Bose - Companion 5 Multimedia Speaker System Review

For two years, now, my partner and I have been going into the Bose store at the local mall, and sampling the goods. They make great sound systems. We have a set of Bose bookshelf speakers, which are very nice, but it'd be nice to have a full-on sound system to go with our 40" HD tv. This week we decided to bite the bullet.

The Bose Companion 5 Multimedia System is truly remarkable. The speakers, themselves, are each about the size of Rubik's Cube...maybe a tiny bit smaller. The subwoofer is, understandably, larger - about the size of a small hard drive for a tabletop PC. The sound that comes out of this small system is really amazing. We've hooked it up to our television and, when playing a movie such as 300, it sounds every bit as big and rich as the sound system at a multiplex. What's more, this sytem is a multimedia system...which means we ca hook it up to a pc, a laptop, or even an Ipod.

Hooking it up is as easy as connecting a set of headphones to an Ipod or Walkman. I'm still amazed that my tiny Ipod and these tiny speakers can fill up our huge living room with such rich, true sound. In fact, the other night I had to remind my partner that it was after 9pm and our neighbors are senior citizens....the sound coming out of the speakers was not unlike what you'd hear out of a souped up car, where the entire trunk has been outfitted with speakers and a subwoofer.

I notice this system is going for $399 on the Bose website. We only paid $299. I'm not sure if it was a special sale, or if there's always a difference between the internet price and the store price. Either way, if you're considering buying a Bose system, I'd advise going to the Bose store. They're really great about encouraging customers to really try out the different products. In our case, buying form the store saved us $100. 

Some people might consider $299 a lot for speakers, but it's really a huge part of the whole entertainment experience, and we hardly ever go out to the movies. As serious dvd collectors and movie houds, we want really a really good picture and a really great sound sytem.