Bose 901...Series VII???

dougy
dougy Posts: 182
edited September 2011 in 2 Channel Audio
I just noticed Bose has the 901 discounted $150/pr. on their website, plus no-interest financing. So...the thought just crossed my pitifully small mind; "Are they finally going to update the 901 to series 7 status after all these years...or perhaps pull the plug all together?

just sittin here wundrin...
THE MAN-CAVE 5.1 CHANNEL A/V RIG
Sony KDS-60A3000
a/d/s/ HT-400LCR (3)
a/d/s/ HT-300 (2)
Velodyne DLS-4000R (2)
Pioneer Elite VSX-55TXi
Pioneer Elite DV-47Ai
Sony BDP-S300
Sony SLV-779HF
DirecTV HD sat. receiver

MAN-CAVE 2-CHANNEL RIG (shares sources with a/v system)
Adcom GFA-5500
Bose 901 Series VI
NAD C-165BEE
Slim Devices Squeezebox Classic
TEAC CD-RW890
Technics SL-BD20D w/ Audio-Technica P34
Akai HX-A3X
Post edited by dougy on
«13

Comments

  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited August 2008
    Once you own a pair you will realize it wasn't worth wondering about ;)

    I think the ones I bought out of curiosity were either series III or IV. If you like listening to only 60% of the sound of your music, by all means, buy them.
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,053
    edited August 2008
    Sadly they should have discontinued them after the Series I.

    I suppose for $150/pr you can't really go "wrong" but I'd prefer a used pair of Monitor 7's or 5's over any gen 901 for that price, but that's just me.

    Considering what products Bose now offers as well as their marketing plan, I'd say speakers like the 901 are done!

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited August 2008
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,256
    edited August 2008
    heiney9 wrote: »
    I suppose for $150/pr you can't really go "wrong" but I'd prefer a used pair of Monitor 7's or 5's over any gen 901 for that price, but that's just me.

    They are being discounted by $150. Their asking price is still $1200; and for that price, you could get a lot of speaker elsewhere.
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,053
    edited August 2008
    zingo wrote: »
    They are being discounted by $150. Their asking price is still $1200; and for that price, you could get a lot of speaker elsewhere.

    OH!!!! HELL NO. $1200 for a pair of Bose 901's!! Hell No
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,256
    edited August 2008
    Ah, the best post I've seen all day...
  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited August 2008
    After I went to the Bose website to get the link, I had to delete all my internet history. I just felt dirty all over :(
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,256
    edited August 2008
    One of the biggest laughs I've had in a while was going into the Bo$e store with a friend and talking to one of the sales reps. It's just cute what comes out of their mouths.
  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited August 2008
    I still remember going back and forth. A used pair of 1.2's or a BRAND NEW SET OF BOSE! I gave it serious thought for a week. I sure am glad I went with 1.2's. (had no idea what SDA sounded like).
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
  • dougy
    dougy Posts: 182
    edited August 2008
    Actually, I too owned 901's in the dark days of early audiophilehood; Series IV's as I recall. I do have fond memories of the way they could rock the house. Not very good for getting into the music, though. I ended up selling them and going back to my big Advents.

    I was looking at them again, because I have contracted what has become my annual bout of speaker disfunctional-itus. I love my Mo-Fi's, BUT...well you know the rest of the story.:(
    THE MAN-CAVE 5.1 CHANNEL A/V RIG
    Sony KDS-60A3000
    a/d/s/ HT-400LCR (3)
    a/d/s/ HT-300 (2)
    Velodyne DLS-4000R (2)
    Pioneer Elite VSX-55TXi
    Pioneer Elite DV-47Ai
    Sony BDP-S300
    Sony SLV-779HF
    DirecTV HD sat. receiver

    MAN-CAVE 2-CHANNEL RIG (shares sources with a/v system)
    Adcom GFA-5500
    Bose 901 Series VI
    NAD C-165BEE
    Slim Devices Squeezebox Classic
    TEAC CD-RW890
    Technics SL-BD20D w/ Audio-Technica P34
    Akai HX-A3X
  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,256
    edited August 2008
    I almost bought a pair once on the cheap to use as DJ monitors. That would be about the best use for them anyway...
  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited August 2008
    Friends don't let friends buy Bose!

    The Bose 801 commercial monitors were a good party speaker, I had a pair of those when I was doing sound systems for parties in college. I sold them and went to JBL commercial speakers as the Bose kept blowing drivers once I went to Crown amps.

    Large Advents - many fond memories of those.
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
  • Rivrrat
    Rivrrat Posts: 2,101
    edited August 2008
    I listened to their top of the ln HT system at Comp USA when they were going in the toilet.

    My wife came over to see what I was doing, made a negative comment on the sound quality, and asked me how much. When I told her she started laughing.

    I'm sure it wasn't set up properly, But as we say at work, you can't polish a ****.
    My equipment sig felt inadequate and deleted itself.
  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited August 2008
    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
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,053
    edited August 2008
    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 somewhat agree about the place in audio history, etc. But the price they ask for new 901's is simply a rip off. There is no excuse to spend that kind of coin on a new pair of 901's.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited August 2008
    I agree, I wouldn't spend the coin. That said, I've heard them and I don't think they sound awful. I mean for non-critical, full the house sound, I think they aren't bad.

    Same thing with the Bose cubes, I don't think they sound awful. Just awful expensive for what you get.

    BDT
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
  • George Grand
    George Grand Posts: 12,258
    edited August 2008
    Why fill the house with expensive "average" sound, when you can accomplish the same thing with a $15 pair of Pioneer CS-88 or 99's? Plus, the cabinetry is to die for.
  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited August 2008
    Why fill the house with expensive "average" sound, when you can accomplish the same thing with a $15 pair of Pioneer CS-88 or 99's? Plus, the cabinetry is to die for.

    ding ... ding .... ding .......... we have a winner :D
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,521
    edited August 2008
    The series VI was a big improvement over pervious series' both with the EQ, and getting rid of the tunnel/echo sound earlier 901's suffered from. In a large room with BIG amplifiers they can sound pretty damn good--they definitely cure digititis...
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
  • c_corie
    c_corie Posts: 138
    edited August 2008
    Does anyone know of anyother speaker that costs less and is similar in design or is a least bipole-like. I think for casual listening I'd like a speaker that really makes things sound bigger, more spacious. I was looking at some Definitives but they're getting into tbat higher price range, and I'm sure they're better, but they're also quite a bit just to experiement wth that sort of speaker. Does anyone make a cheaper speaker with some sort of rear speaker/tweeter to add space and depth?


    Maybe the best bet is older/cheap 901s?
  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited August 2008
    Magnepan MMG's.
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
  • c_corie
    c_corie Posts: 138
    edited August 2008
    I actually heard the bigger versions of those at a dealer in CT, and i was not that impressed, they sounded....thin, no pun intended. Not just thin but i guess hard and almost harsh sound in the high mids. Not bad speakers, I guess I'm just looking for a more tradional? bipole.
  • Flash21
    Flash21 Posts: 316
    edited August 2008
    I sold audio (many) years ago...we had the Bose line...lotta people came in asking about 'em, but they almost always walked out with something else after comparative listening.

    We had a saying: "No highs, no lows, must be Bose"
    Steve Carlson
    Von Schweikert VR-33 speakers
    Bel Canto eVo2i integrated amp
    Bel Canto PL-2 universal disc player
    Analysis Plus Oval Nine speaker cables and Copper Oval-In Micro interconnects
    VH Audio Flavor 4 power cables
    Polk Monitor 10B speakers, retired but not forgotten
  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,521
    edited August 2008
    c_corie wrote: »
    Does anyone know of anyother speaker that costs less and is similar in design or is a least bipole-like. I think for casual listening I'd like a speaker that really makes things sound bigger, more spacious. I was looking at some Definitives but they're getting into tbat higher price range, and I'm sure they're better, but they're also quite a bit just to experiement wth that sort of speaker. Does anyone make a cheaper speaker with some sort of rear speaker/tweeter to add space and depth?


    Maybe the best bet is older/cheap 901s?

    Mirage uses reflective sound as well...
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
  • sucks2beme
    sucks2beme Posts: 5,556
    edited August 2008
    Or Polk's parent company Def Tech for bipolars.
    "The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson
  • themuskr
    themuskr Posts: 149
    edited December 2008
    just got the mirage nanosat set. They are very nice. look cool, sound great. Looks are "cool" like bose, but they have the sound to back it up:D
    2 Mirage OMD-5's (burled Maple)
    1 Mirage OMD-C1
    4 Mirage nanosat MX
    Mirage MM-6
    Def Tech Prosub 100
    Pioneer Elite vsx-40
    BJC cable
  • beardog03
    beardog03 Posts: 5,550
    edited December 2008
    I had the 901 series IV back when that series first came out

    Losta mids but no low....highs were there, but..

    I enjoyed them for a month or so, the traded them for some speaks that really blew me away...

    Don`t remeber the brand, but they were pyramid shaped and had crystal (?) tweets
    that looked like small vents, (like the chevrons on a Sgt`s armband)....

    Those two (and a pair of yammie-haha) are the only non-polk speaks that I have ever owned..

    I used a Dual TT with them that I really wish I still had today
    Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
    Parasound HCA-3500
    Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
    Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
    Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
    Jolida JD-100 CDP
    Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
    SVS PC-Ultra Sub
    AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
    MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
    AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
    PS Audio Plus Power Cords
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
    Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
    Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)


    :cool:
  • only126db
    only126db Posts: 157
    edited December 2008
    I had the Series III or IV, they sucked....

    Sold them and UPS destroyed one, so I had one smashed one, one good one and a messed up eq.

    They went in the trash...
  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited December 2008
    I have a pair of series 5. They have that awesome bose sound. Anyone want to buy them?? :)
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,330
    edited December 2008
    I thought that it was just me not being fond of the 901. Back in the day, I preferred the sound of the 601 over the 901. I have been impressed with some of the Bose design features (ie. waveguides, labyrinths, and the use small drivers). In the practical world, some work better than others in spite of the complexity and design effort.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601