with a big bundle of wiring near the bass module you'll have to figure out what to do with.

The surround effects and sounds were very good while watching movies. Despite the cube speakers small size, they will fill a good size room with good, but not great sound.

Listening to music was unfortunately a bit disappointing. The highs were a little "tinny" and not crisp. Bass at times was not very defined; it sounded a little "sloppy" for lack of a better term. Some music sounded very good, while some sounded very average. The quality of the source and the style of music at times can complement the system, but overall she sound was good, not great.

If aesthetics are important, this system is one of the least intrusive decor wise (excluding the bass module), which adds value. If you mostly watch movies, and the room size is medium to small, you may be very satisfied.

If, on the other hand you appreciate high fidelity music reproduction, and value that more than other factors, you'll find better value elsewhere.

Good sound for the price.

Good speakers but one of the 4 small speakers showed up torn.

One speaker will not tune properly but for how the system is used it will work

The Speaker set is Great, but before you purchase I would most definatly upgade and purchase better speaker wire at least 18 gage! The speaker wire that comes with, is cheap and very thin wire. Also they do not come with any kind of brakets if you plan to wall mount. Other than that, the sound is perfect for even a large room espeically for the price!

Okay, so I know I am likely comparing Apples to Cucumbers. But I recently switched from SP1800BL's (which I have been using in a home theater environment hooked up to a Yamaha 5.1 receiver for 3 years) and switched to two EPI bookshelf speakers made in 1982 with 8" woofer and 1" tweeter per speaker and the acoustics and dialogue I have been missing in my movies is now really clear to me! I have been needing to watch a movie with the remote in my hand with my thumb resting on the volume control. Turn up to hear dialogue, then turn down for loud music and sound effects. I just watched a movie where i never heard the sound of the actors' shoe soles clicking on the strret asphault while they walked until I plugged in my other speakers and put these away. These speakers just fill a budget. Yes their reliable, I haven't blown them. And yes, No distortion. But if you find it in yourself to save a little money and can find some less expensive bookshelf speakers and good center snd surround speakers you will be so much further ahead of the game. If you're someone that enjoys movies like: Goldeneye, Inception, Blackhawk Down, Trom Legacy, Star Wars, etc. with great, strong sounds you will never ever feel these are adequate speakers. These speakers will now become my new computer speakers. They really have no place in a home theatre setting even with a great receiver. My 2 cents.

Don't expect the best thing since sliced bread. These speakers are ok for their $128 price. I have them paired with an Onkyo TX-SR606, which is about 5 years old. I replaced a set of 10 year old Sony's. I definitely saw an difference. My biggest issue is the sub-woofer. It's kind of hard to calibrate it. It either sounds weak or extremely loud and distorted at high volumes. A woofer should sound punchy, without overshadowing other speakers. On action scenes, all you hear is rumble, not sound. I've had the speakers for 2 days, so I'll update this review as I continue to do benchmark tests.So, if you're looking for the best bang for the buck, this definitely is the set for you. It's more than worth what you pay for. But if you're an audiophile, look somewhere else. I myself am satisfied because these speakers went in my home office where I have an extra TV to watch while I work. My real "theater" sound is in the living room, where I have a Sony STR-DN100 paired with Bose Acoustmass 10.

I was a die hard bose fan for a while. The performance of the products are fantastic just don't expect long term performance. I've had issues with several bose products where systems will fail outside the warranty window.I think most of us want our products to last longer than just the warranty period so it's not unreasonable to expect them to last years longer based on the $$$$ we spend.

Just ok speakers..I Was expecting much bigger mad richer sound from this Bose system but it failed to deliver. Like other cheap sound systems the dialogues are very hard to hear at times. I Have coupled this system with a very expensive Yamaha receiver but it Doesn't help much in improving the performance.

I've always heard mixed reviews about Bose but REALLY like the demo stations in various stores. They sound so clear and have a good range for what I need them for. HOWEVER, when I received this product, I was severely disappointed. NO bass and the little cubes sound atrocious. I know this is an inside unit and that is where I initially set it up. I have tried every combination/setting and equilizer combinations but can't get any sort of clarity. The sound sounds like it is piping through pvc pipes - with a lot of echoing and distant. Maybe I need a professional to come set up the receiver, but where do you find one of those? I would almost return them, but I don't want to give up on them just yet. I am still looking for a tech geek to give me advice.
I did buy these for my back yard theater, but can't use them outside. With no bass in the house, it is even more absent outside. The cubes sound like you are listening through a pair of seashells on your ears. Setup and teardown of the unit takes about 10 minutes for setup, and about the same for teardown.
Pros: Included in the package are MANY feet of wires that are soldered (tinned) on the receiver ends and easy to follow labeling.

Best feature? Automatic sound adjustment calibrates the distance between speakers - BUT overall sooo yesterday.Adequate sound for the size of speakers BUT center speaker inadequate to handle today's technology and the sub woofer is way too large. No HDMI connections - old style bare wire connections and ALL must be connected to the subwoofer which limits the possibilities for its location given - the speaker wire is unique to Bose (connectors in to the sub) - for no technical benefit.Mine is going backAcoustimass 10 is an improvement (50% more expensive) but on price performance not convinced.My view on a Bose $1000 expenditure? $500 for quality/performance of product and $500 for the name..Purchased a Denon receiver and Boston acoustics - based on price performance - slightly lower price much better performance.

Sounds like butt. There is essentially no mid-range at all in this system. The high-miss are very honky, but they're clear. The center channel and sub work great, the sub is very loud. The surround speakers sound great for surround but the mains are just not good and I am going to replace them.

Did not work with my main channel but these would work fine if just used with a regular blu ray player probably. Returned

These speakers were great! At least, until a couple months ago. The center channel speaker would randomly pop and crackle, and then stay at a low humming sound until I reset my receiver.I am not really familiar with Yamaha's warranty service, so I'm not sure what to do. Since it's random, they're usable to a point, but it sucks when I have to reset my receiver during a film.I recommend these regardless, just be aware this can happen anytime with any speaker really.

The subwoofer is very weak, bottoms out over the slightest amount of bass. Every thing else is very good good highs and mid but now I'm left with no bass and need to find a decent subwoofer

sent back sub to small great price thou

I purchased these speakers to pair with a new Yamaha HTR receiver, and to replace two bookshelf speakers (RCA). I thought that having the same brand might yield better results, and based on the reviews reporting the speakers sounded better than average. For those reviewers that claim that these speakers sound as good as more expensive speakers- they don't- not even close. But for the price, ~$115, the speaker sound was adequate- initially. My set arrived late, and the box was damaged. I set the speakers up without issue. I was using the speakers in a small den (13ft x 11 ft). As I said, the sound was adequate and I was initially satisfied. Within a few days, I turned on the recevier to watch a movie, and I noticed that the sound was diminished, so I adjusted the volume- no big deal I thought. However, this trend continued- every few days I would have to adjust the volume as the speakers were steadily loosing sound. After about two weeks, the volume was all the way up to -.05dB (from starting point of -33dB). I tried adjusting the connections, changing speaker positions, etc. Nothing worked. Finally, I disconnected all the speakers and plugged in my old speakers. Sound was great- so the problem was definitely the speakers. I purchased these speakers based on the reviews, the brand, and the small size of the speakers. However, they did not work for me, and I returned them. 5 stars for Amazon's return policy and service, 1 star for this speaker set. Even the most inexpensive speakers are a bad value if there is no sound. Buy something else.

Thought this would be great in a condo where one needs to be careful about too much bass radiating into other units. The bass cannot be turned down enough to make that work. The bass is erratic. There is no real bass, only the occasional booming that is really annoying. I've tried every conceivable setting on my amp and cannot make this system work well at all. I bought 31 days ago at $700. Now they're half that price. Hum.

i only recive the subwoffer and cables BUT I DIDNT RECIVE THE SPEAKERS i canrt belive it

Subwoofer DOA. Satellite speakers tinny and lifeless, my TV sounds better on it's own. Threw it out.

Not good

This is one of the first times I've ordered something off of amazon & very disappointed, & not just with the surround sound. I also bought a receiver & it does not work either. I will not ever order any of my electronics off of amazon again!

My subwoofer doesn't turn on anymore less than a year after I bought it.

I bought these 3 months ago. I am on my second set and have blown the speakers again, I am just watching movies and have a Yamaha receiver. Yamaha Support is terrible and getting someone to help is impossible. It is too bad, Yamaha used to be a great company with a great product.

I bought this yamaha speaker system 80 days ago..It does not come with any mounting system, so purchased it separately from amazon. In 80 days, 2 speakers have gone bad..The system is now mounted, so its more pain to dismantle everything. Amazon would not take a return after 80 days..This product is practically worthless...

Bought this end of September so we've had it less than 4 months and one of the speakers is going bad. Very disappointed. We can't return it either as it's only a 30 day return policy.

Not at all what I was hoping for, the sub completely lacks in power which for any such setup renders the configuration worthless. I will most likely keep the center channel and effect speakers and pitch the sub to a more deserving place such as the trash.

Product did not work upon set up. Waited until we had a long weekend to get new system set up...didn't pay attention to short return time...so now as of 5/24 out of return window and will have to deal with warranty.