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Bose 601; What Series?

J

JuggleSama

Member
These can be pretty costly on eBay so I'm cautiously picking out a set. I really loved the Bose D/R concept and was redirected to the Model 601. Of course, I would never put my hands even close to the new model D/R's. Everything Bose put out after the 90's just sounds like ass. :no:

If anyone has had any experience with these, what series would you recommend? All of them are æsthetically pleasing, but of course, it's the sound that counts. Series II definitely looks the cutest.

Series I
Series II
Series III
 
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I had the 2s. I only bought them for resale.
Good thing, too, because I didn't like them at all.
OTOH, they did sell well.
 
601,s

I,ve got the series I. got em cheap, and was going 2 resell, but being placed propely they sounded great 2 me. decided 2 keep em!!:banana:
 
I had a pair of series III before I joined AK.
Then I sold 'em and moved on..

I got my money's worth.. :yes:
 
Well. According to a lot of people here, I'm guessing they're ****? Lol. If Ohm Walsh 4's would ever go cheap then I would get them instead of these :no:

I guess my only hope for decent omnidirectionals are Mirage OS^2 Sat at $250 a speaker :tears:
 
stereocuuple said:
they are not "****" if you want a pair i would buy the 2s as IMHO they were the best. dont let others tell you what to listen to.
Click to expand...

Haha. It's cool. I was reading more around AK about the 601's. People seem to like them. I assumed the SII was better because of the top grille layout. It looks like it'd push sound nicely around the area.

Edit: Nvm, I thought the grille had inclines but apparently it doesn't =o
 
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Yea, the 601 series I's were the best sounding for me, but I love the look of the II's. I still remember how nice the pair of 501's I series sounded I had back in the 80's.

501's, 601's, & 901's are one of the speakers that you either like them or not. It is all about your preference in sound.

Rome
 
JuggleSama said:
Haha. It's cool. I was reading more around AK about the 601's. People seem to like them. I assumed the SII was better because of the top grille layout. It looks like it's push sound nicely around the area.

Edit: Nvm, I thought the grille had inclines but apparently it doesn't =o
Click to expand...

the series I had the top grill layout 2
 
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I have a pair of re-built Series I. I like them, placement is everything. You can really put the power to them and they hardly break a sweat. There are alot of better speakers out there, but buy them cheap enough, they're worth it.
 
way back in the early 80's had 2 pair of series 1 bose , 501's with 301 on top on tilted stands driven by a nad 1020a and a pair of nad 2155's bridged. sound wasn't bad for then never cared for the 2 tweet design too bright .btw still have those 301's to this day although the original drivers are long gone and replaced.
 
I worked for a Bose dealer and sold them all back in the day. Series II were my favorite, with the Series I second. I found the Series III more restricted sounding. I still have a pair of IIs and they still hold their own.
 
Hey folks, since we're on the subject of 601s, I've got a question maybe someone can answer. I'm thinking of replacing the woofers in some Series IIs with woofers from some original 301s(I've got two sets). Are the woofers the same? I know the size is the same. If not, I probably won't do it. Reason for considering this being that the 601 woofers are very dirty, and the 301s are not, and I care about the 601s more. BTW, sound of the 601s is great even with the dirt. Also, what's your favorite source for surrounds for both of these models?
 
IMO the series lll were the best and likely why they command the most on auction. I think they were better than 901s overall, making them perhaps the best regular production Bose available to the masses.

Personally, I`d look for a JBL 43xx series or even a set of HPM-100s first. Heck, even my $12.50 Yamaha NS-670s sound nicer than the 601-llls I sold for $250 last fall.
 
take a look at the guide
http://www.retrevo.com/support/Bose-601-Series-II-Speakers-manual/id/11274ag911/t/2/

As stereo_dog said, placement is everything. Ive a series 2 pair, and have experienced many speaker placements. I play them with a Sansui AuD11ii or SAE 2200, and many other amps. Also tryed c11 audiocontrol eq and sae 2800 which i highly recomend to use. My advice is that you need 3 hard free walls and a medium size room (5m x 5m)for better results. Behind speakers wall, and side walls must be empty and hard for sound reflections. The wall behind your listening position can be sound deflecting treated with irregular geometry. Place the speakers 5cm from behind wall 3m from each other, and each speaker should be aproximatley between 30cm to 1m from side wall. Also, you can elevate them like 40cm from floor to rise up the virtual imaginary space. Try to keep without furniture between you and the speakers, ive place mine on sides, far from speakers.
 
mrjbq said:
I had the 2s. I only bought them for resale.
Good thing, too, because I didn't like them at all.
OTOH, they did sell well.
Click to expand...
I'm reading this thread because there's a pair of series ii for sale ($350, but the price has, and will continue to drop). They're immaculate, but seller claims "tweeter array is not working", something I'm assuming is at fault between whatever xover is employed and the upper ,high frequency setup itself. I don't know anything about these except that they seem to command a respectable price. My intention would only be for resale purposes, assuming I can score them for under $200 and restore their full functionality without too much headache..
 
I had a pair of series 2. I needed to replace a few parts and then I gave them a listen, put them away until I found someone to take them off my hands. I've also had 2 pairs of 501s, 2 pairs of 901s, 3 pairs of 301s, a pair of 6.2s, and a single Bluetooth unit. Of them all, I think I liked the series 3 901s best, contrary to common opinion. Just that the series 3 sounded the best in that particular configuration. I bought a full system including MAC1900 receiver, series 3 901s, and a Thorens TD-165 all in original boxes. I went there to look at the 901s and came home with the system. I believe all issues are about placement, when it comes to sound. They are doing some pretty funky things with reflections, but that gives the owner less leeway in terms of placement. My 6.2s sounded best in a standard rectangular listening room on the short wall. My biggest problem was in having enough power to make them shine. I finally figured that out. If you are really interested in trying other types of speakers, try ESS. The AMT is the magic ingredient on them, and it is quite impressive. Some find them a little light in the bass, but many of the original woofers have been replaced. I even had a pair that the owner had replaced the cones with bextrene and rubber surrounds. They were light on the bass. I currently have a pair of AMT 4s in storage. Those are more balanced.
 
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