Bose 901 Series II EQ Curve??

Chrisssssssss

Active Member
Hey all,

I have just picked up a fairly cherry set of 901 II's however the EQ was not included. I am on the hunt for one, but until then I would like to listen to them. I have a pile of other EQ's and I was wondering if I could use one of these to emulate the original EQ close enough to get a feel for them.

If anyone has done this or has the same dilemma (I am sure that I am not the only one!!) I would be grateful if someone could point me in the right direction with discribing the settings and frequency curves that I could use and set to closely match the original EQ.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Chris
 
i have the series iv. i know when i disable the equalizer the 901's sound horrible. i think this equalization is dynamic - changes with the audio. might do a search, i seem to remember someone saying they felt they duplicated with a graphic equalizer.
 
There's got to be a way using a simple, 10-band, EQ, right?

Even if the Bose unit is dynamic -- modifying the curve differently across different level inputs -- you should be able to approximate the curve at a given input for your preferred listening volume.

Merely a guess. :smoke:
 
don't hold me to it but I recall something about their eq (dunno which series) having an 18 db boost in the low end.
 
The Series 2 has MUCH less EQ than the later models.

In fact, as far as the bass EQ is concerned... I did pretty well, with a NAD C340 integrated amp, with the bass EQ switch on and with the bass control advanced to about 2:00 position (two "clicks" above flat). If you can find the center frequencies for that, then it might be a good starting point for the lows.

As for the highs... probably only needs a bit of "lift" above 10kHz.

If I had to start from scratch, I'd probably start boosting gradually below 80 Hz, and ramp up to a max boost of about 10-12 dB at 31 Hz. On the highs, I'd probably do the same, only adding about 5-6 dB at 20KHz, starting the boost at about 10KHz (ramping up from 10 to 20 KHz)...

Regards,
Gordon.
 
I had series II 901's and tried them once with a standard EQ (also had the original EQ), i felt i could actually get a better sound out of them. Need a lot of top and bottom boost. Big smiley face on a graphic EQ.
 
At the risk of sounding like a smartass, since they don't have much bass or treble output, I'd agree that a big smiley curve is probably the place to start. While it's possible the EQ is dynamic, it would surprise me if it really is. They really aren't too bad thru the midrange, so I'd suggest starting at the frequency extremes.
 
Start with a receiver that has bass, midrange and treble controls. Back off the midrange to about the 9 o'clock position first. That emulates what the Bose EQ does, then advance the bass and treble until you find your listening preference. The series I and II are the only series you can pull this off with. The Bose EQ does add a bit of 'polish' to the sound that is a little tricky to get right, but backing off the midrange first gives you the crucial first step.

A ten band EQ gives you a little more flexibilty but not always necessary.:thmbsp:
 
Thanks for the responces guys,

I think that I agree that they sound best with the EQ in the smiley position. That's the way that it is right now. I have also added the "loudness" and it seems to be even better. I am planning on hanging these from the ceiling above my stack o speakers in my living room. I have always wanted a set of them, as I grew up with my dad's 901 III's that were ported with the foam surrounds. He had them hooked up with a nikko beta pre and an alpha II amp. They rocked the house pretty good. He then traded them back to bose for a set of VI's because of the infamous foam rot and still has that set up today.

A couple of days before christmas I was at a customers house and they were sitting by the door. I asked what they were doing with them and they said that they were destined for the thrift and if I can carry them out, I can have them. They now reside in my living room, however SANS EQ.

They are the mostly wood versions that are mirrored also with nylon surround blue Bose drivers. Does anyone know if these guys have the ~1 ohm drivers wired series, or ?? ohm wired ?? I know that my dad's III's and later used the ~1ohm series wired three hole foam surround blue bose, but these have 4 screws and they look similar to the CTS style driver, but I am not sure without disecting these puppies what the configuration is. Info??

They sound OK with the eq in the smiley and I will play with the curve a bit and see what happens.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Chris
 
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