Bose Companion 2 review

Bose's Companion 2 is a simple set of stereo speakers that are capable of some impressive results despite the lack of subwoofer.

The styling is sober but attravailable, and the bases are angled so the speakers' sound is directed slightly up as well as forward. Its build quality is predictably good: both speakers have a reassuring heft, and the speaker grille is rigid to protect the driver inside.

The rear of the right speaker houses the inputs, while you'll find a volume-control knob and headphone jack on the front.

The speakers accept standard stereo phono connectors, and a phono-to-3.5mm jack cable enables you to hook them up to devices such as an iPod or Mac. Interestingly, the speakers have two sets of inputs so you can connect two devices simultaneously. There is no way to switch between them - the inputs from both will just mix together if you play both at the same time - but this is a handy way of having the Companion 2 speakers always attached to your Mac, and also having a spare connection into which you can plug your portable music player.

Bose is known for manufacturing compact speakers that can still belt out a rich, full sound, with plenty of detail at the high end. These speakers are no different, although audio purists would take exception to the amount of signal processing that goes on between the audio source and your ears.

Our one criticism of audio performance would be that the speakers tend to try a little too hard to impress. In their attempts to create a big sound, the Companion 2's output can be a little flabby, with bass and audio from the bottom end of the mid-range slightly lacking clarity. This did seem to be a positive advantage while playing games, however, where the powerful sound gave them a real presence.

We do take issue with the price: we couldn't find these speakers any cheaper anywhere online, and we'd be more keen to recommend them if they cost even just £20 less. Shop around - if you can find these for £80 or less, they're a good buy.