I still want vintage Bose 901s. Talk me into/out of it.

c_corie

I'm building a nice B&W CM8 setup, it's almost done. Still thought I love the idea of Bose 901 Series I or II, hell maybe even III. I used to own a pair of Teak? VI from the late 80s, those sounded pretty good.

My dad briefly owned some series III or IV, which had a MUCH brighter sound (he sent them back to Bose- they have a deal trading towards brand new 901s- we realized the surrounds were not fixed correctly and didn't want to try to re-fix them.)

Anyway point is, what is the "best 901" or even best Bose speaker. I owned Series III 201, and they were nice but lacked bass and depth.

Sadly no matter what "great" stereo I have, I will always have a soft spot for vintage Bose stuff. So any idea or suggestions are welcome.

leftwinger57

Many here despise them .If your not fortunate to get the drivers w/ the rubber surrounds(forgot what series ) then you have 18 rotting drivers. 2. They have to work well w/ the EQ that fits that particular series. 3. They are extremely placement critical. If you read the manual there are more not do this than any positive placement positioning.They look perfect for corner placement and that's one of the don'ts. Even when hung from the ceiling which is how my friend did his there are exacting peramiters for this also.If your so into a Bose product then go to the 601s. These as most know here I brought back to life, refoamed then redid the cabinets and sounded great w/ a strong amp which I have.I did eventually sell them for $185 after getting them for $20 +30 for refoaming kit + some Olde English Polish and some of my own labor.They are asking for high #s on E-Bay for 601s.

mhardy6647

They're perfectly OK - they just need lots of power to deliver what they're capable of. Be sure you get the EQ module (maybe the later versions had this built in? I dunno).

FWIW (not that anyone asked) Bose has a pretty good track record of "getting the midrange right" and (again FWIW) the Bose 301 - particularly the earlier versions - is my all-around favorite Bose loudspeaker.

steveinaz

My opinion is that the series VI was the only 901 I liked. The VI finally got away from the "music in the tunnel" sound of earlier versions. I also owned the the Teak/sand 901's for many years.

With alot of power and proper hook-up of the EQ (Don't connect between amp and preamp, use a processor loop) you can get some pretty satisfying results.

zingo

I have a friend who uses them as rear surrounds for his vintage set-up, and that's the best application for them I've heard.

sucks2beme

Been there, done that. You'll buy it, love some things, hate a lot more, and end up selling it at a loss.
It's kind of like getting back together with an ex-wife.

c_corie

sucks2beme wrote: »

Been there, done that. You'll buy it, love some things, hate a lot more, and end up selling it at a loss.
It's kind of like getting back together with an ex-wife.

Yea kind of what I'm thinking...I had the Teak pair for 6 months, and had to find music to suit them...it was like Jazz/Acoustic stuff or classic rock...stuff where the high end was less prominent or at least you didn't seem to miss it as much.

But I've always went, "good speaker, Bose, good speaker, Bose."

boston1450

sucks2beme wrote: »

Been there, done that. You'll buy it, love some things, hate a lot more, and end up selling it at a loss.
It's kind of like getting back together with an ex-wife.

....that there is funny LMAO

halo71

sucks2beme wrote: »

Been there, done that. You'll buy it, love some things, hate a lot more, and end up selling it at a loss.
It's kind of like getting back together with an ex-wife.

Nail....meet Mr. Hammer!

Poolgod69

I have a pair of Bose 401's I purchased in 1993 and they still sound great. I have them in my loft hooked up to the TV and receiver up there.

I have not listed them in my signature because I do not want to get crap for owning Bose....hehe

jon s

The problem with Bose speakers is that they are overpriced and cheaply built. The cones are plain paper which gets affected by humidity as it ages. Of course, the newer ones have foam rot, and changing 18 surrounds is not fun. The equalizer seems to either fail or get lost between owners.

boston1450

Poolgod69 wrote: »

I have a pair of Bose 401's I purchased in 1993 and they still sound great. I have them in my loft hooked up to the TV and receiver up there.

I have not listed them in my signature because I do not want to get crap for owning Bose....hehe

....i had some that model and they did a good job & i paid 20.00 for them years ago

Bob in WI

We "do" audio as a hobby & like things for reasons other than impeccable sound. We don't criticize guys who put their souls into fixing an old Mustang because we all "get it". Good luck with your Bose Mustang. I enjoyed my 901s alot & had them for many years but I can't honestly give a realistic appraisal of their sound. It was some number of decades ago & I had limited basis of comparison at the time.

sucks2beme

I see a set of 901's in the local CL at least once a week. 90% don't have the EQ.
Are all the owners that friggin dazed and confused they can't keep track of the EQ?

mhardy6647

It's just like all the DVDs and CDPs I find sans remotes. Somewhere in South America I think there are vast deposits of condensed remotes that evaporated from the Northern Hemisphere.

... to say nothing of all of the orphaned socks that lie just north of the South Pole...

TroyD

Hey, if you don't like 'em.....pop out the drivers and you've got a dandy herb garden box.

BDT

dkg999

The 901's are a cool speaker to play with. I think all audio enthusiasts should own a pair at one time during their journey. I had a roommate that had a pair of the series III, I believe. Myself I had the Bose 801 commercial monitors that were essentially a 901 turned around. I used them for a party/DJ system with a pair of Crown DC300 amps. I will say that I have never heard Golden Country by REO sound any better than through that system!

lanchile

Buy the BOSE speakers, They make good seats for the patio. make sure they do not get wet, because their cheap "PARTICLE BOARD" cabinets will be destroyed in no time. I love when people just see the name Bose and they get all crazy.

c_corie

Anyone have any suggestions as to which series? Or maybe should I stick with 201/301? I occasionally see those 4.2 and whatnot's on CL or Ebay are those worth a look?

steveinaz

Series VI, in my opinion. They brought the sound more forward, and made them slightly more efficient. The equalizer got quite a few changes as well in this series. IIRC, the Series VI also have rubber surrounds.

I got very good results with them just about 9" from the rear wall (from the back apex of the speaker), with them about 8-9 ft apart. Make sure the rear drivers are hitting a reflective surface (not curtains, etc). Don't be afraid to adjust the treble slider for a little more sparkle. Either use a processor loop, or a record-out set---DO NOT connect between the pre and amp, this is a last resort connection. You'll get far better results going line-level, esp with S/N ratio.

They are quite FUN with Rock/Pop and Progressive Jazz; not good with classical or "nit pickers" that listen to music with a lab coat on.

Most of the "Bose Blows" crowd have never heard them in a good setup, obviously. It's the "IN" thing to hate them, for whatever reason, I'm not really sure.

sucks2beme

steveinaz wrote: »

Most of the "Bose Blows" crowd have never heard them in a good setup, obviously. It's the "IN" thing to hate them, for whatever reason, I'm not really sure.

I've heard them in the Bose demo store in Okinowa outside the base in 1977. They didn't sell Bose.
They only demo'ed them.Their job was to let you listen, and then send you somewhere to buy.
There was even a way to buy and have delivered to your home stateside.
They had a good amp setup, a turntable, and a whole wall of albums. Yes it did sound good.
I spent many hours just sitting there as they spun albums.
But we all now how hard it is to get the space to set them up in your home. I ended up going
the JBL L100 route. Much easier to place and use. And sounded about as good(better sound, smaller soundstage).
But both the JBL's and the Bose fall short of many of the speakers I have owned since, including some old models.
I picked up a set about 2 years ago, and ended up selling them again. Fun for some music, but certainly not
a good all-rounder. If all I played was 70's rock, they could of stayed. And as you noted, it's very hard to
get the EQ into the system on modern equipment. You would almost have to buy a 70's high power receiver
just to run them.
This is the long winded version- short- time makes the heart grow fonder.
Reality is another story.

steveinaz

Bose are kinda like Klipsch---people tend to either love'm or hate'm. While I don't love the 901, and have owned much better speakers, i don't think they are anywhere near as "bad" as many claim. Having owned a series VI pair for nearly 14yrs straight (1988-2001) I found them very non-fatiquing, never great at anything---however good at most everything. I ran them with 2 Soundcraftsmen amps (bridged) for 600 watts/rms, a Yamaha C-85 pre, Yamaha CD-1100 CDP. I utilized a "record out" input on my pre for the EQ so I could run the eq line-level. I had some custom cables made to keep the runs short from the pre to the EQ.

I can understand the appeal.

tonyb

I get where your coming from Steve, and frankly agree with your assessment, but....even for used prices of 901's there's about a hundred or so speakers out there than can give you the same " does nothing wrong, but doesn't excel at anything either" type of sound much cheaper.

steveinaz

Here's a (rare) recent review of the 901 VI, from ToneAudio. While I totally disagree with the reviewers placement of the speakers (8 feet out into the room???) his observations closely echo what I remember of them.

http://www.tonepublications.com/review/we-review-the-bose-901/

westmassguy

c_corie wrote: »

I'm building a nice B&W CM8 setup, it's almost done. Still thought I love the idea of Bose 901 Series I or II, hell maybe even III. I used to own a pair of Teak? VI from the late 80s, those sounded pretty good.

My dad briefly owned some series III or IV, which had a MUCH brighter sound (he sent them back to Bose- they have a deal trading towards brand new 901s- we realized the surrounds were not fixed correctly and didn't want to try to re-fix them.)

Anyway point is, what is the "best 901" or even best Bose speaker. I owned Series III 201, and they were nice but lacked bass and depth.

Sadly no matter what "great" stereo I have, I will always have a soft spot for vintage Bose stuff. So any idea or suggestions are welcome.

The Best 901s Bose ever made, were the Series II. I've owned every Series, and the Acoustic Suspension design of the originals and Series II are superior to any of the later ported designs. Properly setup, given plenty of clean power from a good amp with a high damping factor, and an Series II Equalizer rebuilt with high quality components, they'll knock your socks off. A true wall of sound, that will wrap around you. Some don't like the direct/reflecting effect, some do. Some don't like SDAs effect on music either, while others do.

breystonfan

The classic bose speakers weren't all that bad. The new stuff however is overpriced junk!

cnh

I understand this fascination fairly well. And I'd say, just get a pair of 901s and get it out of or "into" your system. They were decent speakers in their time. I auditioned them a long while back when I was also looking at JBL L..t series. They held up when properly staged.

I also agree with mhardy about some BOSE getting the midrange right. Early 301s did OK there. I know what's it's like to have a hankering for a particular set of speakers. For me it was the JBL Studios back in the late 80s. I ended up buying a pair of L80ts which I still have. And I do still listen to them even though I've heard a lot more since then. L100ts and L80ts are not for everyone. And lots of people have that same love/hate with this manufacturer as well. Even though I probably wouldn't buy any new JBLs, listening to the Lts takes me back to another time and place and the music I used to listen to, that I still play now and then.

So, yeah, why not?

cnh

NJPOLKER

I am and have always been tempted to buy a pair of Series VI with matching equalizer. One of these days I probably will.

I have enough good power with my Belles 350a and a room that pretty much fits what the 901's like. After listening I may call out to Chicago and speak with Brent Jessee and get some tubes for my Anthem PRE2L that may increase the sound quality on the high end of things. Then who knows what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No matter what anyone says the 901's are cool and Bose is a damn good company.

On another note a friend of mine has a pair of 901's maybe series V's. They are not even set up correctly LMAO
He made a comment to me about the sound of my system/speakers. I am laughing right now typing this since what he said was so so stupid. He said "I don't like the sound of your speakers" and I ask what he means by that and he said I just don't like the sound.

Who cares but what the F do some people know.

You should jus buy a nice pair or borrow a pair from a local polkie or take a trip to beautiful Arizona.

westmassguy

NJPOLKER wrote: »

I am and have always been tempted to buy a pair of Series VI with matching equalizer. One of these days I probably will.

I have enough good power with my Belles 350a and a room that pretty much fits what the 901's like. After listening I may call out to Chicago and speak with Brent Jessee and get some tubes for my Anthem PRE2L that may increase the sound quality on the high end of things. Then who knows what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No matter what anyone says the 901's are cool and Bose is a damn good company.

On another note a friend of mine has a pair of 901's maybe series V's. They are not even set up correctly LMAO
He made a comment to me about the sound of my system/speakers. I am laughing right now typing this since what he said was so so stupid. He said "I don't like the sound of your speakers" and I ask what he means by that and he said I just don't like the sound.

Who cares but what the F do some people know.

You should jus buy a nice pair or borrow a pair from a local polkie or take a trip to beautiful Arizona.

NJPOLKER, those would not be my first choice. The build quality decreased after Series IV. If you want the best of the best, sound-wise, and looks-wise, the Series II Continentals are the ones you want. With the proper Equalizer Upgrades, even Bose haters have to eat their words. I've witnessed it myself.

NJPOLKER

I see you have a pair, is that correct?

Maybe I'll have to take a ride to Feeding Hills one day.

westmassguy

NJPOLKER wrote: »

I see you have a pair, is that correct?

Maybe I'll have to take a ride to Feeding Hills one day.

Yes, I have a pair of fully restored Series II Continentals, and a Rebuilt Equalizer with Sonicap and Elna Silmic II Capacitors.