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Bose 901's Cheap equalizer advise

W

williamburns

Member
I got a really nice pair of bose 901's with the stands on craigslist for $200 however it did not have the bose 901 equalizer with it, i picked up a Pioneer Graphic Equalizer SG 505 to to try and remedy the situation however it only is for tape/record eq, I'm on a tight budget and really don't want to spend 150 on a bose 901 equalizer, i'm currently running them directly off of a harman kardon avr 235 Right Left Fronts
 
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williamburns said:
I got a really nice pair of bose 901's with the stands on craigslist for $200 however it did not have the bose 901 equalizer with it, i picked up a Pioneer Graphic Equalizer SG 505 to to try and remedy the situation however it only is for tape/record eq, I'm on a tight budget and really don't want to spend 150 on a bose 901 equalizer, i'm currently running them directly off of a harman kardon avr 235 Right Left Fronts
Click to expand...

There is one on Shopgoodwill.com right now. Best of luck.
 
Make sure you get the the right one to match which series 901's you have. They need the eq. to make them sound so much better. And welcome to audiokarma
 
They need the eq to make them sound the best. If your not to picky on sound they produce you can do with out.
 
The equalizer on shopgoodwill.com is a series VI. That would work with a 901 series V or VI. Series I and II are the same and III and IV are the same from what I have read. That said, if it were me and I could get that equalizer cheap, I would try it on any series. It has to sound closer than with no equalization. If it sounds bad, I am sure you could sell it at a profit.
 
I have a series VI EQ that is dead ... I bought a replacement already and this dead one will probably just sit around. If you cover shipping, it's yours for free. It sat in my brother's basement for a couple years and I have no idea why it didn't fire up but I get no love out of it.

Send me a PM if you're interested. If your good with electrical stuff maybe you can salvage it.

Free is a very good price ... (Tom Peterson)
 
williamburns said:
Thanks for the links and help, i will download the manual, how do i figure out what version of the bose 901's they are?
Click to expand...

Fastest way is to post a picture of the 2 bottom labels located beside the speaker terminals. Also a couple of pictures of the V-side with the cover removed will also help assess condition.

Cheers,

David
 
On a side note, these were the speakers I had in high school. I sold them to my brother back in 1988 and he ran them until the foam surrounds gave out. He asked me if I wanted them back and I said "Hell Ya!" They are part of my soul. Series V speakers bought out of a pawn shop in 1984 and I have to threaten a salesman's life to get him to sell me a Series VI EQ to go with it. They served me well for 5-6 years and the sound was something special. That was many, many pairs of speakers ago but it was my launching pad. A month or two back Jeff Dorgay (Tone Publications) did a review on 901's and he gave them two thumbs up for the price. I started Jonesing for my old 901's and when my brother asked, I jumped on the chance.

Whatever it takes to get them back in action. I hooked them up to a Sansui 9090db so it will be a great vintage setup. If I can pass of piece of my past on to a member in need - I am all over it.


Good Luck Man!



I had all 18 speakers redone and the system sounds like complete crap without the EQ. I seem to remember the same effect. You have to run the EQ.
 
Yours appear to be Series VI and so is the one you put a bid on. So I think that's good. I have no experience with these, but I do wish you the best of luck. I watch Shopgoodwill.com quite often, and I have never seen a set of 901 speakers or EQ on there before.
 
You have 901s Series VI - aka: Series 6. Contact Bose as they may still sell these but the secondary market is gonna be cheaper.

Cheers,

David
 
Original poster....very good deal/fine on the 901's :thmbsp:

As for a Bose Active Equalizer, this just my opinion here, but I'd suggest that you quickly take up the offer on the one that is being given to you (of course your paying for shipping but none the less, best choice) and once you get it either: 1) buy a capacitor replacement kit on EBay and repair it yourself?
2.) call Bose Corp. they have an excellent exchange program which you simply send in the old one and you just pay a small difference in price for a new one and or have them repair it?
3) have someone else repair it for you?

Out it those three suggestions number 1) would be the least expensive but number 2) would be your best logical choice.

Believe me you'll be very disappointed with what you hear using Bose 901's without a Bose Active Equalizer Series VI.

Three things to keep in mind for best sounds using Bose 901's:

1) Use the correct Active Equalizer same Series.
2) Use a good Power Amplifier or Receiver with plenty of power.
3) Proper placement of the Bose 901 speakers.

Follow the manual for the Bose 901's, it's your best guide.

Good Luck! :D
 
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