Interesting. I have owned every series except 3 and 5. I still own 4 pair. Series 2 were always my favorites but series 6 is fine too. Still have a pair of them, 2 pair of 2's and a pair of 1's. All are still functional. Not everyone's cup of tea and hated by many but they still can make you smile in the proper setting. Loud rock music is probably best. I haven't used any of mine in years but doesn't mean I never will.
My son read somewhere that they are bringing them back. Not sure if it's true but I think they would be a hard sell as the negativity has been pushed so hard for so long. It's funny though how many real audiophiles admit to enjoying listening to them back in the good ol days. Always makes me smile.
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hersch
I'll give it a try next time I set up a pair. I've been toying with the idea of it anyway. I also like tubes on the pre side, been waiting for years to get an all tube pre that I can use with the CD player. I've always criticized CD's for lacking warmth, a sense of life and other general dislikes. All that said, some can be very good. Hoping some tubes in a really nice preamp will help. On the vinyl side, I've been in love with the Cary tube phono pre for years. I don't stream anything, don't own a DAC. I'm hopelessly lost in the 20th century.
Anyway, next time I set up a pair, I'll give the EQ a shot. 90% say it's a must. The guy who talked me into AR 9's in the first place, also was a 901 owner, an EE and audiophile who used to hang out on the asylum, as did I. He went by Skeptic. He couldn't believe that I didn't use the EQ.
I started a conversation about 901's on there over 20 years ago and it led to about a 3 month long thread. I started by saying "I like 901's, wanna fight?". I did so because it seemed that every subject led to long winded arguments about the most mundane subjects, most of which were simple differences of opinion, not facts. It was both amusing and annoying but I met a lot of interesting people.
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I just bought an Aesthetix Calypso Signature tube preamp. It will be one of the best pieces in my system, probably the best piece. I'm still waiting for it, sometime this week. I use a Cary PH 301 tube phono preamp, old but very damn good. When needed for my lowest LOMC cartridge, I use an SAEC SUT, very good. My amps are two Parasound HCA 2200 II amplifiers, John Curl design, 250wpc @ 8 ohm. They are very strong amplifiers but getting old too. My main turntable is VPI HW 19, Mk II, was Mk III but had to downgrade to original bearing and spindle. Old but still a very good TT. I use an old 20 bit Denon CD player. Whether any of this qualifies for really good front end, I don't know. It has provided me with many years of happiness. The guys here would have to tell me if it qualifies as "really good". I know that at least the Cary and the Calypso do, not sure about the rest.
I moved to a log house 12 years ago and the 901's have been in storage since then and even some time before, as I switched to AR 9 speakers about 21 years ago. I really appreciate them and their overall abilities but they lack the punching power of 901's. Overall response is far better in AR 9's and plenty of other speakers but the 901's are capable of some things that most others are not. I have never heard drums sound or feel more live and real than from a pair or two of 901's, properly placed and properly driven. Placement and power are key. Many others can outshine them in many ways but they just do some things like nothing else that I've ever heard. They can become "very big", bigger than anything else I've ever heard. Some say "too big" but I think it's all to do with placement and proper usage.
I never used the equalizers either which goes against everything you ever hear. Any time I tried the EQ's, I thought they sounded awful. When I bought my first pair back in 1975, the salesman told me I would not need the EQ because I had plenty of power with a Crown DC 300A amp. I believed him and was very happy with that system for several years. They did have to be played loud to be appreciated. This may be because I never used the EQ but at high volume, they performed just as you say and surprised an awful lot of people over the years. I have moved on but I do miss certain things as mentioned above. Enough so that I bought all the ones that I have now, mostly about 20 years ago.
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Thanks. I've never felt the need to stream but I'm a "never say never" kind of guy so who knows what I may try in the future?
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I remember an old buddy of mine using a pair in his band. I think they were used with the horn mikes. I think 802's were more often used that way, since they had 8 drivers, all front side. My wife and I sold T shirts at the Chicago fest in 1980 and they had a stage full of them. It was a big Bose push at the time, some ridiculous number of the Bose amps (1801's I think) and pairs of 802's. 32 pairs or so, might have even been double that. It was a helluva lot of speakers. Can't remember. It was kind of impressive but it did lack bass, compared to the other stages that used normal PA stacks and such. Still, it was kind of fun to see and hear.
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ericreyn
Per the series II manual, you can hook from preamp output to EQ input and EQ output to amplifier input. This avoids the tape loop. On series II EQ, you have both options but with separate amp and pre, it says not to use the tape loop. I don't think I ever tried it that way and could be why I hated the EQ. I'll have to look at my series VI EQ but I'm sure the same applies there. Interesting thought that I may have used them the wrong way for so many years. I know there are tons of people out there who will say that there is no right way to listen to them but most of these guys never heard them correctly. I'm sure they will disagree but...........whatever.
Don't know what series you have but foam surrounds tend to go bad on series 4 the worst. They had a buy back program and put people into series 6 for a huge discount. I bought a pair of junk 4's just to trade in and got my 6's that way. It was $400 for the trade with Bose. I think the retail was around $1500 at the time.
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Well, at least we have permission to like them. Thanks. :) Just kidding around, no worries here.
I did move on from mine many years ago but I never got rid of them. They are capable of some very interesting things. That is not a rave review, just an acceptance that they are fun to listen to for some interesting effects and they are able to play very loud as well. Again, not high end praise, just something different.
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hsbrock
Very nice. I still have the Hirsch article in my files. Love your comments. It is an experience to hear them correctly. It may not be the experience that everyone is looking for but it has it's merits just the same.
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Hey old_ears
I visited the RM Audio/photo club in 1974/75 when I was stationed in Darmstadt at Ernst Ludwig Kaserne. Bought my Nikkormat camera there, heard 901's and the Linear Design Lab copies. LDL went out of business when Bose sued them. They were pretty much a direct copy of the 901.
I didn't get my 901's until I got out in fall of 75. Bought them and Crown DC300A in early 1976. Many loud parties for many years. I had buddies with the planars, also DQ10.s. All had their attributes.
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Hey old ears
Yes, I was fortunate to spend a year in Germany. I enjoyed my time there even though I was homesick and missed my fiance. She did come over after a few months and we got married in Darmstadt. We are about to celebrate our 50th anniversary.
Lots of the guys had stereo gear from the RM store. Those big PX's were amazing. A lot of RTR decks, one guy had a quad set up with 2 pair of Bose 501's. It was OK, I wasn't a huge fan of the 501's. He had the biggest quad receiver you could get, can't remember but seems like maybe a Sansui, again, no big deal but the system sounded OK and certainly better than some. I spent my free cash on the camera and lenses. When I got out in Oct 75, went to work and took out a loan to buy a stereo system. Pioneer PL12D turntable, Shure V15III cartridge, Crown IC150 preamp, Crown DC300A amp and a pair of series two Bose 901's. It was around $1600. I still have the original receipt. The banker thought I was nuts but he had no reason to say no to the loan. My son still has the old Crown gear (needs repairs) and my nephew is still using the old Pioneer TT. I recently bought another V15III and it cost twice as much today, used, as it did new in 1976. Lots of people still using them today.
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Russ69
I think the series 3 was the worst. Never hear a good word about them. Series 4 sounded good but foam surrounds went bad fast. Bose did a buyback program and put you into a pair of series 6 for I think $400. I bought a pair of junk 4's just to do the trade. I still have a pair of series I, 2 pair of series 2 and a pair of series 6. My favorites were always the 2's but 6's are pretty good and can sound good with less than 100 wpc as well as handle loads of power. These were the ones that they'd plug into a wall outlet, claiming they could handle 1200 watts. I have not tried this. :) The series 1's and 2's are power hungry and sound best with a minimum of 150wpc. Most who complained about the first two series were driving them with small receivers and they would not sound good at all this way. I had a 90wpc Yamaha integrated amp as a loaner before my Crown gear came in. It was not enough and I did not enjoy them until I got the Crown separates. They came to life with the added power.
I find the same thing with my AR9's. I only had one Parasound (HCA2200II) amp when I first got them and ran them with the single 250wpc. They didn't sound bad, they even sounded good but they truly came to life when I added the second Parasound amp and bi-amped them, the way they are designed. I can't imagine using them any other way. Just like I can't imagine listening to Bose 901's with not enough power and or not placed in perfect corners. They will absolutely not sound right if they are not used correctly and supplied with enough power. I first heard them driven by a large McIntosh amp and preamp. The clerk at the store said they had to have the power and he was right.
I had a buddy who had DQ10's and he drove them was an Accuphase integrated amp, 110wpc. It sounded pretty good but I said he needed more power. I bought my Crown amp and preamp to his place and he could not believe the difference. He bought a Denon 200wpc amp after that and they came to life. His preamp was a CJ PV2, likely better than my Crown or at least different being tube vs SS.
I know a lot of Maggie users have found the same. If they need power, give it to them or you will be very disappointed.
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hsbrock
Yes, I still have the article in one of my stereo file folders. I was 16 at the time, myself. I did not hear them for another couple years but the article interested me.
As stated above, I also have my original receipt from 1976, when I bought my second stereo set up. I have a photo of my first stereo, which I bought right before getting drafted. I had a Pilot 65wpc receiver (considered powerful at the time), Realistic TT and Nova 8 speakers from Radio Shack. It wasn't terrible for a teenage kid and first stereo. Best in the barracks until I went to Germany.
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