I've now bought two pairs of these speakers, the first in 1985 which were a very early vintage (Series I?), the second just a month ago: I picked up a pair of Series V for a Pal who just bought his first home. I was curious to read what the reviews said about the Series V or VI and was somewhat sad to see the sub 3 star rating, though I understand why many folks don't care for the 901s. I thought it worthwhile to write a review and try to wrap a little perspective around all the hype and bashing. I decided to buy these for my Pal because they are unbelievably bulletproof, and ubiquitous enough to find a functional pair with some veneer imperfections for under 300.00 on ebay (OK, maybe I got lucky, but 350 or so should get you a pair). There are not many speakers I would consider buying used - but I had no qualms with the 901s since I believe them to be one of the most durable speakers ever built. First I want to capture what I think 901s are, and then talk about what they are not. Since perception is in the ear of the beholder, I can only say I like the way they sound for Rock and Roll parties, cranking them up to work around the house, even movies with a simple 2 speaker system can work well with 901s, I had my first pair hung from the ceiling in two different locations (make sure you mount them into solid wood!). They were down about 2 feet from the ceiling, placed as they were designed to be, with the back point and sides about 18 inches from the rear and side walls, respectively. If ceiling hanging is not in your game plan, just know that 901s will sound and work better if you get them well up off the floor. Typical mistakes: Don't turn them around so they point out at the listening space! It may seem to sound better at first but its a cheap shortcut compared to getting them set up correctly, and will comprimise the sound and performance at volume. Make absoultely sure they are hooked up through the active equalizer correctly (to test: when you select tape monitor on the active equalizer the sound should shut off). Play around with the active equalizer settings a little bit and find what best suits your listening tastes. The 901s take some getting used to. Typical listening volumes are quite a bit higher than volumes on directional front facing speakers, as the sound is dispersed (direct-reflected translates to a lot of energy going into reflecting off/ reverberating the wall) rather than directional. Apartment dwellers with cranky neighbors beware. With enough amplification, these speakers will absolutely rock the house. They are compact, and if undamaged, good looking speakers. They are virtually impossible to blow out (provided you don't go deep ito the land of amp-overdriven distortion), and friends unfamiliar with 901s will be astounded that so much sound and bass can come out of such *little* speakers (grin). If you can't use a seperate high current amplifier (I recommend a Parasound 100wpc or better into 8ohms), at least get a good used high current 100+wpc receiver (Onkyos work pretty well). The sound of 901s, once set up properly, envelopes you, and is at a similar volume almost everywhere in the room - which is a very nice feature for some applications. I find it easier to talk with the music turned up loud in this listening environment as compared to more conventional, directional speakers. The 901s are quite capable of producing a good sound, and before any audiophiles blow a gasket, what I mean by that is that you can hear marked improvements from upgrading components and source. OK, here's what I believe the 901s are not. I don't think 901s are the front/mains you want to build your home theater surround sound system around. If you want to stick with a 2 speaker surround system for movies they will work fine, provided you like the sound of them to begin with. If you try to add speakers to your system using 901s as mains, the active equalizer can be quite limiting, especially with a receiver, because you're forced into using a tape monitor setting which limits your configuration and expansion options. If you do go down the road to add more speakers, buy yourself some flexibility by using your receiver pre-outs to the active eq to a seperate 2 channel power amp. Bottom line biggest limitation is - you will never, never, never get 901s to sound like directional speakers! They are their own beasts, and if you don't like the sound, get something directional and chalk it up to a learning experience. Synopsis: Used 901s are virtually unmatched as an exceptional bulletproof bargain, which might just be their best accolade. New ones do seem a bit pricy to me, and I would respectfully disagreee with those who insist that you need to spend 5 to 10 grand to buy an equal of better pair of directional speaker. If you find direct reflecting sound is not for you, the Klipsch RF7s are a phenominal directional speaker (though they are quite large), durable, and can be had for under 2 grand new. Enjoy your music!

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inifnity, ultralinear, boston acoustics, klipsch... but they're not really that similar...

Superior sound and clean crisp tight volume louder than most any other speaker on the market.

Setup can be a pain but it is of paramount importance to the sound quality you will get.

I have owned my 901 VI's for about 15 years. They were the floor model at Granite Furniture in Provo, Utah. They were NOT hooked up to the EQ when I first listened to them. Weeks later a Bose rep came through Utah and set them up correctly. This included taking them off the shelf where they were sitting right next to other Bose speakers, about 3 inch's from the wall. Needless to say, this transformed them into the speaker that they had been designed to be almost immediately. I would agree with the reviewers here that state MOST people can't follow simple instructions in setting these speakers up. I also can't believe some of the nasty reviews I have heard of these speakers. Without sounding like an audiophile snob I have listened to Teil, Infinity, Pioneer (Studio Quartz) etc. Some of these speakers costing $8,000.00. None of them matched the Bose 901 in sound. Period. I will say that proper placement is crucial. Which is stated in the manual repeatedly. Honestly I have never heard a better sounding speaker. And I have even listened the the infamous Klipsh Corner Horns as well. (again not to be snobbish)... I am currently running 12g wire/ gold plated terminals/adcom preamp and a $7,000.00 Crown Macro Reference Power Amp. Rated at @1100 watts per channel into these speakers. And I'll tell you, these speakers will put that amp to bed before running out of clean undistorted sound. Did I mention that this amp put out eleven hundred watts per speaker? The Bose rep all of those years ago told me a story about how they "pulse tested" a pair of 901's for syncom. They set them up properly of course, in a sound room which they would NOT be in. And they would run a 2000(two thousand) watt pulse at 60htz into each speaker. Acheiving 60 mph winds out of the ports on the back. For fun they would try blowing out candles in the room at various distances in front of the speakers. Obvilously this story cannot be confirmed as true but with ear plugs I have felt some strong winds myself. Point of the story being, after brutilizing these 4 1/2 " drivers with that kind of wattage, they could not find ANY stuctural damage to the drivers at all. Name one other company that would extend you a 5 year warranty on a speaker that they claim has unlimited power handiing? In closing I believe you cannot find a better speaker under $8,000.00.
But make sure you follow the instalation instructions to the T. They are there for a reason.

A quick comment about the previous reviewers observations. He may have heard "reflective imagery" (whatever that is. is it a good thing? a bad thing?) if he had hooked them up correctly. Now of course I can't be sure of this but if he had to turn down the TV to make his critical analysis one could be forgiven for inferring that the TV and 901's were playing the same material. Huge red flag peeps. Those of us who are impressed enough to own 901's know how problematic they can be in a home theater environment. It's almost impossible to integrate these speakers into a home theater. I know this from personal experience. Bose will tell you this as well, but if you're stubborn and resourceful enough it is possible if you have pre-out/main-in's for your front R/L channels. Even when I finally got it right the thing I love most about them in stereo listening - the wide wall of sound effect - just doesn't work in HT. I do know however that getting a preamp level signal to the active EQ and back into an amp for the front R/L vice stereo does not happen without considerable though and effort. Many, many 901 "users" have done this wrong. Its a simple, sure-fire way to make these speakers sound beyond bad. In a stereo receiver setup the tape monitor loop works great for the EQ send and return but this will not work in a 5.1 setup. It just won't. So from my perspective the previous reviewers experience was almost certainly caused by improper setup; probably bypassing the EQ, if it was even installed. The best 901 installation won't sound like specialized studio reference monitors. No argument there. That's not necessarily a bad thing. But the finer points of whatever self-styled audiophiles golden ears are supposed to be able to hear that the rest of us can't notwithstanding, abysmally bad sound from 901's = incorrect hook-up/no EQ. Even positioning them in front of drapes - which will dramatically affect the sound for the worse - won't sound as bad as just disconnecting your old speakers and hooking up the 901 cabinets (w/o the EQ). All the other aspects of speaker performance we love to debate here pale in comparison to this and its a common problem with these speakers even in stereo setups. It's almost a guarantee if you can hear the same sounds coming out of the TV. Bypass the EQ and Helen Keller would be able tell the difference.

They look cool and interesting. Most of your friends will be Impressed.
Childhood fantasy come true

they look weird. most of your friends will be impressed...
until you turn them on.
Weak Imagery, Dull sound, Weak Bass
Call these Speakers Radio Shack and there would be no debate.

First things first... I am not impressed.
My Brother-in-Law has a pair I have been jocking for 5 years. Strange thing, He never had them plugged in, so I never tested them out... until now 5 years later.
First thing I noticed. They sound like any speaker you ever heard.
I listened for reflective imagery and clarity. I didn't hear any. The TV that he turned down in order to play up the Bose sounded better. NO LIE. What a dissapointment. You say Bose and you think Damn I want some of those. you hear Bose and you think, Damn I'm glad I didn't buy any.
But here is the kicker. I may stilll want a pair. why? I can get a pair for $300. But after reading the reviews here I'm not sure they're worth even that. (plus Stands)
I have wanted these speakers for 17 years. They don't even sound good. I must have been BRAIN WASHED.

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Nothing
I know Profesional Studio Reference Speakers. Tannoy, Yamaha...

I don't understand why people simply don't use the speakers engeneers use in the studios. I love Genelecs.

Loud loud loud.

Distortion and all the crapy sound.

I have listened the 901 at Bose dealer in Dhaka. Let me tell you that my brain got just fried with the distorted sound I heard from those speakers. I have heard lot about 901 before but what I have listened is quite a experience. It is OK for the beginners but as a audiophile people like me it is a loud distorted speaker. I wonder how come they claim that this is one of their best. This is not music this is loudness. God they charge money for that, they should give people some money only to listen to it.

Better buy JBL it sound much much more like much.

OK now the conclusion Hi End : out of the question.
Good Sound and slam: Not even close

Suggestion: stay away from it, you will thank me that you have taken my advise.

Customer Service

Very good customer service , that is the only thing they have impressed me with.

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All Japanese 3000 watt speakers.

I find interesting statements by reviewers who believe they were suckered by Bose when they bought their unsatisfactory speakers on eBay. Call me crazy, but maybe, just maybe, they were suckered by the eBay seller. Another clue is a complaint about not being shielded. If this is an issue perhaps one should download the manual and review the section on speaker placment. Theres no conceiveable recommended placment of these speakers where (lack of) shielding would be an issue. They're neither recommended nor suitable for placement next to a CRT. But true enough if you put a CRT next to nine unshielded magnets it will disort the image. Only bookshelf speakers intended to be set adjacent to a CRT need to be shielded. Period. As far as interior wiring gauge is concerned, perhaps the reviewer should review Ohms law and Kirchoff's law for a primer how current is divided in a series parallel circuit (there are nine speakers in these things). Maybe the reviewer will have his house rewired with 500MCM wire just to avoid power losses between wall outets. Oh and monster speaker cables are always silly by the way. I love the criticism of the stands. I dont particularly care for the look (and height) of the stands myself...thats why i didnt buy them. That wouldn't have been smart to do. Nothing could be more irrelevant to the sound of these speakers anyway. The "antique thumscrews" are "metal". Remember metal? It used to be popular. Even if they weren't better than plastic banana jack connectors - which they are - the design of these prevents plugging one in anyway. they're bottom fed because theres no proper "back" to which connectors can be affixed. Access to theses is more difficult however, which would have been a fair complaint IMHO. As far as being stuck in the "analog age"? It doesnt seem to bother subwoofer owners. Maybe we need digital subwoofers too. And last but not least, of course they're attached to stands with wood screws. You dont have to attach them to stands at all of course but one is free to use exotic means if one chooses. And not being able to integrate these speakers into a 5.1 A/V receiver without pre-out/main in's isn't so much a fault so as it is a limitation. The bottom line is that when properly set up you get great stereo sound.

Will play LOUD with sufficient amp watts

I asked for water, she brought me gasoline.

Two more cents from another disgruntled consumer who would like to jump on Bose Corp. with both feet. The 901 could have been a great speaker. Concept: Brilliant. Get the balance between direct/reflected sound right. But the steering at the top went wrong, and as the prior reviewer noted, all elements are cheesy in the extreme. & the basic notion is so wrong, make loud distorted noises that will impress the non- experienced would-be audiofool ... this is not music ... nor engineering. Compare with even a low-end JBL or Canton spkr. Just don't buy Bose.

Customer Service

Thank God I never needed any.

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What is similar to these monstrosities ?

None

Exorbitant price, MDF wood details, grille cloth & stands take styling cues from the late 60's, Cheap low quality drivers, unshielded, analog only equalizer with few adjustment controls. Sound quality very poor, stereo imaging highly dependent on speaker placement, top heavy design, can tip over and be easily damaged.

The Bose 901 is truly an enigma in the audiophile world. Its a speaker that curiously hasn't been re-engineered in years and has a fanatical following as well as major detractors. I remember seeing these speakers as a kid and the $1000 price way beyond anything I could have ever afforded. I thought they were "cool" and vowed to get a pair someday. Fast forward 20 years and I finally get a pair, the Series VI with equalizer, stands and big thick wires. So I wire them up, plug them into my 600W stereo and have a listen. I suddenly wonder why my speakers don't seem to sound anything like the ones in the store I saw 2 decades ago. The sound is lifeless, rather harsh with lots of midrange, and messing with the equalizer buttons and sliders don't seem to do a lot to improve the matter. So I fiddle with bass/treble controls, pegging the bass and treble as high as possible...better but still pretty bad. So I turn on loudness which adds even more bass and treble. I finally can get some semblance of decent sound but it seems like these speakers require LOTS of bass and treble adjustments at the extreme ends of the audible sound spectrom. What is also missing is low bass. It seems like low bass was engineered out of the speaker. Needless to say I feel that I was suckered by Bose...join the club I guess. Physical inspection of the speakers shows that Bose doesn't necessarily mean quality. The speakers are made out of MDF particleboard with thin veneer, they are unshielded, the drivers are paper cone with simple foam roll edges, and the wiring between drivers is ridiculously thin. It seems silly to use monster cable with these things, knowing the internal wiring is radio shack quality. Speaker stands are at least sturdy metal but seem out of place, with the swoopy organic curvy 60's look which is an odd contrast to the wedge styling of the speaker itself. Connectors are antique looking thumbscrews instead of more modern combo banana plug/screw terminals. Stands are affixed to the speaker with simple wood screws, thats it. No exotic attachment methods, just wood screws. The 901 seems stuck in the analog age, as the equalizer obviously shows. There's no digital input, only RCA jacks, and modern amps tend to not have pre-outs nowadays so integrating one into your a/v system can be a chore. .

Customer Service

Never used it.

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none

Hi, This is a follow-up to a review I did on the Bose 901 VIs. There is something I would like to add. For those of you that assume someone writing a favorable review of the Bose 901 VIs must in some way be connected with the Bose Corporation, I hope you also assume that a magazine reviewer must then be connected with the company of whose product he is reviewing favorably. For you to make such an accusation, you are stating your ears are superior to those that disagree with you. It is this type of attitude, that comes out of high-end stores, and the high-end in general, that has turned so many off to Audio. Keep something in mind: If the products of other Audio companies are so good, why are they discontinued after only a couple of years? It is very rare for a component to be in a manufacturers product line for more than three years! Have you ever asked yourself why? How often do you see the Bose 901s advertised? If most of the people that tried these did not like them, then they would have been discontinued long ago, and don't assume that you are so intelligent that you know every person that buys these is new to Audio, and does not know what music really sounds like. The Speaker business is too competitive for that kind of nonsense!

Reproduce musical instruments and voices nicely.

Limited high frequency which will put some off. Stiff competition at this price point. Though I do think the Bose 901 VI's acquit themselfs nicely.

Hi, This is my second review of these Bose 901 VI speakers. I don't know why my other review was removed. Perhaps it is because I told the truth about Audio Magazines and Audio stores. It is looking more and more like freedom of speech is for a select few. I have owned these Speakers for over a year now. I purchased these Speakers because I wanted to find out for myself what these Speakers sounded like, after hearing so much about them. They have been around since 1968, and have been improved along the way. At first listen, I was a little surprised at how nice they sounded. After hearing so many in the Audiophile community bash these Speakers, I expected very poor sound. This however, was not the case. I find these speakers very enjoyable to listen to. I have been involved with Audio for 30 years now, and have had all kinds of equipment, but I do not recall ever enjoying Speakers this much(and I have owned some pretty expensive speakers).I do feel that the high-end is as good as it gets, but people are turned off by the high-prices, so lets keep in mind that the Bose 901 VIs are $1500.00 Speakers, not $10,000.00. So what I say about them is taking into account their price point. What I can say, is that there are many types of Speakers on the market at all price pionts, but I have never seen a pair of Speakers stay in a product line for almost 40 years and give so many such enjoyment. I do like the way the Bose 901 VIs reproduce musical instruments. It seems the more I listen to these Speakers, the more I want to listen, which is the mark of a well designed product. Some high end Speakers tend to accentuate certain frequencies which may be enjoyable at first, but then listener fatigue sets in. The Bose 901 VIs are limited in the high frequencies. I am bothered by extended high frequency, but some like it because they feel it adds an airiness to the music(which I don't disagree, but it limits my enjoyment). As you can see, there are many reviews of this speaker. In fact, this has to be the most reviewed Speaker that I have ever seen, and I have never seen such passionate feelings about one product. It is apparent that most people that listen to these Speakers, like them. Otherwise Bose would not have kept them in thier product line for so long. There are many in the Audiophile community that enjoy putting people down for not understanding how to listen to music. This is why the high-end is suffering from dwindling sales. You should never feel ashamed for enjoying music through any type of equipment. The fact that you are enjoying music, is what is important. Please don't use a cheap Receiver with these Speakers. They deserve better(if you really want to hear what they are capable of delivering). There is stiff compitetion at this price point, but there is no way you are going to be able to compare these Speakers against other Speakers because I have yet to see an Audio store have these Speakers properly set up. So listen to as many Speakers in this price point as you can, then order the Bose 901s through Bose. Bose gives a 30 day in home trial(I believe. Please check with them). Anyone that gives you a passionate response one way or another about a product, is to be avoided. Why? Because they know what they like. Not what you like. Don't ever let anyone make up YOUR mind. I have known a few musicians(acoustical jazz, not rock), and most of the time they enjoy listening to music through a boombox. I do recommend the Bose 901 VIs. I do want to mention that I have not done an direct A-B test against other Speakers. This would mean having to purchase numerous Speakers, and would be too time consuming as well. Just-enjoy-the-music!

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I have used and tested numerous products over the last 30 years: Paragon "The regent", Monitor Audio GR10, Hales revelation, ADS, JBL, Definitive Technology, etc..........