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A Bose 301 question, and no brick throwing please!

Shackman55

Shackman55

Super Member
Second title for the thread, Two Lefts don't make a right.

I know Bose gets no respect around here, however. A pair of 301 series 2 (or more acurately a triplet of them) came to me and were my first decent speakers when I started on this journy of sound. There was an extra left side speaker that came with the pair. I don't remember why but in any event it has sat on my porch after serving as a trial run when I was learning to re-foam speaker. I have watched and waited for a partner for it, and the other day I found one at the Local thrift clearance center it was marked for a buck. It was missing the grills and the tube from the port. After digging through the mountain of debris at the center I finally found all but the bose logo, I can live without it. I even found an extra Top cover. Amazingly the foam was intact, there was a slight rip in the cone which was an easy fix. Other than that it is actually in pretty good shape. And sounds good to boot.
My issue is turns out they are both lefts. I am using them on a porch system and no real critical listening happens there. More just for sitting in the cool breeze or while working on the car. They are hooked to an Akai AA-1130 a real beauty!
Can one turn a "left" into a "right"? Or does it even matter? I'd imagine there is a reason they mark them that way.
 
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I am just guessing here, but I think if you stand them up so the tweets point in the air, the diff will be minimal.
 
Shackman55 said:
I know Bose gets no respect around here. . .
Click to expand...

I have plenty of respect for the 301 series V speakers that have been providing great music for me these past few months. I don't know how the series II drivers are arranged, but it looks like if I just turned my left series V speaker upside down, then the angled drivers would point in the same directions as those on my right speaker.
 
the series 2 are actually mirror imaged...if you use 2 lefts and turn one upside down then the front-firing tweeter on one will be pointing slightly upwards and the other slightly downwards.
 
can you turn one of them upside down and then remove the tweeter and turn it upside down, so that the tweeter will be the right side up, but the speaker itself upside down..

Wow, I got dizzy writing that... :drool:
 
Yeah, that'd be my suggestion.

BTW- those aren't bad speakers. I've heard quite a few worse, made by 'big' names...
 
I use a pair of 301 Series IV as my surrounds and have been doing so for about 12 years. They could use a bit more treble extension but not bad at all.
 
I've tried them standing up, and laying down with one flipped and the latter seems to have the best sound. The soft treble is one of the things I like about the 301's This is my second pair, that I have restored and the first pair are residing at a dear friends house (Who coincidentally gave me a pair of Large Advents in a divorce) on permanent loan. The Highs are there, they are clear and distinct, but never shrill or tiring. Not the best but by all means decent speakers. I would love to demo some 501 or 601's Used to have 901's in college days or more accurately my roommate did. Pretty impressive with a 200 watt JVC receiver behind them (Huge for the day)
Sat out on the porch last nite and warmed them up with some Beatles, Nancy Sinatra, and Jonathon Winters all vinyl of course. Rain pouring down. I was honoring a fallen Vietnam vet to whom the turntable had belonged. It was gifted to me by his widow. Not a heck of table BSR McDonald 310 with a Shure N72 but the point was it was in his honor. I made sure it was music he would have known and maybe played on it.
 
How is the series identified? I was given a pair of 301s, surrounds gone, swapped in a couple drivers I had setting around until I get foams for them. They don't sound half bad really. These just say 301. If they are a series 2, 3, 4 etc would it be evident on the back plate?
 
If there is no series number, then they are the originals "1" in effect. Those have the movable paddle to adjust the reflected tweeter if memory serves. And yes it would be evident.
 

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series 1 had only one tweeter with a movable paddle in front of it, series 2,3 had 2 tweeters firing different directions...have no idea what series 4 or higher even look like under the grill.
 
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Since you have had both large Advents and Bose 301's which do you prefer?
I have a pair of recently refoamed New Large Advents in some beat up veneer cabs that I am not really that impressed with, althought I have yet to recap them and really experiment them with other amps. I find the NLA tweeter just a tad harsh...
 
icenine said:
Since you have had both large Advents and Bose 301's which do you prefer?
I have a pair of recently refoamed New Large Advents in some beat up veneer cabs that I am not really that impressed with, althought I have yet to recap them and really experiment them with other amps. I find the NLA tweeter just a tad harsh...
Click to expand...

I know your question was directed back to Shackman but I solved that problem by doing the Econowave conversion on my NLAs. They sound good, I think much more balanced than before. I wouldn't think these 301s (at least these Series 1) could match the converted NLAs.
 
No problem Cubby01....now that you mention it econowave sounds like a nice idea since I have been tinkering around with speakers lately....if I cannot find some walnut cabinet NLAs or nice Advent/1s at the thrift to put my refoamed Advent/1 woofers in I may just try that....
Although it is hard to understand Zilch's threads I am under the impression that a horn from Parts Express takes the place of the fried egg tweeter...is the new horn that much less bright than the egg tweeter? I do not have many horn speakers but they are really more upfront on the high end usually...right? Do not mean to highjack the thread...
 
icenine said:
Since you have had both large Advents and Bose 301's which do you prefer?
I have a pair of recently refoamed New Large Advents in some beat up veneer cabs that I am not really that impressed with, althought I have yet to recap them and really experiment them with other amps. I find the NLA tweeter just a tad harsh...
Click to expand...

Hmmm I like them both, I think the the Bose have a little more space/openness about them. But I like the detail of those fried eggs. Don't find mine harsh although to be honest it has been a while since they were in rotation, they are awaiting new foam (The Large Advents not the NLA) For a smaller package the Bose do ok.
 
I had a pair of 301 series 1 speakers and they are actually marked left and right on the back of each speaker . So I guess it mattered if the company took the time to mark each speaker . I switched them up once and the sound didn't have a center focus . When I placed according to Bose recommendation the center focus returned as it should . Anyway those original 301's had a nice warm tone that one could listen to for hours .I heard most of the 301's but the series 1 was the most musical to me . And their adjustable tweeter vane really allows one to tailor the treble spread in the room . Sounded like a lot more speaker than they really are . Blind folded one would think a much larger system was in the room . Very spacious sound !
 
I have a pair of freebie 301-II, one working. The tweeter is the weak point, the mid-woofer seems excellent. These are good candidates for e-waving if you want a good auditioning/listening speaker rather than decent background system speaker. The problem would be physically integrating the waveguide horn to the enclosure.
 
I just checked my old 301 - series III's. The port on this version doesn't appear to be affected it you turn the whole thing upside down. The tweeters are "left and right" specific regard to the of angle the bracket, so the sound is directed slightly "up." However, with a bit of work with an electric drill, I think you could drill new mounting holes for the bracket and get the proper angle. Just fill the old holes with some wood filler.

Bose likes to see their name on their items. I bet if you called them they would send a free name badge.
 
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