Bose EQ tape monitor (Made a difference)

So I picked up this Pioneer Elite 100 disc CD player for cheap at Goodwill and finally had a chance to pair it with my Pioneer Elite A88x receiver and Bose 901's located in my living room. Hooked it into the CD input of the receiver as usual, loaded about 50 Cd's and for the past few days jammed to some music.

The 901's were positioned as per instructions and the equalizer connected the right way.The sound was good but still didn't fill the room with music. I never used the tape input on the EQ itself just the pre/amp inputs on the Pioneer as the source ever since I've owned these speakers ( 8yrs). While rotating some bedroom gear this past weekend I noticed my routine was different, I used the tape input on the Eq as the source for the Cd player, Could this be the missing link to the Bose sounding better:scratch2: This afternoon I removed the jacks from the receiver and input it into the Bose tape equalizer turn on the music..pushed in the button and wow what a difference

The first noticeable difference was the speakers became balanced with equal musical power and for the first time all of the drivers seem to be working at full power:yes: Vocals clear and bass deep with a lot less boom effect and the reflective nature of the 901's filled the living room no matter were I was sitting or standing.Using the tape monitor made a huge difference, The dual mono block 120 wpc A88x opened up and showed out, Displaying a rich sound-stage with great 2 channel stereo separation and lots of headroom. My guess is the 901's benefit from the direct connection of your main source playing through the tape input of the dedicated Eq in order for all the drivers to fully respond musically. Am I late to the party? Have I been hooking it up wrong all this time? Anyway, Just glad to have discovered the "Missing" Link to enjoying these a lot more.:thmbsp:

Pioneer A88x receiver
Pioneer Elite PD F17 cdp
Pioneer VSX D710s avr
Pioneer CT WM70R Cassette
Pioneer DLV 909 Laserdisc
Bose 901's

It shouldn't make any difference how you hook it up, whether in a tape loop or between your preamp and amp. Anyway, it sounds like you have them hooked up properly now. Enjoy.

audiomagnate said:

It shouldn't make any difference how you hook it up, whether in a tape loop or between your preamp and amp. Anyway, it sounds like you have them hooked up properly now. Enjoy.

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Thanks:thmbsp: There is a sonic difference:yes:

What's that black thing at the foot of your right speaker?

You probably already realize that the instruction manual says that you get less noise using the tape monitor, but I wouldn't think that the difference would be nearly as great as what you're describing. (I'm guessing. I listened to Bose 901's almost every day for 19 years and never tried pre-amp out/power amp in once.)

Hoho said:

What's that black thing at the foot of your right speaker?

You probably already realize that the instruction manual says that you get less noise using the tape monitor, but I wouldn't think that the difference would be nearly as great as what you're describing. (I'm guessing. I listened to Bose 901's almost every day for 19 years and never tried pre-amp out/power amp in once.)

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The difference in all of the drivers working and not fully working:scratch2: Big difference:yes: I bought these used without the manual so they were hooked up "The usual way" The "Black thing" Is an Infinity SM 105 speaker (Not connected):yes:

kydog said:

The difference in all of the drivers working and not fully working:scratch2: Big difference:yes: I bought these used without the manual so they were hooked up "The usual way" The "Black thing" Is an Infinity SM 105 speaker (Not connected):yes:

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The EQ has absolutely nothing to do with which drivers are working obviously. I assume you meant that in more of a descriptive term.

Sounds to me like the EQ wasn't actually functioning in the system the way you had it connected before.

Bose EQ connections.....

Early last month my brother asked me to come along and check out a pair of Bose 901's Series V that he was considering purchasing. When we arrived at the individuals place, he had everything setup and was ready to demostrate them for my brother. Well once he started up the music and cranked them they sounded powerful, different, and when I say different I mean damn good different! After closer inspection of his hook-up and connections I noticed that he had them connected just as "KYDOG" has explained in his first post. This was the very first time that I had ever seen them connected like this. One of the first things that I thought was maybe he had some other internal source or something in his setup (receiver, amplifier, etc.) that made them sound different. When I asked him about it he said no, that he always had them connected just the way they are.
Yes, one should always refer to the owners/user manual for instructions and explainations but I never really gave it much thought about how much of a difference connecting them thru the 'tape input' would make them sound so different. I've always considered that Bose was just providing an alternate feedthrough connection for ones setup of the 901's. But KYDOG's post is the first that I am aware of mentioning specifically about this setup using the tape input (other than hearing them setup like this myself).
Thanks for posting and sharing your findings KYDOG.:yes:

240sx4u said:

The EQ has absolutely nothing to do with which drivers are working obviously. I assume you meant that in more of a descriptive term.

Sounds to me like the EQ wasn't actually functioning in the system the way you had it connected before.

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Exactly:thmbsp: My experience is after connecting the main source ( choice) in the chain which was the Cd player for me into the tape loop, The drivers opened up due to the "Now functional the way it should have all alone" EQ. Trust and believe I'm not a newbie when it comes to music and it was apparent off the bat. The dog was on my lap relaxing when a passage of a man speaking came across the speakers, He jumped up so fast thinking someone else was in the room, It was that clear...

First off....DAMM NICE SYSTEM !!
Good for you . It's like having a whole new set of speakers !
Enjoy them .

R-2-R said:

Early last month my brother asked me to come along and check out a pair of Bose 901's Series V that he was considering purchasing. When we arrived at the individuals place, he had everything setup and was ready to demonstrate them for my brother. Well once he started up the music and cranked them they sounded powerful, different, and when I say different I mean damn good different! After closer inspection of his hook-up and connections I noticed that he had them connected just as "KYDOG" has explained in his first post. This was the very first time that I had ever seen them connected like this. One of the first things that I thought was maybe he had some other internal source or something in his setup (receiver, amplifier, etc.) that made them sound different. When I asked him about it he said no, that he always had them connected just the way they are.
Yes, one should always refer to the owners/user manual for instructions and explanations but I never really gave it much thought about how much of a difference connecting them thru the 'tape input' would make them sound so different. I've always considered that Bose was just providing an alternate feed through connection for ones setup of the 901's. But KYDOG's post is the first that I am aware of mentioning specifically about this setup using the tape input (other than hearing them setup like this myself).
Thanks for posting and sharing your findings KYDOG.:yes:

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More powerful and different is the way I would describe it, That's why I referred to the drivers being more engaged,balanced and full.Glad you had a chance to hear what I was experiencing for myself You're welcome:thmbsp:

Hooking the EQ up in the Tape Monitor loop means it's getting a constant higher level signal rather than the varying level (dependent on volume setting) out of the pre-amp.

RickeyM said:

Hooking the EQ up in the Tape Monitor loop means it's getting a constant higher level signal rather than the varying level (dependent on volume setting) out of the pre-amp.

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Thanks:thmbsp: It just never occurred to me too use the tape/in on the Bose Eq