Anyone Using Bose 901 speakers In A Home Theater?

I run 7 901's in my HT...... Absolutely fantastic. You must use the equalizer that comes with the Bose. The tricky part is their hook ups. i have a marantz 9300 AV receiver that has PRE-OUT and MAIN-IN for ALL channels. My equalizer plugs inline between those jacks which works wonderfully. Except my center channel I use a graphic equalizer (set for voice freqs only) and carver mono amp. So bottom line, using 901's are a tad tricky. 

FWIW, I have owned 2 Bose Home theater systems over the last 15 years.  For the price point, they do an above average job in producing what you want out of a HT system.  HOWEVER with today's technology you are probably better off with a high-end soundbar with a sub.  It will cost roughly 1/3rd the price and produce pretty much what the ~3,000 Bose system will produce.

I think ANYONE who even remotely trying to even suggest that the top of line Bose is up there with Martin Logans being powered by a compatible Amp is on GLUE and rightfully should be completely ignored as a commentary not worth bothering with. 

Haha, Consumer reports sucks in some ways. As I recall, CR highly rated Allison speakers, after which Roy Allison reamed them for their testing methods, or so I was told, I never actually read this exchange, and the truth may be buried in someone's collection of Audio magazine. 

About the only thing I think they are consistent about is their used car buying guides. 

Nobody running off at the mouth here in this thread owns a pair of m6's as they bose bash. 901s were great way before constant in your face advertising of today. They are not the bose Bluetooth colors of today. Shame on the "audiophiles" of the new century. They sounded great before speakers averaged +- $8000.

because of the way the 901's are designed, i would think that you would need a room with no windows so the music would reflect the way it's supposed to do.

I agree with others that the 901s might work great - the only question is whether four speakers rather than two would ruin the dispersion effect, particularly if the sound is engineered for a 5.1 system where they put effects into specific channels. 

I think the 901s are great. Keep us posted. 

i have 4 bose 901's i purchased back during the 4 chanell era. today i use it in a 2 chanell system. i would think that if you wanted to use these in a home theater setup you sholud have it in a room with no windows because the way they were designed. i don't know if the center speaker would be ok with the 901. this just my thoughts.

Hello Folks
i wanted to reply regarding the Bose speaker home theatre application question.. a little background on myself and audio experience... 
i am 55 and retired and have been into audio listening really all of my life from gramps phono graph to suitcase record player to first loyd's all in one stereo , electrohome dome spaceship stereo, then in the 80's everything like Nikko/ luxman/ Harmon kardon, Sherwood, kenwood, pioneer, sansui, vector research , Yamaha , bryston, carver and the list goes on and on from cassette, cd , vinyl to streaming .. been there done that at the average joe's budget .. I also mention being in a band and my wife is a concert violinist and music teacher with a great music studio .. baby grand piano, Yamaha clavinova piano, guitars, violins , marshal stacks and both electric drum kit and full size reg kit .... 
i have what I consider to be a poor mans kick ass home theater.. overhead dlp hd projector, 120in screen, Sony blue ray , pioneer thx 7.1 receiver , Polk rti7 towers biamped, Polk ci30 center , Polk rt15 side surround and vintage  1978  toshiba floor cabinet 3 way speakers with 10in woofers, a small powered 10 in sub, all decent quality cables( 12 gauge speaker cable)  and interconnects .. I must say this little system is as good as any cineplex!! 

But now being retired purchased a set of 1985 Bose 4.2's and hooked them up in my living room ( 65in 4K has flat screen)with my Yamaha rxv575 receiver , yamaha CD player with energy powered sub and Wow!! I was blown away with these old bose! So I took my old bose 201's(1992) out of the closet and hooked them up as rear surrounds and my old 1994 infinity video 1 center speaker and again I was blown away at the soundstage !! . So what did I do next ? Well I tracked down a used bose vcs 10 center speaker and swapped out the infinity ans  I got to say it surpasses the Polk system in my rec room !!! . I find myself not only watching movies over again but listening to 2 channel music and enjoying things again. The Bose sound is spaciously enveloping with a true concert like  audio sound !! Not harsh highs or boomy bass but easy to listen to for hrs on end .. and every seat in the sweet spot not just the one ... I must mention I spent last weekend at a buddy's place auditioning his new system.. rotel 350 watt power amp with the matching preamp , pioneer elite fibre optic cd player and b&w 702's .. $11000 plus tax .. sounded beautiful when sitting in the one sweet spot and tiresome after 5 plus hrs ...
ao after all is said and done I do recommend bose speakers and a sub for home theater and two channel listening .... I add that I have read many a bose bash review and really am dumbfounded at the BS comments... I
conclude they must not have much experience or decent amps/ receivers that can set up the home theater speakers properly and ...... have been comparing a bose speaker side by side with a conventional speaker... and or really have not and are just flipping off their gums !! 
So.... go out and find some used bose or buy new 201's and 301's .. add a sub and center channel speaker and u really r all set with a great inexpensive system that is by far better than other speaker systems out there for your buck and sound !! 
In closing I mention I do not have  much listening experience with the Bose accoustamass systems other than my 90 yr old inlaws system set up in the apartment .. and it'a ease of use and sound is perfect for them and no noise complaints from neighbors!!  

Bose products are not about accuracy, but rather musicality. They are not designed for critical listening, but rather casual enjoyment.  I had owned 301's as well as 901's in the past and I was very satisfied with the amazing soundstage they provided.  The 301's sound "classic" in their auditory signature. Both the 301's and 901's are well suited to modern jazz and classical music. I have tried many varieties of speakers after I parted with the Bose 901's and I have not yet found an equal in terms of soundstage. All brands of speakers have their pros and cons.  If you want absolute purity and accuracy in reproduction, then look for something else.  If you want musicality and vivacious soundstage, then the 901's are perfect.  Don't be misled by those who have never owned 901's but have plenty of opinions.  My home theater consists of all Klipsch set up (the last series made in the USA with silk tweeter based horns that are not shrill or harsh), my listening rooms have Carver Amazing III+ and JBL Studio monitors, and my home office is all Klipsch, but I missed the musicality and the soundstage of the 901's so I recently bought a pair for my den.  

back in the early 70's there was 4 chanell and i had 4 901's. i basicly had mine setup as 2 up front and 2 on the sides.

from 1971 till 1988 i had a 4 chanell system. from 1988 till 2000 it was in storage. from 2000 till now i only listen to music, radio and tv thru my system.  in 2011 i got the mc602 and in 2014 i got the mx132. i only use it once a week. i only bought these 2 units just to have it.

Just searched that power amp.  Someone is listing one for over $5000.00
Again, selling that off would fund  a really great sounding 5.1 system, even without buying used equipment, and it would probably sound several times better than your current set up

Well g nakamato it sounds like time to experiment.  40 plus years is a long time to spend with any speaker.  Even state of the art speakers are going to have deterioration issues, let alone mass market items.
  Are you still in a 4 channel set up?  Is your amp driving all 4 channels?  Is your TV in the system and if so, do you have a center channel to help with dialogue?
   Your ideas about power are somewhat antiquated.  The amount of power required is most dependent upon the efficiency of the speakers.
  McIntosh gear has a high resale value.  You may be able to sell that behemoth and be able to fund a decent 5.1 surround system, including an AVR, particularly 
if you buy on the used market.  Audiophiles constantly Buy and resell gear and you will be able to get relatively new equipment at knockdown prices.

I'm 64 years old. I don't know too much about high end equipment. all I can say is I bought my 4 901 series in 1971 during the 4 chanell era. till today I still have them so I don't know what I'm missing because I never heard any other high end speakers. I'm retired so I don't have funds to upgrade. one thing I do know is after reading and hearing since 1971 is that it's better too have too much power then to have enough power. so currently I have a McIntosh mc602 power amp with 600 watts per chanell.

I know that my response will be difficult to swallow since I am answering your original question and not either waxing rhapsodic about the sound of Bose speakers or providing a vehement statement that Bose is responsible for all social ills. Amazing. Anyway, yes, I bought a pair of Bose 901 Series IV speakers in 1981 and loved them for many years. I still use them in a quasi-home theater setup with my big screen TV providing the front speakers and the 901's for the rears, along with an old M&K subwoofer. I drive the 901's with an Onkyo receiver. I am not the world's biggest home theater fan but the sound of movies is pretty good.

Ive owned many speakers and none have sounded as good over a wide listening are as the KLF's. I know Klipsch takes some hits by hi end purists at times, I have been silly enough to buy into that talk in the past. Stock the KLF 30 lack extension in the top end, and can be harsh. The TI tweeter diaphrams made me a horn believer.

After many years in high end audio, there is one test that tells a speakers worth. After 2 yrs with them would I buy them again for the money.

Only a few have passed that and the KLF 30/Crites are on that very short list of 3.

Mitch,

What did you settle on? I was going to put for your consideration some KEF Q900s all around - should be in a similar price range as the Bose. However, I thought Martykl offered better advice on the Mirage although I have not heard them. With your space, wide dispersion speakers almost de rigueur for your room and budget - a 34,000 cu ft room is quite a space. How may tube amps are you using to heat it in the winter?

Schubert, Does that mean don't go with the Klipsch?

If your market is a country where coast to coast kitch and bad-taste are cultual norms, someone wanting to sell a lot aims at the 98% who follow those norms, not the 2% that don't.

The Klipsch KLF may be terrific speakers (I've never heard 'em,so no comment here on SQ either way), but they are 180 degrees opposite from the bose 901 in "application logic". If the idea is wide dispersion from the surrounds for coverage of a very large space, horn speakers are the last thing I would consider. They control dispersion by design and - in the right application -can work very, very well IME. They might be a good choice for L/R/C, however, I don't see how they'd bee good for any of the other channels.

Just my opinion.

Marty

Bose's marketing strategy is aimed at gullable consumers.

Where would Wilson be than?

Mitch

If you have the room, one of the best deals out there is Klipsch KLF speakers. The 20's &30's are insane for under $700-800 IMO. You should buy Crites titanium tweeter diaphrams for $58 shipped per pair with them, as stock used a terrible diaphram that rolled off to quickly.

I have owned so many high end speakers, and the KLS 30's are the best deal I have seen IMO. I feel they compare to some 3k-5k speakers I owned. Better in some ways, bit worse in others. I did replace the tweeter diaphrams, added a layer of pl premium to all inside corners(read glue issue on klipsch forum), and I would add 2-4 braces on earlier pre 2000 models

This is all extremely simple for anyone to do. There are many klf 30 or 20's that already have the crites titaniums & glue fix done for you.

If you want ultimate HT at a steal, grab 3 pair KLF 20's and convert 1 speaker baffle sideways and use as a center. A 5 channel all matching KLF 20 HT! Check out the Klipsch forum!

Mitch--if you're still interested in this issue after 3 months:

I have experience with Bose 901s--I worked at an audio store that sold them along with other state-of-the-art speakers of the time--Ohm, Dahlquist, ESS, Infinity, Advent.

The 901s are probably the most discreet speaker for filling a very large area, and I think they're particularly well-suited for the surrounds and rear surrounds of a multi-channel HT setup. I think they'd do fine with the High channel as well. I'm less sure about having them for front left and right speakers. You're better off getting a triad of same manufacture L-C-Rs to get timbre matching for voices, 1st-level effects, and music. Unlike speaker placement in Tone Audio's review, you're better off placing the speakers about 1 foot from the wall behind. This will give you a more seamless enveloping sound and give better bass response with less effort. I'd go with more rigid speaker stands that also make the speaker terminals easily accessible for cleaner sound and so you can use whatever cable gauge you want.

Although I don't use Bose 901s in my home theater, I *do* use omnidirectional Mirage speakers all around and they make for a very natural, seamless soundfield. Dispersion is so wide you don't hear one speaker "handing off" to the next. Bose 901s should give you this as well.

Used Series VI 901s w/equalizer run about $300-500/pair on eBay. You could put in some real room-filling sound for not much money, and if you need more room-filling sound, doubling up the speakers per channel won't be that expensive. For your room size, I'd probably go with two 901s per speaker location. This should create an effortless sound, what with 18 drivers per channel.

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Sthomas12321, what model Klipsch would you suggest?
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Bose 301 iv's is a great way to make a budget HT system. They play loud, are spacios, and even musical IMO. For a bit more, Klipsch can be a killer "budget" HT setup. I would use the Bose 301 IV im medium sized rooms for best results. Can get them used for $150 pr, but sadly the poor quality drivers often need new foam.

Personally I would go Klipsch for budget HT! Long as you don't mind towers.

Yeah i'm here also using Bose 901 Speaker in Home Theater.I'v use so many speaker before but found the Bose 901 speaker's response is better then other. When my friends seeking advice then always suggest same to them.
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Cd Production

Well interesting topic,and mind as well give my experience.Last spring I bought two pairs of Bose 151SE environmental speakers another words the outdoors variety.I got them from Best Buy on sale and because they looked better than the rest on the shelf.They gave me good sound in my back yard with Hafler Pro2400 amps and Bryston BP-20 preamp,source was the Wadia 170i playing ipod classic loaded with mp3's.Then I wanted more loud sound so I found this usede paor of Bose 901 series VI from local Craigslist at a decent price and bought them.I hanged them from the porch roof and drove them with the Hafler Pro 2400 bridged so we are talking 400W per side.I partied all summer,me and my neighbours!!!! So you know what I am keeping them and I just bought this last weekend a Bryston 3B-SST amp from Canuckaudiomart.com and the Haflers will be changed,of course the summer season here in Toronto is over and I will pack and bring the 901 indoors but next spring I will rock the joint.I need to buy another Bryston 3B-SST to run them in mono with the 901's.Also just bought the Olive 04HD music server for the porch system so I won't have to get off my recliner.Music all weekend. I personally love the 901 for what I9 am using them for,they are an excellent party speaker.Now just to clarify my back yard deck is covered with clear roof panels,no rain is coming through so the 901 don't get wet.All the electronics are in a separate room buy the deck and are well protected from the weather.
Regards
George

Hi Mitch4t. YES! I actually ran a home theater system with Bose 901 front speakers, a Bose center speaker, and Bose 301 rear speakers. I've also run the same system with 501's in the front. The 501's actually sounded better than the 901's. I never could get the 901's to sound as rich at lower volume levels. The middle tones were always missing (opposite of the popular mantra). Even turning them backwards and moving them high and low didn't help. It may have just been that pair because I bought them refurbished from Bose. Anyway, even with that issue, the system was amazing! I've yet to go to anyone's house and hear a better one (even the ones that cost thousands of dollars and were custom installed still didn't match the feeling of being "IN THE MOVIE" (from ANYWHERE in the room) that I love. It also sounded great from other rooms. Front speakers were on floor stands. Rear speakers were mounted about 7 ft. up. Room approx. 12x18 ft. with pitched ceiling.

901'S May indeed do very well for home theater. In a multi channel set up you may find that they spread the audio around so well too the point of offering a confused sound for audio intended for the back or side channels only. Might just be too much of a good thing in there sound dispersion. That would be my only real concern. Make sure you can interface the equalizer into your system.

Used to have a set of 901's back in the day. Great fun and enjoyed them for years in a stereo only set up. Many folks forget that Bose were the toast of many hi end stores until they began to be sold by the big box stores. Then all the sudden they were terrible. Umm...Strange isn't it.

Mitch,

A friend of mine who is both a serious (and I would even say meticulous audiophile) was also a DJ in his younger years speaks very, very highly about the Bose 901s. He's also an engineer and hyper-critical about his electronics and cabling. If he speaks highly about those speakers with some of the gear he has, that speaks volumes to me.

He ardently claims that with the proper amplification, they are truly stellar and indeed are very well suited to larger spaces. He still uses them for music in large spaces and venues and connects them to his 250wpc amps with custom braided cables.

If you like the sound of the 901s, then go for it and don't worry about what others say. I've only heard the 901s at his house playing music streamed from online services. It wasn't critical listening by any stretch, but they did indeed sound good.

So if your space is larger as I'm guessing, then I think you may be very happy with that setup if you like the sound of the 901s.

Regards,
Theo

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Mofimadness, the review you forwarded was priceless, thank you.

Rog, Marty,Onhwy61 & Gammajo, thank you for your input and your encouragement. I look forward to more of your input as I post further questions during my home theater project.

mitch

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Marty, you brought up some very good points for using the 901's. They will fill a large space, and for that matter they would fit the bill well.

Mitch4t, just go ahead and do it. Your situation is somewhat unique and nobody on this forum can truly guide you. I once owned 901s, liked them and think they would work very well for you, but what do I know? Let us known how it sounds.

Mitch, You seem well informed and you may already know Bose 901s will play very loud with the right amplifier.

Mitch,

Without comment (one way or the other) on the sound quality of Bose products:

It would seem that very wide dispersion speakers would make a ton of sense for that room - particularly for the sides, back, height, & rear positions. The 901 fits that bill, as do modestly priced omnidirectional speakers from Mirage (among others). While many (maybe most) side/surrounds are also designed for wide dispersion, few of the affordable models - that I know of, anyway - are both high sensitivity and suited to high SPL like the Bose.

Some time ago, there was a local gym/yoga place that I'd attend from time to time that had an array of six 901s in a space a bit larger than yours, and they worked very well in that high SPL application. He had a CD player into a modest distribution amp powering the set-up, but I don't recall the specifics. Not a theater set-up, per se, but similar requirements were involved, IMO. Uniform coverage of a large space at "get the blood pumping" levels.

If this is a dual purpose system for movies and music, you can always stick with more traditional high end speakers for the front L & R & CC, and go with the 901 for the other channels. In your case, I suspect that any "voicing" mismatch between the brands will be much less trouble than getting appropriate coverage without investing more $.

Note: I'm assuming that, even though these channels are typically well down in level from the mains, your space would require lots of power/power handling from lower sensitivity side/surrounds. Depending on your preferred listening levels, that could be wrong, so you might want to test that assumption before purchase. End of the day, my guess is that the Bose are one of a limited # of options out there that tick all of your boxes. I'm sure that there are other wide dispersion, high sensitivity, high output options available at modest cost, but I couldn't name any off the top of my head.

No first hand experience (beyond the commercial application, per above), but that's the way I'd think about it, were I in your shoes.

Marty

MofiMadness- Thanks for posting the link to the review of the 901. I thought it was very informative, aligns with what I heard from mine and answers the question originally posted that they deserve a listen for his big room home theater.
The review listing the price at $1,400 stuck a cord. I remember the fear and trembling I had at such an expensive purchase when I bought mine. Now I find myself reading articles about $1,400 power cords and wondering if they may be worth it. YIKES - it appears that I have descended the slippery slope into equipment madness, all the more dangerous because it feels like audio nirvana.

....and you have no experience with the 901's.

I just questioned if you can get good sound level from such small speaker in very large room, even if you use four of them for the front.

As always, the end result has to do with system setup. I am fortunate to have a variety of amplifers, preamps and CD players to experiment with. To simply throw a speaker or component into a given system and think you have evaluated that speaker or component is not how it works. All that tells you is how it sounds in that system. I have spent several months with a variety of electronics and cables evaluating the Bose 301. I can tell you they are sensitive to every little change in the system. They produce a big soundstage and image as well as any electrostatic or planar speaker I have ever heard. Midrange timbre is natural and toward the warm side of neutral making them idea with solid state amplifiers. If you want to listen to the equipment look elsewhere because all these speakers are good for is listening to music.

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Kijanki,..your quote is below:

I cannot speak of multispeaker home theater systems since I've never had one,

....and you have no experience with the 901's.
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Yes, Revels are expensive and might be not be to your liking but putting a lot of (from what I've heard) average speakers won't make for quality. I cannot speak of multispeaker home theater systems since I've never had one, but having high quality front speakers seems to be the highest priority. 901s might sound good to you (it's a subjective thing) but I cannot imagine how they can fill the room of this extreme size.

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Milpai, it is my living room. I live in a loft.

Kijanki, I am contemplating an 11.2 system. I am considering ten Bose 901 speakers, 2 fronts, 2 heights, 2 wides, 2 surrounds and 2 back surrounds. I will have two Velodyne DD18 subwoofers. Revel Salons cost $20k a pair...no thanks.
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Just judging by the size of your room 901 speakers won't fill it with sound. Why you even try average speaker company like Bose? Why not to go to something like for instance Revel Saloon, that can pressurize room like that and provide extension down to 20Hz? Is there anything specific that makes you think of 901 as a good front end in a home theater system?

Is that a room or a mini movie theater?

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My original question was does anyone think the Bose 901, 501 or 301 are suitable for home theater. The pros and cons of Bose speakers for two channel audio is of no interest to me. I am all set with two-channel speakers.

Click Here To See My Room

I have a very large room. My room is 22 feet wide and 70 feet long and the ceiling is 20 feet high. I gave Bose a thought because they are relatively small speakers and have a reputation for being able to play very loud without needing insane amounts of power.

I am considering installing an 11.2 system that includes front height speakers along with front wides and back surrounds and I don't have the money to buy new high-end home theater speakers. I need eleven speakers that can rock. But, I'd like to have good sounding speakers with workhorse durability. A used set of 901's is about $500 and a used set of 301's is about $200.

According to the review above, it seems that the 901's have a room-filling ability that just might be suitable for home theater. I'm looking to fill the room with sound without breaking the bank.

Most of the comments here were regarding the merits of Bose as 2 channel speakers. What about their suitability for home theater in a room like mine? The speakers will be fed good amplification with a new current model pre-pro.
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The Tone reviewer said the 901s were a blast to listen to on all types of music. I think that's a step or two above average. I wonder if he would have liked them even better if he placed them closer than five feet from the rear wall.

Regarding the 301 -- I recently had a friend change his 301s for a pair of Dynaco A25 and he was extremely happy with the change.

I've heard Bose 301, that my friend bought, and it sounded pretty good for $300 speaker, but I wouldn't call it high end (far from it). I bought, perhaps 20 years ago, cheapest of Acoustimass series set consisting of two speakers and subwoofer. I bought it only for use with TV but it sounded so bad, that even my wife begged me to return it.

Good review. Thats a very accurate interpretation of what I heard.
A polite way of saying "Average at best".
I was under the impression that a more expencive stand was not needed.