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I actually did get to hear a 4 channel quad system using two pairs of 901's-two in front/two in back with a very nice set of marantz solid state. the guy i visited had a beautiful well kept apartment with nice furniture and tastefully decorated, etc. a brass telescope was behind the couch aimed at a skylight in the ceiling. very nice set-up indeed.
so we sat back to listen to a few albums (no CD's back then) and i was having a pretty hard time trying to like what i was hearing. Especially with the expensive and new-looking marantz components on display. later on after my friend and i left i asked him what he thought about the sound. he agreed it was pretty bad. there was i serious imbalance to the sound just in terms of frequency response alone- a lack of fullness and clarity as well. perhaps the guy didn't know how
to set them up properly...? at any rate i had definitely heard enough. the whole 8+1 w/equalizer technology only seemed like a good idea. but i really got off on his sense of style anyway. |
I am going to jump in at the risk of being labeled a idiot to support Rrog and hopefully provide an answer to the original question. I have listened to a Bose radio system, a Bose house custom system, and my Bose system in my 13 year old Mercedes (came with the car, would not have been my first choice) - none of these was anything special but they were pleasant for casual listening.
Way in the past I owned a pair of Bose 501's and they did several things well with their direct reflected sound including providing a sense of excitement and spaciousness that the Advents and JBL's etc of the time did not. I have no idea what they would sound like today because front ends and amplifiers have also progressed, but I would guess that they would not be hot in the highs as some designs are. Still today several brands such as Von Schweikert provide a refined, tunable ambience tweeter to provide a touch of the spaciousness from indirect sound. I moved up to the 901's and they again provided the above. They were missing exquisite highs, and a well-localized sound stage but still provided a enjoyable experience of wrap-around, lively sound. Given this I think that if gotten for cheap they may provide a nice home theater experience within a small budget. I do not know when they went out of production but given they may be decades old I would carefully inspect the drivers and surrounds and given a listen before purchase. Mitch4t hope this helps and let us know if you pull the trigger. |
"Zman, I am not upset. I just think you fall into the category of having a negative opinion about a product you have no experience with."
You're over reaching. You have no clue what experience I have with Bose. The discription you give is fairly accurate.
But it not my cup of tea.
If it's yours, great. Enjoy. |
Zman, I am not upset. I just think you fall into the category of having a negative opinion about a product you have no experience with. If you want to bash something bash Bybee's Bulletts, Coconut's VibraPortal or how about a set of magic stones for $4,000. Are consumers getting their money's worth with these wonderful products? |
I have been reading threads on this forum with Bose bashers for quite a while. I had no experience with Bose and I knew the Bose bashers had no experience with Bose either, so I decided to find out once and for all what Bose speakers are all about. I currently own speakers from Magnepan, Von Schweikert, Grean Mountain Audio and Spica. Speakers I have owned in the past include Vandersteen, Magnepan, Acoustat, Martin Logan, ESP Concert Grand, Dunlavy SCIV, KEF 105, Ruark, JPW and numerous vintage speakers.
I purchased a pair of Bose 301 series V speakers. These speakers cost me $328 with free shipping. The 301 is a bookshelf speaker with an 8" woofer and two tweeters firing in opposite directions. At first the 301s sounded a little dull, but after a lengthy break in period they started to come alive. These speakers will play any kind of music and they do it with ease. The sound is big, relaxed and coherent with bass that will boggle the mind. And if you want the 301s to play loud they will play LOUD effortlessly. They do not fall apart like some other so called high end speakers I have heard. These speakers sound like you are using tube electronics when you are using solid state. In fact I tried tubes, but I preferred solid state with these speakers even though I am a tube lover. Just think, tube sound without having to buy expensive tubes. At any rate, these speakers are an incredible value. I don't see how Bose can produce this quality of sound for so little money. |
Rrog, don't get so upset when someone has a different opinion from your own.
If you like Bose, great! Enjoy.
But please don't attack someone for there opinion or experience that differs from yours.
And to answer your question, yes I did. |
Zmanastronomy, Did you get your money's worth when you bought your Triangle speakers that needed expensive stands and a Velodyne subwoofer to make them worth listening to? Bose makes speakers that sell for $200-$300 that with the right electronics will blow away audiophile speakers costly 10 times more. And you don't need room treatment because they work with your room instead of against it. |
"The whole Bose thing was a scam from the word go; their theory is junk as were their speakers."
Bose just happens to be the most successful speaker manufacturer in the world. Bose hires all of their engineers from MIT and their reference is Quads. Bose manufactures and matches all of their drivers and uses a minimalist crossover approach.
"To know what Bose are about you have to throw away everything you know about high end audio." Also about music; they were about one thing only ; MONEY"
Actually Bose speakers are very musical with more than enough bass and a midrange to die for, provided you use careful system matching just as you would with any other high quality speaker. Bose speakers do not sound bright like many audiophile speakers. Remember, the bright speaker sells to the uneducated ear. Price wise, Bose speakers are very reasonably priced especially when compared to the rediculously over priced so called audiophile speakers made in someone's garage. Or the British speakers with import duties and an exchange rate that nearly doubles the price. |
Bose's marketing strategy is aimed at gullable consumers.
The house wife at home, the non audiophile which out number audiophiles by 99 to 1.
It's all about the commercial Johnny or Suzie sees on tv that convinces them it has to be good.
Dr. Bose is a marketing genius that make low to mid fi equipment. And he's filthy rich from it. I'm a firm believer in capitalism, but at least give the consumer there moneys worth. |
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How could they stay in business so long and remain profitable if all they sold was junk? Bose has survived a lot longer than many audiophile speaker brands.
I don't own any Bose stuff, but there has to be SOME redeeming quality to the stuff they sell. You can survive only so long selling junk.
I mean really, how bad can the 901's be for front and surround speakers in a home theater??
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The whole Bose thing was a scam from the word go; their theory is junk as were their speakers. "To know what Bose are about you have to throw away everything you know about high end audio." Also about music; they were about one thing only ; MONEY. |
Stacked! I would think four per side would do the trick.
I would think that if you set them up properly they would do quite well as L/R or surround home theater speakers, though you'd probably need a better quality center channel. I'd expect a spacious, enveloping soundfield with a wide usuable listening area. The subwoofers would eliminate the deep bass deficiencies. |
I was wondering, has anyone tried stacked Boses? |
This is what years of brainwashing by the magazines has achieved. To know what Bose are about you have to throw away everything you know about high end audio. Bose speakers only accept bare wire, but audiophiles will try to connect audiophile approved cables with their huge jewelry-like connectors with some kind of a Rube Goldberg invention to make it all work while instantly destroying the sound.
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"good used 901's".
Wait, isn't that an oxymoron? |
No highs, no lows, must be Bose! |
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