I really thought I had lost it when I started looking at the Bose system. I didn't think there would be all that much different but there is a huge difference in the sound and I am so glad I went ahead and bought this little unit. Sound Quality There really is a difference in the smoothness of the sound. I find that I find what I would call soothing. It's like a softness and even more understandable. I went to buy a inexpensive unit and when the salesman ask if I would like to look at this unit, I thought no way am I going to go to that much expense but much to my surprise, this unit was about what any of the better units cost. Compatibility I wanted to surprise my hubby with this set for his birthday and so my brother-in-law who says he doesn't know anything about electronics came over and connected it to the television. He said the instructions made it easy to follow and he only had to make one phone call to ask for help. My husband loves to have music on during the day and I find that this Bose unit doesn't irritate me like our other unit did. Yes, there is a difference and I would recommend checking out Bose before you decide on purchasing any type of sound system. Ease of Use Once it was connected there really isn't much to do but turn it off and on. Durability We haven't had this unit but a few months but based on the quality of the unit's sound, I see no reason that this set won't last for years. Design I really didn't want something else hooked up in the family room but the design and size of the unit makes it less intrusive looking than the one that we had. It is a smaller unit and I really don't mind it being in there.

SonoraLiving

Peoria, AZ

I have two of these units in our home. The provide great sound with very easy setup. Using the optical cable out from our TV sets, we get outstanding sound. You do not need an audio receiver and the universal remove with the Bose unit is very good. I would recommend getting the "GS" version as the Gemstone speakers have the best sound. Highly recommended. Sound Quality Loud, clear voices, great bass and just good sound. Compatibility Two connections. Optical out from your TV or A/V (Red and White) for compatibility. No coaxial input. Ease of Use Setup is very fast and there isn't much you can mess up. Includes the optical cable. Durability I've had 1 unit for over a year. No issues. Design Great design. Small GS speakers and you can hide the Acoustimass unit.

bloom2708

USA

With Bose CineMate GS Series II Speaker System the home theater experience is enhanced tremendously.  The clearity of sound is unbelievable.  Easy installation was a big plus for the electronically challenged such as myself.  The cost of the Bose System is well worth paying for because of the quality of the product.

moorms

Cuyahoga Falls, OH

I bought this system at Target thinking it'd be a great multipurpose device serving as both my home stereo system and surround sound system for TV and it does both rather poorly.  It does sound good but you aren't getting the latest and greatest surround sound system with only left and right channels.  You're limited in controlling the various sound settings that are standard on even the lowest-end systems - it's confusing and difficult to adjust the bass and treble and forget about any equalization.  I sold this system on craigslist when I came across a good deal on the 321 system.  The remote is also difficult to master and navigate - although I was successful in getting it to work for both my Comcast cable box and Sharp 42" LCD WideScreen 1080p flatpanel television set.    Pros: Good Sound Bose Quality and Name Cons: Limited adjustibility No HDMI Not very powerful - loud. Difficult to set up and use

geoffwarner

Denver, CO

Have owned these Bose speakers for about 6 years now. They are hooked up to our main floor living room tv (Sony 42"). The surround sound is very good and it gets plenty loud. The subwoofer puts out pretty good bass and looks good too. We purchased this system because it only had 2 speakers and we didnt have to run alot of wires. We have a larger tv and full surround system in our basement family room that we primarily use so this sytem isn't used alot (only gets turned on for movies), but we've never had a problem with it. The bad thing is the remote basicly is only used to turn the system on and control the volume otherwise if we could use our primary remote to control it we would use it more. Listening to music through a dvd sounds really good.  Bose makes great quality stereo and speaker equipment that will last a long time. Anyone looking for a compact surround will not be dissapointed.

apeemay

Barnesville, MN

I have this surrond sound system in my home and I have to say I LOVE IT. The sound quality is amazing. There are times that I hear sounds in a video I have watched several times on other systems that I didn't hear before. There are many subtle sounds packed into movies and shows these days that you simply miss on regular sound systems. The bose makes it crisp and crystal clear. The drawbacks are that you have to learn how to use the system and it might be a little difficult at first. You end up using the remote for volume that comes with the system and don't use the TV sound anymore so it takes a little getting used to it. The sitter or other visitors may have difficulty in figuring out how to turn up or down the sound. But my kids learned it pretty easily. You can also connect all the components to it like your DVD player, your cable, and video games etc so you have great sound for all the equipment. Another potential draw back is that it can get very loud sometimes. Some movies have very soft dialogue but when the music comes on it gets really loud. So on the bose that is hard to manage because the surround sound may give you too big a sound for those shots.

saverus

Houston, TX