Thoughts On The Bose 901 Speakers!
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- Lookie Lou's Episode 19: While many audiophiles may have varying strong opinions of Bose Speakers, Lou takes a moment to look back at one of Bose legends: the Bose 901 Speaker System and even provides some tips if you're on the prowl for a set of vintage 901's to add to your collection.
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Back in the mid 80's I went to Circuit City to audition speakers but not necessarily buy anything. After switching to most of the speakers that were out at that time, you could pinpoint exactly where the speaker was at that the sound was coming from. The amazing thing about the 901's was when I got to them, I had no idea where the speaker was at, sound was coming from everywhere. The only thing about the 901's were that the bass was a little weak, but as much as those speakers cost adding a sub was out of the question. This was 1986, I was 23, had a job, but had other bills to pay. Got to the 601's I don't remember what series, but they sounded very good as did the 501 series iv, which in my opinion sounded better that any other speaker there. Given the price difference and that the 501's had bigger woofers, I bought a pair of the 501 series iv. I still have them today listening to them. Great speakers.
Have not heard those particular ones although I heard other ones of that era. If you are happy and enjoying listening to music, well, that's what it is all about, isn't it? But, I would encourage you to go out and listen to present products as a lot has happened in speaker technology in 30 to 40 years if you are so inclined.
I was heavily into speakers in the 80s, I found Polk audios had the nicest sound, the bass was super soft, but it went as loud as you wanted, I had all kinds of reciever’s, carver, pioneer, okios, but I found the best match for the polks 7s and 10s was the Yamaha.
@@rogerbrandt6678Have you ever heard any of the Def Tech speakers? I was at Best Buy a couple of years ago and they had a smaller pair (probably 8 inch woofer) and they sounded great.
Thank you for speaking about the 901s. I remember as a younger person I'm 51 now I bought a pair. I loved them but my audiophile friends made me look like I had leprecy in a way because they all said it was garbage.
Because there are many people out there called themselves as audiophiles which are mostly stupid, and compared things were designed and developed 50+ ago. Even their parents or grand parents could not afford to buy a set then... :) 🤣😂
Angel, my reference to the 901s were to the originals. As to later versions, well, I did not find them particularly satisfying but there were so many "series" that I did not hear them all nor play with them all. I think any major speaker manufacturer with the sales volume of Bose, sacrifices many things to achieve manufacturing volume. Where it happens, to which model, ect. ect. ect. is random and not predictable. Bose is certainly not alone in that. Then, sometimes, amongst the mediocrity, a special jewel appears. Notwithstanding all the glory given to Nakamichi, the best cassette deck ever made was, of all things, from Sony in their Walkman Pro. Even the recording engineers used them. The Naks' sold for upwards of $5,000.00 The Walkman Pro $350.00. As I always say, "The proof of the pudding is in the eat."
Those friends of yours were AudioFools !
@@VNXiTrum I've always wondered why self proclaimed "audiophiles" needed to tell people they were audiophiles. I would imagine that everybody who owns a set of speakers are capable of hearing and everybody has their own tastes, as in cars, women, and what they like to eat or drink. as I said earlier I think a pair of Bose 901's with a subwoofer would be awesome because of the sound everywhere affect that I've never heard from another speaker.
Well there is a reason you could not do them against other speakers
Not even nuch cheaper ones. You would loose your bose contract. Not an audiophile but I can tell between sounds good and meh.
Just picked up a pair of 302 Series ii and I absolutely adore them. So handsome and so easy to listen too.
I bought a set of 901's in the early mid eighties....still have them today. I like them ok....and the neighbors like them whether they want to or not!
Laughing because I once sold a pair of Klipsch Chorus speakers on a dare. The dare? He was going to have a tequila party at his apartment to break his lease. If the speakers lasted the night he would keep them. He kept the speakers.
Set up properly as per the manual Bose 901 is an impressive experience. The volume they can produce is stunning and they are not fatigueing.
I really cannot speak as to other series but their fundamental design was to produce a wall of sound. But, as noted, the 1st series was particularly interesting once I heard them properly powered and power they needed which was not common in those days leading to changes in the design.
I've had my 901s for 13 years now and am still fascinated everytime I listen to them. 3 dimensional stereo is really cool.
Glad you are enjoying music!
The later iterations of 901s not being as musical as the originals is just plainly incorrect. In fact the series VI, which was the last ones they made, were just as musical, with a lot more bass extension, and was way more efficient than the originals.
No question about the efficiency aspect. We hope to have the original Bose amplifier in the store for a video. All we need is a forklift. As for performance, I'll yield that subject to others. I just wanted to open the window for others which was my point of wearing a contamination suit.
I applaud your stance on hifi, just go out and “give them all a listen”
"Keep in mind the crossover network and the caps are probably due for a replacement"..... Got a good chuckle out of that.
Well, when something is nearly 50 years old, you never know. Caps do "dry out" when not used and who knows the condition of the other parts when we are talking about "factory spec." The point being made is that this is something to consider, not that it is a solid fact. Those outboard crossovers, I believe, were actively AC powered.
@@audibleeleganceinc The speakers themselves do not contain any crossovers or capacitors. The outboard equalizer does not act as a crossover. However, the equalizer does have capacitors that can be troublesome.
@@deekay2 Thank you for the clarification and good to know. Hope this proves useful to those owners.
I owned a pair very briefly and disposed of them quickly in favor of The Smaller Advent and for a second system, a pair of EPI M100s.
The original Bose 901s needed a lot of current to really get them working. They were about as efficient as a brick which is why they tended to sound bland on most receivers of that era. It took a real power amp like the Bose 1801 or SAE.
I have a pair of 901 Series VI. I bought them in 2008. The thing with Bose is that you have to run them with a lot of power. Use a Studio Mixer, a DAC, an external EQ (beside the OEM Bose EQ) and listen to them come alive. BTW, Start with 250 WPC, RMS. Use DVD or Blu-ray music. DSD or WAV.
i think the 901,201,301 and 141 were great products ,i agree if you have enough power behind them theyll sound pretty good
I have always had a blast taking the least expensive speaker we have in the store and putting it on our best system. It's always jaw dropping. In short, what goes into a speaker is what comes out.
There’s a very old saying, None of the Highs, None of the lows, must be Bose. If this were true, then Bose would not have turned into a multi billion dollar company. Sure, there’s better out there such as Klipsch and Maggie’s, but ultimately, Bose brought hi fi stereo to the masses and turned many of us into audiophiles. The 901s may not be what a “ high end” audiophile wants or needs, but when I have a party, no one complains about the audio from my HK and Series VI 901s. In fact, many are intrigued by the tulip mounted speakers. Not everyone can drive a Ferrari, nor do they want to. Point is ,the 901s get most of us from point A to B as a Ferrari would. You can pay $100k or more for your Klipsch and McIntosh , but “ most” would not know the difference.
There is little doubt that Bose has played a role in many first steps. They were innovative, without question. I now have a project presented to me using the original 901s and I can not wait to inspect them as they are mounted 12 feet in the air! It's going to be a party house.
@@audibleeleganceinc Whats funny is, my Maggies do indeed sound better than the 901s Series VI, however, the 901s get all the requests and attention at the "party house" because of their appearance on the tulip stands and the "Bose legend" that many still subscribe to. Put them on the deck and you've got people asking what are those and who makes them?? They are impressive in an off looking way. The other thing is and I think you alluded to this, the 901s require some oomph to push them. The Maggies barely need a few watts and they're humming. The 125 per channel from my HK is barely enough to get the 901s huffing and puffing on rock songs. They'll easily take 250/ch or more.
@@SuppressiveSquirrel voodoo
i love your couch and decor
We will continue to evolve. I have some interesting things coming.
Direct..reflecting..
!?
If you look at concerts in the 70s 80s 90s Bose 901 professional speakers were used in concert halls all over the country.I saw them used at different bars on Long Island also.I had Bose 901 2 series when hooked up correctly and with a good power amp there were Killer.I bought them used in 1974 for $315 with stands back then they were fair traded for $576.
Along with stacks and stacks of huge amplifier.
@@audibleeleganceincme. Maybe altecs behind the curtains. Bose was all propaganda and no substance.
Actually Tom, I have played with the original 901s and was shocked at their performance. Now, it's not a world beater today but it was definitely musical. Now, when I ran into other models, say the 501s, well, carved out they would have made great laundry hampers. Was Bose a superb company at marketing? You Betcha. @@tommoyer4697
901s were always domestic speakers, the pro version was the 802, they are great speakers for PA , bars, bands, theaters for their size.
I haven’t had a neighbor who have like mine😂 My original 901’s are the best! I had the speakers refurbished once by Bose in Framingham, MA.
Well, Julie, the originals were a classic. They need a lot of power to really work well. Common receivers won't do it. By the way, you might want to consider having the EQ serviced. Those caps are really old and likely out of spec. The original power amp for them weighed about 180 pounds. I have a customer who has one and we want to show it to everyone. Oh, and ignore the neighbors.
A lot of speakers over the years were never as musical. The only way you really get to see how far speaker designs have come is to take yours and crank the numbers through inflation to today's dollars. Then their age shows if compared to good speakers today (note, price does not indicate quality).
I built a system for my doc,used electovoice horn tweeters, duo foam edge 12 in woofers in folded horn cabinet s turned the 8 drivers forward. 1980,lol built xover coils and all,
Well, it is a hobby and if you feel up to it and are happy with the results, that's what part of the industry and fun is all about. Many do the same with cars and all sorts of things.
901 🎶👍
Thank you, Samuel. If you have not already, please subscribe as I have about another 100 videos planned.
Kudos
Thank you. A little encouragement goes a long long way. Many criticize, few praise. It's a sad state of affairs. People are like animals. If they are constantly struck, they learn not to come. Rewarded, they become your close companion.
You know, when I find workers who clean public restrooms, I take the time to thank them. I really appreciate the difficult and dirty job they do to make my life better and safer. Sometimes I give them a tip. Think about it.
A 75 watt receiver is not enough reserve power to move the 901s at all. I ran 750 wpc bridged power amps and the 901s would knock the house down with clean powerful sound .Try that with any other speaker.
Absolutely true on the original 901s.
901 for ever 👍🙋🏼♂️
Glad you enjoyed.
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