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Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers

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Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers
 
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Item# 018FS51 offer details

Item# 018FS51

Review Sumary

 
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Bose

Our take on the Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers

The Free Space® 51 environmental speakers are yet another example of Bose®'s commitment to making great sound possible just about anywhere. They're perfect for placement in a garden or backyard, so you can enjoy your favorite music outdoors. And you don't have to worry about placing the speakers in a protected spot — constructed of ultra-durable green plastic, these sturdy speakers are ready to handle the toughest weather and sound good doing it.

Bose's innovative radial design lets each speaker disperse sound in a 360º pattern, while protecting the weather-resistant driver — no worries about finding the perfect "sweet spot" for listening. Plus, these rugged, flexible speakers can withstand temperature extremes from 158º F to -40º F, and passed the rigorous salt fog test 66% longer than required by the Marine Industry Standard. That means they can handle direct exposure to the elements. They're designed for placement flexibility, too — they can be placed on or around decks or patios, secured in-ground, mounted onto hard surfaces, or just left free-standing. And with a 5-year warranty, expect years of expansive outdoor music.

Got wire?
Most speakers don't include any. Learn more about in-wall wiring at the Crutchfield Learning Center.
Shop our selection of in-wall speaker wire.

Read our hands-on review of the Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers.

Details:

  • bass-reflex
  • downward-firing 4-1/2" environmental full-range driver
  • recommended power 10-100 watts with receivers rated from 4-8 ohms
  • base flanges with mounting holes for easy installation
  • three wire grooves in base permit stable footing and a tidy appearance
  • textured green enclosure
  • 14-1/2" base diameter; 14-7/8"H
  • withstands loads of up to 350 lbs.
  • warranty: 5 years
Priced per pairGet more info on this product
 

Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Features and Specs

Features and Specs
Enclosure
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Bass Reflex
Tweeter Type
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Midrange Size
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Woofer Size
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4-1/2
Woofer Composition
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Polymer fiber
Woofer Surround
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Treated cloth
Power Range (watts)
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10-100
Sensitivity
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Impedance (ohms)
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8
Frequency Response
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Connector Type
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Tinned wire
Height (inches)
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14-7/8
Width (inches)
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14-1/2
Depth (inches)
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14-1/2
Weight (pounds)
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12
Mounting Bracket Included
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No
Parts Warranty
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5 Years
Labor Warranty
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5 Years

Product Research

Product Research
What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

  • 2 Free Space 51 outdoor speakers
  • 4 Wire nuts
  • Owner's Guide
  • Bose Product Registration and Warranty Information
  • "Our Commitment to You" letter
  • Bose website information sheet

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

Driver Technology
Enclosure Design
Connections
Mounting Options

Driver Technology

Downward-firing 4-1/2" Full-range Drivers: Each woofer cone combines a pulp and plastic mixture with waterproofing agents for high-quality sound reproduction that is resistant to the type of deterioration often caused by extreme conditions. Because the drivers are downward-firing, they are further protected from the elements to help deliver high fidelity, long-lasting sound. Each woofer uses a treated cloth surround.

Radial Design: The Free Space 51 speakers offer exceptionally broad, even coverage thanks to a radial design that enables 360-degree sound dispersion.

Enclosure Design

Environmentally Tested: While all Bose speakers are thoroughly tested, the extreme demands placed on outdoor speakers require an even more rigorous evaluation. Bose engineers re-create extreme environmental conditions, like exposure to sunlight, rain, heat, ice, even corrosive salt and fog. They also simulate years of exposure to these conditions to ensure that these speakers can deliver reliable, long-lasting performance.

Green Speaker Enclosures: The speaker enclosures blend in with backyard greenery.

Centrally Located Ports: The centrally located port on each enclosure enhances low-frequency performance to help preserve the depth and richness of your favorite music outdoors.

Domed Port Grilles: Positioned over the centered port, this grille reflects high-frequency tones into the listening area to help deliver clear, consistent performance.

Connections

Wire Grooves: Wire grooves on the bottom of each speaker enclosure prevent the speaker from rocking on the speaker wire and enables a professional-looking installation on decks, patios and other flat surfaces.

Mounting Options

Base Flanges with Mounting Holes: The mounting holes in each base flange provide easy, solid and secure installation on hard surfaces or in the ground.

In-ground Installation: Each speaker can be buried up to 7-1/4" in the ground. With the speakers buried, 7-5/8" of each enclosure will remain above ground.

 

Product reviews from the Crutchfield Labs

Product reviews from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)
Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers

Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers

Ralph Graves
7/27/2004
based on 12 ratings (1 comment)
 

Ralph Graves discovers Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers can provide great outdoor sound for the great outdoors.

 

Product Reviews

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1-10 of 10 items Sort Results By: Date Reviewed | Rating | Helpfulness
 
1 out of 5

does not handle bass or volume

Written By Duane, cincinnati, OHIO on Monday, February 13, 2012
 
The Bose Free Space 51 , do not live up to the Bose name . They do not handle bass levels very well .And I've also had to return them a couple of times . I don't reccommend them for large areas .Invest your money on something else. I purchase them for my back yard pool area . Not happy at all.
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5 out of 5

Deck Party in a box

Written By Busychild, Chesapeake, VA on Wednesday, June 08, 2011
 
I set these up in my back yard oasis. I followed the MFG recommendations and I have them buried in the rose garden by the house with about 5/8" of the base showing. I have them powered with a HCA-1000A that is zoned from an URC-1 processor. I think that they sound very good for out door speakers. With the 360 degree disperse pattern you can walk any where in the back yard and hear them. Clearly. They have good full range and for single driver, they also have notable high end. The over all sound is smooth and colorful. They will be easy to listen to all day long in your oasis with out getting listener fatigue. If you are considering these, please note that they are a lot larger than they look in the pictures. Once installed in the ground they do blend in quite nicely. My wife and kids think they sound great too. I had considered several other speakers and I ended up going with these based on several other reviewers notes. My wife and I did a lot of research prior to putting the out side zone together. Over all I am very happy with the sound of these speakers and Crutchfield is a name you can trust. I am very glad I spent the money on this particular set of out door speakers.
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5 out of 5

Spend the money!

Written By Arthur, Columbia, S.C. on Monday, March 16, 2009
 
These speakers give a very well distributed, balanced full range sound that just seems to float in the air. The first time I heard them play was several years ago at Newport Beach, Ca. in a tank of water. They drained out the water, immediately cranked the power to them from an Onkyo amplifier, and everyone in the store came over to see what we were listening to. I have wanted them ever since but refused to spend the money. I finally broke down and made the purchase. Even my wife who normally says "it must be a guy thing, they all sound about the same to me" was impressed with the quality of the sound. We spend a lot of time outside and recommend these speakers to anyone who enjoys listening to music. They sound great at low and high volumes. I currently have them connected to a multi zone system with 50 watts of power going to them and normally have them playing betwen half and two-thirds volume. They will play considerably louder but you do not need it. My neighbor on the other side of the pond has no problem hearing the music! If you want good clean sound without having to blast out the speakers these are for you. If you want to blast out the sound these are still the speakers to get (they will take up to 100 watts of power).
8 out of 8 people found this helpful
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4 out of 5

High quality, good sound

Written By milesm, Salt Lake City, UT on Sunday, September 07, 2008
 
This is the second set of Free Space Ā® 51 speakers that I have purchased. I don't believe there is a comparable speaker on the market. The first pair has been in place for more than 4 years and perform just as well today as they did when I buried them. The sound produced is somewhat subdued which is both good and bad -- great for parties and relaxation. With their relatively compact size, they do not produce DEEP base well. To qualify that, however, they are far superior to any wall- or ceiling-mounted speaker. Reproduction of sound is accurate without being harsh.

When buried, they blend well in any landscape. I have chosen to have them somewhat surrounded by plantings to keep them from being a focal point. With such a placement, people cannot determine where the sound is coming from, which is what I had wanted.

Overall, I would highly recommend the BoseĀ® Free SpaceĀ® 51
Outdoor speakers to anyone looking for an outdoor. They produce very pleasing sound that is not brash. With the in-ground mounting near walls and plantings, the sound does not carry as much to neighborhood homes and I have never had any complaints about noise -- even though I will play them at high levels in the daytime and early evenings.

Relatively high price (they are BoseĀ®, after all, and are rarely discounted) is, in my opinion, justified by the sound and flexibility of placement.
5 out of 7 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers

Written By Steve, West Sayville, NY on Thursday, August 14, 2008
 
I just built a new deck (650 Sq. Ft.) and permanently mounted these speakers to the deck floor on the far outsdie corners. Amazing sound for such a small speaker. I upset one neighbor with the now loud music and frequent deck parties. I never had anything outside before, but now that I do, the tunes are blasting all the time I'm outside. I also purchased an Onkyo receiver (TX-8522, XM ready) and Onkyo i-pod dock which pushes these speakers to the recommended 100 watts each producing the best sound. The only other thing I need to complete this ultimate outdoor sound system is the XM Mini tuner package. I highly recommend these speakers over the other Bose 151 and 251 Series outdoor loud speakers.
5 out of 5 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Excellent Sound for around pool

Written By TONY, Arkansas on Tuesday, August 12, 2008
 
I put these speakers beside my pool and was completely blown away. We
have an outdoor mall locally that uses these speakers in the flower bed so
I had an idea of what I was getting before I purchased these. The sound
is rich and carries VERY well. I've got one on each side of the deep end of
the pool and when your on the Diving board it just surrounds you with rich
sound. They are also easy to hide or just leave out in the open and they
still look fine. If a multimillion dollar mall thinks they are the best, the'll do
for my back yard. :P
3 out of 3 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Bose Free Space 51: Great Sound

Written By Larry, Austin, Tx on Saturday, April 12, 2008
 
Best speaker purchase I have made in some time. Very smooth refined
audio. First Bose ever purchased. I will definitely buy Bose again! These
Bose Free Space 51's are excellent outdoor speakers. I installed them by
the pool and the sound is fantastic. My neighbors will be complaining soon!

Regarding Crutchfield, their Customer Service Dept. really did a super job
with shipping me "replacement speakers" in three days turn around. One
of the Bose was damaged in shipment. No questions, no hassel, they just
shipped out the replacement and I shipped back the original. Simple,
Done! Great service...
5 out of 6 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Great 360ø sound and practically hidden from view

Written By Matthew, CT on Tuesday, January 01, 2008
 
I put these in the ground last summer and used them nearly every night for the remaining summer/fall evenings. The sound is great and the speakers are practically hidden from view. They create great atmosphere when hosting firepit parties on the patio. I've noticed our guests stay longer when there is music playing (that could be a negative though!).

We'll see how the construction/materials hold up over the winter(s) but so far so great.
5 out of 5 people found this helpful
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2 out of 5

Not for Volume or Bass

Written By Aggiegator, Pensacola, FL on Tuesday, June 05, 2007
 
I have been running my 51s for a couple of years now. At low volume levels they sound nice, but their bass is very limited and I have found that they begin to distort at very low volume levels. I am running 100 watts RMS to them through a Sony ES receiver, so the source should not be the problem. I recently bought a pair of the Mirage Omni 6s from Crutchfield to support the overworked 51s and mounted them under my cover lanai with the Bose out in the landscaping. The Mirages are far superior in music reproduction and their capability to handle the higher volume needed for a large space. This does create a problem though as my 51s begin to distort terribly... long before the Mirages even seem to be working hard. I almost am lead to think that something may be wrong with my 51s after reading the other review.
16 out of 23 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

An unbelievable set of outdoor speakers

Written By Mark, Washington, NJ on Monday, May 22, 2006
 
I placed these speakers about 30 feet away from each other and burried them as recommended in the manual. The directions did suggest placing them closer to one another but 30 feet was as close as I could get due to the size of my patio. The sound is simply amazing!! I have an Onkyo TX-SR803 powering the speakers and the sound has far exceeded my expectations. Considering the speakers only have 4 1/2 inch drivers, the bass is incredible. There are absolutely no down sides to these speakers after a month of HEAVY use. The price seemed a little high when I made the purchase but after listening to the speakers for a few weeks they seem like a great bargain. Buy these speakers.
116 out of 126 people found this helpful
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1-10 of 10 items

Learn more about Outdoor Speakers

Learn more about Outdoor Speakers

Video: Planning Your Outdoor Speaker System

Video: Planning Your Outdoor Speaker System

Tara W.
3/12/2010
based on 51 ratings
 

Get tips on planning your outdoor speaker system, including where to place your speakers and the other items you'll need to complete your setup.

 
Video: Installing Outdoor Speakers

Video: Installing Outdoor Speakers

Tara W.
3/12/2010
based on 18 ratings (4 comments)
 

See the basic steps involved in installing outdoor speakers in a typical installation, from running the wire to mounting your speakers.

 
Video: Choosing Outdoor Speakers

Video: Choosing Outdoor Speakers

Tara W.
3/13/2010
based on 4 ratings
 

Learn about what to look for when choosing outdoor speakers, including weather-readiness and the speaker designs best-suited for different setups.

 
Outdoor Speakers: Choosing and Installing

Outdoor Speakers: Choosing and Installing

Amanda P.
2/28/2011
based on 162 ratings (1 comment)
 

Your back yard is a different listening environment than your typical room. Outside, there are no walls to reinforce bass response and reflect and contain sound, and there's usually much more...

 
Tips and Techniques for Home A/V Cable Management

Tips and Techniques for Home A/V Cable Management

Amanda P.
10/8/2008
based on 129 ratings (3 comments)
 

In this article, you'll find tips and tricks to tackle common home A/V wire management problems.

 

Accessories

Things you'll need

In-Wall Speaker Wire
UL-listed speaker wire is designed to be run through walls and is building code compliant.
AudioQuest FLX-16/2 16-Gauge 2-Conductor In-Wall Speaker Cable
$89.99
In Stock
 
 
AudioQuest FLX-14/2 14-Gauge 2-Conductor In-Wall Speaker Cable
$99.99
In Stock
 
 
AudioQuest FLX-16/4 16-Gauge 4-Conductor In-Wall Speaker Cable
$129.99
Out of Stock
 
 
AudioQuest FLX-14/4 14-Gauge 4-Conductor In-Wall Speaker Cable
$149.99
In Stock
 
 
Show more items

Accessories we recommend

In-Wall Volume Control
Set the volume level in your remote location without going back and forth from indoors to outdoors.
Russound WALTX-2
Weatherproof stereo volume control with impedance magnification
$135.00
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Niles WMVC100
In-wall waterproof volume control with impedance magnification and auto-muting
$134.99
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Niles WVC100
Weatherproof stereo volume control with impedance magnification

Also available in:
Open Box: $71.99
Scratch & Dent: $67.99
$79.99
In Stock
 
 
Power Protection
Add power protection to your outdoor speakers and volume controls.
Panamax MOD-SPKP
Add-on protection module for outdoor speakers and control lines
 

Also available in:
Open Box: $52.24
$54.99
Low Stock
 
 
 
Add selected to cart
 

For a more in-depth review and enhanced detailed information on the Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers, please visit the Crutchfield website product page (/ISEO-rccbcspd/p_018FS51/Bose-Free-Space-51-environmental-speakers.html ).

Recommended Accessories See more accessories

Your featured item

Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers
Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers
$449.00
In Stock
 
 

In-Wall Speaker Wire

AudioQuest FLX-16/2 16-Gauge 2-Conductor In-Wall Speaker Cable
$89.99
In Stock
 
 

In-Wall Volume Control

Russound WALTX-2
Weatherproof stereo volume control with impedance magnification
$135.00
In Stock
 
 

Power Protection

Panamax MOD-SPKP
Add-on protection module for outdoor speakers and control lines
 

Also available in:
Open Box: $52.24
$54.99
Low Stock
 
 
 
Add selected to cart
 
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Bose® Free Space® 51 environmental speakers