Bose 901...Series VII???

Hilbert

My brother tells a story of his time in the army in Korea: a buddy was blasting four 901s on the roof of the barracks, and interfered so badly with a general's retirement ceremony being held a block away, that MPs came to the barracks and forced the guy to turn the music down. Or maybe off.

After such an inspiring testimonial how can anyone continue to criticize Bose?

How many RTi A9s would it take to achieve the same result?

skrol

So what you are saying is that they are worth buying just to annoy the neighbors. OK.

Hilbert

Actually I was joking.

Furthermore it wasn't "the neighbors" who were annoyed, it was a General. Well worth annoying.

sucks2beme

The same could be done with a cheap quad of Cerwin Vegas.
If you're looking for loud on a budget, thats the way to go.

Bose are Bose. I heard both JBL 100's and 901's with better quality gear.
The JBLs were better. The JBLs 100's aren't all that great after
spending time with better speakers. The 601's were better than 901's
in my opinion, too. They were all better than those nasty Sansui
or other cheap Japanese speakers that haunted most barracks at the time.
Just loud and cheap. Welcome to the 70's. 30+ years later, we still
have Bose hanging around.

skrol

Sansui! A friend of mine has a set a long time back. I think they had a 21" woofer or something insane like that.

Hilbert

The aforementioned bro' returned from Korea with a couple of Sansuis the size of suitcases. He still listens to the radio through them, one aimed at the bathroom and the other at the rest of the house. Stereo imaging is not high on the agenda. For 30 year old speakers purchased in a PX 12,000 miles away, they're not bad.

Although, of course, they're not Bose either...:)

dougy

I turned this thread up as I was searching for info about a rumoured 901 Series VII from Bose. Funny reading it now in light of the fact that the Mo-Fi's I had when I started this thread were replaced by Klipsch LS2's, the LS2's were replaced by Energy RC50's, which were repalced by Polk LSi9's, which were replaced by RBH MC6CT's, which I do still have. They are in a secondary system. My main 2-channel rig's speakers are...yup, you guessed it: Bose 901 Series VI! And have been for well over a year now, with no plans to change. (That Series VII thing would be tempting though, if they come to pass.)

The 901's have come and stayed because they simply sound better than anything I've ever had in the room they're in. And that includes klipschorns and B&W 703's. They sound like music, not like hi-fi.

leftwinger57

back in the day when the series 1s were paired up to a Marantz receiver ,that was the stereo match for that time. As most of you guys know placement of those things is uber critical and people would drill holes in them and hang them from their ceilings.That's the good memory of those speakers. They were and always will be overpriced and after time there are way to many drivers to replace after rot out.

jon s

Better
Off
Somewhere
Else...

virtualdean

dougy wrote: »

I turned this thread up as I was searching for info about a rumoured 901 Series VII from Bose. Funny reading it now in light of the fact that the Mo-Fi's I had when I started this thread were replaced by Klipsch LS2's, the LS2's were replaced by Energy RC50's, which were repalced by Polk LSi9's, which were replaced by RBH MC6CT's, which I do still have. They are in a secondary system. My main 2-channel rig's speakers are...yup, you guessed it: Bose 901 Series VI! And have been for well over a year now, with no plans to change. (That Series VII thing would be tempting though, if they come to pass.)

The 901's have come and stayed because they simply sound better than anything I've ever had in the room they're in. And that includes klipschorns and B&W 703's. They sound like music, not like hi-fi.

Your opinion is the one that matters, Dougy..
I too have a set of VI's, in storage. stands, equalizer, great condition. I thought they sounded fine. I can take it up to richter level 8..it seemed like.
I now use rtiA9's ...IMO they sound way different like apples and oranges..\
I don't want to play a loud levels, I want to hear the definition, clarity...etc etc ad nauseum..

For what its worth, I doubt Bose is going to do anything with the 901's.
They have been milking the cashcow that is the 901's for decades.

Bose has gone whole hog into the HT arena with a large assortment of small plastic sht boxes with assorted subwoofers.. So sad..

maximillian

But, but, but the reviews on Amazon say they are great:

http://www.amazon.com/Bose-Direct-Reflecting-Speaker-System/dp/B0006B5V6G

:biggrin:

I have a relatively new friend who works for Bose. Fortunately we have not had a conversation about audio yet. Here's to hoping it's just a workplace for him.

styx

I found a mint pair of 901's IV @ a yardsale for $35 a several years ago. I traded them a few years later for a set fo Klipsch RF-3's. I think having the right room and placement is critical for 901's, which I had neither.

DON73

I was able to snatch up my first pair of ADS L710s from a young college lad who needed the money to help with the purchase of 901s.:biggrin::biggrin:



Back in the 70s Sansui speakers at least gave you a lot of hardware for your money.

thuffman03

I had a set of 901's and never could get them to sound good. The only good thing was I was able to sell them for more than I paid for them.

Slyder01

skrol wrote: »

Sansui! A friend of mine has a set a long time back. I think they had a 21" woofer or something insane like that.

Yea sansui!! I did a job for a lady and took 50 bucks off for some sansuis.. I put them in my garage cause we use to party in there all the time. My sister in law had them cranked one night and one of them literally bursted into flames! We grabbed it off the shelf and you guessed it,, doused it with beer,,lol... We then proceeded to finish it off with a sledge hammer and then i took the woofer and ran over it with my truck,, Luckily we were in the garage at the time or it would have burned it down.. aaahhhhh,, the good-ole days

Tombr

I think when properly powered and placed the 901 S6 is one of the better bargins out there. If you buy a pair more than 12 years old have the EQ serviced or you may experience the missing highs syndrome. 20+ years old, bass may also suffer . Make sure your amp has a tape monitor loop to hook up the EQ. Or another way to feed it in the circuit. Your much better off running these with a good 50 to75 WPC integrated amp then a home theater receiver. They need current more than wattage do to the EQ's demand on the amp to produce bass. I have used an Arcam Alpha 8 (50WPC 8 ohms) in a large 29 X 15 room with very good results. I was very surprised this modest amp could drive these so well. I have them on 28" Sanus stands that are sand filled & screwed in.. Much better than the Bose stands. Place 901's 6 to 8 ft apart, 14" - 16" from a hard wall and they shine. If you have a couch or chair in between put sliders under the couch feet so you can easily move it for serious listening.
On a side note in this room I have had Polk SDA SRS, Ohm Walsh 5, Kef XQ30 Boston A200, RBH1044se Theil 1.2 + A FEW MORE and I prefer the Bose to all mentioned..

DollarDave

Welcome back, Tombr.

mhardy6647

Bose 201s, baby!




I actually ran the 201s on my DIY (not by me) Angela/JE Labs SE 2A3 amp... and they sounded surprisingly good. MR was excellent, no kidding around. The 301s were/are even better; arguably the best sounding Bose product.

Speaking of the (commercial) 801 (EDIT: make that 800)...

stuwee

RuSsMaN wrote: »

901's are worth a listen. They can take tons of power and play plenty loud - and with the eq, and some spirits flowing, they aren't half bad for rocking the house. Other offerings, not so much, but the 901 has it's place secured in audio history - love it or hate it.

Hell, Polk was even asked to copy it back in the day. Where do you think the Monitor 9 came from?

Cheers,
Russ

I have to agree with Russ, for what they were, you could do a lot worse. No one with any sense would pay what they're asking for the new series, but plenty of nice used ones out there, if they need a refoam...RUN unless you like punishment , then put on some assless chaps and get your gluegun nice and hot...

I wouldn't get mad if someone gifted me a nice pair, they can be fun in the right room with the right tunes and the right beverages

Joe08867

I have heard a few different 901 series speakers. The early ones are much better imho.

I am actually a fan of the 701's myself. Not the Series ii but the originals.

Drenis

Joe,

I had Series I 701 towers for 8 years. They certainly did have bass but I didn't like there lack of mid-range.

Joe08867

Drenis wrote: »

Joe,

I had Series I 701 towers for 8 years. They certainly did have bass but I didn't like there lack of mid-range.

I didn't have that issue but the room I had them in was pretty lively. The side firing Mids are one the weird parts about them for sure.

I did like the Bass output. It wasn't as one note as most of the other Bose stuff is.

Drenis

I had heard that the decision to redesign the 701's to their series II design like the 601's was due to customers complaining of too much bass from the original series.

I've heard 901 VI & 701 I together and they blended nicely as the 901's picked up all the mid-range and bass that the 701's couldn't reproduce. Still though... Wish I had heard them on an actual amp back then.

Timothy Smith

DON73 wrote: »

I was able to snatch up my first pair of ADS L710s from a young college lad who needed the money to help with the purchase of 901s.:biggrin::biggrin:



WOW!

That's like working your way through Katie Perry in order to get to Rosie O'Donnell.

Joe08867

Timothy Smith wrote: »

WOW!

That's like working your way through Katie Perry in order to get to Rosie O'Donnell.

That right there is Signature Material.

skrol

Timothy Smith wrote: »

DON73 wrote: »

That's like working your way through Katie Perry in order to get to Rosie O'Donnell.

That is destined to be a classic.

arun1963

the 901+sub is fairly decent

steveinaz

The 901 VI setup I had for years (2 bridged soundcraftsmen amps for 600watts/rms) needed no sub whatsoever. You need a lot of amp, and a lot of room; and careful placement to capitalize on their strengths. The EQ is best run off of a loop circuit, rather than between the pre and amp---this makes a BIG difference. Most people who feel they "suck" obviously have not heard them in the right environment. While they are not "mind-boggling" or revolutionary, they can be quite a thrill with rock and jazz.

Having said all that, I bought my series VI for $799, stands/EQ included during a big PX sale in Germany. I sold them 14 years later for $700. Not too shabby---and yeah, I'll say it...sometimes I miss those pups.

All you stuck-up eliteist can stick it up your ****-cutter :biggrin:

While most of you snot-noses were wiping your own excrement on the walls, and still peeing your diapers, I was rocking Black Dog at concert levels with a woodie. LOL!

steveinaz

You smoking jacket, brandy snifter types that dissect music, rather than listen to it, wouldn't get it either. Damn kids. :biggrin:

I think I'll buy a pair at full retail, just to piss some of you off.

mhardy6647

Pretty cheap for a high-end speaker is the 901. Price some Harbeth, Wilson Audio and Sonus-Faber speakers some time.