thoughts on the bose 501 speakers

The 501 had the biggest cabinet and the largest bass driver in the bose line so it does have the warm full sound that a lot of bose speakers do not have so i would have kept them for a different type of sound compared to the 901 just for a change of pace sometime.

Speakermaster:

Perhaps you are thinking about the Bose 601?

DeKay

   First....I have joined many others in criticism of Bose speakers in the past. I'm not sure what your aim is here. To purchase the 501's as superior speakers to the 901's or just to see what other opinions are?
   Many years ago I went down the Bose path. Decent sounding speakers for my setup. I started with the 301's (bookshelf) and then ended up with 901 series III. Wasn't overly impressed since I bought them used and wondered if something could be better. After reading online, and given the age of the speakers, I opened the cabinets and found the foam surrounds were deteriorated. Bought a refoam kit and installed. Speakers didn't sound any better. (501's with age may suffer as well). 901's are useless without their dedicated EQ.
   So, not knowing your intent, if you want the ultimate from Bose speakers inspect the surrounds if you intend to buy some. I will state again as others have.......Bose is a mega company with a super marketing operation. But...their products are mediocre and over priced. Much better products can be found elsewhere at a less cost.

I also had the Bose 901s series 3 and still have a pair of 301’s. I bought my 901’s in 1980 when I was in the Army in Germany- I liked them but difficult to setup correctly I switched to B&Ws 803’s in 1993 and found B&Ws much better for all kinds of music. Today those have been ungraded to Wilson’s Watt 8’s which is another step up. Bose was good in the 70’s and 80’s but could not compare today with so many better speakers 

HA! Nailed it! All the best to you.