Bose SoundTouch 520 Home Theater System

I have only had the system for a few days but I can honestly say it is amazing. It blows my old 7.1 samsung system out of the water. The design is compact and surprisingly good looking. Usually, Bose systems look extremely dated no matter the age, but this one looks very nice in my setup. The speakers have a nice shape and coloring to them, and the receiver unit is small and sleek. The "universal" remote that it comes with looks like its straight out of the 90's though. While I can tell it's very well built, it strangely feels very cheap at the same time. The grey color and the button placement leaves little to desire. I highly suggest getting a universal remote like a harmony or ray, use the 90's special to get the system set up, and chuck it in a drawer somewhere. I must also point out that buttons on the remote have the worlds strangest texture that irritated me to no end..... The soundtouch feature, while seeming like a complete after thought, is actually very nice. I was able to hide away the added unit and it works like a dream. The app is very responsive and connects extremely quick to the unit. You can use the feature while everything else is off, and you don't need a remote to access it or control the system. It can all be done from the app. I read one review somewhere that stated you needed both the remote and the app to set up soundtouch and use it, but you don't. Setting up the system is very easy. Unbox all parts, place the sub unit and plug in, place the reciever and plug in, place the speakers where you want, plug all of them in with the proper wires noting the little letters on the wires denoting what speaker they connect too, plug in the sound touch unit, plug in your HDMI cables and BOOM! You're done. The sub pairs all on its own, then download the app, make an account, and it'll walk you through the rest. I had the system up and running within 30 minutes. The adaptIQ feature is the first sound adjustment system I have used that actually works. It walks you very clearly through every step and worked pretty well. As for sound....wow. Its hard to believe they got such amazing sound to come out of such small speakers. Even the sub-woofer will blow your mind. In sub-woofer size standards it's absolutely microscopic, but the amount of bass it can produce is staggering. I did have to up the sub levels a smidge to get them where I like but it was very simple to do. Simply press "system" on the 90's remote, scroll down to bass level and adjust accordingly. I was originally worried the bass would be lacking, but it is capable of rattling the walls if you so desire. The surround sound works amazingly, and voices are clear even on those shows where usually you have to crank up the sound to here what they're saying then get blown away when the action starts. The system is very expensive, but it definitely holds its own with similarly priced systems. Sure you can get a system that sounds as good or maybe better for less, but you can't get one that looks this nice, sounds this good, and comes in such a small size. And with the Bose track record, it will last a very long time. Yes, the wires are irritatingly proprietary, but they give you more than enough wire to run it where you need. Also, they way they are designed I cant think of a way you can break them short of cutting the wire. Sadly, the rear speaker are not wireless. If you have white walls and carpet, the black wires might be hard to hide, but I had no problem with this in my room. I simply pulled up the carpet a bit around the edge of the room, placed the wires under, and stuck the carpet back down. I did have to invest in the stands for the front side speakers as I did not want to hang them on the walls. If you opt to do this make sure you get the stands that are the UFS-20 series II stands. These are the only ones that can mount to these speakers. They are great quality, crazy heaving, good looking, and provide a place to hide the wires. Overall its an amazing system that should last you for years to come. So if you're on the fence I say go for it. I was and I don't regret the purchase.

This system is easy to hook up with TV and all other devices that are connected to your TV. In simple word every device is connected to the Bose control console, control console then is connected to the TV set. I do want to point out here that this system is hard wired connected system. All five speakers are connected to the console with hard wires provided with the system. If you are planning on mounting the speakers on wall, you will need Bose specialty wall mounts ($35 each) for each of the speakers. The center speaker can be placed on the TV stand. The sound quality is undoubtedly the best for the similar range systems. It is worth to note that the system will not generate really loud bass that some of the other systems would produce. But this is not what I was expecting from this system. The bass module is wireless (needs power cable). This sounds great as well. One of the best things about set-up is Adapt IQ audio calibration system. The ADAPTiQ audio calibration system adjusts the speaker’s performance to the unique acoustics of your room, ensuring consistent, quality sound. I have tried this calibration system and it works great, I can tell the difference in sound quality before and after. The console and module both work as receiver, so in other words you don’t need extra receiver to play internet radio and music from your phone. You can utilize this system without turning the TV ON using the Bluetooth feature. My overall review for this system is positive. I could actually listen to some the sounds in the movie and songs that I never knew was there. This system is an excellent improvement to your living room entertainment or to your theater.

I purchased the Bose 520 to replace a VIZIO 5.1 Sound Bar in my home office. It turned out to be a substancial upgrade in sound quality. I have always favored having flexibility in locating the speakers over a fixed sound bar. When I purchased the 520 I thought all the speakers where wireless. However, the fact that the center and main speakers are wired to the main unit and the suround speakers are wired to the wireless bass unit. I was not disappointed, as the the system comes with sufficient wire to easly locate all the speakers wherever you disire. I really like the stable wire conectors for the speakers. They are very secure and stable (no need for banana plugs). The sound quality is great. It has more than enough power to get clear and crisp sound at low volumes. The ADATiQ audio calibration automatically adjust the souround sound to your desires listening location. The CEC controls makes usng the 520 remote to control your TV, Blue Ray and cable box a lot more convenient than using the universal cable remote, The Bluetooth feature is great. Once paired to a source, the 520 turns on and goes to Bluetooth when the sourse device is set to the 520. I am very pleased with the Bose 520 SoundTouch.

Absolute trash. Six months of moderate use and the entire system just stops working. Speakers and sub won’t connect. Amazon + Bose unwilling to help fix. What a freaking joke.

We purchased the Bose SoundTouch 520 system after being completely blown away by its sound when demonstrated to us at a large electronics retailer. We looked at several different kits and we were willing to pay more for the Bose quality sound. It was truly awesome. Setting it up however, we ran into problems. Once connected, the Adaptiq system was run in order to balance the sound throughout the media room seats. Done...so far so good. Then we put in a Blu-Ray disc to watch a movie. When we did, we noticed that the satellite speakers and center channel would all stop working and that the only sound we would hear would be coming out of the Acoutimass (sub). The display on the receiver said "Error call Bose". We tried different movies and even played a CD and still no sound. Called Bose and they patiently tried to troubleshoot it. They couldn't resolve it and so they asked me to get the USB drive that came with the system to update the software. It did not come with one. They then said they would send one to me. So I waited for that. Fast forward a week and the USB drive arrived. I called Bose again and they told me to plug it in the back of the Acoustimass so it would update. It did not work. They had me plug the drive into my computer and go to one of their web pages to download the update from their site onto the drive. The page that I was directed to was down (Error 404). Ok, so now they said they will send me another USB drive with the files already on it. I wait another week. Now the second USB drive had arrived. I called Bose again and they walked me through the setup with it. It updated the software on the receiver but I still had the same problem. The technician I spoke to tried different audio sources (my iPod and my computer) to see if the problem was my Blu-Ray player. They all did the same thing: muffled noise from the Acoustimass module and no sound from the center channel or satellite speakers. Keep in mind too that I can run the Adaptiq and sound comes from ALL of the speakers when I do this. So Bose said that there is a problem with the receiver and that I need to box it up, take it to UPS, and then once they receive it, they will send me an entirely new system. So I boxed it up, waited a couple of days until I had time to physically drive it to a UPS store and sent it off. Another week or so goes by. So finally, I have an entirely new Bose Soundtouch 520 system on my doorstep. Amazingly enough, the box is in good condition which is surprising because UPS usually backs over a package in their truck before delivering it. I took it in to my media room, unboxed it, and installed it. It literally takes about 20 minutes to connect it, if that. Very simple. And guess what? I ran the Adaptiq setup perfectly with crystal clear sound coming from each speaker. Then, I tried to play a Blu-Ray...moment of truth. And it did the exact same thing on three separate Blu-Ray discs. No sound from the satellite speakers and a muffled rumble from the Acoustimass module. And the receiver displays "Error call Bose". I'm tired of calling Bose and waiting for things to be sent to me from afar. I give up. I will be returning it to the electronics store. Hopefully they will accept my return and give me my $1400 back because this system was sent to me from Bose after I sent the one I bought from the electronics store back to Bose. Oh, and by the way, the little USB drive that was originally supposed to be included with the system to do updates....well this new one didn't have one either. Two stars only because the technicians were nice and helpful in trying to help me on the phone. I feel like I know all of them now by name. Especially Charles. Thank you Charles for trying so hard.

I always wished to purchase a Bose Surround system because of its quality/reviews and finally I did it this time..... Pros: -Very easy to set-up... -Top notch sound quality..probably the best on the market for a full surround sound home theater system (especially with multi-room audio flexibility)... -I also compared it with Sonos...Read very good reviews about Sonos but learnt their 5.1 bundle is not good....Some may also argue that Bose bass is little less as compared to that of Sonos, but it's more than enough for small to medium size room... -Also, this Bose system does not sound unnecessarily louder (which, I feel, is good for a 'HOME' theater system in a residential neighborhood).. -SoundTouch adds flexibility to make it multi-room audio system. I haven't tested the multi-room audio yet. - Ample choice of radio channels Cons: -Price is on the higher side (I personally feel all Bose products are 20-25% overpriced)...If Bose reduces the prices by 20%, no other competitor can beat that price for the quality... Note: I purchased this system because Bose was offering 10% discount..that means, I had to make up my mind to spend 10% more :) -This is a WIRED system (pictures do not give a good idea). ONLY the subwoofer is wireless. Hence, you will have to deal with wires mess all around the room until you fix the speakers at one place. If you don't want wires, go for the soundbar. I did not want a soundbar.. -Bose Speaker brackets ($35 each) add more to the cost of this system. They are proprietary and no other brackets will fit the speakers. You will come to know about it AFTER the purchase. I installed my speakers on 4 corner brackets in my living room to save some 140+ bucks... -Speaker cables are Bose Proprietary...which means no flexibility to use any other speaker cables...If you move to a bigger house and need longer speaker cables, you will have to purchase ONLY the Bose speaker cables (and it implicitly means, at whatever price they quote)... -Surround Effect: The Surround effect is good, but frankly (even after Adaptiq settings) I was not 'impressed' with it considering the price tag.......I have a much cheaper Yamaha Soundbar for my bedroom TV and its surround effect is comparable to this system..I am NOT exaggerating...Also, since I have 2 kids, I can't fit my speakers at human ear level to get the best possible sound effect (as recommended in forums).. -ARC input from TV: Though I can't remember the exact pattern when it happens, sometimes I have to change the inputs on Bose remote (TV --> Cable/SoundTouch --> And again back to TV) to switch to external speakers. I have seen a couple of times that external speakers are not ALWAYS on. But I believe this issue is not a show-stopper. Overall, a very good Bose sound...I will keep the 3 stars so far. When I test more features, I will update the review.

Nice simple system but no RF remote and the wireless base module sometimes drops signal for no apparent reason.

My first bose system. Had it for a few months now. Can't say enough. Works perfectly with TV and dish network. Had a few home systems, mostly under $500. I was concerned it wasn't going to be loud enough like my other 1000 watt system. Come to find out, bose is 3 times as loud. Can't believe something so small sounds so great. Why can't other systems perform like this? Can't go wrong buying bose. The thing I didn't like was having to use bose speaker wire and replacing my old wire. Also, I made my own bose speaker brakets to fit my current mounts. Saved like $250 mounting speakers and still kept it professional looking.