Bose 601 series iii - what do you think??

boatdrinks77

Well-Known Member
What are your thoughts on the Bose 601 series III speakers?? I own 2 pair with the walnut finish- I have noticed lately on EBAY these speakers keep going for more and more - The last pair went for $780 + shipping. The average has been over $600..... I think my speakers sound ok, I own them because i love the look of the speaker. I'm no speaker expert, I like the sound of my bose, but maybe i should audition something different. My whole system is based on aesthetics - stuff that i like the looks of: Pioneer QX-949 Receiver, Pioneer PL-630 TT, Magnavox FD3030SL01 CD Player, Akai GX-F66RC Cassette, Denon DE-70 Equalizer and Pioneer RT-707 and 1020RL RTRs. I think my gear is pretty good, but not really true audiophile. Thanks guys, dan :)
 
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I have a pair of 601 Series III. I couldn't pass on them, mint condition with original boxes and manuals, for $50. I was thinking I would flip them, but I hooked them up, and was surprised to find that I really liked them. For my small and less than ideal listening space, I find the direct/reflecting concept works pretty well. I was surprised at the bass output. I have been a Bose basher for pretty much all of my adult life, but these speakers aren't bad. I have never heard any earlier 601's, but I have seen more positive comments about the 601 speakers than for most other Bose products.

I'm always looking for something better, but for now I'm fairly satisfied with the Bose. Man, that's hard to admit...
 
I had the 601 series II, nice speakers they were. I like the look of the series III as well....maybe someday:scratch2:
 
I think they sound pretty good also - but people love to put them down. Why do Bose have this stigma attached to them? When people ask about my system, they always tell me to get better speakers. I love the fact that they are real walnut veneer.
Yesterday i Picked up a pair of mint condition Mirage 890i speakers at Goodwill for $49. I don't know much about these speakers- they are bi-amp and bi-polar speakers. They are pretty cool looking- i know nothing about Mirage...... any input on these would be appreciated. I'll hook em up when i get some time and do a side by side comparison with my Bose............
 
Bose gets ripped on for a lot of reasons:
  • They refuse to publish any meaningful information about their products (like frequency response curves)
  • They have earned the reputation for spending their money on advertising and infomercials rather than on research and development.
  • They make a lot of outlandish claims that are obviously false (such as their wave radio will outperform your collection of components).
  • They prey on the ignorance and laziness of the masses when it comes to audio-related gear
  • The way they set up their displays in Big Box stores makes it impossible to do a side-by-side comparison of Bose speakers to other manufacturers (the impression, at least among the cognoscenti, is that they're afraid to do a side-by-side comparison with other speakers)
  • They have, especially in their cube speakers, a reputation for using really cheap materials and charging way more than the speakers are worth
  • The design of their sub-sat systems (their home theater rigs) forces their "bass module" (I guess it's not a real subwoofer) to cover much more of the sonic frequency spectrum than a sub ought to cover (was up into the mid-bass range) creating a localized bass source and causing their tiny cube speakers to reach way lower than they can capably perform. They also leave a big hole in their frequency response (while Bose won't publish their measurements, others have) between the top end of their bass module and the bottom end of their cubes.
That's the start of my list of reasons. I'm sure that some other AKers can add more reasons why Bose gets bashed.
 
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I have them and like them. I have heard some better sounding conventional speakers, but I like the direct/reflecting sound, especially since I can't put them where I can sit in the sweet spot like conventional speakers. I have read online that the 3 series is considered the last of the good 601s, the 601-4s are considered bad, likely because Bose decided to concentrate on the cube systems.
 
The DBX SH line (pre-DAK days) does the same thing as does the AR-M series and you don't have to pay the premium to get the 'Bose' name.

The SF (Soundfield) line? They are rare as hell. The only ones I've seen (and now own) are the SF5000 and SF-1.

I do have a pair of Bose-501 Series II that I'm getting ready to rewoof. They sound pretty good.
 
I have a set of SF-100's and have seen 3 pairs for sale in various places for 50 -100 dollars for the pairs.

I'd like to hear the SF-100s. The probably sold more up there than around here. You see the 3-2 and SF-5 DAK crap here but that's about it.
 
I grabbed a pair of these on the weekend. Bose-501 Series II.

The drivers are in good shape and I figured I could give them to a kid just starting out. I doubt he will care if most on AK hate them or that I don't have a spec sheet for them :D

marc mc
 
I was just responding to boatdrinks77's question, "Why do Bose have this stigma attached to them?"
 
I was just responding to boatdrinks77's question, "Why do Bose have this stigma attached to them?"

All is well I did not even read who wrote that, I was just skimming. I was however curious about these speakers and could not be bothered hooking them up.

No Harm! intended cwall99

marc mc
 
I grabbed a pair of these on the weekend. Bose-501 Series II.

The drivers are in good shape and I figured I could give them to a kid just starting out. I doubt he will care if most on AK hate them or that I don't have a spec sheet for them :D

marc mc


Mine have a spec sheet in the manual. All they show is the impedance curve throughout the speakers' range. No spl, etc except they suggest you fuse the + connection. Two different fuses for each wattage range.
Mine are going to my son along with a CR640 when he does his PCS

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Manual:
Bose Online Manuals
 
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All is well I did not even read who wrote that, I was just skimming. I was however curious about these speakers and could not be bothered hooking them up.

No Harm! intended cwall99

marc mc

None taken, marc. I guess my effort to be funny just fell flat. I hate it when that happens.
 
I have a pair of 601 Series III. I couldn't pass on them, mint condition with original boxes and manuals, for $50. I was thinking I would flip them, but I hooked them up, and was surprised to find that I really liked them. For my small and less than ideal listening space, I find the direct/reflecting concept works pretty well. I was surprised at the bass output. I have been a Bose basher for pretty much all of my adult life, but these speakers aren't bad. I have never heard any earlier 601's, but I have seen more positive comments about the 601 speakers than for most other Bose products.

I use a pair in the garage (Series I).....I agree with the other post regarding direct/reflective speakers......they do have a use. I replaced the woofers with Velodyne's.....now they REALLY sound good down low. Just need to find a fix for those paper tweeters.......
 
I use a pair in the garage (Series I).....I agree with the other post regarding direct/reflective speakers......they do have a use. I replaced the woofers with Velodyne's.....now they REALLY sound good down low. Just need to find a fix for those paper tweeters.......

I was thinking Vifas :scratch2:
 
I have been a Bose basher for pretty much all of my adult life, but these speakers aren't bad. . . I'm always looking for something better, but for now I'm fairly satisfied with the Bose. Man, that's hard to admit...

I'm curious about what made you a Bose basher. While not a basher, I simply ignored Bose until recently. Hang a speaker from chains with eight of the nine drivers facing backwards? That violates many principles of design I had accepted from reading papers by Klipsch and Linn (and I've owned La Scalas and Saras from those two companies). It was the wave music system that got me interested in Bose. My dad has both the older and newer designs and is very happy with them. Due to its simple controls, I bought one for an elderly friend who had rather suddenly lost his vision, and that little box brought some measure of pleasure into a rather depressing time of his life. When I had opportunities to join him in his smoking den, enjoying our Kirsten pipes and his collection of jazz, classical, and opera recordings, the little Bose table radio actually made music that was involving and fun to listen to.

I bought a pair of new 301 series V speakers a couple months ago with the intention of using them in a bedroom for sound support for a recently acquired plasma television; however, they fit so well sonically with my main system in the front room that I ended up moving my little Vandersteens to the bedroom instead (and in the bedroom system, the Vandersteens outperform the Bose). My system is modest, but even so it seems strange to some that I have $328 per pair speakers hooked up to about $4000 worth of turntable/phono stage and another $2000 in amplification, but the little Bose speakers manage to provide pleasant, well-balanced, and very involving sound everywhere in my room--like you, I'm satisfied with my Bose, and not many years ago I would never have considered owning them.
 
I was a Bose basher for all the reasons in cwall99's very well articulated post. However, I think some of their older stuff deserves a second look. I certainly don't think that my 601's are the best speaker I will ever hear or own. But they are quite pleasant to listen to. It's the only speaker I have ever owned that has resulted in positive comments from my wife on the sound. She thinks they are incredibly ugly, though. Seriously, why did they use two different colors of brown grill cloth on the upper and lower frames? Funky.
 
The original series of I, II, III - 301, 601, 901, should in no way be confused with the plastic-fantastic crap that is now typical of Bose.
 
The original series of I, II, III - 301, 501, 601, 901, should in no way be confused with the plastic-fantastic crap that is now typical of Bose.

+1

And unfortunately it's not just Bose cranking out the plasticrap :sigh:
 
The original series of I, II, III - 301, 601, 901, should in no way be confused with the plastic-fantastic crap that is now typical of Bose.

I had 301's and 6.2's(a long time ago) - after I bought a different pair of speakers I realized what they say about Bose to be true - 'No highs, no lows - got to be BOSE'.

All I can say is that my only Bose experience is with the latest model of 301, purchased new 2 1/2 months ago, and I find them highly satisfactory. In the same system and room, I've also had Linn Saras and Vandersteen 1C's, so it's not like I haven't heard other brands. They each have their strengths, but the Bose are no less musically engaging, and they do a better job of giving some semblance of stereo effect and a natural, well-balanced frequency response throughout the room, not just in a narrow sweet-spot.
 
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