Bose speakers..
- Thread starter DocMontana
- Start date
malden
Lunatic Member
Not sure about audiophiles but if you want to have fun, just get a pair and listen. I have a pair of original 901's. I set them up in my basement and was really impressed with the amount of bass coming out of those little boxes. I would love to set them up properly as Bose specified. The only place to do so is in the living room but my wife's piano takes up too much space.
That settles it, get rid of the piano...
malden
Lunatic Member
I know. These are divorce words but I think I would rather listen to the Bose
knotscott
Super Member
The OP made a sincere inquiry. He wasn't showing off his new purchase....he was looking for input. Having a negative opinion isn't bashing, and can be informative. My negative opinion was earned and is sincere....it shouldn't offend. A negative opinion is as valuable as a positive one, perhaps more-so if it's not just emotional. If I'm the OP, I'd want all views, not just the fan wagon view.
My answer to your question is "yes", but it's a two-way street....so same question back at you...."Can't we all just get along ???".
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wmgwizard
Addicted Member
I imagine sharing your opinion based on actual experience is exactly what the OP was looking for, I have no issue with someone saying I had a pair of "X" and this is what I experienced.
What I have an issue with is the group of individuals that have negative opinions without any actual experience. The debate over the size, placement or number of drivers, lack of a "real" tweeter etc fuels their negative view without them ever owning or perhaps even listening to a pair for more than a few minutes, if at all; or maybe they heard a pair of poorly placed 901's in a bar playing music they didn't like so they walk away thinking all Bose speakers suck.
Opinions are welcome and encouraged, bashing should not be.
AudioKarma = All Audio, NO Attitude !!!
What I have an issue with is the group of individuals that have negative opinions without any actual experience. The debate over the size, placement or number of drivers, lack of a "real" tweeter etc fuels their negative view without them ever owning or perhaps even listening to a pair for more than a few minutes, if at all; or maybe they heard a pair of poorly placed 901's in a bar playing music they didn't like so they walk away thinking all Bose speakers suck.
Opinions are welcome and encouraged, bashing should not be.
AudioKarma = All Audio, NO Attitude !!!
hnash53
Super Member
Did Bose win the suit?
hnash53
Super Member
Great pics of the 601s!
HB3
Well-Known Member
I heard Bose 901's on Okinawa in the same way. Go over to a guy's room and listen to what he had. I was going to get either AR3a's or JBL Century 100's until I heard the 901's. Never regretted the decision. Being a young guy overseas was quite an experience.
Except for perhaps low frequency output, a bunch of little drivers still won't cut it elsewhere in the frequency spectrum. Then there's the odd interference pattern you might get with that many little drivers all singing the same tune.
I can see 9 of them covering the bass region adequately; it's the high frequencies that I'd have problems with. 4-inch cones would just flapping in the breeze way up there, and they would tend to be beamy, room reflections not withstanding. Maybe if they had whizzer cones...
Collections
New Member
When going to stores that sold Bose and other HiFi equipment back in the '80s and '90s, the sound of other brands were more similar in their presentation where Bose was always different. I guess Klipsch always sounded quite unique as well. Klipsch was kind of 'in your face' while Bose was relaxed. The others seemed to be somewhere in the middle. The first real speakers I ever bought were Klipsch KG 5.5 in either '95 or '96. I was in college, and joyed having 5 girls on campus for every 1 guy and threw a lot of parties. The Klipsch were an obvious choice I thought. Out of the Bose I got to hear, I never enjoyed their Lifestyle systems, but I always thought their regular home speakers sounded nice, but just were what I was looking for. I got to hear everything but the 801. My least favorite Bose were the 501 and the 201. I thought all the larger ones sounded nice though none of them technically dazzling. My buddy had a very wealthy and famous father who built a loft for us to hang out in and bought an all pioneer front end and Bose 601s. Believe or not, those speakers did rather well in a party environment and helped facilitate all sorts of debauchery. I thought my Klipsch would be a world better than the 601 and I was absolutely wrong. The Klipsch had various zones of loudness while the Bose had the room feeling very even. You could dance or talk just about anywhere. With the Klipsch, if you wanted to talk while things were at dance levels, you had to get out of their way and the dance floor had beams of pain from the resonances inside that horn. We ended up partying at his place a lot more than mine even though it was far away from campus. It still worked. There were other advantages of course, but a good bit of the reason, though we never really realized at the time, was actually that the stereo was more pleasant, got loud, but didn't beat you up for it and allowed everyone to socialize.
I own the 201 now--my absolute least favorite normal Bose speaker back in the day and I enjoy them immensely. I got them for very cheap, cleaned them up, recapped it and changed the resistor on the tweeter for a bit more output and now 90% of my music listening is through them. They do require subs though, but every bookshelf speaker I've heard could benefit from subs. The 201 more than some others for sure, but ultimately it's necessary no matter what so I don't really see it as a downside. I have a feeling that I'd love to get a set of 301s in here. Maybe not, but the 201 sound a lot better than you'd think reading about the quality of drivers, crossovers, and cabinetry. If I were building my own speakers, I'd never imagine building something so "inferior", but here I am loving it. I didn't even brace the cabinet or anything. I did double the damping material inside which in truth is probably the wrong direction to take with these. In reality, the port sound probably be shortened a little to tune them higher. They are tuned to extend the bass depth at a reduced output. That would suggest that these things need placed very close to a wall to sound maximally flat, but Bose suggests you place them away from the wall.... Mine are close to the wall and still don't have enough bass in the room. Of course this lean tuning helps them blend with a sub more easily so I'm leaving them be for now. Nonetheless, that 'stereo everywhere'-type of sounding is indeed enjoyable for me and it's inspired me to research how to build a better 901. I would pass over Bose just because of the detractors. They do help me relax and enjoy the music. I do however crave a bigger, more powerful version of this same thing--or something similar.
I own the 201 now--my absolute least favorite normal Bose speaker back in the day and I enjoy them immensely. I got them for very cheap, cleaned them up, recapped it and changed the resistor on the tweeter for a bit more output and now 90% of my music listening is through them. They do require subs though, but every bookshelf speaker I've heard could benefit from subs. The 201 more than some others for sure, but ultimately it's necessary no matter what so I don't really see it as a downside. I have a feeling that I'd love to get a set of 301s in here. Maybe not, but the 201 sound a lot better than you'd think reading about the quality of drivers, crossovers, and cabinetry. If I were building my own speakers, I'd never imagine building something so "inferior", but here I am loving it. I didn't even brace the cabinet or anything. I did double the damping material inside which in truth is probably the wrong direction to take with these. In reality, the port sound probably be shortened a little to tune them higher. They are tuned to extend the bass depth at a reduced output. That would suggest that these things need placed very close to a wall to sound maximally flat, but Bose suggests you place them away from the wall.... Mine are close to the wall and still don't have enough bass in the room. Of course this lean tuning helps them blend with a sub more easily so I'm leaving them be for now. Nonetheless, that 'stereo everywhere'-type of sounding is indeed enjoyable for me and it's inspired me to research how to build a better 901. I would pass over Bose just because of the detractors. They do help me relax and enjoy the music. I do however crave a bigger, more powerful version of this same thing--or something similar.
Did you own a set you listened to regularly, or are you surmising these issues could occur?
damacman
Resident Psycho
@egellings ... my 901 VI with the EQ, driven by an MC2500 will absolutely get down well into the first octave. The bass is surprisingly detailed and full. [See the thread I shared earlier in this one.]
While they aren't the end all be all in accuracy, they're the most fun pair of speakers I've owned!
While they aren't the end all be all in accuracy, they're the most fun pair of speakers I've owned!
Heard them at a friend's house. Not my cuppa tea. I was surprised at how loud they could get and still stay reasonably clean.
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Hows life in the AV? Spent 14 years in Lancaster...
I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley and raced extensively at LACR - your neck of the woods!