Bose CineMate Series II

The Bose CineMate Series II is a 2.1-channel surround sound system consisting of an interface module, 2 Articulated-Array speakers, and an Acoustimass woofer module. It’s essentially a more affordable downgrade from the GS Series II.

It’s speakers aren’t as high tech; plus, it utilizes a simple four-button remote instead. Like its peer, however, it hosts an interface with audio (analog/optical) inputs for connecting directly to a television. And the interface is equipped with the modern decoding technology — VideoStage 5, Digital 5.1, and DTS decoding — necessary to accurately reproduce the realism from 5.1-encoded DVDs, DBS, or HDTV. Included also is Digital Dynamic Range speaker compression circuitry, which ensures soft sounds (especially dialogue) are heard even at low volumes. This means a user need not switch from low to high volumes all the time—what with a movie going from dialogue to LOUD special effects and back.