Of course NHT superones aren't in the same price range as the 901's. The superones with a good NHT sub will not be an add on [this is an asinine, ignorant thing he said] but will blend seamlessly to destroy the clarity and depth that Bose doesn't have to begin with. Do you want to know how to simulate Bose 901's with real speakers?
Remove the tweeter, point the toward a wall and put them in a closet.
This is precisely how bad the 901's sound.
There is no glimmering, transparent treble--in fact none at all. Horns sound like they are being played under water, or from a closet.
The 901's bass reguardless of setup can't go below 40hz, and even then, doubling and doppler distortion are prominent.
What happens to Bose-oh's is that they justify thier wasted money by giving the 901's properties that they don't have.
Don't believe the hype. Close your eyes, open your mind, and your ears. Then compare the Bose to like priced speakers. The vail of murk will be lifted when you hear how bad 901's are.
ONE star because they make noise...

Robot you are talking out of your ass. There is no direct relationship between efficiency and quality of sound of a speaker. The problem with people like you is you haven't heard any new speakers in the past 20 years and still believe your Bose are the best. Wake up !!! There are far better options from NHT, Paradigm, Thiel, JMlabs, Sound Dynamics, etc at a fraction of the cost.Most quality bookshelf speakers can produce your 1812 cannons far better than the Bose.
Get a clue.

WOW! I can't believe the bashing these speakers have taken on this site. I have a set of series II's.I, many years ago used to be quite up on all the lates components, subscribed to
Stereo Review magazine, and read it religiously. Then the 901's were THE BEST
speaker out there. I used to have an old pair of 901's, and loved them. I think
people are stuck in modern technology if that makes any sense. The 901's are a
very inefficient speaker. (the more ineffiicient a speaker the better the quality) This being said they need a LOT of power to drive them. If you take a pair of 901's, and plug in less than 100 watts RMS, and then don't place them right they will sound like sh-t. TRY pushing at least 150 real watts per channel
through a properly placed set. Result, concert quality sound.
No they're not a great high end speaker by todays standards because after the series threes BOSE changed the dsign to be more "efficient" to be more commonly acceptable. If your looking for a new high end high priced speker than there are probably many better, but if you can find an old series two or three at a yard sale. and you have some power to put through them you'll be pleasantly surprised. Great bass, great highs, a little flat in the middle. Check out digital cannons in the 1812 overture, and see how many other speakers can reproduce that.

Regarding Bose 901s. Yes, they are lower-end, mediocre speakers that are overpriced. However, I find the fanatical bias against both the speakers and the people who own them to be incredibly arrogant and, as stated in the previous posting, pompous.
The success of Bose is based on marketing and availability . . . not critical listening. There are lots of products in the marketplace that succeed on that basis. Will we soon hear that anyone who enjoys a Pizza Hut pizza is an ignorant, stupid moron because everyone knows that if you want the "real thing" it's got to be from Guido's?

To those of you who are obsessed with bashing Bose and the people who love them: Enjoy that Pizza Hut pizza you're eating! You'd probably give it 5 stars, wouldn't you?

I owned these speakers 15 years ago and at that time I thought they were pretty cool.Then I came across a pair of Dalquist DQ-10`s and was amazed at what I was hearing.Thats when I discovered higher end.DON`T BUY THESE until you have auditioned other speakers from GOOD audio stores.NOT BEST BUY,SEARS,CIRCUIT CITY ect.I think you get my meaning.

Biggest rip-off on the planet.
I have had many opportunities to seriously listen to the "illustrious" Bose 901 in many of its various "series", as far back as the Series III, all the way up to the latest. I have heard all forms of music squeezed through these things, from delicate classical, to modern, high-production jazz, to blistering, full-range rock and metal, at various volume levels, in a variety of different listening environments, powered by some of the best equipment around. Not once did these "speakers", as the manufacturer calls them, impress me in the slightest. Sure, it was always neat hearing the soundstage expand to points outside of the room's walls, and it was just as neat having difficulty pinpointing these two soundsources with my eyes closed. But what good is that, if you are not hearing the full range of music, coming off the CD as it was intended for you to hear by the artist? A sterile, undynamic, muddy mess best describes the Bose 901's sound. For an expanded sound stage, with direct reflecting technolgy, and a FULL dynamic range, try a high-end set of bi-polars. For the money, you can get speakers that sound at least 10 times better. Be smart, don't be fooled by Bose's wonderful marketing techniques as I was I was 18 and dreamed of one day owning a pair of 901's.

They stink!

I've owned two pairs of Bose 901's, the series IV's (bought in 79) and the series VI's (traded into Bose the old ones since the rubber surrounds on the drivers rotted). They gave me a deal, $300 plus my old speakers for a new pair (1986 +/-). Well, I've gotta admit that I've been duped all these years into believing these were the best engineered speakers etc. I have recently been running the 901's with a subwoofer, which greatly improved the sound since there is NO BOTTOM END to these midrange pieces of _hit!!! I bought some Infinity Studio Reference speakers at a garage sale for $50 bucks (had to fix the rubber surrounds on these), but they sound excellent. The Bose are going. Overrated, overpriced and overdue for the auction block!!! I just bought some JBL SVA 1800 and those baby's crank. I'm back in business!!!

A friend of mine bought a pair of Bose 901's. After listening to the speakers I was not impressed, not the slightest! My old Sears and Roebuck speakers sounded better, and I'm not kidding! My friend is quite the audio enthusiast, purchasing Krell, Adcom, Paramax, Paradigm subwoofer and other high quality components. He meticulously set up his system, following all the manufacture's recommendations for speaker placement. The result of all this? A harsh, almost unlistenable sound! I know it is not the Adcom or the Paramax products that are responsible for the cacophony, because I have heard them in other systems that sounded incredible. Although I have not listened to Krell products, I sincerely doubt that it is the weak link. I think my friend was deceived by Bose's high power advertising and marketing strageties. I give these speakers the worst rating.

If these speakers are so good why do they need an EQ? They are not good for the price ---->$1399.00 a pair!!!!! These speakers have NO Imaging and Sound stage. They are very directional and they are very muffled sounding. These speakers are just ONE BIG mid range. Do not even consider Buying these speakers. Look elsewhere Listen to some B&W's like the DM602S2(Bookshelf $600 a pair) or DM603S2 (Floorstanding $1100 a Pair). Or even the B&W DM302's (bookshelf $250 a pair) would blow the Bose 901's away. B&W's don't even need an EQ to sound good. Bose Needs to go back to the drawing board with these Bad speakers or change the price to $99.99 a Pair.

It's very diffacult to debate Bose products. I can hear [insert ANY Bose product here] the horrible lack of low bass, treble, and midbass boominess. Those who love Bose don'tm care. The only sad thing is that Bose lovers actually think that Bose products DO 20-20khz. Reality- if YOU like Bose great. BUT: they fall very short of most brands in audio range. They are exaggerated in the midbass to compensate, and are incredibly expensive for having the cheapest possible parts.
Bose is not now, nor ever has been high end or an audiophile product. The term audiophile is not just someone who enjoys music, but full spectrum accuracy. as far as Bose sounding live: I hear more direct sound in an unamplified situation in a broader scale than Bose provides. In an AMPLIFIED live performance, there is MUCH deeper bass, and higher treble, and clarity. IE There is NO WAY any Bose could sound as good as a Greatful Dead setup.
Bose gets what it deserves- ONE star