interesting use of 901s---seriously

leftwinger57

I was cruising the Dozin Grateful Dead site and this guy posts something that he was a former engineer at Ampex. This tied into the o/p concerning their taping machine, a gutted Ampex altered to fit larger reels of tape. So he goes on and then says when he was a roadie for band they used Bose 901s for their p.a. What ? I never heard of this before and fairly quickly p/md Westmass Dave the preeminent expert on everything Bose here. Of course he's heard of this before and went on to tell me that bands in the late '70s would often rewire the 901s to accept 1/4'' phono jacks instead of the speaker terminals and run them into a mixing board or eg then the board. He claims they were way powerful and clean enough to serve as a club p.a. no problem. Just add a handle on top and carry them to the gig. Bose catches on to this and comes out w/ the 800 series of pro p.a. which were a main stay of clubs for years. not being a fan of 901s ,way to placement critical and preferred at the time ESS Heils, JBLs, or Ohm/Walsh. I found this to be a novel way to use a so called high end home speaker.

Schurkey

They're placement-critical in home use, where you intend to utilize the direct/reflecting nature of the beast. The placement is an issue not because of the single "direct" driver, but because of the eight "reflecting" drivers.

Are they placement-critical in commercial use, where the "reflecting" drivers are aimed at the crowd; open-air or in a huge room? The best-sounding roller-skating rinks I've been in used the 901s.

I wouldn't call them "high-end" speakers. They sound fine in my garage for casual listening, but I wouldn't use them for critical listening.

westmassguy

leftwinger57 wrote: »

... bands in the late '70s would often rewire the 901s to accept 1/4'' phono jacks instead of the speaker terminals and run them into a mixing board or eg then the board. He claims they were way powerful and clean enough to serve as a club p.a. no problem. Just add a handle on top and carry them to the gig. Bose catches on to this and comes out w/ the 800 series of pro p.a. which were a main stay of clubs for years. not being a fan of 901s ,way to placement critical and preferred at the time ESS Heils, JBLs, or Ohm/Walsh. I found this to be a novel way to use a so called high end home speaker.

It was early 70s Lew. The original 901s were being bought up by musicians and small bands. The original and Series IIs were built like tanks. They could handle the rough treatment.

westmassguy

Schurkey wrote: »

They're placement-critical in home use, where you intend to utilize the direct/reflecting nature of the beast. The placement is an issue not because of the single "direct" driver, but because of the eight "reflecting" drivers.

Are they placement-critical in commercial use, where the "reflecting" drivers are aimed at the crowd; open-air or in a huge room? The best-sounding roller-skating rinks I've been in used the 901s.

I wouldn't call them "high-end" speakers. They sound fine in my garage for casual listening, but I wouldn't use them for critical listening.

The "Secret Sauce" is in the Equalizer, not the speakers. When rebuilt with high-end components, the sound can change dramatically.

leftwinger57

I'm going to have to defer to Dave on this one. I'd never call them garage or party speakers or throw aways at all. With that being said yes they are placement critical but you know what so are SDAs. Front firing ONLY, no tow in or out and no placement on side walls and the spred should not be more than 10/12'. Back to the 901s. My friend had them and strung them to his ceiling. In S.F. were things were very transient w/ room mates and such this is were they had to go. Have I ever heard them w/ a reconditioned EQ no. I bet Dave's Continentals sound awesome. If gifted I would take them , to buy them no.

boston1450

I hooked up a pair to Adcom 100wpc without the eq & they sounded like crap. Then i figured out how to hook up the eq & they sounded pretty good i thought. The eq is a must for bass. I just didnt have the space for them with the stands. So down the road they went. Oh i love speakers LOL

westmassguy

leftwinger57 wrote: »

I bet Dave's Continentals sound awesome.

Yes they do

leftwinger57

Randy, I totally agree that you almost need a Masters in hooking up the EQ w/ the tape in /out and then there is another way of going from your amp into the pre then to the EQ. With me failing algebra 1 about 20x I would need really need explicit instructions...lol What I want to know if all is hooked up can one still run the speakers into a spkr. selector like I have. I do have 1 more spot left on my Niles. One more thing, like you I do like end o' line of speakers better than any part of the chain. With that said I wish I never sold my series 1 601s, they were very powerful ,clean and clear once refoamed w/ the symmetrical or asymmetrical switch to bounce the sound literally off the walls.

westmassguy

boston1450 wrote: »

I hooked up a pair to Adcom 100wpc without the eq & they sounded like crap. Then i figured out how to hook up the eq & they sounded pretty good i thought. The eq is a must for bass. I just didnt have the space for them with the stands. So down the road they went. Oh i love speakers LOL

Forget what the owners guides say. They need to be 6'-8' apart, 12"-18" off the back wall, and at minimum 5'-6' of clear, unobstructed wall space behind each speaker.
The Reflective Surface should be solid, and non-resonant. A typical sheetrock wall will not give the best results. Double 5/8" sheetrock or concrete block are best. Meeting these requirements can be difficult, which is why most people have never really heard 901s at their best. I'm partial to the Series II obviously. The Equalizer, when rebuilt with Elna Silmic II Electrolytics, Sonicaps in place of all the old "Orange Drop" film Caps, and replacing the output coupling Electrolytics with Sonicaps as well, the difference is jaw dropping. The old general purpose caps Bose used, filtered out so much detail, it's truly a crime. I've also replaced all the carbon resistors with PRP Audio Grade Resistors for some. Everything is cumulative.

westmassguy

leftwinger57 wrote: »

Randy, I totally agree that you almost need a Masters in hooking up the EQ w/ the tape in /out and then there is another way of going from your amp into the pre then to the EQ. With me failing algebra 1 about 20x I would need really need explicit instructions...lol What I want to know if all is hooked up can one still run the speakers into a spkr. selector like I have. I do have 1 more spot left on my Niles. One more thing, like you I do like end o' line of speakers better than any part of the chain. With that said I wish I never sold my series 1 601s, they were very powerful ,clean and clear once refoamed w/ the symmetrical or asymmetrical switch to bounce the sound literally off the walls.

The original 601s were quite formidable. Even better with rebuilt crossovers. I've owned and modified several pairs.

westmassguy

Series I & II:



Series III:



Series IV:



Series V & VI:

Schurkey

I expected III and IV to be more similar. Which equalizer did the Bose receivers have--III or IV or did it depend on when the receiver was made?

mhardy6647

Wasn't the 802 the pro version of the 901?

westmassguy

Schurkey wrote: »

I expected III and IV to be more similar. Which equalizer did the Bose receivers have--III or IV or did it depend on when the receiver was made?

The III & VI are similar. It's essentially the same driver. They made improvements for Series IV.
The 550 and Spatial Control Receivers both had Series IV EQs built in. The Series III EQ is inferior in many ways to the IV, and Bose even marketed the IV as an upgrade for Series III owners.

westmassguy

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Wasn't the 802 the pro version of the 901?

The 800 was the Pro Version of the Series I & II, and the 802 was the Pro Version of the Series III & IV.
Not exactly apples to apples though. 901s are direct reflecting, 800s and 802s are direct radiators, PA speakers

mhardy6647

Hmmm -- I thought I remembered that they were configured like 901s -- silly me.

westmassguy

kevintomb wrote: »

Holy crap, I forgot just how much eq they had. Yikes!!!

Everything is relative. Ever see the RIAA Phono Equalization Curves?

westmassguy

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Hmmm -- I thought I remembered that they were configured like 901s -- silly me.

Essentially the same drivers, but the 901s have 8 drivers facing the rear, with one facing forward. The 800/802 have only 8 drivers and they all face forward.

westmassguy

kevintomb wrote: »

Holy crap, I forgot just how much eq they had. Yikes!!!

One of the reasons I prefer the Series II. The drivers are inherently better through the upper bass and midrange. No Equalization is required there. They're also acoustic suspension versus ported on the later models.

westmassguy

kevintomb wrote: »

Just last fall I saw a set up of Bose 801's, the 8 driver speakers, but with a Bose Subwoofer adding the deep bass.

Sounded actually quite decent, and was playing outside at a Flea Market to be an actual Demo of the DJ that was playing them.

Not what I would deem truly "Hi-Fi" sound, but still fairly impressive sound level wise and overall quality.

I think many home speakers would have struggled to keep up at the levels this guy was playing them at, quite effortlessly, AND outdoors.

They were either 800s or 802s, and were designed as high output PA Speakers. They are often supplemented with the 302 or 502 Bass Modules. The 802 Series III is still in production.

erniejade

Speaking of EQ, not to derail this but, I dj on the weekends and for weddings I use a Bose L1 rig. Lots of processing in that thing also.

PolkieMan

My Series I 901's are on the back porch, not bad for $20.

boston1450

Thought these were interesting looking. Not sure on price & know nothing about them https://maine.craigslist.org/ele/4994405707.html

PolkieMan

This design revolutionized home speakers and are still rated as the best.

REALLY? REALLY? OH...MY!!!!

boston1450 wrote: »

Thought these were interesting looking. Not sure on price & know nothing about them https://maine.craigslist.org/ele/4994405707.html

Schurkey

PolkieMan wrote: »

This design revolutionized home speakers and are still rated as the best.

REALLY? REALLY? OH...MY!!!!

"Still rated..." BY WHO?
"...as the best" AT WHAT?

Yeah, I laughed at that, too.



Still rated by Cousin Billy Bob as the best firewood he's ever smelled?
Still rated by my damned ex-wife as the best possession she ever stole from me?
Still rated by the accountants of Amar Bose as the best profit-making product in company history? (Well, that's not likely!)

westmassguy

I was waiting for the Bose Bashing to start. Took longer than I thought actually.
I don't know where he got that info from, but the Series III 601s would not be my 1st choice. The original 1978/79 601s are better looking, better sounding, and have point to point crossovers that are easy to upgrade with premium caps/resistors.
Unless you've actually had ears on them, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss them.
Bose made some decent speakers back in the 70s and early 80s. They're not for everyone, but neither are Polks for that matter.

Schurkey

westmassguy wrote: »

I was waiting for the Bose Bashing to start.

If you're replying to my post, that's not intended to be Bose-bashing, that's Craigslist Idiot bashing.

westmassguy

Schurkey wrote: »

westmassguy wrote: »

I was waiting for the Bose Bashing to start.

If you're replying to my post, that's not intended to be Bose-bashing, that's Craigslist Idiot bashing.

My apologies, I'm just used to people going off, most of whom have never even heard vintage Bose, and are just parroting what others have said.

PolkieMan

Dave I'm sorry I think very well of you sir and your Bose "are" probably the best, period. I was just making fun of what some people put in ads to sell or push items on poor unsuspecting newbies. I am a bit of a joker I guess.

westmassguy

It's all good. I realize now you guys were referring to the seller. I happen to like older Bose, not anything made after 85' or so.
Plus I do a ton of business with the equalizers. I'm "Known" so I'm told, on other forums for fixing Pro Bose and their Vintage stuff.