I'm late to this thread and the decision has been made by the OP a while ago I'm sure. First time I heard the 901 speakers was way back before I was an audiophile probably 1969 or 1970. In any case they were the first speaker I "fell in love" with. You don't have to be an audiophile sitting in the sweet spot to love music, the 901's aren't at all about that. Great party speakers that play loud and work well in larger commercial venues where I often came across them rather that big PA speakers like Peavey.
Ok, Ok Bose is a marketing company and a clever one at that. I'd be the first to admit that the value to dollar isn't the best but to ME the 901 speakers, none of the other Bose stuff that I've heard/owned (the 501's which was the most regrettable audio purchase I ever made) were special but those 901's captivated me at a time and place long gone and you never forget your loves. I doubt it was marketing initially that had the public buying into the design. If like me, they liked what they heard and had the 450.00 or so to purchase them, they did. Unfortunately I didn't at the time or would have purchased them on the spot. Hearing them many years later in an audiophile type setting I asked myself, what was I thinking? It really depends on how you listen with the 901's. They get undeservedly poor marks along with the pompous vitriol spewed in their direction from what I would guess folks that never listened to them as intended, or never heard them at all. They are what they are but one thing they're not is audiophile speakers. But as someone mentioned above, they can be a lot of fun. Can't music be about that too?
Ok, Ok Bose is a marketing company and a clever one at that. I'd be the first to admit that the value to dollar isn't the best but to ME the 901 speakers, none of the other Bose stuff that I've heard/owned (the 501's which was the most regrettable audio purchase I ever made) were special but those 901's captivated me at a time and place long gone and you never forget your loves. I doubt it was marketing initially that had the public buying into the design. If like me, they liked what they heard and had the 450.00 or so to purchase them, they did. Unfortunately I didn't at the time or would have purchased them on the spot. Hearing them many years later in an audiophile type setting I asked myself, what was I thinking? It really depends on how you listen with the 901's. They get undeservedly poor marks along with the pompous vitriol spewed in their direction from what I would guess folks that never listened to them as intended, or never heard them at all. They are what they are but one thing they're not is audiophile speakers. But as someone mentioned above, they can be a lot of fun. Can't music be about that too?