Bose 161 Manual

Before you begin

Thank you for purchasing Bose 161 speakers. Their advanced design and quality construction are intended to provide long-term listening enjoyment in your home. Your 161 speakers are engineered to provide quality Bose speaker performance from a simple, elegant design. Unique Bose technologies, including Stereo Everywhere^®, deliver performance usually associated with much larger speakers.

For your records
Serial numbers are located on the label on the back of each 161 speaker.
Serial numbers:
Dealer name:
Dealer phone:
Purchase date:
We suggest you keep your sales receipt with this owner's guide.

Unpacking

Unpack the carton carefully. Save the carton and packing materials for possible later use. If either speaker appears damaged, do not operate either one. Repack both speakers in the original carton and notify your authorized Bose^® dealer immediately.

Placing your Bose 161^™ speakers

Note: Your 161 speakers are magnetically shielded to prevent interference with most television screens.
For best acoustic performance, place the left channel speaker on the left side of the room and the right channel speaker on the right, at least 5 feet (1.5 m) apart. (Refer to the label on the back of each speaker.) Make sure the back of each speaker is parallel to the front wall.
For rear channel use in a home theater surround sound system, put the speakers near the back of the room, behind or to the sides of the listening area.
Attach the supplied self-adhesive feet to the bottom surface of each speaker for greater stability (Figure 1).
If you want to mount your speakers using the supplied wall brackets, see "Mounting your speakers on a wall".
Figure 1 Locations for attaching rubber feet to the bottom of the speakers


Do not install near any heat sources, such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

Choosing speaker cord

Be sure to use the proper gauge (thickness) of speaker cord. Standard zip cord (2-conductor, 18-gauge [0.75 mm²] wire found at electrical and hardware stores) works for most applications. If the length of speaker wire extends more than 30 feet (9 m) from a receiver or amplifier, refer to "Wire recommendations" or contact your authorized Bose dealer for more information.

Before making any connections, turn off your receiver or amplifier and unplug it from the outlet (the AC power mains).

Preparing speaker cord

Speaker cord consists of two insulated wires. The insulation around one wire is striped, collared, or ribbed. This marked wire is always positive (+). The plain wire is always negative (–). These correspond to the positive (red) and negative (black) terminals on the back of each speaker, receiver, or amplifier. Be sure to connect each wire to the proper terminal (+ to +, – to –).
Note: Be sure to cut enough cord to reach from the receiver to each speaker.
At the ends of each cord, strip approximately 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) of insulation from both wires. Twist the bare ends of each wire so there are no loose strands.

Connecting speaker cord to the speakers

Locate the terminals on the back of each speaker. Depress the red terminal button (Figure 2), insert the marked (+) wire and release the button. Depress the black terminal button, insert the plain (–) wire and release the button.
Figure 2 Making speaker wire connections

Connecting speaker cord to your receiver or amplifier

Connect the left speaker cord to the left channel speaker output of your receiver or amplifier. Attach the marked wire to the red (+) terminal and the plain wire to the black (–) terminal. In the same manner, connect the right speaker cord to the right channel speaker output.

Make sure no loose strands of wire touch across terminals. This could create a short circuit that can damage an amplifier or receiver. Secure any loose wires before you plug in the receiver or amplifier.
Note: If these speakers are used for the rear surround channels in a home theater system, choose the "SMALL SPEAKER" setting.

Testing speaker connections

1. Center the balance control on your receiver or amplifier. Set it for MONO, if you have that option, and turn it on.
2. Place the 161^™ speakers less than 6 inches (15 cm) apart, facing each other.
3. Play some deep bass passages of music.

The sound should seem to come from a point between the two speakers. The bass should be full and natural. If not, your connections may be reversed, causing the speakers to play out of phase. To correct the problem, make sure the speaker wires are connected + to + and – to –. Then repeat steps 1 – 3.

Mounting your speakers on a wall

See the back pages of this guide for a mounting template and mounting hardware information.

Do not mount the brackets on surfaces that are not sturdy enough, or that have hazards concealed behind them, such as electrical wire or plumbing. If you are unsure about installing the bracket, contact a qualified professional installer.

Do not hang items from the brackets or speakers. The brackets were designed to support the weight of the speakers only.
Note: For vertical mounting, mount part A with the hole for screw C at the bottom. Be sure to tighten all screws.
Note: For Stereo Everywhere^® speaker performance, horizontal mounting is required.
Figure 3 Speaker-bracket installation

1. Hold the mounting template in position and mark holes for the mounting hardware. If you plan to feed wires through the wall, mark the speaker wire pilot hole also.
2. Drill holes for the chosen mounting hardware.
3. Mount bracket part A to the wall and mount bracket part B to the rear of the speaker (Figure 3).
4. Secure the speaker with bracket part B to bracket part A using screw C. To adjust the angle, loosen screw C slightly, move the speaker up or down, and retighten screw C.

Cleaning your speakers

Use a damp cloth to clean your 161^™ speakers. Do not use harsh chemicals or household cleaners. Do not apply liquids directly to the speakers. If you vacuum the front grille of the speakers, do so carefully.

Troubleshooting

If you experience problems with your 161 speakers, the following suggestions may help. If you need additional help, contact your authorized Bose^® dealer, or contact Bose directly.

Technical information

Quality standard: Syncom^® computer quality control
Driver complement: Two (2) 2.5" (6.3 cm) wide-range drivers per speaker
Enclosure: Tuned port, molded ABS resin
Dimensions: 4.17"H x 10.93"W x 4.98"D (10.6 cm x 27.8 cm x 12.6 cm)
Compatibility: Rated 50W IEC; compatible with amplifiers or receivers rated 10-100 watts per channel, rated 4-8 ohms
Wire recommendations: Based on a maximum frequency response deviation of ±0.5 dB.

Weight: 8 lbs. (3.6 kg) per pair, in the carton

Drilling template

Wood wall

Wallboard wall