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Bose or B&O ??

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David Sayloe

New Member
New to the forum and just gotten bitten by the bug. Picked up some vintage JVC at the local Goodwill for 99 cents each. JA-S77 AMP. JT-V77 TUNER, QL-F4 TT, K-85 tape deck. Now I need speakers. I now diddly squat about speakers. Just remember in high school Bose 901 were the must have speakers. For the same $100 I can get my choice of 2 Bose 501's SERIES 1, reconed at $350 a year ago, or 2 Bang & Olufsen 60.2 plus 2 JBL 2800's, or 2 Wharfedale W60D, 2 Bose 201's in excellent shape plus an AKAI AM 2500 AMP. The Wharfedale's are totally original. any suggestions would be most aooreciaree.
 
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B&O or wharfedale hands down. B&o uses HQ drivers. Seas, philips.. Wharfdale are classy and laidback.. The rest in your list are trash to put it lightly.
 
I agree 100% with nolasally. If you decide to go with the B&Os, make sure they come with the stands. The JBLs they're being sold with aren't that great, but you could probably recoup some of your money by reselling them on Craigslist. I'm guessing you don't need the Akai amp either since you've got the full JVC rack, but you could resell that as well. I know you're just getting started, but don't waste time and space on equipment you don't want/need; you'll probably end up finding better stuff later.
 
OP's list didn't include 901s, they were 501s. Let's not make this a Bose debate thread please; this forum has for the most part avoided those.
 
I left out that the guy is throwing jn 2 Bose 201s with rhe Wharfedales that are in great shape. Had some 201s back in the day and thought they sounded good, but what does a teenager know in the 70s. I'm worried that the Wharfedales might need work and I can't do it. It's an hour and a half drive each way to see those, so it isn't something I take lightly. And which would be better if they are both in great shape, the Wharfedale or the B&0 redlines? If one needs work, would one of then be one of those OMG moments where you're looking at parts you can't find. What's wrong with 501's? I know Bose back in my youth were considered the bomb. My music tastes stop where I consider good music ended, Eagles, Boston, Journey, etc. So no Greatdul Dead, or nasty hip hop/rap. So window breaking bass isn't what I'm looking for.
 
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nclh77 said:
Nothing wrong with any of them, go listen and buy what you like best.
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My thoughts exactly. The Bose 501 speakers sound exactly the way they did when you were a teenager, and if you liked them then, you will like them now. I listened to a restored pair a couple of weeks ago and I was impressed with them just as I was when they were first introduced. I owned 901s.

However, you owe it to yourself to listen to other brands. B&O and Wharfedale have lots of devotees. Best yet, try to budget buying two pairs of different brands so you can compare. At $100, you can always get your money back.

GeeDeeEmm
 
Well, right now i have nothing. Would be nice to at least use my system. So I'll pick something up. I don't expect or need 1000 speakers. My good years were spent a lot of time with enough noise rhat my hearing isn't perfect. Those just seemed the best I could find at the moment for the little i could afford. And being terminal and rapidly becoming housebound at least something is better then nothing.
 
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Classic rock is it. Best band ever, the Eagles, then Journey, Boston, 38 Special, Bob Seger. That's real.kusic and those were the days.
 
CopperWizard said:
I'm not sure what your music preference is but the wharfedale w60d would be the ones I would look at.
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If you could look for any brand/model that should be in that price range what would it be?I know that almost every mfg had some models that were good and some which people say are junk (JBL, KENWOOD, JVC). And some brands even I know are junk (soubdesign and audiovox anyone, when rhey sold them at the local A&P, they had to be crap. And when my Christmas present was a Soundesign all in one system my dad paid $20 for at Woolworths in 1978, then I know it's a turd.
 
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Advents ("The Advent Loudspeaker") are pretty common and a good speaker at that price.
Given your situation, I'd pick up something available that will work and just start listening to the music.

Of those speakers you listed: Are you into doing repairs? I'm not sure if the Wharfedales will need new surrounds, but they might. I'm pretty sure the B&O have rubber surrounds and probably won't need work. However with the B&O you'll need a couple of annoying connectors to hook them up.
 
I was worried about the B&O's but these have the standard spring loaded speaker connections that take standard wire as well. The Wharfedale a have never been touched. Rheir dirty but haven't heard them. Figure rhey will need new surrounds. Never done it but doesn't seem like something including do. My memory if B&O was they were made out of unobtanium. Too expensive when I was a kid to even know anyone who could afford them. But I heard they were great sounding. I've learnt a lot about vintage equipment but speakers not so much. Just a few to avoid at all costs.
 
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