2/15/1998: This is the first speaker system I have ever bought. I won a huge TV/Cassete/Boombox in the sixth grade. I own an adequate pair of Koss "sound in your head" phones. I conserve my meager earnings; afterall, I am a college student.

I needed excellent imaging, at minimum. Next up is sound quality. After that is maximum volume level, minus distortion. Finally, I prefered to have the necessary speakers shielded. Small size was not a requirement.

After I conducted the sort of systematic research that makes you question your sanity, I narrowed my choices: Either used audio gear, the kind you' ll never find reviews on; or integrated, 3 piece, shielded systems -- in other words, computer speakers.

Used gear isn't being actively compared to one another. I was more likely to wait until I had more extra money to spend, than to trust old reviews and a stranger's care for their possessions. So, I was waiting.

Then I read a January '98 review of high-end computer speakers. It looked like the Cambridge Soundworks Microworks were the best general buy. However, the $699 Bose Acoustimass Multimedia Speaker System (BAMSS) had audiophile imaging, as well as the sound quality of a similarly priced home stereo system. I was going to get this or nothing, at least for some time.

I visited Bose's site for current pricing and direct ordering. The BAMSS were actually just marked down to $599 over the past few months. That was interesting. Too bad it was still too much.

Most audio stores simply didn't carry them. The ones that did sometimes had the old, higher price.

BUT. . ., then there was a search heading for Computer ESP. I found a dozen stores selling the BAMSS for under $450. HELLO.

I tried to back-order the BAMSS , but accidentally got an online credit-card nightmare in return. I'm not going to explain in detail those two weeks of terror. Just never try and repurchase something when your computer says your credit card failed. Wait a week and check with your bank to make sure it didn't go through. If you don't, horrible things may result. But I digress. . .

I did get one valid purchase and all the confusion was cleared up. In the end the BAMSS cost me just over $383, through BuyComp. So far I'm trying to get them set up properly. They're extremely sensitive to room placement. If the subwoofer/amp is too close to the rear wall, It becomes overbalanced. There is no dedicated subwoofer volume -- only main volume, treble, and bass controls. These last two only control part of the sound spectrum, not the satellites or subwoofer as a component. Bummer.

The satellites can also get a bit treble heavy if you're too close to them. But the manual mentions all of these problems. Of course, you also don't want your back to the wall. This will further affect the imaging and quality. The minimum requirements seem to be an equallateral triangle +1ft from the speaker wall (for the subwoofer), and +2ft from your back wall(your head shouldn't be against a wall) and the side walls.

It isn't as important, but the less clutter there is in the room, the better. This ends up looking like some jaded audiophile setup. The satellites can actually be up against a wall. During one session with them on the far corners of the desk, angled upward, I acheived a breathtaking level of imaging. Interestingly, I've found that toe-in (angling the speakers horizontally to point at you) actually increases sound quality a tiny bit, but at the expense of a wide image. Maybe its just my imagination.

I'm also considering a purchase of adjustable, metal floor stands through Crutchfield. They're an expensive $100; but Bose's unadjustable stands are the same price. If I had a +7ft wide, +5ft deep desk, I'd just buy the little $30 table stands from BuyComp. But who has a desk that big anyway?

2/20/1998: I just read a review by Consumer Reports on Bose's Acoustimass 3. As far as I know this is the BAMSS without the integrated amplifier. It runs for $400, and you won't find it marked down at some online computer warehouse. So the BAMSS is an amazing bargain. They found that the best room placement is 4ft from the side walls and 3ft from the back, with the treble up a bit. If you have the subwoofer/amp closer to the walls, you'll want to turn the bass down, to compensate.

4/1/1998: After extensive listening I'm further convinced that the hype surrounding these speakers at their Bose Direct price of $599 is severely unwarrented. However, this probably is the best system under $400. With me, the satellites are just below ear-level pointed slightly upward and toed in at my head. This needs to be very symmetrical. It does seem to make a difference in imaging. Unfortunately where I have them, they have to go up against the wall. The woofer/amp is about a foot from the wall on the floor. I sit just behind the equalateral triangle. In this setup, the BAMSS sound smoothest with the treble down 1/4 and the base down 1/2. The base unit really does need a seperate volume control. Bose should update. I've also noticed a slight roll off in the very high-end. But increasing the treble any more causes the low and mid treble to be over emphasised -- in other words, "loud cymbal syndrome". Very clean recordings with complex imaging sound amazing. Last night, "The Fifth Element" soundtrack CD was outstanding.

9/13/1999: A week ago I received a pair of Studiotech S-1 stands which had been ordered direct at the special price of $59. Holy snot! Now the BAMSS have a lush midrange and a clear silkiness to the highs. The Consumer Reports recommendation of having the treble turned up 20%-33% of normal and bass at normal is very correct. Distance between the speakers should be at least 5 feet, with seating distance from the center at about 50% further. With the Denon 370 HDCD CD Player, this system approaches audiophile quality for under $700.

11/8/1999: I highly recommend using the Xlo Reference Recordings Burn-In Cd . Whenever you are going to be away, program tracks 7, 9, 8, 9 to repeat. Faint ambient sounds will become much more noticable.

11/11/1999: The Bose Acoustimass Multimedia Speaker System was manufactured until October 1999.

12/6/1999: After 3 weeks of burn-in, The Denon and Bose combination sounded loose, harsh, forward, and flat. As an attempt to mellow it out, I turned the treble and base to the normal notches. That helped a little bit. At least it had a consistent sound post burn-in. I also noticed the system was more listenable when I stood up and off to the side of the sweet-spot. The stands and speakers were at ear level, so I tried lowering them below that. What a difference! The system regained its listenability and some of its image depth. The bass, however, was too prominent. After some extremely touchy repositioning of the subwoofer to only 6/8 of an inch further from the wall (yes, I could hear an 8th of an inch difference), the Bose exhibited a proper low-end and nice control. So now it has been warmed, left on, and readjusted. The complete system has a nice balance, very little harshness, a wide and precise stereo image, and some semblance of depth. The only big problem that I notice now is how they become more forward and flat the louder they are. But that is most likely a result of the speakers' excellent dispersion. A louder volume tends to make reflections louder, which muddles and drowns out the subtle ambient cues, which reduces image depth. That's my theory anyway.