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Today's score!!-BOSE 901-III's-in the garbage!-PICS

GD70

GD70

Lunatic Member
So found these on my way home on the curb with a lot of other trash.
Amazing what gets thrown out! There's a few tape stains on the cabs. I removed the glue residue, but the stains remain. Need to figure out how to get rid of those. Other than that they look very good. All the surrounds need to be replaced, so I have my work cut out.
Unfortunately, no EQ or tulip stands in the trash. I may hook them up, on their backs and flat to make sure all the drivers work before I do the surround replacement.

So for now they will wait until my AR LST-2's are finished.

A few questions for you 901 experts.

I'm thinking to use cloth surrounds instead of foam. A little more money, but better in the long run. Will the cloth effect these and cause any issues since they were originally foam?

I believe the series 3 & 4 EQ's are the same, correct? I'll need to save up for an EQ for these as well as the stands. I tend to like originality.
Series 3's were made in 1977?

So, a very good Monday!

Here's the pics.







 
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Great find! Now go back and demand the EQ! :D

I would worry about using cloth surrounds; I bet it changes the woofer's Thiel-Small parameters and performance. But that's just my guess.
 
I know the series 1 & 2's and I think later 6's? have cloth surrounds.
Figured I'd ask so when the time comes I'll have the correct ones.

I also wonder if my EQ in my main system will suffice, or if the Bose EQ is absolutely necessary.

These will be a fun and long project once I get started on them. 18 drivers to refoam!
 
Very good Monday indeed. Those look to be in good condition. Corners appear sharp, grills look pristine.

Interesting aside; At one time, 901 cabinets were made in the town I grew up in; Gaffney SC. There was a company there call Southeastern Kouson that did plastic injection molding (I may be misspelling Kouson). It is no longer there - went out of business years ago. The cabinets were made there in the 1978-ish time frame (before and after but not sure of the years). Don't know if they made shells for other Bose models but they definitely made 901's.

Anyways, they would ship tractor trailer loads of 901's, complete in retail Bose boxes. I assume they were headed towards MA to have the drivers installed.

A couple of my buds opened the back of a truck while it was parked at a local steak house and liberated a pair - not knowing that they were was just shells. Somehow, I ended up with one and it was a neat conversation piece. It was complete except for the drivers and the grills. All the internal wiring was even in place. Not sure what happened to it over the years but I no longer have it.

Haven't thought about that in years.....
 
I bought a pile of crap years ago with one jewel, my AU-G99X sansui. Along with it came the eq and ONE bose 901 model V, I think. I use it every morning to put on my shoes, or as an impromptu seat. No drivers in it any more.
 
-reverb- said:
Very good Monday indeed. Those look to be in good condition. Corners appear sharp, grills look pristine.

Interesting aside; At one time, 901 cabinets were made in the town I grew up in; Gaffney SC. There was a company there call Southeastern Kouson that did plastic injection molding (I may be misspelling Kouson). It is no longer there - went out of business years ago. The cabinets were made there in the 1978-ish time frame (before and after but not sure of the years). Don't know if they made shells for other Bose models but they definitely made 901's.

Anyways, they would ship tractor trailer loads of 901's, complete in retail Bose boxes. I assume they were headed towards MA to have the drivers installed.

A couple of my buds opened the back of a truck while it was parked at a local steak house and liberated a pair - not knowing that they were was just shells. Somehow, I ended up with one and it was a neat conversation piece. It was complete except for the drivers and the grills. All the internal wiring was even in place. Not sure what happened to it over the years but I no longer have it.

Haven't thought about that in years.....
Click to expand...

Great story! That would have been very cool to see.
Yes, the cabs are in very nice shape albeit the tape stains. The grills are perfect.
I'm curious as to how these will sound. I'll be driving them with my R-S77 @'60 wpc. I've read the 901's need lots of power.
 
Sweet find! No easy way to get those glue marks out. If you're going to pull all the drivers out to refoam them, then that's the best time to attack the veneer. I'm assuming that its real wood veneer -- if so, it's the standard strip, sand, stain and seal. If the sanding doesn't get the marks out completely, choose a darker stain.
 
Very easy speakers to refoam but the prep work definitely takes some time. I left the drivers in the cabs when i refoamed mine. Nice score !
 
Duffalora said:
Sweet find! No easy way to get those glue marks out. If you're going to pull all the drivers out to refoam them, then that's the best time to attack the veneer. I'm assuming that its real wood veneer -- if so, it's the standard strip, sand, stain and seal. If the sanding doesn't get the marks out completely, choose a darker stain.
Click to expand...

Yup, walnut. I figured I'd have to do what you suggested. I never understand people who put tape on wood like that.
 
You'll need toe Bose active EQ to get those hard equalization curves required by the 901's. Great find though!
 
I wonder if oxalic acid would work on those stains, I hear it can be good so it may be worth searching for more information.

Also I read a 901 thread on here recently where someone wrote that standard EQs do not have enough adjustment to match the Bose EQ,.
 
Sadly the cost of refurbing the woofers relegated many sets of 901's to the curb. In this day of disposable everything, spending $300 or more to fix up some old speakers is a waste to some. Even fixing them yourself, finding the correct eq and stands may reach a point of diminishing returns.

The correct EQ(series 3 or 4) is crucial to the sound of the speakers. The frequency and slope can't be duplicated with a standard eq. They are readily available on flebay and occasionally on Craig's list.

The stains are actually glue that absorbed into the grain. When wood starts to dry out it will absorb moisture from anywhere it can. You may get some of the tape residue off by using some acetone followed up by some Howard's or similar product.

Nice find indeed, but in the end may not be a score.
 
Congrats on your sweet find. I acquired two pairs of 901 series 3 with two EQ's for a very small amount. The kicker? They all needed to be re-foamed. I vowed to never foam a speaker again after that ordeal. Just from my experience you will need a Bose EQ for these to sound (good). I run the Bose EQ into a regular EQ and with a Luxman R117 powering them, they really sound amazing. You got them at a great price (free) even with the cost of the foam and a EQ you did great.
 
Nice looking speakers. I wonder if one could make some kind of software EQ for them and just use a computer for their source.
 
Kudos on your score - no doubt refoaming all those drivers will be a bit of a pain,
but will make the listening later that much sweeter!

Good luck with your search for the EQ!
 
Thanks! When I saw them, I said to my self "no way", and my eyes bugged out when I saw them up close.

I'm in no rush to do the surrounds yet until I finish the AR restoration. Then I'll move on to these. EQ's seem to pop up online pretty frequently so I'll be patient and hopefully find a good deal.
 
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