good sound, able to fill up large halls adequately

critical placement, the location of speaker terminals makes experimenting with cables a nightmare, not a pretty sight, foam breaks down over time, could do with better building materials, placement critical

I have read a number of other reviews where they've compared the product to boom boxes, compos etc and I don't think these people actually understand music at all.

Granted, these speakers are not perfect and I must say the placements are very critical to realise the potential of the Bose sound. They can indeed sound terrible without the proper reflecting walls. So, to those guys who came up with the negative comments, have they actually followed the recommended placements? Do you have proper amplification to drive them? Please do not run down a fine product and deter other music lovers from auditioning it by your negative remarks if you do not even have a proper set it up to play them properly!

These are direct/reflective speakers and as such do sound different from the conventional type! Go for a concert and you know what I mean. The pin point imaging is not there but then how do you sqeeze a whole orchestra into a few feet between the speakers? I could find find music scale from the 901s which is rarely possble from conventional direct speakers where imaging is very sharp but lack the openess or the realism of a live performance.

Fine powerful amplication would be mandatory to do justice to the speakers. I find that component matching is quite important as the speakers could sound bright or thin if not properly matched. Once properly done, these speakers do produce beautiful music.

However, Bose could certainly use better manufacturing materials. I had changed the internal wiring to Kimber 8TC cable strands and also rebuilt the equaliser with better components(but not with so called audiophile stuff) and believe me, its a whole different ball game. The whole audio spectrum is noticebly improved.

Another quibble I would have is the foam suspension which is not durable especially in the tropics where there is high humidity although the BOSE dealer did replace the drivers FOC within the 5 year warranty.

To you guys who are interested to hear the 901s, please go to a BOSE outlet WITH AN OPEN MIND to listen to a properly set up system. If you buy them from garage sales or flea markets etc, get someone who knows how to set them up properly and not chuck them in a corner(I suspect some of the guys who wrote in did that!)and then blame the whole world for bad sound!

I would recommend at least a high quality solid 100W amplification to drive them properly and I've used valve amps to good effect, giving them a warm sound.
I would rate the speakers 4 stars for sound and 2 1/2 stars for building materials.

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very loud - true low bass at decent volume- warm sound - very clean sound- ergonomicly beautiful

not required but recommend nice clean,powerful amp with high slew rate to bring the best of bose 901

considering age of product these babies are still amazing everyone who walks thru my living room...

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Bose signature quality and design

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This is for Goerge,

George,

Don't be sad and please don't frown. I know how you feel george. You feel cheated and mislead, you are hurt, and your intelligence has been compromised. All because you purchased a set of speakers which no-one who knows quality speakers has ever heard of. A brand with no reputation to back up their percieved quality and sound reproduction. Do not be jealous George. Save your money and someday maybe you can own your very own Bose speakers of which you can be proud of.

Bose is a company with an established reputation. Well known and recognized by audiophiles throughout the world for their innovative designs and cutting edge technology. If you don't like Bose for what ever reason then I suggest that you do never purchase a pair. I find your conduct offensive and ignorant. Your time means nothing to you because you have waisted it touting childish babble in a place where it is undesired. Your voice here is being duly ignored by all of us who enjoy these wonderfull speakers.

William

midrange is awsome

Try using this speaker with a surround sound system.

Using H/K AVR7000

I have incorporated the Bose 901's as my main front speaker system along with Infinity center and rear with Velodyne subwoofer... sounds great..
Remember if you choose to use Bose 901's the amp must have a Main Preamp out/In jack to add the Equalizer. Without this Pre out jack the system does not function properly.

Breathtaking sounds!

Very good sound

Not a good value product, there are better choices

I don't own the Bose 901, but I did an AB comparison with the NHT 2.5i at the dealer. The Bose 901's sound quality was very close to the NHTs. Both could give you strong and loud basss. They are at the same price range, too.

But if you turn the volume up, the NHT's treble sounds much better. The Bose's highs sound harsh and that was the obvious difference I heard in the show room.

I must say that although I don't like Bose, but the 901 do sound like a large quality speaker system. However, the NHT 2.5i sounds better and I think there might be some other loudspeakers sound better than the 901s.

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NHT 2.5i

Very good range of sound for the price. A quality piece of audio equipment

None

This is a very good sounding system. It has everything I've wanted for the right price. It is just too bad that it bears the name Bose - a name narrow minded people are used to bashing even though some haven't even heard their systems. It is easy to be biased and criticize, however if these people actually compared the sound or knew anything about audio their opinions would be different.

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Infinity, JBL

Excellent exchange program

Defective speaker foam

For many years these speakers provided superior, rich sound. Then, about 10 years ago, the speakers began to sound cracked, particularly when music was bass heavy. The speakers would then produce an annoying vibrating sound. Eventually I simply stopped using the speakers, being too disturbed by the occasional annoying sound they produced. I even tried to sell them at a garage sale (at an extremely low price), without any luck.

Then, as a lark, my wife called Bose to see if they had any trade in value. She was informed that there was a defect "in some environments" in the foam used in the 901 series 3 and 4 speakers. If our speakers had this defect, Bose would accept them for exchange, giving us up to a $1,500 credit for the current 901 series or for a lifestyle home theater system. No receipt or warranty was required. We were told how to remove the grill to check for flaking (deterioration of the foam) and how to ship the speakers to Bose (at our own expense). The only risk was that Bose would not allow us to exchange if our speakers did not have the foam problem.

When we removed the grill and examined the speakers, it was readily apparent we had the foam problem and that this had been the cause of the vibration and annoying sound. We shipped off the speakers to Bose at a total cost, including packing materials, UPS costs, and insurance, of about $125. In about five weeks our new Lifestyle 25II system arrived, which we are pleased with. So although the 901 series 4 speakers are defective, it might be worth buying them on the garage sale or fleamarket circuit just to be able to participate in the speaker exchange program. So I rate the speakers at the highest possible rating because (1) they sounded great for more than 10 years, and (2) the exchange program is an excellent deal.

able to display a wide dynamic range
and power handling is at its best

tricky placement but when done right
901 will out perform the best.

I have had my 901 speakers for two
years now and was willing to gamble
somewhat since I had to compare with
other bose models. most hi end stores
dont cary bose in london. I first heard
901 at the BRICK a furniture store can
you beleave that! I know 901 is A hi
end speaker and the BRICK at the time
did not carie the proper amps to drive
the 901 anyway the first song I heard
was purple hayes and I new they were
the real thing the smooth powerful base
struck me first then the cymbels wer
crisp yet not harsh and the midrange
was totaly transparent and natral I
guess 901 gets mixed reviews from
listners do to set up & placement the
EQ must be conected propley to your amp
if not 901 will sound dull & lifeless
place 901 away from corneres & two feet
from back wall if you follow these
steps & give 901 the proper amp I can
honestley say that 901 will rock like
no other speaker on the planet.

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