Bose® CineMate® GS Series II Digital Home Theater Speaker System

EDIT: Got a response back from Bose yesterday. Their customer support sent me two codes, the latter worked for me. Here is the email text in case anybody else has this problem: "Try codes: "00858" under CBL-SAT brand "Motorola" or "01998" under V-ACC brand "Motorola"" I finally decided that I'd had it with the built-in TV speakers, and purchased this system. I shopped around for about a month before finally settling on the CineMate GS Series II. I opted for this because it didn't require me to run wires all around my living room. I also figured that if I'm going to go for a 2.1 system without true surround sound, I should get the maximum benefit from the smallest package possible and go Bose. Pros: This system is easy to setup and takes up very little space. The sound is great, and plenty loud enough for my smallish living room. So far I've played music, movies, and video games on my television and have been pleased with the results. Turning down the subwoofer at night is a must as it tends to noticeably vibrate the upper floors of my house. All wires, batteries, etc. come in the box so you don't need to buy any accessories to get it up and running. Cons: There are absolutely no options for tweaking the sound other than a knob on the back of the sub, which only changes the sub level. Personally I don't have a need for more than that, but audiophiles more demanding than I will miss that sorely. The universal remote doesn't have a code for my U-Verse cable box. I have a support email out to Bose, and am currently still waiting to hear back. Only has two inputs, one optical and the other is the usual RCA red/white. I have an optical out on my TV and I run all my HDMI cables through it, so again, not a con for me personally but could be for others. Overall: I'm extremely pleased with this system. The sound is as excellent as one would expect from a Bose system. While it's not as full featured as other systems at this price range, it more than meets my needs in sound quality. I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't want a complicated setup, or lots of wires coming out from behind their TV. It's a little pricey as all Bose products are, but in this case I firmly believe you get what you pay for. This system won't meet everyone's needs, and while it's a great set of speakers, it falls a little short of a true surround sound home theater system.

The sound from these is awesome. We've gone from watching "TV" to having a full-on movie experience. I ran into a few roadblocks doing the installation that are worth mentioning: 1) The speaker cable wasn't nearly long enough to go from the acoustimass unit to where I was installing the speakers on a shelf over the TV, so I had to buy the longer 40' cable separately; 2) The Bose system accepts audio inputs in only two formats: the optical "toslink" digital, or old-fashioned RCA stereo analog. My TV falls in the middle, and has neither of those audio outputs. Instead, it has a coaxial RCA digital output. To make the TV talk to the Bose unit, I got a digital audio converter to make the translation. The two digital systems use the same encoding, so the converter just has to change the signal from coaxial to optical. There are lots of units for sale that will do the job. I selected one that is very flexible in that it will convert coax-to-optical, optical-to-coax, or act as a relay (range extender) for either format. It is reasonably priced at $24, and works perfectly. (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FWM0UNS/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_8). 3) The cable connectors are quite large. I installed my system into a built-in book case, so I was able to make the necessary large holes at the back of the shelves where they won't be visible, but the hole in the floor to connect the acoustimass module will be quite visible if I ever move it. So, don't think that you can install this unit will the small holes that you'd use for running simple speaker wire. I have not yet tried to program the remote to control our Dish Network box and Philips TV, so I can't speak to how easily that is accomplished, or how well the remote works. For now, we are using the Dish remote to control the TV and the Dish box, and the Bose remote to control the volume. All-in-all, the sound is great, and the system setup is super simple if you have one of the right outputs from your TV, and still pretty simple if all you need is the converter mentioned above. Highly recommended.

The sound quality is amazing!

Cons: 1. The dialog from TV or Movies gets lost to the point that you need to increase the volume over and over again, until the volume is overwhelming, at which point, you still can not clearly hear the dialog (the voices), just the background sound effects. 2. Proprietary cables limit distance and use of provided cables. 3. The optical cable does not fit into the control module. It constantly slides out of the back of the unit and you lose all sound until you place it back into the unit and try to balance it so it does not fall out again. I tried several optical cables from cheap to expensive, and the fact is, it doesn't fit. Pathetic for an expensive piece of equipment like this. 4. Any type of universal remote control does not work with this bose, this means you have to use the bose remote to turn on your sound, and adjust the volume separately every single time you watch tv. This is obsurd. And a complete waste of time in today's day and age. Who the heck wants to use a separate remote just for sound. 5. The sub woofer is big in size, yet weak in sound. Where is the base with this unit. I couldn't tell you, because I have been unable to find it yet. 6. Price. 600 dollars. Really. Pros: You have been warned before your purchase, read above Cons.