Clean, Crisp, & Elegant Sound

The Bose 161 bookshelf speakers have provided me perfectly. Originally I has the Bose 141's, which are a step down from this speaker. The difference between the two: a stylish design and louder more proficient sound.

These speakers are perfect for every variety of music. They hit the higher treble notes with extreme precision and are able to play lower bass beats cleanly (unlike the blurred out sound from many lower end speakers). Yet if you are looking for a blasting, vibrating bass effect, you will certainly need a separate subwoofer.

Another plus are the mounting brackets that come with the pair of speakers. With two screws for each speaker, they are easily mounted onto the wall, with some swivel-action.
Since I am using them as my front speakers on my surround-sound system, they brackets come in very handily.

Regarding price, I decided to go with these ~$150 speakers because they were backed by Bose's quality guarantee. In fact, I was able to find them on Vanns.com for $148 without tax and free shipping.

I very highly recommend these speakers if you are looking within this price range for a bookshelf pair. Just to be sure you like them, I would also suggest that you sound-test them at a store such as BestBuy.
Whenever I have guests over, they always remark on these 161's and their design. As of now, I LOVE them.

Good luck deciding.