Bose Computer MusicMonitor, Silver

2016-12-08T19:00:00

Recently we bought the Bose Computer MusicMonitors to add music another room in our home. We have several Bose computer speakers connected to Airport Expresses in order to stream music all throughout the house. How do the MusicMonitors perform and compare to other Bose offerings? Here are our impressions: BUILD The MusicMonitors are built like a tank! There is a great heft to the metal inclosure which houses the proprietary transducers, passive radiators and non-linear amp. The quality and heft of the speakers are similar to that of the solid metal SoundLink Mini. Unfortunately the remote, while handy, feels cheep. Still, it will more likely be lost than broken. SOUND If there were just one word to describe the sound it would be, "CRISP!" When we played a CD on our iMac we could hear every nuance of every instrument with incredible separation and precision. The detail, clarity and over-all sound signature are very similar to my Bose QC15 over-ear headphones which are great. At lower volumes, The MusicMonitors can be a bit too crisp. They can sound sterile lacking warmth. Crank the MusicMonitors up, however, and they become deep and rich as is expected from Bose. By the way, there is virtually no downgrade in music quality when the volume is maxed out. Instead the quality shines more the louder they are played. Voices are projected nicely front-and-center to the rest of the music. This is fantastic as many Bose speakers tend to have mids that are slightly withdrawn - QC15 headphones included. FURTHER COMPARISONS So, we compared our new purchase to the Bose Companion 20 which are also computer speakers. The 20s are much more pleasantly warm sounding at every volume, though not as crisp and detailed as the Monitors. The Companion 20 also are more dynamic with a punchier bass. I would say that even the bass on the Companion 2 Series III speakers has more thump than the Monitors though the quality of the bass on the Companion 2's sounds synthetic and very loose by comparison. Of course, none of these can match the bass of our Bose Companion 3 Series II (yes, we own them all) which has a dedicated subwoofer. The MusicMonitors sound far more detailed and accurate than the Bose SoundDock Series II. Yet again, the Monitors lack some of that richness at lower volumes that even the SoundDock has. Finally, the MusicMonitors get much louder than our SoundLink Color and there is no comparison to the quality of the sound - the Monitors easily best the bluetooth speaker in every regard. CONCLUSION The Bose MusicMonitors are a small pair of speakers that give a GREAT quality of music at moderately high volumes. If you need the small footprint then they are the best you can get. For example, if you travel and want laptop speakers which will outperform a Bluetooth speaker then you cannot go wrong with the MusicMonitors. If decision is amongst Bose computer speakers then you have a more difficult decision. I agree with other reviewers who say that the Monitors are more accurate in faithful music reproduction, but the Companion 20's generally sound better because of the greater warmth and dynamics. The 20's are about twice the size though. If space is not the issue, then consider a 2.1 Bose computer system - you will fall in love. Really, it is not just about having loud bass. The subwoofer makes all music much more dynamic and engaging.

DW

Originally posted at

2016-11-25T19:00:00

As soon as I found these little gems on the Bose website I purchased them.They are wonderful and worth every penny. If I redesigned them at all, I would change the wiring set up. For example there is way too much extra cordage that I have bundled up behind my MacBook. I only need maybe 18 inches and there is nothing you can do about it. Other than that these things are awesome.

chip

Originally posted at

2016-11-16T19:00:00

I bought these originally to take with us on cruises to be able to enjoy our classical music. I'm very, very pleased with the sound and their compactness and light weight. I have other Bose products and would not have chosen any other; but am so glad that they design their products so well. I do also use them at home for a better experience than what my computer provides. They aren't a 'concert experience' but for what they are but are excellent for the price and size.

laceysenior73

Originally posted at

2016-10-30T20:00:00

I've been using this speaker ever since it first came out, probably around 2009. The sound quality was superb compare to any other brand and the design of this speaker was built solid!!!. But the problem I found recently is that the left speaker, had been on and off sometime. I tried switch the cable but it didn't help. Seem like it had its time with me. Still Love this speakers a lot!!!

Sunny

Originally posted at

2016-08-14T20:00:00

sound is great.Mids and high's are great. Bass is surprisingly good.loudness more than good enough for your desk but don't use these for anything else.Because their designed for you to be sitting in front of them that's when the sound experience is best.

True r.

Originally posted at

2016-07-14T20:00:00

I received the Computer MusicMonitor speakers yesterday and was disappointed after trying them out. They are no where near as good as the older version of Companion 2 speakers I had for almost 10 years, and simply cannot handle a lot of bass. They appear to be more of a glorified (and very expensive) version of regular computer speakers. I am going to exchange these and try out the Companion 20 speakers. For music lovers, I would not recommend these speakers.

WH

Originally posted at

2016-06-30T20:00:00

I bought these quite a while ago to carry with me for classes I was teaching at our regional campus. Later, I used them in my new studio for speakers out of the Mac I own. Recently, they simply quit. No warning, no clear issue, just quit. I loved these, would buy again, but for the price had hoped they would last a little longer.

Doctrpt

Originally posted at

2016-05-30T20:00:00

I´ve changed my 10 years bose mediamate speakers for those ones. First I was a little worried because I think they where pretty small, but I found that The sound it's absolutely clear, crisp with really good bass response.

dmw

Originally posted at

2015-12-06T19:00:00

1 year used and transported in different places with my Mac. Always pure chrystal clear sound out of it. Ideal tool in an appartement, you will live the music!

BravoRomeo

Originally posted at

2015-12-05T19:00:00

Bought a pair for my Mac...loved them! Bought another pair for office PC, even though wasn't used as much. Bought 3rd pair when pesky AV receiver had to go back to receiver hospital for a few weeks, and DTV box powered these little guys in the Home Theater as a temp. Substitute

6penxe

Originally posted at

2015-11-05T19:00:00

The Bose Computer MusicMonitor are expensive, but the best small wired speakers for Mac, hands down.

BoX

Originally posted at