twr314

I am trying to decide between these 2 brands. Specifically the Bose 321 GS II system and the Denon S101/301. Can anyone tell me how these systems are? Would there be a big difference between the Denon 101 and the 301? Any help would be appreciated.

The Bus

Although this is a blanket statement, the people I've spoken with who seem to know what they are talking about with audio abhor Bose. So my guess is Denon will be better for you.

twr314

That is the same opinion I have been reading. Most people do not like Bose, I am trying to understand why.

joshd2012

No offense to the original poster, but I thought this was going to be a joke thread by the title.

Definitely go with Denon. While not overly expensive, they are quite powerful and have a great sound.

joshd2012

Here is a famous example that people like to use. Everyone is familiar with the "Bose Wave Radio" and how good it is supposed to sound. Well, that $500 radio uses - get this - paper speaker cones. I'm not kidding. I'm not sure that this lack of quality is saturated throughout their product line, but its not something most people are willing to find out.

BobDole42

Neither.

Bose is awful. They use very cheap and limited range paper cones and mate them to weak subs. If you want a technical breakdown of why they suck, check out AVS forums. If you want a real-world analysis, just listen to them next to any halfway decent system.

Denon makes great receivers, but it isn't a speaker company. I would go with an inexpensive Denon or Marantz receiver and pair it with one of Paradigm's inexpensive surround sound packages. You will get an amazing system for the same price range ($1,000-$1,500)

Good luck!

Spiky

Bose makes the cheapest speakers imaginable, and markets them as though they were the best in the world. They sound like crap since they can't actually play all the frequencies in the audible spectrum, like virtually all other speaker systems can. (ignoring a few at the bottom where a subwoofer comes in) There are major gaps throughout the spectrum with every Bose speaker system. Also, their surround processing is proprietary, even though they claim compatibility with Dolby and DTS soundtracks.

I haven't heard the Denons, but Denon's receivers are excellent, and I'm sure this one is no exception. Don't know about the speakers, but if they are like most, they will sound much better than Bose.

Either of these is a simulated surround sound. This can be pretty decent these days, but it usually has a sweet spot that you must stay in, or the sound gets all funky. The farther apart you can place the 2 speakers, the larger the sweet spot can be. And, of course, it is not the same as real 5.1 sound with 6 speakers. But it can be better than stereo.

I also would get a decent receiver with a 2.1/3.1 surround simulator and a small speaker set instead. Maybe some Rocket speakers or the new SVS coming out.

Spiky

Here is a good explanation. This transfers with moderate alterations to the non-Accoustimass speakers. Their other speakers are better than the AMs, but barely.

http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

Scroll down a bit to the measured frequencies the speakers can handle. This is where their towers or 901s or the 3-2-1 system will differ, but all their speakers have gaps somewhere, just different gaps.

Illinois Enema Bandit

I don't know anything about Denon speakers, but their electronics are first-rate (I own an AVR-3300 receiver and DVD-2900, and have been very satisfied with the performance).

Bose, however, is over-rated and over-priced for what you get; at the price points of Bose products, there is better value and performance to be found from competitors. The Bose speakers I have suffered have been sonically very mediocre.

I would recommend taking music and movies with which you are familiar and listen to them on these products (and others) before making any purchase

Buy Other Sound Equipment

Brian Shannon

Bose 321 GS Series II DVD Home Theater System - 321GSIIBK @1299.99

Denon S-101 $999.99

Based on this alone I would choose Denon. Knowing what I do from 25+ years in audio/video, I would choose Denon over Bose no matter what the price.