If you walk up to a normal person on the street and ask them what the best speaker company is, and they don't know much about this field; they will say Bose is the best. Bose is surrounded by hype. I tried out the 701 speakers, those were the only ones I liked. The M&K towers that i tried out destroyed them though, and the M&Ks were slightly cheaper. But anyway, I'll admit that I once used to think Bose was the best too. When I saw the Bose VCS10 for $199, I thought 'wow'. They say that the center channel is the heart of a home theater system, so therefore this piece is very important. I decided to try it out. I had a Yamaha HTR-5250 power it up. I tested it along with Sony SS-MB515 front channel speakers, and Sony SS-MB115 rears. I decided to bring in two other center channel speakers into the test, the JBL N-center, and Cerwin Vega (forgot model no.) center channel. The Bose VCS10 was at $199, the JBL was at $132.50, and the Cerwin Vega was on cleance for $120. So, the tests began, here's what i found with the Bose VCS10:

Price:
If you're not very knowledgable of the audio market, you can consider $199 for the Bose VCS10 a phenominal find. Yeah right, some people say "You're only paying for the name" about some products. I have tried some of 'those' products, and usually they sound great, but there are cheaper ones that sound just as well. With the Bose VCS10, "you're paying for the name. PERIOD." There's no comparison between the Bose VCS10 or the other center channels. The Bose VCS10 lacks everything that the JBL and Cerwin Vega have. It lacks ranges, size, power, and everything else. There's only one thing that it has that most people want, the name 'BOSE' written on it. After using the Bose VCS10 and some other speakers, I have lost faith in Bose. They used to be good, but what has happened? If you go up to an audiophile today and ask what the best speakers are, they will say, M&K, Paradigm, Klipsh, JBL, Infinity, or Polk. No one will say Bose...

Warranty:
The Bose VCS10 comes with a very long 5 year transferable warranty. Beleive me, you'll have the urge to return this piece of junk in a very short period of time. That's all to be said about the warranty.

Looks and Styling:
This is the only average point of the Bose VCS10. It says 'BOSE' on it in very large letters. To people who don't understand the market, this will make you look very proffessional and rich(?). The Bose VCS10 is styled alright, it does look better than the JBL N-center, but both look good overall.

Durability:
The Bose VCS10 doesn't have such a solid feel like the Cerwin Vega or JBL center channels. I guess it can last a few months or a couple of years. Now, I have heard that many people have problems with Bose products. In such numbers, that shows that this center channle may have problems too. If you want something that will last for a life-time, buy the JBL N-center.

Installation:
I was able to easily hook up the Bose VCS10 to the Yamaha HTR-5250 surround sound reciever. There was nothing hard about installing it and integrating it into the system. No problems in this area, haha.

Sound:
It has four 2.5" drivers built in to give 'good' sound. Well, the sound wasn't good at all. The channels were distinct, I was able to tell where the sound was coming from. The JBL and Cerwin Vega both sounded like only one piece with one huge driver. The Bose VCS10 overall has very weak driver. Bose claims that it has pioneered in the field of micro-speakers, notably being the Bose Wave Radio which is quite bad for its price range. Well, if any company has made progress here, it was Boston Acoustics. The $99 BA635 system can kick the life out of the Bose VCS10 any day. The ranges on the Bose VCS10 are pretty bad, and it can't compare at all to the JBL or Cerwin Vega, but especially the JBL. The Bose VCS10 lacks bass tremendously, if you have a powered sub, it's fine, but if not, then this thing will sound terrible. The sound can't even be compared to sub-$100 center-channels such as KLH centers. The sound is bland and weak. The Bose VCS10 sounds like it struggles, the JBL lets the sound flow with no struggling feel at 150Watts! The Bose VCS10 has only 100Watts of power while other cheaper models have more. If you have a reciever like a Sony 945 series, then you can blow the Bose VCS10's drivers at maximum volume. With the JBL or Cerwin Vega, there shouldn't be any fear of blowing the drivers. If you want a center channel that actually sounds good, then buy the JBL N-center or the Cerwin Vega, stay away from the Bose.

Ease of Use:
I was able to tune the Bose VCS10 easily with the reciever. What can be so hard with using it?

The Verdict:
The Bose VCS10 lacks everything you can imagine exept for the 'BOSE' name. It has terrible ranges, really lacks the high, mid, and low. It's sound seems to struggle, it lacks power, and the sound quality that most are looking for. The JBL N-center can deliver excellent dialogue and sound, and so can the Cerwin Vega, but the Bose VCS10 can't perform at such an extent. The Bose VCS10 is one of the worst speakers I have ever used, PERIOD.