Product Description

Special effects add excitement to the home theater experience, but the dialogue in a great movie is just as important. While your front and rear speakers process action and effects, the VCS-10 center channel works with your surround sound receiver to produce dialogue with rich, natural tones that seem to come directly from the screen. Each phrase can be lifelike and clear, so you dont miss a word. The VCS-10 center channel speaker is designed to complement your TV or entertainment center. Its patented Compound Loaded® drivers deliver clear, cinema-like dialogue. And Articulated Array® speaker design locks dialogue on screen and provides a large consistent sound field for a cinema-like experience. The VCS-10 center channel speaker features slim, sleek dimensions that complement your television or entertainment center. Picture distortion is prevented by the VCS-10 center channel speakers magnetic shielding. This center channel speaker is an appropriate choice for upgrading your component home theater system one piece at a time.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3254 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: Black
• Brand: BOSE
• Model: 19158
• Dimensions: 3.25" h x 6.00" w x 21.50" l, 8.31 pounds

Features

• Center channel speaker for your home theater system components
• Articulated Array® speaker design
• Compound Loaded® drivers

Amazon.com Product Description
Whether you're upgrading an existing surround speaker system or adapting your current listening system to accommodate the surround capabilities of DVD and HDTV programming, the VCS-10 center-channel speaker from BOSE is your key to attractive, exciting home theater sound. Get more from your component system and let the whole family enjoy lifelike movie dialogue, even when people are seated off-axis from the speaker and screen.

The VCS-10 is designed to complement your existing TV or entertainment center. Its patented Compound Loaded drivers are built to deliver clear, cinema-like dialog, and its Articulated Array drivers "lock" dialogue to the screen and provide a large, even sound field.

The speaker's magnetic shielding prevents image distortion when the speaker is mounted atop a TV or computer monitor. The speaker comes with 4 pre-attached feet and 4 optional-use additional self-adhesive rubber feet.

According to BOSE, standard zip cord (2-conductor, 18-gauge wire) works for most applications. If your speaker will be more than 30 feet from your audio/video receiver or amplifier, however, BOSE recommends 16-gauge wire (45 feet) or 14-gauge wire (70 feet), for hookup that maintains a maximum frequency-response deviation of +/- 0.5 dB.

What's in the Box
Center-channel speaker, adhesive rubber feet, a user's manual, and warranty information.

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Customer Reviews

Better than it's reputation!
I almost didn't order this based on the poor reviews and Consumers Reports findings. I needed a thin center speaker to go with the acoustimass cubes - this was the logical choice. After researching it at length there were mixed reviews with many negative comments. I called Cruthfield and the BOSE Outlet to get their opinions. They were surprised to hear that there were negative comments. The BOSE outlet advised theirs sounded great and noted it must be hooked directly to the receiver - not the module like the cubes. I have had the speaker for a couple weeks and it sounds great. I have two other surround systems, one high end and a lower end system and the BOSE performs admirably for such a compact system. The articulation of words coming from the center speaker sounds like a real person. I don't understand the bad reviews - unless it's not being connected properly. Worked for me - and as most retailers note you can always send it back.

Horses for Courses
I have no axe to grind with BOSE. I originally bought this speaker for a custom cabinet with almost no room for a center channel set up. This speaker has an incredibly small footprint. If space is limited, this is not a bad option.

However, being honest, this is not a great center channel speaker. Choosing speakers is like the addage "certain horses for certain courses." Your budget, your room, your components - all play a part.

I have two home theater setups. One is a daily gathering area with basic in wall treatments from Polk Audio. The other is a dedicated theater utilizing Definitive Technologies with B&K Reference 7.1 Processing. Clearly the BOSE VCS-10 can not hold its own with my larger setup. However, I have run it with my Polk Audio's and it was workable. The timbre match was slightly off and the vocals were not as sharp as they are with my Polk CSi3 but it was not awful.

My bottom line - you can certainly buy a better center channel speaker. Can you buy a better one in this price range. I think so - if you are only focused on the quality of this one speaker and not the blended sound of your system. You should always buy the best components within your budget - but remember you are building a system - it's not just about one speaker. If this speaker fits your space and (more importantly) matches your other speakers, then it may be the right speaker for you.

BOSE blows
I purchased this speaker about four years ago to complement my BOSE main speakers for my surround sound set up. At that time, I felt the sound quality was pretty good but over the years as I listened to other center channels that other people had in their home theater set ups I came to realize that the BOSE center speaker sound quality was not up to par. So last year, I purchased a Polk center speaker and the improvement in sound quality is absolutely insane. The Polk speaker which costs the same as the BOSE ($199) was far and away the better product. The sound is cleaner, crisper, sharper...it made watching movies much more enjoyable. I couldn't believe what I had been missing out on all these years. The only reason I purchased the BOSE was to match my speakers but that was a mistake because the sound I have now with Polk center and BOSE main is excellent. Depending on who you ask, the center speaker is the most important speaker in a home entertainment audio system. If that's true then I wouldn't recommend BOSE because all you're doing is buying the name and not the sound quality and to me that's a waste of money. I know because I made that mistake.