Heard Bose 901 VI speakers and really like them ! Any 901 fans ?

Bose has in fact, sued over a negative review. The word may implies may not as well. Bullshit is what your attitude is, Art.

What shows is that you have no idea how Jeff Dorgay and TONEAudio chooses what they review and what they publish. If you had followed the story from the beginning and perhaps done a bit of research before putting your fingers to the keyboard, you would have known that Jeff was not going to publish the review if he didn't like the speakers. That's how he rolls.
 
I always wondered what a pair of 901's for left, right, no center or rears and supported by a sub would sound like in a video setup. My old Bose had nice center fill, well spreading the sound across the room. Just saying.
 
Had 901's many years ago big sound field weren't the best I've owned or by far not the worst.

901's and 801's when set up correctly have a very expansive sound stage and can sound pretty good.

901's /801's should be EQ'd carefully and set up in an accommodating room and fed a lot of clean power . I was feeding my 901's with a Phase linear 700b. .
I just wouldn't feed them with a $500.00 AVR
maybe a good vintage monster receiver though.

More recently I still have the 701 series IV along with a pair of 301 IV's like their bigger brothers 701's need careful EQ and placement ,set up right they can sound pretty good and present a pretty good sound stage set up wrong not good .

Niether 701's or 901's are near as detailed as my big EV's ( Sentry III components in custom cabs) but few speakers I've heard are . There are a lot of much more costly speakers I have heard that I didn't think sounded as good as the Bose.
Like anything else we all like what we like. I figure people that paid for something for Bose or any brand or maybe gave them a good listen and don't care for them have a right to their opinion as well as those that like them.

Personally I've heard speakers priced quite a bit higher
I didn't think sounded that good the brands would maybe surprise some. Of course JBL,Klipsh, Altec ,and EV are my favorites but then I haven't heard everything. I just think those that have never heard 801's or 901's properly set up and fed well shouldn't flame them they just might sound a lot better than most would think.
as always YMMV.
 
I always wondered what a pair of 901's for left, right, no center or rears and supported by a sub would sound like in a video setup. My old Bose had nice center fill, well spreading the sound across the room. Just saying.

Out of curiosity I do have to ask what were the room dimensions you heard them in ?

I wonder if they were designed for a certain size room area in mind?

Adding subs would be a wise choice due to the limited bandwith in the lower frequencies.
 
Lot of nightclubs used them in pairs or quads in the disco years they can fill big room
if you feed them well.
 
I have heard the 901s, and am quite impressed with the experience.

I am fully aware of the negativity surrounding Bose products, but it certainly not applicable to the 901s, if applicable at all.

For a little perspective, I have auditioned speakers that have been quite favorably reviewed and have been let down, and I have auditioned speakers that have been unfavorably reviewed, and have been let down by the review.

Case in point, Polk RTA-11T. Reviewed by Stereophile and not a glowing review at all.

On audition, these Polks simply deserve more than the reviewer gave them. I still have my used pair, now for more than 10 years.

Now back to the 901s.

They are really great speakers.

Bass extension is fine, mids sweet and highs are extended and defined. The myth about bass lacking in Bose products is soundly trumped by the 901s.

Additionally, these speakers excel in the soundstage department. It is simply wide beyond expectation. And you have the added benefit of enjoying the sweet spot from a greater number of "spots".

The looks also appeal to me, as I am a fan of Eames era design, and with that, these speakers are "on spot".

The reality is that no speaker is for everyone, and faults can be found with absolutely ay speaker, but the 901s have fewer faults than most, look good, and present about the widest soundstage I have ever experienced.

I know they can take abuse, as I have seen them blasted from the ceiling in many a night club.

Do I want a pair?

Yes, absolutely. And I know a cousin who has a pair that he does not use, and whose wife wants out of their house. I just can't convince him to part with his vintage Bose 901s, so I guess I'll have to look elsewhere.

Cheers
 
I have Bose 901/II (with Sansui 9090) and Bose 901/III (with Sansui 990DB).

It was mentioned so often and I emphazise it once more, that it is ABSOLUTELY important to set up the 901 correctly. That is the crux of the biscuit, as Frank Zappa might say.

People who critizise the 901 negatively should only do so if they actually listended to them namely in correct position.
 
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Harmon Kardon, I've asked this before, but how do you think the Series II compares to the Series III?

I owned hollow vented 901's happily for 19 years. I've never heard the early "stuffed" ones, which many people think are better.

For several years now, I've owned Ohm Walsh 200's, and I still feel like I'm getting used to a different sound. Technically, they're better than the Bose, with more detail and more precise imaging left to right, regardless of whether I'm listening to them from the front or the side, but they also sound less warm. And spaciousness from front to back seems to vary with seating position.
 
Would the Bose 901 be considered "Modern Day Hi-Fi"......or "Old Design/New Stock"? Just asking....I have a set of the Bose cubes with Acoustimas bass unit, I like it fine and it works in the room scenario......But I would not consider it "Modern Day Hi-Fi".

Just asking.....
 
Would the Bose 901 be considered "Modern Day Hi-Fi"......or "Old Design/New Stock"? Just asking....I have a set of the Bose cubes with Acoustimas bass unit, I like it fine and it works in the room scenario......But I would not consider it "Modern Day Hi-Fi".

Just asking.....

Like the latest Magnepans, it's and old idea that's been updated. Modern is appropriate.
 
Bose products have their purpose. I have one listed in my sig and I use it quite often. It's the most comfortable headphone I have since I don't have a television it gets a lot of netflix/webstream use.
 
Amar Bose doesn't get the credit he deserves. Many of the surround sound listeners I know are satsifed with their Bose systems. I think the 201 and 301 models help pay the bills.

There are many reviews in the Stereophile archives of the various incarnations of the 901 models. The OP may want to read these if he was unaware of them.

Amar Bose was kind enough to donate his company's majority shares to MIT.
This act shows the true measure of the man. His thanks to MIT for his education.

Good post . I learned something . I do want to hear a pair . I will never forget when I was about 15 years old , around 1975 ,I was out with friends looking to buy a little herb and we went to a friend of a friends house and there were a pair of Bose 901`s there . I thought that was the coolest thing . I don`t remember what they sounded like .
 
Every forim user has different speaker tastes. I like a flat bandwith at high spl.
Some prefer a boomy bass. Some like a bright mid and high end.

One thing I have learned from hearing them BITD and a newer version a few years ago is that those that like 901 sound like the off axis sound they convey .

I heard a friends fahter's 901 with a Tandberg receiver playing Jimmy Hendrix on vinyl in high school.

The 901's do convey more of the full range driver sound. That is what they have inside the enclosure.

I just like listening to the many types of speaker designs out there and comparing.

More than likely you were restocking your supply of some Green Tea Extract Herb.
 
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Harmon Kardon, I've asked this before, but how do you think the Series II compares to the Series III?

I owned hollow vented 901's happily for 19 years. I've never heard the early "stuffed" ones, which many people think are better.

For several years now, I've owned Ohm Walsh 200's, and I still feel like I'm getting used to a different sound. Technically, they're better than the Bose, with more detail and more precise imaging left to right, regardless of whether I'm listening to them from the front or the side, but they also sound less warm. And spaciousness from front to back seems to vary with seating position.


The Series II sound better, indeed, but I hear rather slight differences, which I cannot describe in words in a foreign language like English, sorry. Advantage # 2 Bose 901/II and also 901/I: You will never have calamities with rotten foams.

My Bose 901/III were refoamed in 2006 and I am very curious how long they will work perfectly. I hope two or three more years, I am a non smoker and generally used them carefully.
 
I've never listened to 901's but I'm intrigued by the description of the OP, especially the description of the soundfield. For those who have heard, is this soundfield similar to what is experienced when using the 2-channel surround processing modes of some modern day AVR's? (I hope that made sense).

Thanks!
 
Actually no ..... the sound field of the 901's is a lot more spontaneous,complex and natural than a canned DSP sound field . I would describe it as enveloping rather than surround more musical than a DSP. DSP's just can't produce the ambiance of real reflected sound they have their place in home theater just not with 901's and music.
The Amar Bose direct reflected sound thing and he wasn't the first is kinda like a bi polar speaker on steroids some like them (I do) and some hate them . We all like or disike different things . I describe them as good but different while not critically accurate.
Imaging is not precise but a lot of speakers require you to sit precisely in in the sweet spot if you will there is some merit to that with certain designs .One can be anywhere in the room with the 901's ,even an adjacent room isn't bad. but like anything else it's a trade off. set up right
with the 901's anywhere in the room is fine ,even an adjacent room isn't bad. but like anything else it's a trade off. set up right (placement is critical) they can fill a room or a nightclub with sound. don't have the 901's any more but I enjoyed them when I had them . I use studio monitors with a sub now or studio phones I have both large and smaller monitors the smaller set has 8" woofers the larger set 15"

They have been around over 40 yrs and incrementally improved over time not to many speakers can say that . Heritage klipsh designs and maybe just a few others .
901 cognoscenti will tell you and correctly that they must be set up properly fed well and carefully equalized to be at their best.
 
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I have three sets, I, II, and IV. I purchased the series Is in 1968, just after they came out. They hadn't started making them mirrored. The IIs and IVs were purchased at garage sales.

They sound exceptionally dull without the equalizers, and all my EQs have required recapping. The series IC EQ also had a zener diode fail.

I've had bad luck running them with receivers. Burned out a couple. I only use them now with separate power amps. I have had about a dozen speaker systems in the same price range, but my wife prefers the 901s to everything. She has music training and better ears than I have, so I do pay attention to her opinion.

They are not currently my most used system, mostly due to placement issues. Most of the placement issues are related to the presence of dogs and cats.

I might be a bit weird, but I like having several systems and rotating them. The 901s have always been in the rotation.
 
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