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Bose

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If you can get a pair of 901's cheap, go for it! They have potential. On their own, not so spectacular, except on certain types of music. On horns, they're very good. If you get a set of good super tweeters for the very top end and use a sub for the bottom octave, you may really have something special.
 
I don't often participate in these but one important point has been alluded to earlier that ought to be stated clearly. Bose cir. 1970 was rather a different animal.

mike
 
As a Klipsch guy i swore off (and at ) alot of the bose consumer speakers of all generations. BUT i do like their commercial freespace 2 series 3 in Ceiling speakers with the matching ceiling Sub.
its the first time i ve liked anything from Bose, but hey
 
The habit of suing anyone who gives them a bad review is what makes me disdain Bose -- if they didn't do this, I could admire their keen interior design sense, which makes them very attractive to people who want to have unobtrusive sound systems, and their very smart marketing plan.
The fact that the speakers themselves are pretty undistinguished, and way overpriced (all that advertising costs lots) really shouldn't surprise anyone -- what could be more usual in this business? What's much more surprising is the products that go the other way -- sounding way better than the price suggests (a surprising number of which products were produced in the same area as Bose -- the AR speakers and XA table, the Large Advent speaker, the various EPIs and Boston Acoustics, and then Cambridge sound etc).
 
i had once hoped to do exactly what Sealy suggested, i was going to run my 901's crossed over to allow a subwoofer to carry the lows, and possibly at a high end, i was actually really looking forward to that, when i realized my eq was broken, i kind of lost interest. i still have them sitting here, just need to use them. i was excited to find as well that the version i have, has the treated cloth surrounds on the speakers. so no foam rot to deal with. but as stated, without the proprietary eq, they sound absolutely wretched. im not sure what that eq box does in there, but i was never once able to coax even a listenable sound out of them with any eq settings i could come up with. im not sure what year my 201's were made, but really they dont sound too bad overall, i much prefer them to my 301's without question. even in close range or small areas, they have a pretty good sound. if you found an original (old) pair of those, i would say snag them. but as others have stated as well, what we think sounds good, and what you like dont necessarily always match. and it doesnt have to, thats what is great about audio gear. there is tons of it, and we can all mix and match and use what makes us happy. thats what this is about isnt it? making music sound good to us, and to be as enjoyable as possilble. it is easy to lose sight of that sometimes. i find myself weighing other peoples opinions on gear then realizing, i havent even heard it. lol
 
Nat said:
The habit of suing anyone who gives them a bad review is what makes me disdain Bose -- if they didn't do this, I could admire their keen interior design sense, which makes them very attractive to people who want to have unobtrusive sound systems, and their very smart marketing plan.
The fact that the speakers themselves are pretty undistinguished, and way overpriced (all that advertising costs lots) really shouldn't surprise anyone -- what could be more usual in this business? What's much more surprising is the products that go the other way -- sounding way better than the price suggests (a surprising number of which products were produced in the same area as Bose -- the AR speakers and XA table, the Large Advent speaker, the various EPIs and Boston Acoustics, and then Cambridge sound etc).
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That is precisely why I can't stand Bose. They shovel their marketing psuedo-science crap to the masses. They are no better than the magnetic bracelet hucksters, or the cell phone radiation worriers, or for that matter any of the jargon filled psuedo-science purveyed by a lot of high end audio salons as making a noticeable (measurable) difference in sound quality.
 
Nat said:
The habit of suing anyone who gives them a bad review is what makes me disdain Bose -- if they didn't do this, I could admire their keen interior design sense, which makes them very attractive to people who want to have unobtrusive sound systems, and their very smart marketing plan.
The fact that the speakers themselves are pretty undistinguished, and way overpriced (all that advertising costs lots) really shouldn't surprise anyone -- what could be more usual in this business? What's much more surprising is the products that go the other way -- sounding way better than the price suggests (a surprising number of which products were produced in the same area as Bose -- the AR speakers and XA table, the Large Advent speaker, the various EPIs and Boston Acoustics, and then Cambridge sound etc).
Click to expand...

That is precisely why I can't stand Bose. They shovel their marketing psuedo-science crap to the masses. They are no better than the magnetic bracelet hucksters, or the cell phone radiation worriers, or for that matter any of the jargon filled psuedo-science purveyed by a lot of high end audio salons as making a noticeable (measurable) difference in sound quality.
 
The only real problem I see with Bose, particularly the 901's (any flavor) is placement and room accoustics (or lack there of). You have to have at least 3 walls and ideally 4 for full affect. Because they rely so heavily on bounce (echo, reverb, whatever) you can't truly get the best out of them without the ideal room.

No A/B comparison matters without conditions most suitable and complimentary to that type of speaker. Would you park a Klipsh facing forward, away from the corners with curtains lining the walls? I seriously doubt it.

The Bose speakers weakest link is it's total dependency on the ideal room and placement. The vast majority of speakers are far more forgiving.

By the way, I'd still like to own a pair and have an almost ideal room for them. Oh well.
 
call a spade a spade!

bose sounds ok.... they agree with over 80% of the population!!

yeah they are not perfect but.... how can soo many people like them...

stop bashing... if you like the way they sound great if you do not great!!

all i am saying having traveled all over this planet most places use a bose

speaker system for better or worst and ( not that i like it) over 60% of auto

audio sytems are bose!!1 it is what it is!!

i have spoken to bose devotees till i am blue in the face!!

PEOPLE JUST LOVE BOSE!! not individuals just normal everyday people!!
 
I recently bought a pair of new 901 VI's because I have always been intrigued by them. They are probably the most divisive speaker there is. Some people absolutely hate and despise them. Others love and cherish them. Very few are in between. I love them. They are not in the mode of the current design of speaker sound. I think that they have a spaciousness and presence that is wonderful. I have them in a system with an alternate set of conventional speakers that I can switch back and forth. They do sound different. Good different to me.

Tom
 
mrj2010 said:
ok lol hadn't noticed anything on here about Bose, think I'll stay away though they do look to be expensive and cant find information on wattage etc.
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On the Bose website, they have owners manuals for most of their products, even ones made decades ago. Bose doesn't publish frequency response information, crossover points, etc., but they do provide dimensions, weight, recommended amplifier power and impedance range. FWIW, publications like consumer reports have found Bose speakers to rate in the mid to upper range of their accuracy scores.

I happen to like Bose products. I currently have 301 series V speakers in the living room, 141 series II speakers in the "den" (well, converted bedroom), and a 321 GS series III home theatre system in the bedroom. All products were purchased new, and I believe all offer good value for the money. I'm not saying the 301's are the best speaker ever made, but they fit my room and listening preferences better than the Vandersteen 1C's I had in there previously, and at about 1/3 the cost. I may be upgrading to some Rega RS3's if I like them better, but they're also 3 1/2 times the price (and Rega doesn't publish frequency response data, either).

People talk about marketing and advertising costs, but there's also excellent customer support and 30-day home trials of new equipment. When I bought the GS system, I had an NAD receiver and the Vandersteen speakers in that room. I wanted to free up some floor space, so I tried 201's. They didn't work as well as the 141's I brought in from the other room, so I returned the 201's and got another set of 141's. After setting up and playing with my dad's Bose GSX system at his home, I decided I wanted something similar, so I returned the 141's and got the GS system. Bose now has two products they have to sell at reduced cost in their outlet stores, but they were nothing but courteous and helpful as I first downgraded (cost-wise) then upgraded to what I've got now. That kind of service and support is worth something, too.
 
steelydanfan said:
bose sounds ok.... they agree with over 80% of the population!!

yeah they are not perfect but.... how can soo many people like them...

stop bashing... if you like the way they sound great if you do not great!!

all i am saying having traveled all over this planet most places use a bose

speaker system for better or worst and ( not that i like it) over 60% of auto

audio sytems are bose!!1 it is what it is!!

i have spoken to bose devotees till i am blue in the face!!

PEOPLE JUST LOVE BOSE!! not individuals just normal everyday people!!
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Fallacious Argumentum ad Populum. Just because lots of people think Bose is adequate does not make them adequate. If Bose marketed with more reasonable claims and was not so litigious, then I wouldn't care about them. The problem is that they have convinced a large segment of the population that they are a first class product. Unfortunately, the quality of their components and their marketing are not congruent; hence the marketing drives the product and their litigious nature makes reviews few.
 
While I think the 901's I have could use a seperate tweeter, overall they're an excellent speaker. I was impressed by how much bass there was from a smaller size of speaker/cabinet. Not everyone likes the direct/reflecting setup they have, or have the space to do so.
However that being said, do I think they are worth 1,400? No, I think you could get far better speakers elsewhere for that price.
 
Buy you a BOSE and a different setup. Compare AT HOME. Give one back and report back!

Everyones tastes are different.

edit: Girls LOOOVE small speakers. Food for thought on BOSE popularity. Its not a crap product. It is what most people like these days. For that size, the sound is big!
 
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We should stop and think....there is obviously a market for B@$e 901's. I believe that market exists with the elderly who's hearing is impaired by years of abuse, or simply from old age. Thank you B@$e for making a product that gives the performance that these people need and nothing more, one can only imagine what they would cost if they actually performed as the Audiophile community would require them to.
 
I've owned a few Bose products. They always do what I require of them; namely, they sell for a higher price than I paid.

The main beef I have with Bose is that my dad bought a clock radio from them and paid $379. $379!!! I consider anyone who purposely markets mostly to the elderly with a product that isn't support hose or Depends or similar, to be an evil predator.
 
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