Sorry to inform you… Bose is not a quality sounding speaker system from a music, nor from a home theater standpoint. Having been a high end salesperson, I can tell you 1 universal truth, Bose is expensive NOT because it is quality gear… But because they have the best marketing in the business. Bose is one of the most profitable stereo companies on the planet, charging anywhere from 50-100% margin on every product. No other component company makes anywhere near that much profit. Check my profile for other answers I have given on this subject. We used to joke about Bose when we sold them (not to the customers of course) "No Highs, All Lows, it MUST be Bose!" They turn the bass up far too high, but because people tend to like music they can FEEL, the "Bose sound" has become acceptable to many people.

Hope this helps!!

I know of some home theater speakers that perform much better than you’d expect for next to nothing… Like the Insignia bookshelves from Best Buy that have been getting some attention…http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7705307&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03043&id=1138085354138 One speaker may be used as a center speaker. Or the Sony SS- series that Consumer Reports rated higher than many more expensive speakers (larger speakers in the series recommended for main L+R channel use, such as SS-MF750H). The Sony SA-WX700 subwoofer will give most $500.00 subs some REAL competition as far as quantity AND quality of sound at less than half the cost. I would recommend this sub to anyone on a budget seeking excellent performance. Worthy of being matched with high quality mid-priced speakers.

I’ve heard the newest series of Cerwin Vega speakers is sounding pretty good (V-series or Classic series actually) and is priced competitively. (not the cheapest, less than many, good value)

At a higher price level, I like Wharfedale Diamond, PSB, Boston Acoustics, Energy, NHT, Definitive Tech… as some strong values. Worth their higher price for the performance delivered. There are many others around this price level and worth it… Too many to mention… Dynaudio makes some awesome speakers for more money… The speakers in these price-ranges will generally sound cleaner and more detailed without sounding harsh.

If I had to choose the best speakers from those being sold at Best Buy or Circuit City…. I’d choose JBL at Best Buy (Klipsch come close, something wrong with the midrange sounds)… Infinity at Circuit City… The DCM speakers at Circuit City sound decent for cheap. Could compare favorably to the Sony SS- series I mentioned. Klipsch makes a Reference Series not sold at Best Buy that sounds much better and is a VERY strong contender in it’s price-range.

There are many high-end home theater speakers costing many thousands of dollars that I don’t have much experience with. I have heard a few and was pretty impressed though…

I am not going to specify a brad cuz i don’t know your budget. So with out a budget my recommendation is to spend the same amount on speakers that you spent on your DVD, CD, and Receiver combined. So if you have a $200 DVD + $100 CD + $700 receiver then spend $1000 on the speakers or more if you have the cash. Speakers make the biggest difference! Also for music and movies, if your budget allows, get something with larger front speakers that can represent bass. Subs are fine if that’s the system you can afford, although bass is mostly non-directional, even i can tell where a 30Hz tone is coming from so frontal bass is more satisfying. And by all means if you can afford larger front and a sub then do both.

Listening tip, people tend to buy overly bright or bass sounding speakers (Bose) because side by side to a "smooth" pair they seem to sound better. That is until you get fatigued from listening to them. So think when you are listening "wow that treble is crisp and loud, sounds good"…… think about it, is it over the top, is that going to bug me when I’m watching a movie?

hope this helps

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T h e a t e r i n g !