Bose Companion 20 Multimedia Speaker System

First off - the quality is brilliantly clear - period. The bassis remarkable for such small speakers, my friends were initially looking for the sub-woofer because the deep, thunderous nuances were so well pronounced. If your picky about the clarity over anything else than your on the right track looking at the Bose Companion 20's. This needs to made very clear - the type of music you listen to is going to need to be taken into consideration. The companion 20's do their best work with classical (orchestrated) music or similar live instrumental styles. I'm listening to Barbra Streisand's 'Love Is The Answer' album now which is mostly a type of smooth jazz, and every key and nuance is being reproduced extremely well with excellent bass response. Earlier I was sampling different types of music from techno, hard rock to a variety from the 60's. The speakers did not fair well with the hard rock and techno as I expected. It seemed the trebles were fine but they lack in the hard hitting drum type sounds. Do not let this discourage you though, as some music really needs a large sub woofer regardless. The spoken word and dialogue without music was perfectly crisp with detail beyond the immediate sounds. You really feel as though you are there. Alternate tests were done with LP recordings (rendered at 24bit 96Khz far beyond CD quality) - once again the companion 20's nailed analogue audio perfectly. I personally did not plug the speakers into any source and just fire away. After reading other reviews that rate the Companion 20's sub-par; I'm concerned that too many people blindly listen to music not realizing their source (mostly the DAC in the computers) is inferior for these speakers. I purchased a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Go Pro! THX certified external sound card ($34) before reviewing these speakers which I would recommend to anyone for utmost clarity. The THX modes on the Go Pro! lift up the bass to a much more appropriate level retaining lower notes (such as ones produced with a cello) that would have been lost with my inferior on-board sound system. Remember this before jumping to conclusions if you buy these. Not all audio sounded the same. I placed the companion 20's on the sides of a TV in my bedroom and watched different scenes from movies (Prometheus, Silence of The Lambs, various James Bond films) which were great - while the best audio experience was about 5' in front of the sound system which makes me think they would be very well suited on a bookshelf at about ear level also. While I listen to them now on the computer about 2.5' in front of me in a smaller environment, I need to push myself back some to get the full range appropriately but this is nit picking. Oh, the volume level was much more than sufficient as well. Overall the volume dial is fantastic and made with mostly aluminum parts with a rubber dial, that which if you touch the top of the Bose imbossment on the top it will shut the unit off and on. It came with a male-male 3.5mm cable for PC or pereferal connectivity. All cables were also about 3' long on each speaker which was more than enough. The only thing I could think of that I wish it came with was a digital audio in of some sort but I honestly doubt you would notice a difference being so close to the audio source (digital and fiber optic cables are mostly beneficial when near electrical sources such as a home theater besides). The build quality of the speakers is what should be expecte from Bose - the speakers are a mixture of metal and some plastic, they feel very, very solid and are slightly heavy (as expected with the driver is has). In the end I highly recommend the Companion 20 mostly for the audio reproduction accuracy and overall clarity. Another great product from an American company.

I have experience working in audio/visual so think my review might help those trying to make up their mind. By the way, these come highly recommended from other people I know in the audio business who use them at home on their computers. I run a streaming radio station from my bedroom. Space is at a premium at the home made radio rack in the corner of the room. That meant the JBL powered monitor speakers were not going to fit in the space available for the studio monitors. I was looking for studio monitors to replace the existing Bose Solo 5 that rested underneath dual monitors. What I didn't like about the Solo 5 was the lack of channel separation and relatively low bass at low sound levels. Seems that this was made to be used at higher levels in a larger space to reach its potential. Right off the bat the super plus is the volume control pod. Smooth and almost infinite level of adjustments with emergency mute by just touching the top to turn it off. I wouldn't be needing the headphone jack or aux input as the switching for those devices is handled prior to the signal into the Bose Companion 20. Of particular note is the weighting of the volume control pod and the semi-smooth surface on the bottom so it won't move around. Very nice feel to it and it found a home on top the mic preamp / processor which is powdercoated steel. Audio comments: The increased channel separation was welcome. So was the increased bass response at low levels. I really did not want to go with a sub wolfer for this installation as I already have that in another room on a gaming computer. At quite low levels, yes, the bass has a 'disco club' pulsing sound to it. But in my opinion that is an acceptable trade off for doing away with a sub wolfer. At slightly higher levels the sound frequency response has a more natural and level sound. Would I buy these again? Yes!

I bought these speakers 7 years ago, and they are still outstanding. They are worth the investment. The volume control is convenient, the sound quality is great, and they are powerful enough to serve very well as desktop/computer speakers.

Excellent. But only if you set it up correctly. Unfortunately, this will cost a bit more. Worth it if you are serious about listening to music and watching movies. Setting it up correctly means: 1. Use a decent sound card. The card in your computer is most likely suboptimal. I use the Sound Blaster Omni Surround 5.1 (about $90 on Amazon). Not cheap, but easy to install and set up. 2. Use decent player software. The software provided with your computer is probably crap. I recommend Corel's WinDVD Pro 12 (full version currently about $55, windvdpro.com or corel.com). Set up the software and sound card correctly according to your tastes. I have mine set up for Dolby Virtual Surround (yes, I have a "virtual" surround sound system on my desk) and have my equalizer set to "Pop" . This is fairly easy to do. You can easily experiment with the settings to your liking. When you download, pay a little extra for the 2-year re-download priviledge. WinDVD's music and video playback codecs will replace the (probably inferior) ones previously installed on your computer by the manufacturer. I have moderate computer knowledge, so I didn't experience any problems. I don't think it will be too difficult for the average Windows 10 user. If you set it up this way, your computer will easily rival a decent bookshelf component system. It is my primary stereo system. The sound is generally well-balanced and smooth. Most of my friends are very surprised by it (except those who have very expensive systems). I replaced a Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speaker system with the Bose. I have owned two ProMedias, the first was damaged in storage and the second had subwoofer problems. Klipsch has cheapened the design in order to lower the price, so I do not recommend it. The Bose setup is simple and with the subwoofer built in, it is a lot sleeker. Worth the money.

Product: Bose Companion 20 Multimedia Speaker System Manufacturer: Bose Purchased: Feb 26, 2013 The speakers are connected to a 2-3 year old SoundBlaster X-Fi card. I'm also using the included "Creative Console Launcher" which is the sound-enhancement applet that I use to: * Enable Bass Boost * Set the left and right channel volume to center the sound on my desk * Enable EAX Effects (using Theater setting) * Enable EQ (Graphic Equalizer) I adjust everything to what I like, for each kind of music and spoken word file I listen to, then save the settings for future recall (in the Graphic Equalizer). With the adjustments I'm able to make with the Console Launcher, these are the best sounding pair of "no sub-woofer" desktop speakers I've ever had, in my 30+ years of using desktop speakers. The includes bass, mid-range and treble can all be set to exactly what sounds good to me. I've never used the capabilities of the sub-woofer speakers I've owned, since I use headphones for games, so my old sub-woofer set-up is now connected to our TV. The first thing I noticed is that the volume is way more than any normal person would ever ask for in a pair of desktop speakers that are a mere 12" - 24" from your ears. We can hear the music through our entire house! It's incredible. When I read about the hockey-puck thing, I sort of snickered inside thinking it was just a gimmick of some sort. Not so. It's actually very cool. Just as the product description says, it is indeed a "Versatile control pod ...", which includes a "rotational volume control, single-touch mute, headphone jack and connection for a second audio source, such as an MP3 player or a tablet." And I can place it anywhere on my desk. No more reaching through my multi-monitor set-up to get to the volume knob. The only negative to me is what others have already mentioned - the audio cable to the computer is too short. For me, it was just a matter of switching the speaker position (L-R to R-L), since I use headphones for games where sound location is important. For others, you may want to buy an extension audio cable with these speakers.

I have been trying out different speakers. My desktop space is limited and valuable. I don't do any gaming and mostly watch a show once in a while or listen to music. My previous system was Bose companion 2's and also a set of Klipsch 2.1 speakers. So here is my comparison: Bose companion 2's were very good for my use. I actually gave them to my mother with my whole system. She likes them very much for mostly watching videos at her home. Klipsch 2.1 were enough to rattle walls 3 rooms away and I am sure if my neighbors were home, they would be irritated. Nice, Loud full sound with strong base. But too much for my desktop and took too much space. So, they went into the garage with a Bluetooth adaptor so I can stream Pandora and hear it nicely over the air compressor. Bose Companion 20... Almost perfect. Liked the sound. Very good, clear, full range, decent base. Liked the volume wheel and control/ mute button. Nice addition and very useful. What I didn't like was the spaghetti mess of wires that went all over the place. There just seemed to be too many wires involved for two speakers. But more importantly, they were blocking part of my monitor because my monitor is situated inside a hutch and doesn't have that much room on the left etc. So for varying reasons they got returned. I ordered a pair of Bose computer monitor speakers in black from another site where I also ordered the new computer. Nice! Are they as easy to use for volume? No. Are they as easy to mute? No. Are they as loud or have the same range? No. So, why do I like them so much? They pack a big punch in a very tiny speaker. I am a fan of well-engineered products and I am really liking their design, size, how they look on the desk. I don't understand why something's can't both look good and work well. But these little ones sure do. I know that there are many people out there that will jump up and down and scream about the differences and say I don't know the difference and that the sound comparison is this or that... Whatever. I am a perfectionist. But I am also realistic. Decent sound, great looks, small size... check check check. If I really wanted mind blowing sound, I would set up a 7.1 system and sit in the middle with a laptop. I was looking for good DESKTOP speakers. If you have space, then you can't go wrong with the Companion 20's. I wanted something to match the look and style of the whole system and still provide decent sound for music. Which the Computer music monitors provide. Hope this has been helpful.

During the summer of 2017, I was in need of a new speaker system for my desktop computer setup and for years and I had heard how great Bose sound systems were and wanted to finally get my hand into seeing for myself after trying so many different companies. The day that I got these speakers during that summer, it immediately impressed me with the quality of the sound and the best feature on these speakers was the volume turner. I love how I can just tap on it to power it on and off and I can have the volume in the palm of my hands instead of reaching to turn the volume up and down. This is a feature unique to Bose and it's going to keep me from buying other speakers in the future. To be honest with the range on this one and sound quality, there's no reason for me to buy other brands of speakers, I'll only upgrade to a better speaker from Bose if they have the volume turner intact, I've gotten so use to that thing now. LOL! You can't go wrong and this speaker setup hasn't clocked out on me yet either and I've had it since 2017.

Well at first I didn't want to pony up for such expensive computer speakers since they are for just a computer, however after a lot of research and being able to hear them before buying is what convinced me that I was making the right choice. My main requirements were something of good quality and a 2 speaker set up. I don't have room for a subwoofer which is unfortunate because I think there are other great set ups that are cheaper in 2.1 or 5.1 but in a 2 speaker computer set up I don't think you'll find better speakers then these. I was able to listen to these at an Apple store and compare them to others such as Bowers & Wilkins set ups which are twice as much money and I just kept coming back to these because they sounded just as good, the build quality was great and when you turn them up really loud there is no distortion which is amazing for such compact speakers. Believe me these get very loud so don't worry they can easily fill a room with loud music. The best part of these is the "puck" which you control it from. It has two 3.5mm plug-ins, one for your iphone or ipod and 1 for headphones. The puck also controls volume and mute which at the time I felt was a nice touch but now have come to relay on it because its so much easier then having to use the mouse to change voice and mute. Overall I really like these. They're expensive but have great build quality, the sound is clean and crisp and distortion free, it can really get loud again without distortion, the puck is really a great device I didn't realize I wanted until I had it. I find myself playing more games and listening to more music now because it just jumps out at you.