Speaker Review: Bose Companion 2

So I was looking for a new set of small speakers to replace my old setup which had an hifi amplifier and hifi speakers.
The things the where most important to me was:

- Great sound
- Small
- No subwoofer
- Robust hardware

Logitech Z-10
There were to sets that I especially looked at; BOSE Companion 2 Series II and Logitech Z-10. The Logitech Z-10 speakers sounded excellent, looked very slick and had a display that showed song title, volume and etc., but needed a driver installed to work properly. There were a few forum posts that described how to get Z-10 working on Linux. With problems like having no sound (hard to ignore that one!) or display not working, I quickly decide I wanted something less futuristic (and something that works out-of-the-box). On the front-panel there were over ten touch-buttons that I felt didn't really emphasize robust hardware, as I was looking for.


BOSE Companion 2 Series II
The BOSE Companion 2 Series II was the ones I ended up buying. The speakers are smaller than the Z-10 and has only one knob on the front for volume. The sound is great (though the bass can be a little indistinct at times) and (a big plus for me) there's a headphone jacks on the front. One thing I don't like is the power switch - or, more specifically, the absence of one. I have no idea how much power they use in "stand-by" mode, but a real switch would be nice. I will have to get a USB Power Strip. They also have dual RCA inputs which lets you connect your computer and iPod at the same time, so you don't have to fiddle about with wires when you want to change audio source. They don't make any noise when they're not playing, so you completely forget that they always are turned on.
The Bose Companion 2 Series 2 speakers are really really good and has a lot to offer, but they're not the absolute best-sounding PC speakers in their price class.


Price range: $89.00 - $99.00

More info about BOSE Companion 2 speakers or here...