Bose 901 vs Klipschorn

[JTA]

LOL @ Bose and the imbecile that wrote the review on Eopinions.

"Bose does not seem to take too kindly to many of the tactics some high end stores use to sell audiophiles overpriced gear."

As many of us know, Bose is the worst offender when it comes to this kind of thing. Marketing, marketing, marketing. You have to give Bose credit though, they make a lot of money off of some of the worst and most overpriced equipment available in their genre.

Comparing the 901 to the Klipschorn is absurd. What is next? Star Jones is hotter than Rebecca Romain?

[sunnysal]

anyone idiot says the 901 does not sound as good as a k-horn has obvioulsy never heard it with the right upstream equipment, the right amp and the right room! you need the following as a minimum:

source

amp

room

anyone who does not meet these strict criteria does not know what the hell he is talking about!

tony

[tillmbil]

Oops...having cordless mouse problems.

[TBrennan]

"Also, it's not a horn. It's a DUCTED PORT tuned to a specific frequency."

I'd say a transmission line.

[3dzapper]

Tony, you are doing that Stromberg Carlson a disservice.

Rick

[Mallette]

>Oops...having cordless mouse problems.

Figured you were making a run at "No Life" status. :-).

dave

[kev313]

Paul - You've probably just haven't heard the 901s with a SET amp.

[Parrot]

Is that what they need?

[KungFuNat]

notice how hes owned every single model of bose speaker.... written in true fanboy style.

BUT, i will absolutely agree with him that if someone is happy with the sound, so be it.. now if someone asks me what my opinion is as a BOSE employee whos seen and heard just about everything they have to offer, ill tell them exactly what i think... usually they cant beleive what im saying, then i give them a listen to the cornwalls.. MUAHAHAHAHAHA

little inside info: bose doesnt even use their own speakers as recording studio monitors, they have them custom made with no-name because people used to ask questions as to why bose used other speaker brands in the recording studios..

[Seadog]

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On 5/5/2005 6:06:40 PM Mallette wrote:

My butt sounds better than 901's. At least it is a horn...

Dave

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"And the leader made a trumpet of his ***." (from Dante's Inferno).

Perhaps they could use some 901's in Hell!

[Klipschfoot]

I had a pair of the 901 Series II once with the EQ. Now my basement room is small and I could not turn them up enough - the sound was deceptively high db. I once heard/saw a stage performance of two acoustic/electirc guitarists and I was amazed at the ability of the commercial version of the 901 to fill the stage with sound. The 901 is what it is - room filling sound that you will be challenged to over-drive, regardless of the amp. Excellent party speakers, IMO.

If I had an opportunity to buy another pair cheap, I'd pounce. I regret selling mine, actually. They can fill a room effortlessly with a good amp. Imaging and critical listening - NO! Voluminous good sound - YES!

Bose-bashers can bash the el-cheapo mass market stuff all they want. I will echo sentiment. But, the 901 stands on its own.

[TBrennan]

The only guy I knew who owned 901s was a cheap bugger who always wanted to smoke my pot and never had any of his own.

[Deang]

Why, a friend with weed is a friend indeed!

901's do sound pretty good when you're stoned.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

When I was a kid, my dad had a set of 601's and I thought they were the bomb. I heard 901's in the store and they were an unobtainable legend to us teeny boopers.

Then at the age of 19 I bought a set of JBL studio monitors (I wanted Heresys but could not afford them). I then discovered imaging! It is amazing that when you fire the drivers toward the listening position that the speakers can actually image. The whole "direct reflecting" theory is just plain wacked. Music is mixed with two speakers, not mixed to be bounced off of the walls. I will never go back to Bose. Teh 901's have a mellow sound with lots of warm bass but cannot stand up to any critical listening.

 

[ben.]

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On 5/5/2005 11:04:16 PM TBrennan wrote:

The only guy I knew who owned 901s was a cheap bugger who always wanted to smoke my pot and never had any of his own.

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Hmmm.. never owned 901s, but sorry, man; sometimes times are tough!

[Woodog]

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On 5/5/2005 10:31:08 PM Klipschfoot wrote:

The 901 is what it is - room filling sound that you will be challenged to over-drive, regardless of the amp. Excellent party speakers, IMO.

If I had an opportunity to buy another pair cheap, I'd pounce. I regret selling mine, actually. They can fill a room effortlessly with a good amp. Imaging and critical listening - NO! Voluminous good sound - YES!

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I live near and work at a college, and you've given me the perfect marketing angle to sell my 901's to a nearby frat house. I won't have to lie on Ebay and the frat brothers will get something nice that they can really use.

Thanks!

Woo

[DTLongo]

I have posted on this before. See slightly edited repeats, below.

My 901 Series VI's still see service upstairs in an exercise room while my Khorns anchor a home theater below. The 901's still sound pretty good, exciting even, with impresssive imaging, clarity and bass. Everything said below still is true to my fairly well experienced 63 y.o. ears.

(begin repeats, dating back to 2003)

(post)

I know Bose-bashing is de rigeur here, and I do share the view that most Bose is grotesquely overpriced for what you get. But I don't know many people (any) who own both Bose 901 VI's AND Klipschorns, so I do think I am uniquely qualified to make the remarks below.

The 901 Series VI is a pretty good speaker, probably the best thing Bose makes in terms of value versus price. Their other stuff is grotesquely overpriced (gotta pay for all that marketing).

I owned a pair of 901 Series III's in the 1970's. Those little drivers running full range "gargled" on difficult program material played loud, e.g., the Zarathrusa "2001" theme. Got transferred, sold those, and in 1988 picked up a pair of 901 Series VI's that I still have and which I believe are still the current version of the 901's. I don't know how Bose did it, but they somehow fixed the "gargle" problem.

My pair of 2003 Klipschorns replaced the 901's that year. Of course there are differences. Of course the Khorns have their ability to play very loudly with astounding clarity. But the 901's, which I now have in an exercise nook upstairs, still hold their own and sound pretty good.

"hink twice about selling yours. If I were you I would try to keep them and use them in a secondary system in your home."

(post)

I never had a pair of Bose 901 Series I or II's. As I recall from the literature and pictures, they were a sealed very inefficient box even if they looked nice with their unique rather angular, modern squared-off shape. The Series III's and later have a more rounded shape, still very attractive.

I purchased my Series III's through AAFES around 1977 while serving abroad at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest. When they arrived, one of the little drivers was rattling around in the enclosure! I remounted and wired it and both sets of speakers worked fine.

The III's were the first 901 with the complicated molded-plastic ported enclosure. Efficiency was fine, they operated well with modest power. The "gargling" I mentioned before was noticeable on some material with sustained heavy bass and delicate treble at the same time, e.g., "Zarathrusa." But it was unnoticeable on most material.

The 901 III's replaced a couple of classic Large Advents, themselves no slouches particularly in the bass. I still have them in storage as back-up speakers. A nice speaker.

I was truly impressed by the bass capability of those 901 III's. Deep, real and solid, to my ear, reminiscent of AR-2a's and AR-3's I used to lust over in college in the early 1960's but never could afford. After I sold the III's I truly missed them in that respect, which was one reason why I purchased my Series VI's in 1988.

The VI's retained that impressive bass, plus seemed clearer overall without "gargling." I ran them in a large Embassy apartment while I was posted to Ankara, Turkey. In that room with about a 40'long wall, it was a pleasure to walk from corner to corner across the faces of the speakers without any dimunition in the treble and overall sound balance at all, thanks to the reflected-dispersion effect.

Again, I am jaundiced like many of you over the price versus value situation re Bose, e.g., for all their Acoustimass and small-cube systems and their Wave radios. Those are grotesquely overpriced for what you get. But I submit that the 901 VI's, and the much more modest 301 bookshelf speakers (that I have also owned), arguably are an exception.

(post)

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.

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.

[Parrot]

DTLongo,

You make a good point about the differences between the several series of Bose 901s.

[Mick Bell]

I've owned both Klipschorn and Bose 901. Still have Klipsch (Belle and LaScala). Reluctantly parted with my corner horns 20 yrs ago when I was moving every few years with the Air Force. I'm now in the market for a nice pair of Klipschorns. As for the Bose....interesting concept, good try, but I've never looked back.

Mick

[Rick Chandler]

I have both Klipsch cornwall IV’s and 901’s together in a large room with furniture. The Bose are driven with a 750wpc Sonamp and the Klipsch with a 225wpc Parasound. I mostly listen to classic rock & roll at moderate volume and they sound good together. The Bose add the base that the Cornwalls lack and the Cornwalls make-up or hide every the Bose lacks or does poorly. I also have KEF Q-950’s with the big KEF base in my bedroom and enjoy good musical & movie sound.