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Identify these?

outlawmws

outlawmws

On the Run
I don't have a pic, but they are a foot tall, 22" wide, sort of fit for corners, but would not work solid in the corner as it has smaller (4"?) back firing woofer/mids (8 of them) and one front firing tweeter. Wood top and bottom, had a pedastal at one time, and gold/brown, cloth grills. Very 70's maybe 60's

Any clues? :scratch2:

I can get em for about $40, the tops need sanding and finishing. speakers are suposed to be cloth, and have the square magnets so popular back then.
 
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The earlier the version the better. Do a search on 901 and you will find a considerable amount of information and discussion on them.

-Dave
 
They're defintiely worth $40, even if you just resell them for a considerable profit. If you want to use them, make sure the EQ is with it. They can't be used without the special EQ.
 
The picture above is a later version that has 2 ports out the back (slanted sides) that increased efficiency. The ones you describe, if they have completely flat surfaces, would be sealed acoustic suspension units and the earliest 901 series 1. Would need the eq. that goes with it to get the bass extension. Worth some dough but beware if the drivers need any type of work. I can't remember if the original CTS 4" drivers had a cloth surround (good) or used a foam surround (which have probably disappeared by now) (bad in that it takes a while to refoam 18 drivers - ask GordonW about that).

Regards,

Bart
 
Do they look like these? Or, like these with fabric all the way across the front (instead of the little narrow "windows" in the front for the grille)?



If so, those were the ONLY version of the Bose 901 that were worth anything, IME. Very well built speakers. The ones in my pic were Bose 901 Series 1's, from about 1969. The ones with the fabric all the way across the front, would be Series 2's (made between about 1972 and 1975, approximately), but those usually had taupe/tan/sand colored grilles. Maybe your cup of tea sonically, maybe not... but definitely built with respectable workmanship and parts. Not like the "plastic fantastic" junk that followed...

BTW: I probably sold my pair way too cheap. $200 including the stands. They were in nearly perfect condition...

Regards,
Gordon.
 
It should be noted that the Bose 901 is completely dependent on its accompanying equalizer. Make sure that this equalizer is still with the speakers you are considering since they are fairly useless without it.
 
Gordon, These had cloth all across the front, I havent seen the backs. So looks like there type 2

As for the equalizer, I need to check. he mentioned an equalizer, but I was under the impression it was a different unit. he wasn't very knowlagable, but the, on these spaekers, neither am I! I'll make sure he brings the one he has when he brings these over...

Thanks for all the input guy's! It has really helped! :thmbsp:
 
Actually, my 901 Series 1's sounded pretty decent, WITHOUT any EQ. In fact, IIRC, the first generation 901s had the EQ as an option... you could order the speakers with or without it.

The best my 901s sounded, was on a NAD receiver with the "bass EQ" engaged, and with a small supertweeter parked on top, no Bose EQ box. The 901 Series 1 and 2 are actually close to true full-range...those earlier drivers had MUCH more bandwidth, in both the bass and the treble, than the crappy later model drivers. A good amp with switchable-frequency bass and treble controls (ie, bass at 50 Hz, treble at 10KHZ or 12KHz), and you really don't have to have the Bose EQ on those early model 901's...

Regards,
Gordon.
 
There was a german speaker very similar to the 901 that used laminated magnets and supposedly sounded better than the 901 (please no jokes about how difficult that would be). Of course Bose sued them and either put them out of business or made them withdraw the speaker. So they sold few, so your unkown speaker probably is not the german one. But if it was, I would think it might be worth a good deal for sheer oddity value.
EPI also made an odd ball speaker that looked like a 901, but had their standard 2 way 8 inch module in each panel.
I hope you follow up on the identification of your speaker.
 
Nat, the EPI to which you refer is the model 601 (!?) which has 2 8-inch modules on the rear-firing surfaces, and a 6-inch module on the front baffle. The 601 is the early 70's model, and later became the 602 in the late 70's.

doest this timeline mean that Bose even stole the numbering system? They would have been better off stealing the design.
 
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