Why is Bose surround sound so good? What makes a good surround sound system? speakers or receiver?

I came across this site recently that had loads of information that helped us set up our system, Maybe it will be of help.

Sadly I used to think that way too before I heard a good quality setup. Try going to a local hi-end audio store (even a Best Buy with Magnolia inside is fine) and demoing some of their speakers. You really will be surprised. The first time I heard a pair of Martin Logan's my jaw dropped to the floor. I've never heard anything that clear before and the soundstage was amazing. There's a lot of good product out there way better than Bose, you just got to go out there and experience it for yourself.

Both are important. Onkyo denon yamaha hk make best receivers. Bose is the best for marketing and the size and material they use. Actually no one makes that big music from those small speakers. But if you are fine with bigger size, you have more choice. My Polk onkyo system will easily outperform similar priced Bose.

yea i would have to agree bose is ok but not the best although they try to make it seem so. Try looking at some klipsh,paradigm,cerwin vega speakers. It depends what you mean by good system you would need both a decent receiver and decent speakers.I would advise to buy your speakers first and then match them with a fitting receiver.

This one is the best . Sony BRAVIA DAV-HDX589W 5.1-Channel Theater System (Black) Technical Details * 1000 watts over 5 channels * S-AIR multi-room capable ( AIR-SA10 sold separately) * HDMI upscaling to 720p/1080i of DVD media * Includes wireless rear speaker system

Yes Bose is overpriced, and inferior even compared to MUCH cheaper speakers. Brands? How about anything BUT Bose? Sony, Klipsch, Definitive Technology, Kirkland (yes, Costco's generic brand)... Bose does not use a subwoofer. No, they legally cannot call their "Bose Bass Unit" (or whatever) a subwoofer because it's not a subwoofer. It's an overpriced, over-engineered thing that tries to sound like a subwoofer but fails miserably. Any set of speakers can do window-rattling-loud. Whether or not they can produce clear notes both in the treble and bass regardless of the volume is another matter. My brother-in-law has a high end Bose system, but honestly it just makes noise. You don't hear music or feel the explosions, you just hear loud fuzzy noise. I don't even need to turn the system up very loud to get room thumping bass, and I don't lose the higher end of the spectrum either. Honestly, the receiver doesn't make a lot of difference with regards to the sound. Pick on based on the features and inputs you need. Here, too, Bose falls behind. For $200-300, you can get a entry level receiver with multiple HDMI inputs and a swath of other audio inputs to satisfy most home setups. For speakers, I got a nice set of bookshelf speakers and a 10" subwoofer kit from Definitive Technology for $500. For something from Bose that even has a single HDMI port on it, and their fakey speaker setup, you're at least looking something that costs thousands of dollars, and is essentially a crippled home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) unit with no additional inputs other than one for your iPod (and ONLY your iPod.) I dunno. >$1000 for a receiver and non-proprietary speakers that will last me a life time, vs. thousands for inferior speakers which will fall apart after 10 years or so and can only be used with other Bose products (maybe) Yeah, that's a toughie.