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Bose 901 Series VI


T_Shomaker

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" Without it -- there ain't no treble at all."

Even with it they are soft on the high end.

Depending upon the music you are listening to it might not be much of an issue but if they do double duty for video as well their soft top end if very apparent on sound effects.

They do throw a very 'big' sound but it is fairly diffuse and they are colored speakers. Sometimes the colorations really enhance the particular music, sometimes it doesn't.

For their price I definitly think there are better speakers to be had. If that 'big' sound is something a person desires look into bi-polar speakers or Mirages omni-polar speakers.

Shawn

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I once had a pair of the Series II with a newer EQ box. If you want a room filled with concert sound stage, the 901 will do it. I fired them up with an Adcom 555II and it seemed that I could play them as loud as I wanted in my basement with little awareness of how much damage was being caused to my ears. Seriously. They can sure fill a space if you set them up right with a wall off which to bounce the sound. BUT, they are not for the discrimiating listener who likes an intimate presence. They would be great for a billiard room hanging from the ceiling, a popular positioning. In fact, they are great for professional setups.

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On 12/14/2003 10:38:18 AM T_Shomaker wrote:

I'm trying to find out for my step dad because he wants to go to the Bose store and perhaps buy them.

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Your Heresys are a much better sounding speaker than the Bose 901 in my opinion. Your stepfather can pick up two nice pair of Heresys on eBay for what he's planning to spend on the Bose.

Or he could go with a pair of Klipsch Cornwall's as mentioned previously. I think they completely blow doors on the 901's.

Either of these options would be a better solution compared to buying Bose. This is my humble opinion.

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On 12/14/2003 1:00:58 PM BigBusa wrote:

Any of you guys actually heard bose 901's? I went to one of their outlets out of curiousity and was really impressed with the 901's sound. They certainly didn't suck. Maybe it was the equipment they were being powered with ...maybe it was the room acoustics or maybe it was something else altogether but they sounded good to my ears. Not Khorn good but still not bad.

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Yes I owned a pair of series VI for a month. I didn't care for them at all. I sold them and bought a pair of Heresy to go with my Cornwalls.

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I bought a pair of Bose 901 VI at a pawn shop in 1999 for $450. I powered them with an onkyo M-501 power amplifier (150 wpc) and they were impressive for the volume they put out relative to their size.

True, they have a 'big' sound, but it is an odd phase-shifted kind of sound. They are also sluggish with transients too. They do LOUD really well, but I was always fiddling with the EQ box too much trying to get the right sound. They were fatiguing to listen to for long periods. My friends, however, were always impressed that I had Bose. I kept looking longingly at the 300+ wpc 'space heaters' and thinking they would finally deliver the right sound to the 901's. In addition to that, the EQ box in itself presents some logistical problems that interfere with the speaker's versatility.

Last May I got to hear Cornwalls after I bought a pair to use in my church. My eyes were opened to good sound, and I found myself taking my music collection there to listen to. The 901's didn't sound interesting in comparison.

I had to have Cornwalls for my home system, and last Septempber I got them. The Bose are going to be for sale soon.

I would never own them again. For $1300 have your father locate something else (if he's patient he can score Khorns for that much.. certainly he could score a pair of Cornwalls much cheaper). If he is set on Bose speakers, at least have him get them off Ebay. Who knows, he might score mine.

my $.02

Forrest

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I rember back in the day when I heard some 901's powered by a Phase linear 700b at tech hifi in Dedham Mass.

I thought then they were the best speaker amp combo I had ever heard.

Then I went to the Music Box in Wellesley Mass and listend to the mighty Khorns powered then By soild state mcintosh.

I never looked back.

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The 901 VI's are the one good and not too overpriced product Bose makes. I have had a pair since 1988 and they continue to please. Good clarity, good bass and excellent dispersion.

People love to bash Bose and with some reason. Their acoustimass-type multichannel systems have no low bass and are grotesquely overpriced for what you get. Their Wave and Wave/CD radios are also ridiculously overpriced (I have a Wave radio). Bose prices high, allows no discounting, and markets the heck out of its product line.

The 90l's are the one exception, in my view. I also have a pair of 2003 Klipschorns. Of course the KHorns blow the Boses away in the clarity and impact department. As indeed they should, being priced five times as much. The Khorns replasced my 901's but I continue to uses the latter in an exercise room.

Because of need to be used with their dedicated equalizer, you should buy 901's only of you are going to use them in a pure stereo installation. You could use them in a multichannel home theater setup only if your receiver has pre-out, main-in jacks on the respective channels.

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"The 901 VI's are the one good and not too overpriced product Bose makes. "

Like 10 or 15 years ago I had bought a pair of 201s and using a trade in option went to 301s then the AM system (5 or 7... whatever was the top dog at the time) and then the 901 VIs. My goal had been to work up to the 901s by moving up the line which I did.

Out of all of them I think the 201s were the best of the bunch based on dollars for sound and really the best balance of the bunch. The 301s had a little bit deeper bass but not as good of a treble. The AM system just gave me headaches so I didn't have that long at all and quickly traded it back in for the 901s. After working up to the 901s I had them in my system for about 2 weeks... then I returned them and got my money back.

" You could use them in a multichannel home theater setup only if your receiver has pre-out, main-in jacks on the respective channels."

Good point, that is definitly something to keep in mind. They will also work with a seperates system of course since the EQ can be added between the L/R outs of the pre-pro to the amps.

BTW, if anyone is looking for that multiple single driver type of sound check out:

http://calcube.com/

A friend of mine reviewed the original California Cube (four drivers on a single side) and was pretty impressed with them. They have a very small sweet spot though as the treble is very directional.... as would be expected as the drivers are beaming at those frequencies.

Shawn

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I actually owned the 901 Series V for several years. They did double duty as a home speaker, and as a main speaker in my mobile DJ service. They worked out very well in the DJ capacity, as you could throw any amount of clean power at them and they could fill a large hall very easily when well positioned and elevated.

However, I found that as home speakers, they left alot to be desired. They might sound every bit as good as other speakers in their price range when set up correctly in the propper room. These are tremedously particular speakers as far as set up goes. However, even when set up right, they did not sound as good as other speakers I've owned, my current RF-7's included.

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