# Bose Companion 20 Computer Speakers- These Surprised Me



## avanti1960 (Sep 24, 2011)

Bose Companion 20 2-way computer speakers. Amplified with integrated DSP. Remote volume control with input and output jacks. $250.00 Retail. 

I know, I know- what the heck are computer speakers- especially Bose- doing on DIYMA? 

Well the tie in is a reference to sound quality for tonality and imaging that we are all trying to achieve. Also since participating on this site generally involves a computer- why not have some good speakers to play your tunes through while browsing DIYMA? 

Speaking of browsing- in my local Fry's Electronics one day, not looking for anything in particular and not even having computer speakers on my "want radar" I happened upon this Bose computer speaker display. 
I played the demo track for the Companion 20 and thought-whoaaa- what?!!. Played it again. And again. They sounded so good and in fact better in some ways than my car system at a sliver of a fraction of the cost. Lots of bass without a subwoofer (nice for portability which I would need), nice warm sound yet with a smooth clarity. 
Then I played the other (2) Bose systems (the 500 buck with sub system and the 100 buck 2-way system). The Companion 20 set sounded better than either of them. Not even close. Then I played every other set in the store. Some were good, but all had some kind of flaw- either highly directional (slightly off axis was like moving into another room), clinical sounding, or just plain horrible. 
I went home and wrote about them here and of course Bose is not a beloved brand with this site. 
Then I read reviews everywhere I could find them- they were mostly stellar and impressive. Then I tried to tune my car to sound more like them and did so. 
Then I bought them. 
And I have to tell you if you are in the market for portable 2-way computer speakers and have 250 to spend, then look no further. 
The bass is not earth shattering or impactful- but it does play lower notes pretty well and is lacking only those sub type sounds. 
The image is outstanding. The DSP must be doing wonders because the stage can get much wider than how the speakers are placed. Also very sharply focused. 
The overall sound is just pleasing as heck. Never a bit of harshness, shrillness, or anything objectionable really- despite playing a lots of music over the past (2) weeks. It is so refreshing not to have to reach for a control to tune something all of the time like I do in my car every 5-minutes or so. The tonality is there, the image is there, the SQ is there, the portability is there. 
Looking at the attached RTA plot, the curve is very nice, only dropping off below 50hz or so. No wonder they sound so good. 
My only complaints are minor- the price (no big deal after living with them for a while- better to be happy at a price than unhappy at a lesser one). Oh yeah, the remote volume / power pod is nice but occasionally I turn the speakers off by accidentally brushing the surface. 
Please do not get me wrong- my car sounds a lot better- dynamics and clarity, deep bass and impact, etc. However there is some harshness and some image off center issues that I cannot seem to tame. 
I will be using the Bose RTA plot to try and adjust my car's sound to match- albeit continuing on through the sub bass octaves. 
As most reviews of this one go- 4 and 3/4 out of 5 stars.


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## cyrusthevirus23 (Feb 16, 2013)

my dad has a pair of these and they really do got some power to them!


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## NonSenCe (Jun 4, 2011)

yesterday while i was waiting service at electronics store (bought a cheap basic 32" tv for my mom) i was also browsing thru the active speaker sets they had available.. and the bose struck me with having a good sound there also! funny coincidence. 

so could you test them how they work with tv? (these new flatscreens have a junk sound and i want to add some simple active speakers to get some decent sound out.)

every room is different etc but i have noticed that some active speakers do not work well with longer distance.. they are only nearfield/close range computer speakers. and some active monitors work as "real speakers". (friends Genelec monitors are awesome but out of my pricerange)

-i got myself a cheap lepai 2020 amplifier already just in case i cant find a good cheap active monitor set, because i will be making cheap DIY fullrange speaker pair then (peerless 3" tymphany/ dayton rs75/rs100 or tangband 3")


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## avanti1960 (Sep 24, 2011)

I do not recommend using them for long range listening in a medium or larger room for TV etc. They sound strained at higher volumes. 

However- I highly recommend using the above RTA plot curve as a reference to set ANY home or car audio system for frequency response- provided you continue the slope to extend the low end with a subwoofer.


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## fabio souza jr (Apr 26, 2011)

I have the $100 companion 2, for near field - low volume listening, there is nothing in the market with the footprint/SQ/price that can compare.
Ps. I do not like bose as a brand, I'm simply very objetive as to the product in itself.


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## ZAKOH (Nov 26, 2010)

I heard them at Best Buy. I thought they sounded good.


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## Manic1! (May 17, 2011)

If you are going to demo Bose speakers bring your own music. Bose demo material heavily altered to hide all the flaws of there speaker system. Grab the original recording of the song and It won't sound the same.


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## avanti1960 (Sep 24, 2011)

the demo for the companion 20 translated well to my own music. deep bass, great clarity with smoothness and a very nice wide centered image. 
-
the companion 2 sounded good too, but the bass was not as good and the image was very directional. move your head an inch and it sounded like you were in a different room.


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## asawendo (Nov 22, 2009)

I do like the sound from Bose Companion 20. I've amazed for the good price/performance ratio. 

Whew I couldn't believe I am talking price/performance from Bose Product that usually tend to have overpriced product. Heheheh


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## avanti1960 (Sep 24, 2011)

asawendo said:


> I do like the sound from Bose Companion 20. I've amazed for the good price/performance ratio.
> 
> Whew I couldn't believe I am talking price/performance from Bose Product that usually tend to have overpriced product. Heheheh


agreed- they surprised the heck out of me. i'm listening to them right now and am still happy.


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## dvsntt (Nov 17, 2009)

Can you advise what EQ adjustments to make to create a similar curve to these speakers? thanks.


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## avanti1960 (Sep 24, 2011)

dvsntt said:


> Can you advise what EQ adjustments to make to create a similar curve to these speakers? thanks.


i'll take a look but in a different car, different speakers, amps, crossovers and slopes it probably will not be a good way to achieve the curve. 
shown below in the pic is my car's curve (blue) trying to mimic the bose speakers curve (magenta). 
it sounds totally awesome and i rarely have to adjust anything even when playing a wide variety of music and recordings.


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