6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Good if you want a system that can dissappear.
Date of Review: Jul 19, 2003
The Bottom Line: Wish it had better surround sound, If you want to replace your bulky stereo system with the smallest one available, this is good choice.
My wife and I live in an old home, that we have decorated in antiques and vintage furniture. We had an old rack stereo system with tower speakers that looked out of place in our living room. We were shopping for a DVD player, and discovered the Bose 321 at Best Buy, and were amazed that we could get the CD, DVD & Stereo system all in that little unit. We also liked the idea of not having speakers & wires on the walls behind the couch.
My wife was in a rare buying mood, so I took advantage and put the box in the cart. Along with the expensive "S" video cable.
Set up was easy. This thing hides in our antique armoire next to our VCR and above our 36" TV, and can be closed up and no one realizes it's there. The subwoofer is in the corner behind it, and the speakers are on top hidden by plants. It's very stealthy.
We also ran our TV cable & VCR thru the system, and it takes those signals and makes a huge difference in sound & picture quality.
We are not audiophiles, so this system suits us just fine. We miss having a CD changer sometimes, and in some movies, I miss true surround sound. I have an older 5 speaker system in the basement, and notice a difference in the rear imaging. This ay have to do with the armoire being in the corner of the roome at an angle, and the roome has a large opening to the dining room
But for our needs, this system fit the bill.
The remote is a little cumbersome... It's difficult to get to the bass & treble controls, and some of the other frequently used commands. Getting to the main menu of some DVD's is difficult...
We also have come across some glitches in the software. After some internet searching, I learned that unplugging the unit for a short time, then plugging it back in will fix it. Has worked every time so far. We are supposed to recieve new software as it's developed, but haven't, and I haven't looked into it.
