Guy says he'll give me his Bose 901's if my speakers outperform...

[dtel]

Im not going to do it. I just wanted yall to see it. Pretty funny. He actually emailed me his phone number asking me to call. He acted surprised.

Call him and tell him to sign up here, sounds like he would fit in, just the wrong brand.

[beeker]

I once sat with 901's sitting around and in the way everyday wondering how i can get some klipsch speakers out of them. it was tough . i had to get the klipsch stuff first before i could persuade anybody to carry my 901's out of my house. they still owe me $125. the vintage rotel amp i through in surely helped him carry them out though. i miss that amp

[twistedcrankcammer]

sounds like a "lose, lose" to me...

I agree, for gods sake you might win them and who would want them anyhow????

Roger

[WolfsBane]

The 901s that I remember were clear back from the late 1970s, early 1980s. At the time, they were very decent speakers with an innovative idea, (direct/reflect technology). I used to remember guys who owned them having some problems with quality, though a lot of speakers at that time did. I also remember that though they were decent, that they did not sound as good as the JBLs of that era for small or bookshelf speakers.

[Audio Android]

I also remember that though they were decent, that they did not sound as good as the JBLs of that era for small or bookshelf speakers.

I can agree to this and vouch that it's correct. I have VI series 901's(free from neighbors) and JBL j2080's= 8"woofer and Ti tweeters. The JBL's were 150$ a pair I think, and have a much flatter frequency response, clearer highs and deeper bass, just not as fast and tight, but much better at lower volumes......The 901's only beat them in the area of high SPL dynamics. They distorted less in the low frequencies at high volume. I should mention the low frequencies aren't very low either. The 901's have a very small window of peak performance. They are kind of like a small cubic inch motor that can rev really high, you need to keep the rpm's/volume up(not to low but not to loud either) for them to perform. The JBL's that were 1000$ cheaper just sound better at everyday volume, and give them a d@mn good run for their money at high volume where the Ti tweeter in the JBL shines above the Bose, but all those little woofers make the 8" woofer sound muddy and slow at high volume. What the 901's really need are two tweeters on top and a 12" or 15" below. It's really just a big mid woofer box. The high's aren't high enough and the lows aren't low enough. They do work really well for mid frequency percussion instruments like congas though......Thats what the 901 is a mid field conga monitor..........The fact that a 150$ pair of speakers should ever be even close in performance if not better in many ways, shows a huge lack of engineering savy on bose part.......And I forgot to mention all my tests were done with the back of the 901's facing me........you know where 90% of the sound comes from in those speakers..........Now maybe in a certain room with a bigger/better amp the Bose may have been a more clear victor. But from where I'm sitting........JBL!!!.....Then I bought Klipsch KG4.2's.....[G].....The 901's don't even come close.

[steve]

for F**** Sakes, would someone that lives close to this guy go help him out? Obviously, he's not strong enough to carry the Bose to the dumpster, and has been planning this move for some time! Anyone got a pair of Visoniks behind their El Camino seats??

[plutamodo]

so if you lose, aren't you worried he'll give you two pair of Bose? I mean, it has to be something worse than what you get for winning, right?

[dtximages]

Yeah I was almost more worried about winning than losing.

[leftwinger57]

I'm 60 and I clearly remember when they hit and hit big. The best pairing I heard w/ these was w/ a Marantz 20xx series and the Boses were hung at slight angles.The instruction book clearly said Not to place them in the corners even though that's exactly were they look like they belong. There was more don'ts in this book then positive placement that's got to make you wonder wwhere will they work. I think when polled the response was they were the hardest speaker to get that sweet spot or the perfect placement. Also to hit at that time was a favorite of mine.My roomate got a McIntosh 2105, C-28,Dual 1229 tt and those ESS HEIL AMT1s I think. those sounded great in our living room. The 901s not so much. As for the shoot out forget it.

[CaptnBob]

I'm reminded of my theatre tech days. We had a performer come in with a quartet of Bose 800s (the PA version of the 901, with 8 speakers per cabinet facing the audience.) We had a house system which consisted (I think) of stacked LaScalas. He wanted to use his own system, which I felt would be a bit outsized by our 1,200 seat hall. I offered the Klipsches driven off his own Crown DC-300. He said he was certain the 800s would sound better, but just to humor me, he'd give them a try.

We switched back and forth between the two systems for a few times, until one of my students came back to me and said, "You're really rubbing his face in it, aren't you?"

He came back to play at the college several times, but he never again even bothered to unload his Bose 800s.

As long as I've got the Wayback warmed up ... back in the early 1970s, the Boston area Klipsch dealer, the Music Box, had a set of 901s in their showroom which Mr. Bell would "A-B" with the Heresies, Cornwalls and K-horns. Bose, which after all was a local company, got wind of it and sued him. They not only made him cut out the comparisons, but he had to keep a notebook prominently displayed in the music room explaining the lawsuit, why he lost, and why Bose products weren't as bad as they seemed.

This was when Bose advertising leaned heavily on "testimonials" from people who had traded in their Patricians, VOTTs and Hartsfields for 901s.

[CaptnBob]

I should add, this sounds like something, if you decide to follow through on, you should bring a couple of friends - big friends, friends with baseball bats. Be careful.

[CaptnBob]

I should add, this sounds like something, if you decide to follow through on, you should bring a couple of friends - big friends, friends with baseball bats. Be careful.

[artto]

"Guy says he'll give me his Bose 901's if my speakers outperform.."

What kind of a challenge is that?

And what are you going to do with the 901's? You having a bonfire party or something?

[8-)]

[jdm56]

I know it seems to give people much pleasure to pee on Bose with every opportunity, and that's OK. It appears to be some kind of rite of passage as one ascends the audiophile ranks. At least, that's how it reads to me.

But. I have owned cornwalls ('85-'93), klipschorns ('98-'03) and La Scala II's ('07-'08). Plus, I had a pair of HII's for a while that I used only as surround speakers, and a single belle that I used for a center channel with the k-horns. I don't have any of them now. What I do have is a pair of Bose 901's that I have been enjoying since 2009. And while I'm not saying my 901's would sound better than _ _ _ _ _ _ in your room, (fill in the blanks with whatever you care to.) they do sound better -to me- and -in my room- than everything else I've had in there. In fact, the room they are in is the same room I last had the k-horns in before I gave up on them and sold them.

Another "but"...but klipschorns remain one of my all-time favorite speakers, along with the Bose 901. In fact, I would say the best sound I ever heard come out of a pair of speakers was coming out of a pair of klipschorns. Paul Simon's "Graceland" in 1986 at Flip's Stereo in St. louis. "Wow" pretty much somes it up.

So the moral of my little story, if there is one, is that you can't divorce the speaker from the room. What sounds wonderful in one room can sound horrible in another.

Now you have my 2 cents worth on this subject, and it didn't cost you a dime. []

[Boxx]

I know it seems to give people much pleasure to pee on Bose with every opportunity, and that's OK. It appears to be some kind of rite of passage as one ascends the audiophile ranks. At least, that's how it reads to me.

But. I have owned cornwalls ('85-'93), klipschorns ('98-'03) and La Scala II's ('07-'08). Plus, I had a pair of HII's for a while that I used only as surround speakers, and a single belle that I used for a center channel with the k-horns. I don't have any of them now. What I do have is a pair of Bose 901's that I have been enjoying since 2009. And while I'm not saying my 901's would sound better than _ _ _ _ _ _ in your room, (fill in the blanks with whatever you care to.) they do sound better -to me- and -in my room- than everything else I've had in there. In fact, the room they are in is the same room I last had the k-horns in before I gave up on them and sold them.

Another "but"...but klipschorns remain one of my all-time favorite speakers, along with the Bose 901. In fact, I would say the best sound I ever heard come out of a pair of speakers was coming out of a pair of klipschorns. Paul Simon's "Graceland" in 1986 at Flip's Stereo in St. louis. "Wow" pretty much somes it up.

So the moral of my little story, if there is one, is that you can't divorce the speaker from the room. What sounds wonderful in one room can sound horrible in another.

Now you have my 2 cents worth on this subject, and it didn't cost you a dime.

Well expressed opinions are always welcome here. Thanks for sharing yours.

[jdm56]

Thanks. It's been quite a while since I last visited the klipsch forums. Ya know, I've tried lot's of audio forums over the last few years, and I have to say this one is among the best, in my humble opinion. That's taking into consideration everything from the knowledge base of users to the look and feel of the forums and the moderation. Another favorite of mine is the Steve Hoffman forums, although the moderation there can be a bit heavy-handed at times.

Sorry for straying from the OP's subject. As a Bose 901 fan I should be used to being the Rodney Dangerfield of the audio world. We get no respect. [] Speaking of the Op's subject, the whole deal sounds weird to me, but then my view is probably warped by some of the horror stories you hear. Like the pregnant gal who sold a dog online and when they came to get it, they cut her baby out of the womb, stole it, and left her for dead. Little things like that tend to stay with you. [^o)]

[Vital]

I know it seems to give people much pleasure to pee on Bose with every opportunity, and that's OK. It appears to be some kind of rite of passage as one ascends the audiophile ranks. At least, that's how it reads to me.

I think the reason audiophiles dislike Bose is because of the cheap cube systems made with $2 parts that they sold for thousands of dollars. They were ripping people off, plain and simple. The 901 was a pretty decent sounding speaker and it's not why people dislike the company.

[Mighty Favog]

I dunno.... I never liked the sound of 901's since the first day I heard them. Even with some massive amps...

[jdm56]

I can't really comment on the Acoustimass systems as I've never owned one or even heard one other than brief store demos. I will say that in my brief auditions I thought they sounded pretty good for what they are. That's about as far as I'll go on that subject, other than to say that all else being equal, small enclosure size, full range drivers and no crossover can be good things, sonically. Of course, all else is almost never equal. [^o)]

As far as the 901's, I've always liked them. To me, they just sound more like live music. Of course, that can be good or bad, too. The best way I've found to put the 901 experience into perspective is this: If you think of the klipschorn as a front row speaker, the 901 would be a row 20 speaker. I'm sure most klipsch fans prefer the front row, but I generally like to be back a bit. I don't see it as a right or wrong argument, but more just a matter of preference. Besides, sometimes I like to move up closer to the front, too. []

[Escher]

Sorry for the ressurrect, but it would awesome for several members here to go together to this persons "challenge".

I'd say - take a set of La-Scalas and NO amp - just run them off the headphone out of you iphone.... Probably still louder... hehehehe....