They aren't really subwoofers. They're mid bass/lower midrange at best. That's why you know exactly where they are. It's all smoke & mirrors. Built for people who don't know any better.
my main gripe with Bose "Lifestyle" 5.1 systems is that they comprise tiny little satellites and a sub that don't integrate with one another!
those dinky wee speakers could never hope to physically produce anything beyond shrill mid & treble..
and that ugly hulk of a sub/amp unit, that if you were to sit down blindfolded you could pinpoint exactly where it's located in the room because it's so bombastic, inaccurate and results in sounding nothing like a proper sub/sat system should..
which all completely goes against the grain of real home theatre, with seamless subwoofer integration in a correctly calibrated 5.1 system, using something like THX's 80hz crossover as a guide to tailor the bass to suit your listening room.
I wonder what the crossover of one of those Bose systems is set at!? 200hz? 250hz? Higher maybe!?