Bose Companion 20 Multimedia Speaker System

I will keep this review as detailed as possible to save a lot of you guys time in your search. Before reading this review, please understand that I wasn't searching for a home theatre speakers to fill my living room with rich sound which will shake the walls while watching Avengers through my computer. This is a review for a desktop computer which will satisfy when you are sitting in front of the computer doing work or listening to audio in a bedroom or office room. Price of speakers. Bose Companion 20 = $260 ish shipped (Amazon Prime) Harman Kardon Soundsticks 3 = $180 ish shipped (Amazon Prime) I've read about many speakers and reviews out there to find the speaker that will really fit what I was looking for. I wouldn't call my self an extreme audiophile, but I do own some audiophile type headphones. To name a few, Audiotechnica ath-m50, Sennheiser Momentums, V-Moda Crossfade and 3 others, so when it comes to audio, I know more than the basic base head and am NOT a Beats headphone fan at all due to lack of clarity and overtaking bass. I just spent a lot of money on my first desktop ever! (I know I know kinda late right?) I always rocked the higher end 13" MacBooks as my main computer and used headphones as a form of my music speakers. Easier to travel with and all, but now that I've purchased a new home, it was time for a decent computer set up. During my search for speakers, I narrowed it down to these Bose speakers and the Harman Kardon Soundsticks 3. I couldn't figure out which one I wanted so I purchased both at the same time. If anything, I don't mind paying shipping back to return one or the other, but I couldn't go on without finding the best speaker I could for my computer. I received both speakers and the time for testing begins. Bose was the first to be installed. Fit, finish and built quality was there. The metal construction gave it a very nice feel and had good weight to it as well. Turned on iTunes and played the first song. My reaction was more like an "Okay....." Almost sounds similar to my cheap $40 speakers I had laying in my garage. The only difference was this Bose could handle louder volume when turned up all the way up, but within the same range, it sounded similar but with a bit more clarity and bass. This speaker wasn't able to project the lower frequency bass as I thought it would like many reviews I read.. It seemed to struggle as I hard the slight vibration through the speaker. Definitely felt like it lacked a lot of sound. Jazz sounded really good, but when listening to pop, it didn't sound as full as I expected. I did like sound volume knob and how easy it was to reach and adjust the volume on the speakers. I had enough. It was time for the other speaker. I installed the Harman Kardon speakers to the computer. Fit, finish and built quality was also there. Only main difference is the Bose is metal construction while the Kardon's where of high quality plastic. Heavy and sturdy though. Each speaker on the Kardon was about half the size of the Bose speaker, but it does require a little more space underneath your desk for the subwoofer. I adjusted the bass the way I liked it and tested the same songs I did as the Bose. The Kardon put a smile on my face right away. It filled my office with very good sound and clarity. These speakers were more clear than the Bose and had WAY more bass than the Bose. If you don't like bass too much, you can adjust the bass knob behind the subwoofer to your liking. When turned on all the way up, it was very loud but speakers handled it well. The volume adjust is built in the right speaker which I didn't like it as much as the Bose. Overall, the Harmon Kardon Soundsticks 3 sounded better in every way compared to the Bose Companion 20 and it was cheaper! Cmon Bose, you gotta do better than that. My friend owns the Bose Companion 5 which sounded pretty good and should be compared to the Harmon Kardon Soundstick 3. But the Kardon's are still cheaper and sound the same as the Companion 5. Bose Companion 5 costing $399. IMO, the Companion 20 should cost no more than $100 while the Kardon's is rightly priced at $180. Trust me when I say this..... If you are looking for a stationary speaker to your desktop, get the Kardon's. They will not disappoint, or you can do what I did and will probably end up returning the Bose. Bose definitely need to step up their game. If the Bose were priced at $100, I would've given it 5 stars, since for that much money, they would be worth it, but for $260, they are garbage. I hope you guys found this useful. This is the longest review I have ever written lol.