We have dabbled in reviewing home theater products for a while now. People normally email concerning whether they made the right decision of buying something in particular or not. Of all the queries, there was this one guy who asked if he made a solid investment by rooting for ‘Bose Cinemate Series ii’ home audio system.

Here is the bit by bit account of what customers generally feel after buying their once favorite surround sound home theater system. Do know that if you have bought a Bose Cinemate GS Series ii already, it is an excellent packaged deal. You get 2 speakers, a giant woofer and of course when it is Bose, you don’t have to think twice.

If you haven’t bought Bose Cinemate Series ii and you’re contemplating buying it, do read our Bose Cinemate GS Series ii review before purchasing anything directly from any online or offline retailers.

Was it a Mistake to Buy Bose Cinemate GS Series ii System?

Hello ‘National Editor’ / ‘Tech Guy’, I am a novice when it comes to buying surround sound systems. In fact, my skills are a little rusty if it is about purchasing something decent for my hearing pleasures. Recently, my son and I agreed upon buying a Bose Cinemate GS Series ii for a number of reasons:

• My son, Mark wanted something to go along with his PS3
• I, on the other hand, occasionally watch BluRay movies on the same gaming console
• Our Sony Bravia’s internal audio system isn’t as much impressive, so buying a surround sound such as Bose was a necessary compulsion

In case you are wondering why I was so inclined to buy Bose only, here’s the deal: Call me a brand conscious fella – I normally tend to trust good brand names. Yes, at times, performance is a core priority but if it is not a good brand, I keep looking for something better than the available options.

Therefore it poured down to buying Bose Cinemate GS Series ii from Costco, Futureshop and Amazon. I live in a far flung State, so I kind of liked the idea of ordering the sound system from Amazon. Besides, their customer service is quick on refunding and/ or replacing any damaged goods – so that’s about it.

Long Story Even Longer:

Hmm, this has me wondering that Mark has always been more of an audiophile. I, myself, have never really purchased something based on my own decision. So when he said, “Dad if you like Bose so damn much, just buy it. I mean, it ain’t gonna be a bad product, innit?”

We went online and bought the system right away. Sorry, I couldn’t demo it because as stated earlier, our house is a little distant from established local retailers. The problem is that spending $700+ got me a little worried. Money isn’t an issue but when I compare the price tag with the performance, my gut tells me something different…

1. a.       Is Bose CInemate GS Series ii worth the price tag?

National Editor: Well, the answer to this question is kind of tricky. There are two scenarios and both of them depend on the quality of AV receiver you have. Let’s look at them one by one:

With an Inferior Quality AV Receiver: You are not going to get the exact quality that you bought the speakers for. I’d say that you should go for something cheaper here. When it was released, the Cinemate GS Series ii was a little cheap as compared to its current price at Amazon or any online retailer for that matter.

Take my word and head for a refund or a replacement. There are a lot of nice audio systems, where you can get the exact sound quality to match your AV receiver. Now, you haven’t mentioned anything about your AV receiver or the interface/ medium used for connecting your system to the audio source. We are just playing the guessing game here.

With a High Quality AV Receiver: You can expect an even better quality sound as what the Bose Cinemate GS Series i/ii or any system is capable of delivering. In fact, it would be my honest recommendation to go for some other brand if the tunes and bass aren’t sitting in right with your guts. Who knows, maybe with an Onkyo Audio-Video Receiver, you might end up experimenting a few bigwig home theater brand names before settling down with something cushy.

But then again, if you really want to keep the Bose series ii, do not complain later. The system has small drivers (about 2’’ speaker drivers and 5’’ Sub-woofer drivers). This will emit low quality frequency sound. The bass will appear more boomy but that’s as far as it goes. Also, there will be a “gap” between the level of audio that the sub-woofer will generate and the one that your speakers are generating invariably at the same time.

1. b.    Are Room Dimensions Going to be an Obstacle for my Surround Sound System?

My room dimensions are roughly 13 x 15. I live in an average apartment style residence. I have the Bose cinemate gs series 2 in my living room. Right underneath this particular room, my neighbor’s got his TV lounge. However, I have a carpet and I think that the sound will get absorbed if not going through all the way to disturb this guy below me. 

Did my impulse create a problem here? Am I to assume that at high volume, my neighbors are going to go berserk?

National Editor: Impulse did play a trick on you, my friend. You have a small room for the dimensions stated above. It depends on how high you want the volume to crank up? Do you want to crack mirrors? If yes, then any neighbor living below or around you is going to complain like hell.

Tune the bass of bose cinemate sound system to medium/ above medium settings, while keeping the speaker volume a little low. This will set up a nice funky mood for you without sending any warning flags elsewhere.

Email # 2: Married Guy talks about Surround Sound Speaker Dilemma

“I bought a very nice surround sound system for $3,000. It was a long time ago. Compared to today’s products, some people will beg to differ but I am more of an old is gold kind of person. I had a Yamaha Receiver comboed with a perfect Northbridge N21 package.

After my first son’s birth, things got real messy. The cute little prick broke the speaker stands by helping himself stand up. Whatever was left behind, I packed it all up and placed it in my cupboard. Now we have a Plasma TV with almost crappy speakers. Will you please recommend something that’s beyond my son’s reach and also worth my hard earned money?”

National Editor: Well bubba, here’s the deal. Nothing is safe from kids. Man, I had all kinds of exquisite devices and my nephew broke the hell out of them. Seeing to your plea, I feel your pain. I would suggest that you should go for an average set of easily affordable surround sound system.

Maybe an Energy Take Classic? Or Klipsch ProMedia or Klipsch HD Theater is better off to suit your needs. I see that you spent $3,000 last time. Compared to that much budget, the maximum that you’re going to have to spend now is $500. It’s a nice bargain; safe from your son – safe for life J