Bose has always been an innovator, designing and producing one of the most iconic speakers in the world. The Bose 301 speakers are one of them, with their unique approach of “Stereo Everywhere” speaker performance, providing the listeners balanced stereo sound almost anywhere in your listening room. Such talented speakers will require matching amplifiers to sound their absolute best, the Bose 301 is no exception.
The Bose 301 are versatile speakers, and depending on your entertainment focus whether it is movie listen or music or both, will greatly determine what type of amplifiers you will need. Also, by finding out more about the Bose 301 strengths and limitations, learning about their sonic characteristics, will also help to find the right matching amp. Once we have shared this information with you, we will then start listing out the best amplifiers that you can go for and pair them with your Bose 301 bookshelf speakers.
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Sonic Characteristics and Merits of Bose 301
These are unique-looking bookshelf speakers that look futuristic and modern. Placing the 301 on top of a Bose speaker stand, makes them look stylish and emits that premium feel. The Bose 301 will definitely fit in nicely with most modern homes and minimalistic interiors. As for amplifiers, it is more matching aesthetically with modern amps that have a sleek or metallic visual design. The uniqueness doesn’t just end with the visual, the way the drivers are been placed is unlike your conventional bookshelf speaker. Each 301 speaker has two tweeters, one is facing the front and the other at the back, a rear-firing tweeter. Both tweeters are 2 inch (50mm) in size and each Bose 301 speaker has an 8 inch (200mm) long-excursion woofer.
There are also two bass ports located behind the speaker cabinet. The Bose 301 requires ample room space, in order for the rear-firing tweeter and bass port to reflect their sound towards the listener. You will need to play around with the distance between the speakers and the side / rear walls until you get the balance and dynamics that you want. The Bose 301 recommended amplifier power starts from 10 Watts to 150 Watts and the nominal impedance is 4/8 Ohms. The frequency response is roughly between 45Hz-20khz(+/-3dB) which is impressive for a bookshelf speaker. For an awesome home cinema experience, it is recommended to mix in a subwoofer though.
More Details at Amazon – Bose 301-V Stereo Speakers
The Bose 301 is really good at projecting big spacious sound and easily fills the listening room with music. The soundstage feels vast and the sound field seems to envelop you almost anywhere in the room. The spatial sound quality is really easy on the ears and it does work great in creating an atmospheric musical presence. Still, stereo imaging is somewhat undefined and lacking focus. It is not as full-bodied and musical sounding as other conventional bookshelf speakers. Which usually has a solid focused sweet spot where the soundstage is coherent, accurate, and with more lifelike performances.
Still, the Bose 301 are fun speakers to listen to, integrating a high-quality subwoofer may add more weight and sound presence in the room. This will also significantly improve the bass performance especially for movies and bass-heavy music playbacks, giving you an even more entertaining experience. The spacious and huge sound reproduction of the Bose 301 speakers is what really makes it fun when listening to your favorite tunes. Due to the amount of breathing space required for the rear-firing tweeter, the Bose 301 is not really suitable for small listening rooms.
The way the Bose 301 bookshelf speakers can fill the room with music, is truly one of a kind, it is a unique sonic signature that sounds smooth and clean. The treble never sounds harsh when driven to high volume and with the right amplifier, you can further tune the sound quality to your liking. As mentioned, integrating a subwoofer will improve the low-frequency performance, particularly the subterranean bass region. Alright, we have what we need, it is time to share with you the list of best amplifiers that you can match with Bose 301 speakers.
Bose 301 Specifications
- Speaker Type: Direct/Reflecting, rear-firing bass ports
- Drive Units: Stereo Targeting tweeters: one front-firing 2 inch (50mm) and one rear-firing tweeter 2 inch (50mm) | 8 inch (200mm) long-excursion woofer
- Frequency Response (+/-3dB): 45Hz-20kHz (Estimate)
- Power Handling: 10-150 Watts
- Nominal Impedance: 4/8 Ohms
- Dimensions (H x D x W): 248mm x 248mm x 362mm, 9.8″ x 9.8″ x 14.3″
- Weight: 5.7kg (12.6lbs)
Best Amplifiers to pair with Bose 301
The Denon PMA-600NE will be a fantastic stereo amplifier to match with your Bose 301 speakers, it is a swiss army knife amp with loads of features. It has both a built-in DAC and a MM Phono, enabling you to connect to your turntable or PC/laptop. The power output is sufficient enough to drive your Bose 301 and furthermore, there is a subwoofer output to connect to an active sub. There are settings for you to adjust and tune the sound quality to your liking. At this price point, the Denon PMA-600NE is a bang for one’s buck, not to mention, the sweet and rich midrange complements your Bose 301 speakers really well.
More Info at Amazon – Denon PMA-600NE Stereo Integrated Amplifier
Denon’s AV receivers are also amazing choices for your Bose 301 speakers. You might want to check out Denon AVR-S960H, it has an exceptional and spacious sound quality that matches well with the spatial sound reproduction of the Bose 301 speakers. The warm and smooth music delivery of the AVR-S960H is equally impressive, providing more texture to the already bigger-than-life sound produced by the Bose 301. The video processing of the Denon AVR-S960H is also top-notch, able to process 8K/60Hz, and 4K/120Hz* pass-through. Definitely worth the listen to hear them out.
More Details at Amazon – Denon AVR-S960H 8K Ultra HD 7.2 Channel AV Receiver
If you want slightly more musicality for your home theater system then perhaps the Marantz SR6014 will be an ideal choice to pair with your Bose 301 standmounters. The Marantz house sound is quite distinct and musical sounding, there’s warmth as well which makes the overall sound presentation more pleasing to the ears. The surround and stereo sound quality is dynamic and rich, with great control of the bass reproduction, giving you a well-balanced delivery. The only qualms we have is that the SR6014 doesn’t have 8K Ultra HD and if this is critical, you should go with the above Denon AVR-S960H.
More Details at Amazon – Marantz 4K UHD AV Receiver SR6014 9.2 Channel
For stereo and music playback, AVR can’t really beat an integrated amplifier. If music is a crucial entertainment for you then perhaps the Marantz PM6007 will be the ideal amplifier partner for your Bose 301 speakers. Marantz amplifiers are renowned for their warmth and musicality, this award-winning Marantz PM6007 inherits these traits, with more punch in the low-end frequency which the Bose 301 does lack. This amplifier also has a subwoofer output to further improve the bass performance of your overall sound system. For the price the PM6007 is asking, it is worth every penny and you should audition this integrated amplifier together with your Bose 301 speakers.
More Information at Amazon – Marantz PM6007 Integrated Amplifier
If you don’t really like too warm-sounding system, then check out Onkyo amplifiers/AV receivers. For stereo/integrated amplifiers, the Onkyo A-9150 will be a terrific amp partner to match with your Bose 301 speakers. It has a high-quality DAC (768 kHz/32-bit) and a dedicated MM/MC for your turntable. The drawback is that the A-9150 doesn’t have a dedicated subwoofer output. For that, you’ll need to go with the Onkyo AV receiver, TX-NR797, an affordable 9.2 AVR with sufficient power output to drive your Bose 301 speakers. It uses Accueq with subwoofer EQ, to calibrate your speakers to work seamlessly together within your listening room.
More Info at Amazon – Onkyo A-9150 Refined Power Stereo Integrated Amplifier
More Details at Amazon – Onkyo TX-NR797 Smart AV 9.2 Channel Receiver
There are two types of subwoofers to go for, and it is depended on your home sound system usage. If your main entertainment is watching movies, then you should go for ported subwoofers as they have higher bass output and max SPL which works great for movie listens. You can check out the SVS PB-2000 Pro subwoofer.
More Info at Amazon – SVS PB-2000 Pro 12″ Ported Subwoofer
If playing music is your main entertainment then going for a sealed subwoofer will be a better choice, as they are able to better render instrumentals (more convincingly) and is more accurate in the frequency response than ported subwoofers. You should check out SVS SB-2000 Pro sealed subwoofer.
More Info at Amazon – SVS SB-2000 Pro DSP Controlled 12″ Sealed Subwoofer
To Conclude
We recommend SVS subwoofers as they specialize in designing and building high-performance subs, which are some of the best in the world. The listed amplifiers and AV receivers are well-match with your Bose 301 speakers. It is still recommended to have an audition with them first before making any decision. Feel free to use this list as a reference or use them as a side-by-side comparison when auditioning other amplifier models.
