Midrange

Everything else

Friend of mine was moving and sold me his 901's cheap. I hooked them up to a rotel amp and was astounded. How can such "high quality" speakers sound so bad? To find worse sounding speakers you would have to go to kmart (or go to best buy and listen to the 201's, YIKES). If you are thinking of buying these, don't, audition some real speakers and compare them, you'll be blown away by the difference.

Similar Products Used:

Many Klipsch, Polk, Infinity, and Paradigm towers

gets rid of all that unnecessary money I have.

Costs too much

Bose 901 is still one of the worst loudspeakers ever made,regardless of price and/or size. Its sound is spacious, unbalanced, and unnatural. Considering its overall size and design feature (nine 4.5" drivers),it produces pathetic low-frequency sound. I find it particularly unsuitable for classical music reproduction. The major drawback, among many drawbacks is that its high-end sound is not crisp, as that of any conventional loudspeakers. On balance, however, I still think that 901 is a very poor instrument

Similar Products Used:

NHT, PSB, JBL

horns. electric jazz styled guitar.

sound stage appears cluttered, versatality with electronics is limited. sansui/ denon is too bright. nad ps audio better

loud, yes they can achieve relatively loud db levels. are they klipschehorn loud? no. I sell retail audio. I have sold the low end of high end audio. infinity overture 3's sound pretty good, so does some of the polk stuff. i feel that (i dont own a db meter)the 901's are louder, and clearer at high volumes tha the overture 3, and the rt 2000 polks. again i feel that the 901's are louder than paradigm studio 20's, 60's, 80's, and 100's. and once again the 901's are louder tha the Alon II, and the Alon rascles.
thats great if you want lod mid range. over all for all volumes i like the Studio 80's and 100's. they are more musical. however for a book shelf that has incredible smooth and wide sound stage, the Alon Rasquel's (spelling)are a great buy for 499$ what ever you guys end up buying, matched with the appropraite electronics, you should get great performance outof what ever you buy. you judge what you want to get out of speaker.

Similar Products Used:

similar to what? nothing, they are their own animal.

great response from a small cabinet

n/a

i have owned my 901's since 1989.i won't be so narrow-minded
as to say "i wouldn't buy anything else",because there are
so many good sounding speakers out there.but i could certainly name only a few that i would even be interested in.names like mcintosh,klipsch,boston acoustics,polk etc.
the bose name deserves to be among these.it always becomes
(sooner or later)a matter of economics.everyone would love
to own a rolls but few can afford one.audio equipment is no
different.i chose bose for several reasons.when i was in the
service overseas,i had the privilge of listening to many,
many different systems with a wide range of speakers driven
by these.of all brand names,bose and mcintosh are etched in
the brain.and also a matter of economics and living space.
relativly small,not overly pricey,compared the next higher
end speakers.i am very happy with my 901's.
i think some that have criticized bose,may have not had
sufficient power to drive them.these are 1000 watt rated
speakers and need to be driven.also the sound of any speaker
begins with what is driving it. this is a lesson i learned
the day i brought my 901's home,as it was back to the store
in search of more power.the 90 watt marantz that i purchased
in germany,was no longer getting it with new 901's hooked to
it.even after almost 10 years of service the 901's have
worked flawlessly,i love 'em,although since rated so high in
wattage i am always looking for more power to drive these
babies.

Similar Products Used:

altec,klipsch

LOUD WITH LOTS OF CONTROL WITH THE EQUALIZER

8 SPEAKERS FACING THE WRONG WAY!

REALLY CAN HANDLE ALOT OF POWER. IF YOU LIKE YOUR MUSIC LOUD IE: ROCK-N-ROLL THESE ARE A MUST HAVE SPEAKER. NOT TOO BAD FOR ALL TYPESOF MUSIC. TAKE THE TIME TO PLACE YOUR SPEAKERS AND YOU WILL GET THE MODT FROM YOUR 901'S. SOUND,QUALITY AND PRICE ALL = AND GREAT PRODUCT BY A VERY QUALITH COMPANY.

Similar Products Used:

POLK

midrange, and lots of it

everything but midrange; price

I seriously auditioned these speakers because I had been told those were the ones to own. Apparently those are made up of midrange drivers aimed at the walls and front. The bass and high-ranges were limited. To be blunt, I have heard speakers at 1/2 to 1/3 the price that would fit most purposes better than these; The BOSE speakers wouldn't last long in a fight with PSB, Boston Acoustics, or quite a few others IMHO. Don't email me if you disagree- I speak the truth, it's not my fault if you bought those. BOSE seems to be the McDonald's and Budweiser of the speaker world.

Similar Products Used:

Polk Monitor 10's, Boston Acousics A-120's, others

Brother has been a lifelong owner of bose 901 series. Recently he bought pair of used Klipsch Chorus II and invited us over for an audio showdown. It was a classic battle of philosophy: Reflected sound vs. directed sound. The 901 weren't bad at low levels but at the high end they proved unworthy. The reflected bass, though encompassing, cleared failed to excite the listener with that chest thumping, tight bass of the Klipsch and sounded much more compressed. In my humble opinion, BUY the Klipsch!!!

Natural full range sound

Depending on the room, the sound can be very good OR bad.

I bought the 901s a little over a year ago, mostly for its size and its deep base. At that time I went to hear quite a few other speakers. I was most impressed by the price of a pair of B&W 805 (about $2000) and how it was completely lack of base. The highs are about the same for all the models I heard (B&W, NHT... Some people can hear the ultra sound of motion detectors, I can't). I wanted to compare a few brands at my home, but none other full-range speakers would fit in my car. So the 901s went to my living room.

The sound was very impressive at the beginning--natural and full-ranged. You can actually hear from both speakers even if you are to the left of your left speaker, or vise versa. I was most impressed by my Yanni--In the Mirror CD. The music simply flows alive. Some other CDs sound not so as nice. Some even sound quite noisy.

Recently I moved to another apartment, and my 901s are dead. Something just isn't right. The Yanni CD sounds awful--the base is rumbling and the high unclear. My other music CDs are just OK at the best. I tried to move the speakers around (not much room to move anyway) and it didn't help.

I am starting to realize why some people give these speakers 5 stars and some just 1 star. I would give them 5 stars in the old apartment and 3 stars in the new apartment. These speakers may be small by themselves. But when you read the manual, they require so much, and not too much, space around them. They are direct/reflect speakers, which means that your room is your speaker.

My point? If you bought a pair of 901s and they don't sound good in your room, don't be surprised--you are not alone. Just return them to the store--a convenience not available with the huge floor standing spkrs. I am keeping my 901s for now. Who knows how they will sound when I move again.

Open, spacious, full range sound. Expansive soundstage and natural reproduction.

Not compatible with other speakers.

I don't claim to be an audiophile or an expert. I am just someone who has listened to music (not a musician) since I was 14 (now 43) and have enjoyed the continued advancements midline (reasonably priced) audio has provided to the casual listener at over the years. I listen to a moderately extensive (1000 CD) classical music collection. I go to live concerts and I will sit in my home and seriously listen to an entire symphony from beginning to end and then change conductors to compare interpretations of the same piece.

I have been watching this site and it's various Bose threads for a while. I would assume that the basic benefit and purpose of this site is to provide accurate information to those who seek it. I am dismayed by the disservice to this goal some participants of this site provide.

I find laughable comments such as "sounds like garbage, junk, hated every minute of listening to them", etc. Didn't they audition them? How does a person make the statement "similar products used 301,501,601,701", and expect to be taken seriously. The contradiction in similar is apparent. It's a shame that these ill-informed types cause this product to fall into the "Hall of Shame category". There is nothing shameful about properly powered and set-up 901's.

Firstly, any audio system is only as good as it's weakest link. That weak link will exist in your home system just as it will in the Audio Shop's setup. Secondly, sound perception is subjective since our ears can not be calibrated alike. And thirdly, Bose 901's need correct setup and placement (like any speaker). I would suspect some of those who find error in the 901's sound reproduction don't have a clue as to what they were doing.

Case in point. After hearing my setup, two of my friends gleefully bought 901's. Each called me to tell me they sounded like garbage. When I visited each I found the following. The first setup did not have the EQ engaged. It was looped improperly since my friend's pre-amp (Adcom GFP 750) is the same as mine and does not have a true tape loop. The tape outputs disengage when tape is selected as a source. Solution put the EQ in the output line. Sound degradation? None that we could perceive when compared to the CD player being the direct source into the EQ and the EQ output into the pre-amp CD input. If CD is your only source, connecting the CD output into the EQ then the EQ output into the pre-amp CD input works also.

My second friend had both is 901's backed up into heavy floor to ceiling draperies and he was using a 100 watt Onkyo receiver for classical music reproduction. I don't need to say more.

As far as natural sound and testing the capability of the speaker, if you find a shop that has a good set up you of course need to bring your own music. If you want to test dynamic range, tonal quality and everything else, I would suggest the following (not for any particular historic value, not all inclusive, not for anything else except this is what I've used for stressing and maximizing the sound reproduction in a store).

1. Camille Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 "Organ". (the music from Babe the pig movie) Telarc is a good recording. This music contains a full-enhanced orchestra, piano four hands, triangle, cymbals, bass drum and organ. Listen to the organ's low pedals (it's not a boom as many expect bass to be), then go listen to a real organ's low pedals. Now go and listen to a live performance of that symphony. Guess what. The 901's reproduce it the best (you do need huge amounts of power to reproduce the dynamic range of this piece). You can A/B that piece all day long and if you compare it to live, the 901's are the closest (caveat, I'm taking about 901's as compared to others in the same price range, and supplied proper power and set up optimally)

Also Mahler 1 or 8, Berlioz Requiem, Bruckner 4 or 8 give you dynamic range.

2. Beethoven's Wellington's Victory. Again Telarc for the recordings sonic qualities. It contains digitally recorded Cannons and Muskets as the backdrop against an orchestra.

3. Listen to some Verve reissues of Ella Fitzgerald such as her jam sessions with Count Basie, Duke, Nelson, Oscar. Listen to the tonal qualities in her voice against the musicians. Most of these takes were live, or one/two take jam sessions. Some of them you feel you are in the studio or club and she is right in front of you with the boys behind. Listen to the percussionist's brushes and stick hitting the metal and skin. These are not audiophile CD recordings but rather budget CD reissues of 1960's master tapes. Again in A/B only the 901's gave me that you are there feeling and IMHO the most natural sounding voice and instrumentals.

4. A recording of Puccini's Turandot will give you the mix of chorus vocals against full orchestra or just about any good opera recording that you are familiar with.

5. Listen to Jackie Dupre (or any favorite Cellist) playing Elgar's Cello Concerto and then listen to a real cello. Again guess who produces the best resonance?

6. Gets some Haydn, Handel or Mozart. Treat yourself to a concert first then listen to the speakers.

Are these the best speakers in their price range? No, yes, maybe. It's all subjective to the listener, but please don't tell people they are garbage unless you have properly set them up and you know the music media that you are listening to as compared to live listening, whether it be classical, jazz or rock.

Equipment:

Pre-amp - Adcom GFP
Amp - Adcom 5802
DVD- Denon DVD-5000
Tuner - Onkyo Integra T-9090 II
Power Conditioner - Monster Power 3500
Interlinks - Kimber Heros

Similar Products Used:

(not used but rather A/B) Paradigm, KEF, B&W, ADS, JBL, KLIPSH

size, cost

I bought a pair of series II back in '76 and enjoyed them. Then I remembered back in my teenage years of a friend who owned a pair of JBL L-100's that I really liked, so I sold the 901's and bought a pair of JBL L-166's. I was in heaven, until my buddy insisted his 901's were superior. To prove him wrong, we set up a test on the flight deck of the ship we were on, using a Sansui 9090 receiver to power the speakers, his on A, mine on B. He put my JBL's on first, and they sounded great! Then he switched over to the 901's, series III, and I was in for quite a shock, as the 901's put the JBL's to shame.
This was back in '76, and since then have bought the Bose 901 series I, so I'll never have to worry about foam rot. Try then on for size before buying anything else. You can read everyones reviews on how these sound better than those, but only your ears will know which ones are best. Check them out.