2. speakers
  3. 1440680052

Bose 901's with "highend ancillaries"??

I STILL see Bose 901's are available here and maybe new after umpteen years in existence and yet I have still never hear a pair (unless you count the occasional high school concert which used the professional version).

Has anyone ever used these with "highend" gear, and if so what was the result??

Just curious if there is actually something good about the speaker other than the marketing the Bose Corporation has done over the years as they have never been inexpensive and even now hold their value pretty well.

And while I ma sure one can do better for the $$$ etc etc I am only looking for comments on how they actually SOUND - strengths and weaknesses
jrinkerptdnet

Showing 3 responses by gjrad

gjrad
145 posts
 
Bose 901s were my first speaker purchase back in 1973. Thought they were pretty good and enjoyed them for many years. I kept these until 1996 which by then were stored away making room for higher end speakers as my system evolved. Since I was not using them I sold them. My current systems have speakers from MBL, Ascendo and Kharma but one day got the bug to find another pair of 901s just to mess around with. You have to go with either the series 1 or 2 as the surrounds are cloth and don't fall apart. Found a decent pair of series 1s and match them some vintage McIntosh electronics and once again enjoyed their sound. Are they as good as my other speakers. Of course not. But they are still very enjoyable to listen to and at only $120 quite a bargain. I had our audio group listen to them when we did a shoot out between JbL Lancer 66s, RTR 240 towers and bose 901s and they tied with the RTR for the best sound and everyone was amazed on hiw good they sounded. Yes they get a bad wrap, they are not nearly as bad as people say, match them vintage electronics and good stands, I use 4 pilar Sylan and Place them somewhat properly and enjoy the sound.
gjrad
145 posts
 
Also note if you are looking for a pair you must have the equalizer. Seen many for sale without one. Also the equalizes for the different series are not comparable across all the different series if 901s produced.over the years.
Bose 901 series 1 and 2 equalizers are comparable, series 3 and are comparable with each other, and series 5 and 6 are compatible. Do some research on this, it's very interesting. And as mentioned above a good powerful amp goes a long way to improve their sound.
gjrad
145 posts
 
Also note if you are looking for a pair you must have the equalizer. Seen many for sale without one. Also the equalizes for the different series are not comparable across all the different series if 901s produced.over the years.
Bose 901 series 1 and 2 equalizers are comparable, series 3 and are comparable with each other, and series 5 and 6 are compatible. Do some research on this, it's very interesting. And as mentioned above a good powerful amp goes a long way to improve their sound.
More to discover