Customer Reviews and Ratings

4.0 out of 5 stars

Based on 149 reviews

  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    Companion 3 series II system was better

    • Written by from Grand Forks

    2 of 2 people found this useful

    I owned the companion 3 series II and was completely in love with them. (5 out of 4 stars) (Not the Companion 3 series III)

    Bought the companion 5 series II because who doesn't want 5 channel sound!?

    Complaints:

    1. No Optical input! (i knew this before purchasing). If you're going to pay 400 dollars for a 5.1 system, it'd better have optical input. Not having optical really limits the use of these speakers to the computer. I DONT CARE if they are called "computer speakers", at this price point they should support ALL COMPUTER AUDIO INPUTS. They're just trying to be stingy and make it so you have to buy their tv system if you want to have a BOSE 5.1 experience when gaming or using Apple TV.

    2. Acoustamass module has a lot less depth in this system, leaving the sound very stringy and over trebled (i only listen to lossless audio)

    3. its a bulky set when you compare it to the companion 3 series II and consider that the companion 5 doesnt sound quite as good.

    Compliments:

    1. If all you do is watch dvd's with 5.1 audio at your computer then by all means, this is the system for you! If you're a normal person and listen to music at your computer and watch movies on your TV then you might want to consider a system that will support both your computer and tv (AKA a system with both analog and digital/optical inputs; logitech makes a decent one) because i dont know about you but the only 5.1 audio i own is Dark Side of the Moon. As much as i love that album from pink floyd, its not worth $400 to experience...

    Was this useful? Companion 3 series II system was better

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  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Good for Gaming but not music

    • Written by from Dorchester

    3 of 8 people found this useful

    If all you are going to do is use these exclusively for gaming and have the money they will make you happy. However, if you want to listen to music you would be much better off selecting another product. On many of my recordings, (both CD and MP3) the vocals and guitar solos sound like they are in another room--way in back of the other instruments. It would appear that if the recording was mixed in certain manner you are not going hear an even mix. For the amount of money I spent on these I'm a little disappointed.

    Was this useful? Good for Gaming but not music

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    highly recommended

    • Written by from Petach Tikva

    7 of 9 people found this useful

    I use this acoustic for 5 years and every time admire the quality
    certainly not fair to compare with hi quality floor standing speakers with good amplifier
    but for their size, they do a great job

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great speakers

    • Written by from Calgary

    9 of 11 people found this useful

    Set the speakers up today and am amazed on how well they sound love them!

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Disappointing

    • Written by from Miami

    6 of 23 people found this useful

    If you like music and looking for detail and clarity you will not find it here. Don't waste your time and money.

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    More than amazing!

    • Written by from Buenos aires

    7 of 8 people found this useful

    This speakers make you feel that you are in a recording studio. They are incredible, you can feel every single sound of the song/radio etc you are playing, more than recomended!!

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great Computer Speakers

    • Written by from Rumford

    7 of 7 people found this useful

    I bought these speakers well over a year ago and get this, had them hooked up to my sony flat screen T.V. I was still saving for a real surround sound system because everyone knows the speakers on a flat screen are terrible . So, I hooked them up and I couldn't belive the sound that came from them, Amazing. Well time went on and I just recently bought an iMac and hooked these speakers up to it. The sound quality is incredible. All I had to do was go through utilities and I was all set. If you look through the owners manual on these speakers, they even list hooking these up to an iMac, directions included. I have know idea what other people are talking about when they are downgrading these speakers, personally, you really have to hear them. But remember that they are still computer speakers, not an extreme home audio system. Believe me when I tell you, these little speakers do the job just fine. Well worth the money.

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    awesome but no surround sound (5.1) for iTunes Purchasing movies.

    • Written by from Grenoble

    6 of 10 people found this useful

    Awesome speakers. 5.1 surround sounds works well with dvd movies but disappointed about the fact that it won't be recognised as a 5.1 home theatre by iTunes. So you won't be able to use the 5.1 surround sound.

    It's kinda painful to spend that money on these but after few hours of entertainment you won't regret it at all.
    You will discover your entire library.

    Was this useful? awesome but no surround sound (5.1) for iTunes Purchasing movies.

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Buy them, but not for "surround sound"

    • Written by from Montreal

    9 of 9 people found this useful

    This is a wonderful sound system for sitting at your desk and listening to music. The sound quality is amazing, there is *no* distortion and they have some real fidelity.

    The construction is excellent, the design is well-done and the materials are certainly not skimped out on. These feel like a sound system I will own for a decade. The desk controls are very good; a remote would have been nice, though.

    That being said, don't get these if you're looking for surround sound. This is an amazing sound system with great audio, but it's not a surround sound system. I got them just because I wanted good speakers and I was very satisfied.

    Was this useful? Buy them, but not for "surround sound"

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Disappointing mid-range and vocals

    • Written by from North Vancouvver

    6 of 17 people found this useful

    Have to rock the boat. The glowing reports seen here and elsewhere for this Companion 5 "surround sound" system could easily woo an innocent into believing this is a system worthy of the hefty price tag. Not so.
    True it provides excellent bass, treble and other ranges with remarkable clarity. It has that "feel good" sound - you know what I mean - when you are almost swept away by the grandeur of the sound.
    BUT. The vocals sound distant, far away even. And then the reverb slider gets stuck on overload. A range of different music from classical, to pop, to jazz, to electronic, to blues, to... just about any genre in my very eclectic collection yields the same result. It's like the singers are inside a glass case. Combine that with the reverb issue and the result is that you can't hear what is being sung, like a badly mixed demo tape. Hey, I like reverb too, just not all the time, and not always at the maximum setting.
    Oh if you like instrumentals only, you might be happy... hmmm... well, no, not even then. Sorry. You're just missing too much from the mid-range, even with a plethora of equalizer options. I also tried using an audio cable instead of the USB connection. Same result.
    Incidentally, it was the same on a different unit in the audio store when I tested the equipment. I was willing to give the sales guy a break and accept that it could have been someone fiddling with the cables behind the counter. Idiot me.
    Personally, I think Bose have done an excellent marketing job on this system but the surround sound they laud is but a euphemism for "crank up the reverb and squidge the singer into a wee glass case". After nearly two weeks of trying to make this system work in a variety of locations around my house and with different inputs and devices attached, enough is enough. Be a companion, Bose - surround me with my money back please.

    Was this useful? Disappointing mid-range and vocals

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  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Bose® Companion® 5

    • Written by from Saugus

    20 of 23 people found this useful

    I was always a Bose Hater and thought they where the most overated speakers out there. I found a set of these used locally for a great price and picked them up. I think they sound very good in fact I compared them to *3* other top rated 2.1 PC speaker systems and the Bose sounded better than the rest. I bet half the *hater* reviews are from people that don't even own them......

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Great for Movies and Games But sound Terrible with music!

    • Written by from New York

    20 of 23 people found this useful

    I've had these on my iMac for over 5 years and they are a durable product that does sound good with loud games and movies when audio accuracy doesn't play a part in listening enjoyment. However, when I'm playing music files in uncompressed files like Flac Aiff, or Wav format then these speakers show their true nature which is they are incapable of reproducing accurate tonal quality whatsoever. In fact they sound the same whether you listen to highly compressed mp3 or uncompressed music files and their bass is has an artificial sound quality. When playing music featuring an upright acoustic bass guitar it sounds like an electric bass guitar from a Casio keyboard. I find almost all Bose speakers terrible at accurate reproduction of musical notes. Only recommended if you listen to electronic hip-hop or mp3.

    Was this useful? Great for Movies and Games But sound Terrible with music!

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Over rated and Over Priced!!!

    • Written by from OAKLAND

    22 of 37 people found this useful

    These speakers are over hyped. I bought these speakers, listen to it for an less than an hour, and return them right away. If you want some really good speakers , get some KRKs, Audioengine or some M-audio. For the same price or less, any of those speaker brand that I just mention sounds a lot better than Bose. Stop getting ripped off by Bose everybody!!!

    Was this useful? Over rated and Over Priced!!!

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Tinny Sound, Lack of mids and lows

    • Written by from Castle Rock

    12 of 20 people found this useful

    Bose has great marketing, but an absolutely horrible product, Im coming from years of KRK's, Bowers and Wilkins and as sound goes Bose is terrible, I bought these, listened to them for 5 minutes, put them back in the box and returned them, Horrible. All the subwoofer does is give mid's.

    Was this useful? Tinny Sound, Lack of mids and lows

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Awesome Speakers

    • Written by from Cave city

    9 of 13 people found this useful

    These speakers are well worth the money. Great surround sound and perfect, crisp music.

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Mountain lion

    • Written by from Paris

    13 of 23 people found this useful

    Problem on a newly bought Mac mini with mountain lion. I can see the Bose in the System Pref and in the Midi Audio app (utilities). The user guide shows screenshots with older OS. I tried to do the same but no sound is coming out. Contacted Bose support but they say I should speak with apple care, in other words, they say it is an apple problem. The Bose tech guy has no clue on mountain lion and said he works on windows environment only and cannot check, strange answer!

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Really Disappointed

    • Written by from Weatherford

    8 of 12 people found this useful

    I am really disappointed in this product. For Bose it really falls short. The highs are way to high and the bass really lacks a punch. I have an older system that blows this one out of the water; however, I cannot find a way to make the older system compatible with MAC products. I recently just switched to all MAC products and I really wanted the exceptional 5.1 sound that I am used to and this product failed. It is getting boxed back up and shipped back ASAP.

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    BC5 is a good spend

    • Written by from New Albany

    6 of 7 people found this useful

    I have owned my BC5 for nearly 3 years trouble free. It is a near field unit designed to perform within range of one's arm's length. I think the adoring public forgets this fact. The BC5 can over perform and light up the room, but close or near field sonics is its specialty. Fortunately we live in an age of gadgets. High Resolution Technologies offers the HRT iStreamer. It allows one to connect the ipod, iphone, or ipad directly into the BC5. The Digital Signal Processor submitted by Bose is usurped by the Streamer which has its own sound card or DSP. The sound is more in your face. Bass response booms and the whole unit performs far better. I touched the rear of the bass module its warmer to the touch. Minus the istreamer the BC5 has met my ear expectations for ambience during school study nights. I recommend the BC5 because it musically works.

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Best used for Gaming/Movies not Music

    • Written by from LENEXA

    10 of 11 people found this useful

    Purcahsed the Bose Companion 5 system to go with my Late 2009 iMac. Easy setup with decent instructions for the novice. Sonic reproduction for games and moives (for simulated surround)is good. Although the astute listener won't be fooled into thinking that there are speakers behind him or her.

    When listening to music the system fails by adding coloration to a two-channel source. Vocals have too much reverb and sometimes sound hollow with an echo effect. Music listeninig in general is mediocre. Highs and mid-range tend to mell and sound shallow. Bass is booming and lacks punch and tightness. Would easily recommend this system to someome looking for a good gaming speaker setup or watching movies with 5.1 encoding on their computer.

    A better choice for music listening are the BX5D2's by M-Audio. They are somewhat bulky at 7 x 7.5 x 10 (W x D x H). However they do an excellent job when playing music and produce a studio quality flat response. They also perform quite well with games and moives but not as well as the Bose Companion 5's. However, they don't do anything poorly enough to make me look elsewhere. Did I mention they cost $100 less than the Bose Companion 5 system

    Was this useful? Best used for Gaming/Movies not Music

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Buy these speakers!

    • Written by from KELOWNA

    11 of 14 people found this useful

    Before I bought these speakers, I read the reviews and was having a hard time deciding on whether I should buy them or not, there was a lot of different reviews. Well I bought them and I do not regret it. I am very picky when it comes to the sound of my music and these Bose rock really well. I adjusted the itunes equalizer, even after they suggested not to, and I love the sound. Very good quality and great bass. I mean they aren't pushing a thousand watts per speaker, but they are only computer speakers and great ones at that.