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Customer Reviews for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Model: 161
SKU: 4151394
UPC: 017817282994
Stereo or surround, these speakers offer high performance in a slim, elegant design. High-excursion Twiddler drivers in an Articulated Array® provide efficient Stereo Everywhere® performance. Learn more about Bose products and proprietary technologies in our Bose Store.
Average Customer Rating:
4.6
out of 5
(33 Reviews) 33
Rating Snapshot 33 reviews
5 stars
25
4 stars
4
3 stars
3
2 stars
1
1 star
0
88% of customers would recommend this product to a friend
(
29 out of
33)
Customer Reviews for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Review 1 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Nice rear 5.1 speakers!
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
4.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Price, mounting brackets, sound clarity
What's not so great: Not great for free-standing application
Got these to augment my Denon AVR-1912, Bose 301's, Klipsch center, and Pioneer sub. Mounted these on my back wall at about 10' high. Since in the rear, I reversed the L & R, so the "R" speaker is actually the L Rear. My autosetup mic detected these were out-of-phase, so I reversed the + & - wiring; worked like a charm afterward. These bring a nice, mid-to-high-end touch to my system. These were the clearist speakers in the store and sound great at home. I am now a huge fan of Denon's auto-setup to calibrate your system. Great that they included the mounting brackets; essential as these are not very good free-standing. Best of all, very inexpensive at apx. $ 160.
This product has... Right size for my space, Easy to set up, Good build quality
About me... practical, Tech savvy
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Bose 166 Speakers
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
4.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Small spreakers with great sound
What's not so great: Need to supplement with subwoofer
If you want great sound and you don't have space for large speakers, this is an excellent option. We moved to a town home and didn't want to have our Boston Accoustic speakers taking up a lot space standing on the floor next to our stereo cabinet. Shelf speakers was our best solution. These Bose speakers give you great un-destorted sound in the high range with great volume. When you partner them with a sub-woofer, you have a great sound without conspicuous speakers. Our subwoofer could easily be hidden and the Bose shelf 166 speakers blended in nicely.
This product has... Right size for my space, Easy to set up
About me... practical
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Superb Bose sound for the average user!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: knostic64
from Los Angeles
on 01/31/2012
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Top quality sound at entry-level price
If you want top-notch, immersive sound but you don't have the space or the budget for a state-of-the-art, high-end home theater system, pick up a pair of these babies and you will be amazed at the results. Simply using them as the left and right channels for our basic stereo TV has enhanced our entertainment experience 1000%. They are an ideal, affordable option for any would-be audio connoisseur, and they are more than adequate for almost anything the average user might want them for. Best of all, if you have ambitions for growing into a more elaborate system, these are an excellent entry-level choice, because they are fully capable of delivering outstanding audio on their own and are still integratable into a larger, more complex home theater later on. There are less expensive speakers out there, but come on- these are BOSE! And if you're going to buy some nice speakers, why not do it right? The best value for your money, without doubt!
This product has... Right size for my space, Good build quality
About me... practical, Tech savvy
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Excellent value
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
4.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Price vs performance
Mounted inside my sailboats cabin. Don't normally crank it up... So the low tone/volume performance is very important to me. Excellent sound for the price.
This product has... Right size for my space, Easy to set up, Good build quality
About me... practical, Tech savvy
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
purchased for a home office
Customer Rating
3.0
Value for Price
3.0
Sound Quality
3.0
Appearance
4.0
Power
3.0
What's great about it: decent for the price
What's not so great: poor bass
not bad for the price......poor bass output.....returned and bought JBL bookshelfs at same price and much happier now.....once again JBL outperforms Bose
This product has... Right size for my space, Easy to set up, Good build quality
About me... Audiophile
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-3points
4out of 11found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Find a better bookshelf for less...
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: BDarts
on 12/17/2011
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Inexpensive
What's not so great: ?
Like it says above, find a better for less. Not just sound, but looks, size, and power. Compared to speakers within the same price range, these sounded the best to me after listening to the Polk Bookshelves, Klipsch, and even the greatly rated Pioneers. They have great output from any receiver I have and after breaking in for a few weeks they sound excellent for $75 a piece.
This product has... Right size for my space, Easy to set up
About me... Tech savvy
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Great Sounding Compact Speaker
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
4.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Sound and appearance
What's not so great: Slightly pricey
Bose has always been tops, and these are no exception. Great 3 way sound, with slight bass. I put these on my dresser to match up with a Sony mini reciever, and they fit right in with my decor and sound great. I continue to be slightly annoyed that you can't use any type of discounts coupons when purchasing Bose products.
This product has... Right size for my space, Easy to set up, Good build quality
About me... practical, Tech savvy
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Love them!
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Great price
We are very happy with these speakers!! Great sound...GREAT PRICE!! We've never been disappointed with the Bose name and quality of their products!
This product has... Right size for my space, Easy to set up
About me... Technically challenged
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
It's Bose
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Great sound
What's not so great: Nothing bad about this product
I bought these speakers to complete my home theater setup and I'm not disappointed. They fit perfectly with my other Bose speakers. They are everything you would expect from a Bose product. Great for a home theater setup, highly recommended and as always, great service from Best Buy.
This product has... Right size for my space, Easy to set up, Good build quality, great sound quality
About me... Audiophile
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
4out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Great Surround Speakers
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
4.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Sound, Sound, Sound!!!
What's not so great: Price is a bit steep...
Simply put, "I love them!" Great sound quality (so good that my other speakers seem under powered now) a pretty good bang for the buck. Also awesome that they come with wall mounts!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+4points
4out of 4found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Awesome speakers
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Everything
What's not so great: Nothing so far
My wife and I bought these as we were redoing our living room and we decided to get rid of our aging LG floor tower speakers.
We bought these as front speakers and were amazed at the sound quality and how they looked mounted under our new 60" sharpe TV.
We used them for a week and decided to up grade the other speakers.
We used them for a week and decided to up grade the other speakers.
So we bought 2 more sets. For the rears and the center. Yes we used two speakers for the center and have to say it works amazing.
We love the way they look and love the way they sound.
They are just the right size and everyone that comes over is just impressed with them.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
4out of 7found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
You can't go wrong with Bose!
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
4.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Awesome sound.
What's not so great: Nothing that I can think of.
I'm still working on my theater room but these speakers make a great addition to our setup. The sound great, they're small enough to not overwhelm the walls where they are mounted. I'm very pleased!
I was pleasantly surprised to see that they come with wall mounting brackets too!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
5out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Perfect speakers - looks small sounds big
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
3.0
Power
4.0
What's great about it: Small, Sounds big, cheap
What's not so great: Awkward shape if used as Front speakers
Tested out this speakers as front speakers at home. Contenders were Bose 201 series V and Definitive Pro Monitor 800. The speaker sounded as good as the other two supposedly superior products.
I connected the speakers to a high current receiver, set the speakers to large to allow full range sounds to be passed to the speakers.
Bose sounded more clearer than Definitive. The Bose 201 series V had more bass. I then set the speaker setting to small in the receiver. And Lo there was no difference between the two Bose.
Another thing to note is the Definitive although had been rated a low bass frequency, I couldn't find any difference between settings of large and small in the receiver. This is strange because the receiver has a cut off of 100 Hz when the speaker setting is set to small. The Bose 161 like the Definitive did not have any sound difference between the receiver settings of large and small. Since Bose 161 worked similar to Defnitive, I deceided to keep it. Only issue was the shape was awkward.
As surrond speakers these are great and a must for every custom configured Home theater.
I connected the speakers to a high current receiver, set the speakers to large to allow full range sounds to be passed to the speakers.
Bose sounded more clearer than Definitive. The Bose 201 series V had more bass. I then set the speaker setting to small in the receiver. And Lo there was no difference between the two Bose.
Another thing to note is the Definitive although had been rated a low bass frequency, I couldn't find any difference between settings of large and small in the receiver. This is strange because the receiver has a cut off of 100 Hz when the speaker setting is set to small. The Bose 161 like the Definitive did not have any sound difference between the receiver settings of large and small. Since Bose 161 worked similar to Defnitive, I deceided to keep it. Only issue was the shape was awkward.
As surrond speakers these are great and a must for every custom configured Home theater.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+4points
9out of 14found this review helpful.
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Review 14 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Unbeatable speaker set for the price.
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Great price, excellent sound quality
What's not so great: nothing
I bought this set for my surround sound back speakers and was blown away at the power they can handle with great sound.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+6points
6out of 6found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
great value
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
I have own Bose speakers for years. I had 901s now have double cubes in the living room. Put 161s in my bedroom with sony 32 inch lcd and apple tv great sound and good power for a 10 by 12 room their great. I didnt know they came with the wall mounts nice touch and they are very easy to install. Alot speaker for 140 bucks.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+6points
6out of 6found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Great Speakers for Decent Price
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
3.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Great sound
What's not so great: That curve!
These speakers sound good, Bose never seems to fail me. Although the shape and curve to them are a little awkward. You cant stand them up vertically without it wobbling due to the curve, so I lay it down until I mount it. But the sound is great! Thinking of buying another pair - I'm still lacking 4 speakers for my 7.1 :(
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 17 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Nice Rear Speakers
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
4.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
4.0
What's great about it: You can turn them sideways if ya want
What's not so great: ??????
These are great little speakers for the money. I normally roll with JBL. Have all Jbl speakers however Best Buy does not carry em anymore.
So I gave these a shot because I wanted something small, They are my 6th and 7th speaker for crying out loud! Great purchase. Sound you expect from bose in a small speaker. They might not do the job by them selfs. but as the "extra" speakers they are awsome, my stereo is rated at 130 watts per channel and these little bad boys are rated at 100 watts. So they sound great! Not lacking power! Makes a diff.,
Would buy them again, no regrets.
AS far as the review that bashes the mounting hardware, if you put it together right it is EASY AS PIE. You first determine where you want them. there is a left and right. Mount the speaker bracket to speaker, wall bracket to wall. Plug your speaker wire in and then hang them on the ALLREADY MOUNTED WALL BRACKETS. After you simply hang them on the wall bracket, attatch the provided screw to tighten, Cmon.
So I gave these a shot because I wanted something small, They are my 6th and 7th speaker for crying out loud! Great purchase. Sound you expect from bose in a small speaker. They might not do the job by them selfs. but as the "extra" speakers they are awsome, my stereo is rated at 130 watts per channel and these little bad boys are rated at 100 watts. So they sound great! Not lacking power! Makes a diff.,
Would buy them again, no regrets.
AS far as the review that bashes the mounting hardware, if you put it together right it is EASY AS PIE. You first determine where you want them. there is a left and right. Mount the speaker bracket to speaker, wall bracket to wall. Plug your speaker wire in and then hang them on the ALLREADY MOUNTED WALL BRACKETS. After you simply hang them on the wall bracket, attatch the provided screw to tighten, Cmon.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
4out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 18 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Great Sound
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
5.0
Power
5.0
What's great about it: Everything
What's not so great: Nothing
I have these to go with my klipsch VF-35, VC-25 center speaker and Klipsch subwoofer. These rear speakers might be a little small in appearance, but they pack great sound. Sound effects are clear and crisp.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
4out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 19 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Sound and price
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Appearance
3.0
Power
4.0
What's great about it: Sound and price
What's not so great: shape for mounting or sitting on shelf, too curved.
Both the quality of sound and the value you get for the price is excellent!!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
5out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 20 for Bose® 161™ Speaker System - Black
Not worth the price
Customer Rating
3.0
Value for Price
1.0
Sound Quality
3.0
Appearance
4.0
Power
4.0
What's great about it: Size, can fit vertically or Horizonally.
What's not so great: Extremely user unfriendly mounting bracket
Purchased these to be the surround back speakers for a 7.1 System. I already have a set of Bose 301 as my Front Speaker, A nice Polk Center Speaker, a pair of Klipsch Synergy I as the surround left/right.
First the mounting bracket takes 2 screws or anchors for each, instead of only one for nearly every other wall mounted speaker I've used. Once the bracket is mounted on the wall, the speakers are directional. 1 left and 1 right speaker so make sure you want them there before mounting the brackets.
There is almost no clearance between the speaker and the wall to access the screw that tightens the speaker to the bracket. You have to use your left hand to tighten both speakers to the bracket no matter left or right. Awkward if you're right handed.
The sound is only ok. If I paid no more than $100-$125 for them, then fine, but not @ $165. I replaced them with a pair of Polk OWM3's and I prefer them much more than the bose 161..
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-6points
3out of 12found this review helpful.
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