Kama shoots......Kama scores!

[Kamakiri]

My trip to the local Salvation Army was a good one this week!

I was looking around at a few cabinets to better organize my parts and such, came across a beauty for only $10, it's pretty big too. And a cheap Sony speaker for testing, a few records. Spent $15 in all. Loaded everything in the Civic hatchback.

On the way out to my car, a guy asks me if I have any interest in Bose speakers (he knows me very well ). I said, maybe, let's have a look.

He takes me in back where he shows me a pair of Bose 901s with the original stands, in pretty decent shape. $50 for everything! Woohoo!

Only issue is that they need a refoam. That's gonna be a hell of a winter project! But for $50, I have no right to complain

Does anyone have any experience with the 901s? I'd just as soon sell them, but I don't want to give up something that can sound really special, like I almost did with my Altec A5.

BTW, Honda Civic hatchbacks are the ULTIMATE small car! I got everything in the car, along with a tool box, and some Christmas presents!

 

[ProAc_Fan]

Hey Kam have fun refoaming 18 drivers Bose aren't my cup of tea but if you're gonna own a set the 901's are the ones to own. Did you get the Equalizer as well? They do sell the refoam kits on ebay but its still a bitch to do 18 little drivers. At least if you don't like em you can make a healthy profit on them.


Mike

 

[Wardsweb]

901's are the only set of Bose I would own. They are very open and airy because your using the back and side walls as sounding boards. If you don't have it, you will need to get the EQ that goes with your speakers.
Do you know what Series? I believe they have gone up to Series VI. The Series I were wood and cloth grills. They then went to twead cloth and later more traditional speaker cloth.
Of course, I could always take them off your hands like they are and refoam them myself.

 

[Kamakiri]

They are Series III if I remember correctly, with tweed cloth.

And no, unfortunately I didn't get the EQ. As far as what I am going to do with them, I'm not sure yet...........

 

[Thatch_Ear]

Parts Express sells the refoam kits. Wards, if you want a pair of the original 1st made walnut with stands and EQ My Dad has a pair. Man did I ever get those puppies pounding when I was in high school. I know they are not in use so he might part with them. I guess they are 1971 vintage as he bought them in Viet Nam and we got them in July 72 in Mass not 30 miles from where they were built. They are now in LA. World travellers are these Bose.

 

[Don McR]

If it's not clear, the EQ is an absolute must with the 901. The system was designed as a package of electronics and transducers that work together to achieve the intended bandwidth. Without the electronics, there is little bass response, and quite frankly, little resale value. Not sure where you could pick up an EQ, but I would start with Bose.

 

[michael w]

Don is right on the money.
But even with the EQ the 901 does not do good bass.
Or highs .....or mids .....



But they are easy to sell !

The Bose brand is probably the most despised in all of audio and not without reason.

They do have good customer service though.



The Bose FAQ.

http://home.earthlink.net/~busenitz/bs.html



cheerio

 

[Kamakiri]

Originally posted by Don McR
If it's not clear, the EQ is an absolute must with the 901. The system was designed as a package of electronics and transducers that work together to achieve the intended bandwidth. Without the electronics, there is little bass response, and quite frankly, little resale value. Not sure where you could pick up an EQ, but I would start with Bose.

You're right on the money. I was wondering why there seemed to be so little bass response, even if they are in need of a refoam.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Truly, the 901's suck, as do the rest of Bose' speakers, but aside from that, you've got an uphill battle. A buddy of mine refoamed his old 901's a couple years back. He'd had 'em for 20 years and of course the foam was shot on all the drivers. He told me Bose would give him a 50% trade in on new ones, but I suggested maybe refoaming.

Well, the project took about a month and a half of his free nights and weekends (he's a busy guy, so not a lot of time to work in one stretch), and when he finished 'em the bass (such as it gets) was gone. Even after months of break in, they still don't sound as good as they did, and that is scary!

The upshot is that in hanging out with me, he learned that there's been a lot of progress over the last 20 years, and that now speakers with actual woofers and tweeters is possible! So he bought a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 7i's, put the Bose in his workshop and has lived happily ever after.