Bose Lifestyle 3-2-1 Home Entertainment System review

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Product Description

If you've been looking for a surround sound solution that doesn't require hours of setup and creative ways to hide the wires, the search is over. Introducing the Bose 3?2?1 system, a revolutionary advancement in home entertainment that's much easier to live with. Designed to provide performance and simplicity unmatched by conventional component or all-in-one solutions, this system delights the ears and the eyes.Five speakers are replaced by two. A stack of electronics is replaced by a single media center that includes an integrated DVD/CD player, AM/FM tuner, amplification and signal processing. A patented Acoustimass module hides easily in a corner or behind your furniture. And everything is easily connected with just three wires and a power cord, making setup a snap. The 3?2?1 system combines an Articulated Array speaker design with proprietary signal processing to give you much of that same performance. Hear the roar of a train from left to right from just two visible speakers positioned in the front of your room. Enjoy a spacious soundstage and lifelike surround effects whether you're watching the game, listening to a favorite CD or enjoying the latest on DVD.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #89907 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Bose
• Model: LS321
• Dimensions: 49.00 pounds

Features

• Digital 5.1 decoding & Bose Videostage 5 decoding circuitry that deliver multi-channel presentations from the 2 visible speakers
• Automatic Tonal Adjustment
• Active Electronic Equalization
• Digital Dynamic Range Speaker Compression
• Includes an infrared remote control

Amazon.com Product Description
The Lifestyle 3-2-1 home entertainment system with DVD player brings the surround sound experience to your movies and music, but with less equipment and fewer wires. Its one-piece media center replaces several components, playing DVDs, CDs, and AM/FM radio--even MP3 CDs created on your home computer.

The Lifestyle 3-2-1 system uses Bose proprietary signal processing technology and speaker array design that produces a surround sound experience from just the two Articulated Array speakers. The Acoustimass module works in concert with the small speakers to deliver the full range of sound. The magnetically shielded speakers allow for close placement to your TV without picture interference.

An elegant media control center offers a built-in DVD/CD player and AM/FM tuner and features digital 5.1 decoding and active electronic equalization for natural tonal balance and clarity throughout the audio spectrum. Bose's Videostage 5 decoding circuitry delivers a surround-sound experience to your videotape library, as well as your DVDs--making even classic films and older mono television programs sound better. The included infrared remote controls all system functions, and the Lifestyle 3-2-1 can also be controlled by most universal remotes.

Other features include 50 radio presets (25 for AM, 25 for FM), S-Video input and output, optical audio input, and 2 composite A/V inputs.

What's in the Box
Bose media center, Acoustimass module, 2 speakers, antenna stand, stereo cable, video cable, speaker cable, module cable, rubber feet for Acoustimass module, rubber feet for speakers, remote control, 2 AA batteries, AM antenna, FM antenna, 120-volt power cord, and printed quick-setup guide.

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Customer Reviews

Simple, but that's it
We got our Bose 3-2-1 about 6 months ago. Overall, it's pretty good. It was easy to setup and the sound quality is good.

You'll like this system if: you want something easy to setup, you want a complete audio entertainment system with high quality (not excellent) sound, you want to be able to play CDs and DVDs.

You won't like this system if: you want true surround sound, you want a headphone jack, you want to play DVDs that you create with your PC (including VCDs, DVD+Rs, etc - the only DVD it plays is the kind you buy), you want a home stereo that has high volume, you want your universal remote to work with it.

If Bose made some very basic improvements, they would have a great system, including:
* Support all homemade DVD formats
* Have the volume range higher
* Add a headphone jack (better yet, have a wireless port for wireless headphones)
* Include a universal remote (or make their remote compatible with universal remotes)

I wish I could give it five stars...
I bought this unit primarily for its simplicity. Most surround systems have so many speakers and wires and components that it gets to be an eyesore and a real nuisance. You have to be an expert at home installation to hide them and mount them in such a way as not to become a predominant fixture in your home.

As for the sound, it puts out good sound. It is not very 'loud' (even at top volume, I can still speak to my wife and be heard without yelling) but it puts out a high enough volume that is not distorted or obnoxious. The bass gives out a powerful enough rumble that I feel it in parts of movies I never knew had such bass. That makes me happy. There is no equalizer and only a treble/bass setting to adjust to your home and, as one who used to love fiddling with equalizers, this is not so fun. But, again, it is simple.

There is a warmth that is lacking when playing CDs or from other music run through the system (if you have a turntable you'll have to buy a pre-amp to generate the power necessary to drive it through the Bose) but, again, it generates a nice sound. Keep in mind, also, that for bigger rooms it will sound a lot different than it does when you stand in front of it in the showroom at the store.

All in all, for simplicity, sound and convenience it is a nice package. The prices is a bit steep and I did have to return my original unit as it first lost its bass and quit playing DVDs and CDs altogether. Bose then, in the meantime, sent me an update on CD and I installed it and haven't had a problem with the new unit. Contact with Bose informed me that they were aware of the problems and the update was designed to fix these problems. It is all computerized which is a far cry from the tube amps of old (thus the lack of warmth) but it makes a nice addition to a home and puts forth good sound in a functional package.

Update: I've had this for about two years now. After the initial troubles and the efforts of Bose to correct the problems, the system works just fine. It is just as powerful and works just as well as noted in the original review above.

Here, in depth, are its limitations:

It is not true surround sound. It merely imitates it as best possible through two speakers. Even Bose's ads state this now. True surround sound can only come when you have speakers surrounding you.

The lack of headphone jacks is a bummer.

I still have a turntable. This thing just sucks when it comes to using a turntable. Turntables run analog sound; this is digital all the way through. I have a preamp to boost the power from the turntable that does ok but the sound is never as loud and full as CDs/DVDs and at the high end I pick up the static from the adapter required to run the preamp through the Bose. I think this is the greatest weakness of this system. It's just not designed for turntables and analog sound.

It can be fussy at times, delaying the start of a CD/DVD (especially ones that have been burned) and at other times, I find it necessary to turn the system off in order for it to read the CD/DVD. Not sure if this is a system problem or the limitations of the durability of CDs and DVDs as a source for various media.

It's designed for smaller spaces. A large room will reveal the limits of this system quite quickly.

All in all, I'm still quite satisfied sans the issues noted above.

Not sure if the newer 3 2 1 system is an improvement or not with the smaller speakers. This is an issue I have with Bose, not the system per se, in that I get this and it's soon yesterday's news. Just be very thorough before investing such a large sum of money.

Watch Out!
I don't dispute that Bose is a leader in speaker technology. But there is a reason this item is discontinued. It locks up when playing certain DVDs. Sometimes after selecting "play movie" it won't get past the menu, you have to guide it to the first chapter or else it will sit endlessly on the menu screen.

Other DVDs will play fine, but if you happen to shut off the system without removing the DVD, the next time you turn it on it will say "Bad Disc" and locks up - you can't play, you can't eject, nothing. You have to UNPLUG it and essentially reboot the system.

Maybe I got the lemon, I don't know. But it's worth writing a review given the fairly expensive price tag and the assumed quality the goes along with the name Bose... this system is definitely an exception to that rule.