Bose Knows How Audio Flows -- the Bose outdoor speakers
Written: Aug 09 '00 (Updated Jun 06 '01)
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Pros: Compact speakers, easy to install, very good sound
Cons: At times, it's difficult to get adequate volume (say during a patio party)
The Bottom Line: Price, sound quality, and the Bose name make these speakers a recommended buy!
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| CodeBaloo's Full Review: Bose MODEL 151 Main/Stereo Speaker |
Bose Audio has traditionally been known for indoor home audio speakers. Over the past 10-15 years, they have only introduced a handful of products outside that arena, primarily because the speaker product standards are so high. Therefore, when new products are released, customer satisfaction and product loyalty tends to be quite high. The 151 Environmental series is no exception.
Before getting into my review, it is important to point out that, as of this writing, Epinions has posted a product image of the 131 Marine speaker, not the 151 Environmental. The 151 speaker is rectangular, or box-shaped, not round. The 151 comes in black or white, and measures about 9” long, 6” wide, and 6” deep. And while it can be used in a marine environment, it is more suited to larger, slower boats, or deckboats, than small speedboats. For the latter, the 131 Marine is the correct product.
Even with small speakers, it is best to listen to several sets, since each brand has a unique sound. Bring your own CD to the store. A speaker that sounds great in the store with Metallica may sound awful at home with Brass, Ivory & Strings. The 151 is “ported”, meaning that it has a opening designed to deliver much fuller and richer bass than you would initially expect to come out of such a small package. This porting has been a staple in Bose speakers for a very long time, so they have become very good at designing efficient speaker ports. There is no way, besides saying that the sound is superb, that I can “sell” the sound quality of these speakers here. But, if you are looking at speakers to use outdoors, near a pool, of in a very busy kitchen, you have additional considerations. And those I can address.
The speaker driver is full-range, 4½”, and made of a polymer composite designed specifically for “difficult” environments. It will not warp or deteriorate in areas with wide temperature or humidity ranges nearly as quickly as a traditional paper driver.
Externally, the grille is both functional, and quite attractive. Instead of a mesh pattern, the 151’s grille is perforated with very small (I’d guess 2mm, or so) circular holes. The grille itself is rigid to the touch, made out of a high-impact plastic. The entire housing is water-resistant, and weather-tight. All of the mounting hardware, of course, is also weather resistant.
Bose products come with a five-year warranty from Bose, which is unusually long for audio equipment, and means you probably won’t have to endure the salesman’s pitch for purchasing a warranty extension. TIP: Don’t be swayed if the salesman tries to downplay the Bose warranty and offers an third-party “free replacement” warranty – Bose is well-known for their accommodation of customers and quick problem resolution. Also, don't bother shopping around for price, since Bose is firm with their resellers that only Bose itself will discount their product. Anyway, the 151s are worth the $250.
With one warning, I can whole-heartedly recommend the 151 Environmental speakers. They are affordable, great sounding, and incredibly durable. What’s the warning? Remember at the beginning of this review, that I mentioned Bose’s customer satisfaction and loyalty. Once you own a pair of Bose speakers – the 151 or any other pair – you will likely want to buy more Bose products, since you’ll begin questioning the quality of your existing audio equipment. And some of their products, while certainly awesome, can be quite pricey.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 248
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Epinions.com ID:
CodeBaloo
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Member: Mike Morgan
Location: New Mexico, USA
Reviews written: 31
Trusted by: 63 members
About Me:
An intelligent, opinionated, compassionate, argumentative ENTP. In short, just an all-around Swell Heckuva Guy.
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