TONEAudio Reviews the Bose 901 IV pt.1

markmarc

The most polarizing (as well as hated by many) speaker gets its first review in 17 years. This is going to be interesting.
http://www.tonepublications.com/review/we-review-the-bose-901/

steveinaz

I think you meant Series VI.

As a series VI owner for 13 years, I'm interested in what the reviewers come up with. I can tell right away when someone is simply parroting "bose hate talk" or whether or not they've actually listened to them for any extended period of time.

nooshinjohn

Even with the high cost of shipping, $1400.00 is a lot of money to spend on a couple boxes of firewood.:razz:

markmarc

Thanks Steve, I stand corrected (caffeine-free morning!).

SolidSqual

Can we get an update her when Part II comes out?

steveinaz

I think part of the reason for 901 dis-satisfaction (especially non-owners) is 901's are typically paired with sub-par equipment; also meaning they are not likely setup correctly. I don't know how many "rigs" I've seen featuring 901's and a receiver. No wonder you hated them.

I remember a big outdoor barracks bash we had in Germany (1980's), this one gal had a Revox receiver powering Bose 901 Series IV (4)'s. It sounded like complete ****---obvious clipping distortion, leading to cone break-up, because the Revox just didn't have near the horsepower to play at the levels the gal was trying to play. I never heard a hint of distortion with my 600 watt/rms setup.

markmarc

One thing for sure the Tone studio reference gear has plenty of power to run the 901's. Plus, Jeff is a stickler for proper positioning.

sucks2beme

The real downfall of the 901's?
Finding a matching receiver with pre outs for the EQ.
Most buying a NAD, Rotel, Etc. won't be going to the mall
for their speakers. 90% of their sales involve little mini speakers
and headphones.
How good/bad are they? My memory goes back to the 70's.
That was the last decent set up of Bose I ever saw/heard.
The last time I heard a pair was when I sold a Sansui 8080 to a guy.
After he bought them, I got an angry call. The 8080 had stopped working.
I went over, and he had a pair of 901's hooked up, no EQ, and had speaker
wire stripped back 3 inches with copper strands touching. I pulled the case,
replaced the fuses, and fixed his wires. He then turned the volume knob
to 12 O'clock and powered up the receiver. He was thrilled.
Part of the original deal was I got his old 7070. After getting home, I popped the top,
sure enough, all the fuses were blown. About 6 months later he called again hoping
I'd come back over and take another look. I declined.
Just about every set I've seen since falls into this pattern. Headbanger, no EQ,
cheap electronics, and a lot of abuse. And more than a few drug users.
I couldn't tell you how they sound any more, and few of you could either.
There was a demo room in Okinowa just down the hill from MCAS Futenma
Marine base. They had a pretty decent set up with a comfy couch and a wall of records.
They DID NOT sell Bose. They just provided demos. They would tell you all the base exchanges
that could order them and either deliver them on base or ship them stateside.

polkfarmboy

I like Jeff I have sent many pm's asking for his advice. He is a great guy and will tell it like it is either in the magazine or an audio forum

steveinaz

The EQ really needs to be in a processor loop circuit or tape out type setup (line level). Connecting the EQ between pre and amp is less than optimal. Then they need power..lots of it, you're driving 18 4" drivers, with 16 of them rear-facing. I found about 9" off the rear wall works well (from the apex of the rear cabinet), with about 8ft of spacing between them. Of course you need a reflective rear surface for best results, with no toe-in. Because they are limited to about 13kHz on the high-end, use the treble control on the Bose EQ if you need to sweeten things up a bit. I always left the bass control flat. This is one case (the 901) where you should use the bass & treble sliders to tune the sound to taste. Most will find bass is fine at the flat setting, but experimenting with the treble slider will help flesh out upper midrange and treble in a positive manner. (Of course leaving your pre/pro eq by-passed).

sucks2beme

I'm sure the set up at the mall will include something really sad.
Call me curious, but not enough to plink down $$$$ to find out.
And like you stated, it's rare to find a set that is set up right.
The real nail in the coffin is that it's pretty easy to find a set of
good speakers in that price range. The local super mall
(grapevine mills) has a Bose outlet. I might have to go over to
see what it looks like.

SolidSqual

I think Bose makes a great product for its market. Their new TV sounds better than anything on the market, including many surround sound systems.

I loved my LifeStyle 21 System as a kid. It rocked out hard. Was it audiophile imaging or accuracy. Not even close. But, the sound was rich. It was fun. It made my life more exciting. To this day the lifestyle 21 still sounds better than any rig I have ever heard assembled by another non-audiophile.

When I had the Lifestyle 21, it wasn't about the gear. It was about the content. And, that my friends is why people who can afford it, love Bose. It's set it and forget it. You get great sound and you never have to mess with your electronics again. All you need to focus on is what to play next. Can more be had elsewhere for less money, yes. But, at what expense in terms of time, search costs, setup costs, maintenance costs, etc. You save money but you pay elsewhere.

Mike

sucks2beme

http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/425/index.html

Here's an older review- I doubt much has changed.

heiney9

SolidSqual wrote: »

You get great sound and you never have to mess with your electronics again. Mike

Going to have to strongly disagree with you there. I haven't heard a recent BOSE set-up that sounded anthing close to good, let alone great. That is almost quote material. Can't argue for ease of set-up, but for most if not all here, that's not even a consideration.

H9

SolidSqual

heiney9 wrote: »

Going to have to strongly disagree with you there. I haven't heard a recent BOSE set-up that sounded anthing close to good, let alone great. That is almost quote material. Can't argue for ease of set-up, but for most if not all here, that's not even a consideration.

H9

I think you and I are more in the same boat than my statement lets on. I guess what I am trying to say is that the sound is great for people who just want to watch a movie and don't think much about the sound. Bose definitely uses strong DSP technology that really excites people in the same way a Plasma TV set to Vivid does in a Best Buy showroom. Would you and I call that good sound? Nope. But for others, they get excited listening to Bose, just as they do watching a Samsung spewing Vivid colors.

SolidSqual

I actually kinda miss the days when my Bose cubes just rocked my socks. There was a lot less wondering of what I could do next to eek out more good sound.

heiney9

Ok, I see your point now.

H9

sucks2beme

Back when we just listened to music instead of picking it apart.

Drenis

I remember when I thought my 701's were the best towers out there with huge bass...

steveinaz

sucks2beme wrote: »

Back when we just listened to music instead of picking it apart.

Exactly, this is Bose' forte. "Maintenance Free Music" they appeal to the many with a very friendly sound. Rool-off the extreme high end (goodbye digititus), focus on midrange (the human ears favorite frequencies), and provide a plump bass note. They provide a very pleasing generic sound, that 75% of the population loves.

I didn't know what digititus, glare, harsh, strident, bright meant until I sold my 901 VI's. Right, wrong or otherwise...it's a fact. It probably also explains why the system associated with my 901's was also untouched for so long. About 6 years ago, I was so damn frustrated with my system that I started looking at the 901 again...I just wanted the "sonic harmony" I had, back.

Like I've said before, Bose does nothing great, but they do everything well. That's a classic marketing model--and it works.

Hi-fi is a double-edged sword; the better it gets, the better it has to be. Be careful what you wish for.

dragon1952

I had the 901 IV Continental's back in the 70's for quite a few years. Never really had a place to set them up properly though.

steveinaz

My Army buddy had series IV, which I didn't like too much--the VI was a significant improvement--IMO. He was a Carver/Bose guy, I was a Yamaha/Soundcraftsmen/AR guy.

SolidSqual

Zero wrote: »

Heh. I had a feeling that Jeff would soon cover some Bose gear... And good on him... I don't give a crap about what any hi-fi nerd thinks - when set up right, the 901's can groove. Big time. Man.. just thinking about it makes me want to snag another pair.

I use to jam my Lifestyle 21 Bass module in the corner of my room. It would load the heck out of my space and I could bump like a night club. Some how R. Kelly sounded better on Bose.

steveinaz

Until you've listened to properly setup/powered 901 VI's, playing YYZ at heart-pace changing levels, don't talk smack....LOL, it is a religious experience.

heiney9

steveinaz wrote: »

Until you've listened to properly setup/powered 901 VI's, playing YYZ at heart-pace changing levels, don't talk smack....LOL, it is a religious experience.

Cerwin Vega's do that too.............doesn't mean it sounds good or like it should

I've past my adolescent early teen's, 901's should stay in the past, where they belong.

H9

mhardy6647

The Stereophile review was pretty interesting. Hit the nail on the head in terms of the way I remember 901s sounding (I haven't heard a pair for probably close to 30 years).

FWIW, I think the best (from the perspective of overall accuracy and "enjoyability") sounding Bose loudspeaker product was and is the 301 family.

Serendipity

Just an FYI -

Bose regularly hires from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), UC Berkeley, Stanford University, Harvard, etc. for their Audio DSP engineers. Must have an extremely high GPA with a Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Physics degree with a solid thesis and higher education preferred.

Unfortunately, I didn't even make it.

DarqueKnight

Serendipity wrote: »

Bose regularly hires from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), UC Berkeley, Stanford University, Harvard, etc. for their Audio DSP engineers. Must have an extremely high GPA with a Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Physics degree with a solid thesis and higher education preferred.

How does this directly correlate to the Bose company's ability to create high quality speakers?

I would be impressed if Bose said that all their speaker designers had to pass a rigorous hearing test and had to be proficient in assessing stereophonic performance attributes and had to have top notch training in electronic design.

steveinaz

Disclaimer: I'm not saying go out and buy Bose 901's, I'm just saying that a lot of the negative hype is just that; and typically comes from people that heard them for 5 minutes in a less than optimal setup. Lab coat wearing, detail freaks will hate them--this is a speaker for the masses who don't really care if they can't hear Diana Kralls lips smacking between words; not for someone who dissects their music as it plays. It can also be viable choice for people hyper-sensitive to treble, or just can't seem to sort their system out because of digital glare. BUT, and this is a BIG "BUT" you need to have a fairly large room to allow for proper setup. I would say an absolute minimum space that would allow at least 6ft between the speakers, and at least 3ft from side walls.

IMO, Bose is the "Harley Davidson" of speakers. They don't look so good on paper, and their not built to the highest standards (rather utilitarian)--nor can they compete with a good Japanese cruiser in cost/performance ratio---but they have a dedicated following, and a uniqueness to them that is highly sought after by those who love them.

SDA1C

DarqueKnight wrote: »

How does this directly correlate to the Bose company's ability to create high quality speakers?

I would be impressed if Bose said that all their speaker designers had to pass a rigorous hearing test and had to be proficient in assessing stereophonic performance attributes and had to have top notch training in electronic design.

Does Polk require such credentials?

IMO, if you discount the SDA line and it's proprietary technology, they are all about the same in any given prce range. Yes they sound a little different but as is beat in with a stick around here "Trust your own ears and go with what sounds good to you".

I would venture to say once you reach a certain level of quality it is then all about synergy and set up vs. name on the box.

inspiredsports

nooshinjohn wrote: »

Even with the high cost of shipping, $1400.00 is a lot of money to spend on a couple boxes of firewood.:razz:

Instead of "boxes of firewood", insert "firing range targets" and you're good to go.