Got the Bose 901's today... Review?

Well, I can't write a review after one day. I have already learned a few things about them though. I first hooked them up in my boss's office when they came in. It is a 9 X 12 foot room (approximately). Without the external crossover it sounded like crap. Once we hooked that up the sound was good. The most interesting aspect was the low bass. My boss kept saying it sounded like we had a good sub hooked up. I tried to make out a soundstage but it seemed almost non-existant. Keep in mind this was a very quick setup with a cheap amp and no effort put into speaker placement. One thing that really hit me was that the kick-drum sounded (and felt) real. This is not normally the case with most speakers I have tried.
Now at home. I hooked them up to my Jolida 302 amp with Mullard preamp tubes and dark blue Telsa el-34's. I set the speakers on top of my 1.2's just to get a feeling of what the sound would be like. This time I got a decent sound stage but the sub type bass was gone. The midrange was nice but not great. The first LP I played was some older ZZ Top. It sounded OK but nothing special. Later I put on some Fleetwood Mac and they really strutted their stuff.
These are very strange speakers. Their sound is very dependent upon the room. It will take some time to set them up properly. Next I put on some AC DC. They really seemed to like that. I found myself enjoying the music more than normal. The detail seemed less but they had an extreme amount of presence. I'm guessing at this point but I think they will be a pleasant addition to the system for those songs which are great but not mixed really well. I think given enough tweaking that they may really enhance my listening on certain music. I am finding myself disappointed on stuff the SDA's do well but other stuff that is not enjoyable on the SDA's seems to be, well, enjoyable.
It is very strange, in my opinion, why many audiophiles are so against these particular speakers. They really seem to have a lot to offer when it comes to certain music. As I said, I'm just getting started but so far I am enjoying them. Believe me, the SDA's are not and will not be for sale but they certainly don't do justice to some of the lesser material I own. More later...
madmax
Now at home. I hooked them up to my Jolida 302 amp with Mullard preamp tubes and dark blue Telsa el-34's. I set the speakers on top of my 1.2's just to get a feeling of what the sound would be like. This time I got a decent sound stage but the sub type bass was gone. The midrange was nice but not great. The first LP I played was some older ZZ Top. It sounded OK but nothing special. Later I put on some Fleetwood Mac and they really strutted their stuff.
These are very strange speakers. Their sound is very dependent upon the room. It will take some time to set them up properly. Next I put on some AC DC. They really seemed to like that. I found myself enjoying the music more than normal. The detail seemed less but they had an extreme amount of presence. I'm guessing at this point but I think they will be a pleasant addition to the system for those songs which are great but not mixed really well. I think given enough tweaking that they may really enhance my listening on certain music. I am finding myself disappointed on stuff the SDA's do well but other stuff that is not enjoyable on the SDA's seems to be, well, enjoyable.
It is very strange, in my opinion, why many audiophiles are so against these particular speakers. They really seem to have a lot to offer when it comes to certain music. As I said, I'm just getting started but so far I am enjoying them. Believe me, the SDA's are not and will not be for sale but they certainly don't do justice to some of the lesser material I own. More later...
madmax
Vinyl, the final frontier...
Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want...
Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want...

Post edited by madmax on
Comments
901's do have incredible bass, provided you've got enough amp to drive them. Since their upper frequency response is limited to about 17kHz, they have a "soothing" affect on harsh CD's.
I know people LOVE to bash Bose 901's--but most who do, never owned them. Are they over priced? Oh hell yes.
The secret is proper set-up. After 11yrs w/901's I found the best setup is to have a preamp with a "processor loop." Hooking the EQ between the pre and amp is awful. Set your bass and treble knobs on your pre to "flat" and leave the 901 EQ bass flat, adjust the treble to your liking. place the speakers at least 6' apart, and 9" from the back wall (from the apex of the back of the speaker).
I had mine set up between preamp and amp. I'll try something different. Did you mean 9" from the wall or "at least" 9" from the wall?
madmax
Quotes: "I never had or heard the 901's but from my experience they are the worst speakers ever made... (How does someone even write something like thst?)
Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want...
About those blue JJ's...I didn't know they made EL-34 in blue. I always thought it was the E34L. If it's E34L, did you increase bias? They have 20% more headroom and higher plate voltage than regular EL-34.
Maurice
Receiver: Harman/Kardon HK3390
Speakers: Polk Audio RT1000p
"I would rather have a cup of tone than an ocean of power" **Dr. Harvey Rosenberg**
Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want...
Nice on the 901's... Spent some time with a friend's originals in college almost three decades ago. You're right about the set up difficulty. In those old play days found that the back wall's construction and "clutter" in the sound stage were key.
With nearly 90% of the output aimed rearward for reflection, the stiffness of the rear wall is important. The dorm rooms were heavy plaster, reflecting everything... very ideal. Also the wall the speakers were on was clear of everything excepting the speakers. Also had the original pedestals, which in addition to being attractive allow the sound to flow under the 901's.
Otherwise set-up was pretty much what steve described above, i.e., about 6" from the rear wall on about 7' centers split.
Tour...
Vox Copuli
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb
"It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
"There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
"Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
Maurice
Receiver: Harman/Kardon HK3390
Speakers: Polk Audio RT1000p
"I would rather have a cup of tone than an ocean of power" **Dr. Harvey Rosenberg**
They look like black light bulbs.....freaking awesome!
Maurice
Receiver: Harman/Kardon HK3390
Speakers: Polk Audio RT1000p
"I would rather have a cup of tone than an ocean of power" **Dr. Harvey Rosenberg**
madmax
Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want...
The loose bass is cool. I enjoy it when listening to softer stuff. For some reason, if I use "loose" sounding tubes on both my pre and amp, the sound just knocks me out. I fall asleep or feel very sleepy for some reason. I'm enjoying the tightness in the EH 6CA7 fat bottles I'm using right now. I still think the Svets are more romantic sounding but EH sounds very tight and clean. More detail too.
Maurice
Receiver: Harman/Kardon HK3390
Speakers: Polk Audio RT1000p
"I would rather have a cup of tone than an ocean of power" **Dr. Harvey Rosenberg**
9" minimum. You begin to lose the spacious effects if you get them too close to the wall. Please don't do what I've seen some boneheads do, and turn the speakers backwards; it completely ruins the surround effect.
The reason to avoid connecting between the pre and amp is that signal overload in the EQ can result--not to mention S/N Ratio suffers in this setup. It's best to drive the EQ with a standard line-level voltage. You can also used a tape deck connection, then select it on your "record-out" knob if you have one. This results in the same thing as a processor loop, it's just a little less flexible.
You can try either leaving your Bose EQ settings flat, and using your preamps EQ or vice-versa. Usually preamps will have a quieter better quality bass/treble circuit, so I would leave the Bose EQ flat, and use the preamps treble knob to your liking. You won't need the bass adjusted....trust me. Try Creed "Say I" at about 200 watts, you'll see what I mean.
Setup properly, the Bose 901 VI is the least fatiguing speaker I've ever listened to. They make the crapiest CD's sound good, and will have you listening all day long. The louder you crank them, the better they sound. But have:
a) at least 350 watts/rms @ 8ohms available power
b) at least 14" from the side-walls
c) have the speakers at least 8' apart, larger the room, the better
I recommend a pre-amp with a processor loop (ADCOM comes to mind).
madmax
Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want...
Good comments. Right now I am still waiting on a fedex claim because of one of the corners. I will hook them up to some powerful SS amps after I complete the claim nightmare. What I heard so far does not compare to the SDA's but it is different non the less. A fun thing to play with for sure though...
madmax
Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want...
Sun room: Roksan Radius 5 turntable, Lounge phono pre, DIY Class A 6H30 linestage, DIY 2A3 amp, Krell CDP, JBL C50 Olympus speakers with custom Smith horns, Klipsch Cornwall III
Den: Onkyo TX-NR929 receiver, Oppo BDP-103 player, Panamax M5400-PM power, SST Ampzilla 2000 mono blocks, Behringer EP 4000 sub amp, Electrovoice DX-38 active, Klipsch Jubilee speakers, Martin Logan Cinema center, JBL SAT2 surrounds, Danley DTS-10 sub
Sun room: Roksan Radius 5 turntable, Lounge phono pre, DIY Class A 6H30 linestage, DIY 2A3 amp, Krell CDP, JBL C50 Olympus speakers with custom Smith horns, Klipsch Cornwall III
Den: Onkyo TX-NR929 receiver, Oppo BDP-103 player, Panamax M5400-PM power, SST Ampzilla 2000 mono blocks, Behringer EP 4000 sub amp, Electrovoice DX-38 active, Klipsch Jubilee speakers, Martin Logan Cinema center, JBL SAT2 surrounds, Danley DTS-10 sub
I saw your SAE/Bose setup at AK while researching my purchase. Nice setup!
madmax
Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want...
Yamaha cdc-755,(20 bit DAC )
Yamaha KX W382 cassette deck,
ADCOM GFA-545-II.ampfilier,,
ADCOM GFP-450 Preamp ,,BBE audio Restoration System (ARS)--Monster--M850I Innerconects and Monster 14 gauge speaker cable and the Fabulous POLK RT-7's with a Velodyne 12/15 subwoofer system ....she rocks.........
.............................
System #1:
Meridian 508-24 cd.(20 bit DAC)
Adcom -Gfp 750 preamp,
Bryston 14b-sst amplifier,
Martin Logan Prodigy Electrostatc speakers.and Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II innerconnects (rca) with Acoustic Zen Satori Shotgun speaker cable.
............................. "Jazz is democracy in music".
.............................
The two pair I owned were not very good speakers at all. The first set was taken back to the store because I was sure they were broken.
But no, they both sounded awful. I guess I don't like reflected sounds. No high's to my ears, muddy mid's and they need a bucket loads power besides. I tried many different setup's and nothing really made any diff. I couldn't make those 9 little speakers sing!
And that damn reflected noise is impossible to use in an apartment. 10 minutes after setting up the folks next door were pounding on my front door.
As most Bose speaker still use this reflected sound setup, I've never look at Bose again.
Stephen
Apartment dwellers/condo owners better look somewhere else. 901's will raise havoc with the neighbors.
What series did you own?
Tour...
Vox Copuli
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb
"It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
"There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
"Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
madmax
Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want...
I had an early set of their 501's too. I was a sucker for there looks I guess. Again the reflective design is a taste/sound one must let grow on you, it just didnt with me. I still have a set of 101's in storage BTW.
I've had the large Advent's (liked) and a wonderful pair of ESS monitors (I loved). The other great speakers in my life were the Dynaco A50s with the A25s as the back in a stereo setup, wife hated the size of the A50s though.
But I keep coming back to Polk...must be a virus!
Stephen
Suspected they might have been later series. I'd heard they went downhill after series II. There was even a big split between series I and II fans as to which ws better.
I remember the ESS. They used the Heil air motion trans-something-or-other if I recall (sorta) correctly.
Tour...
Vox Copuli
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb
"It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
"There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
"Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
They cost me something like $1400. with shipping at the time. Im dating myself a little here but it must have been around 1978 when I first got them.
The Bose series fans all believe their speakers may be the best of the bunch. Now that a discussion I have no interest in! (-:
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