Bose 901

[BLSamuel]

what kind of speakers do you have ?and recommend?

i have a pair of jblm900's sitting in the cellar,also a/r m3 i don't use .when i sell the and my 2 custom built Klipsch sub wooffers im working on ,then i'll look into a pair of lascala's.tell you the truth if i can get the crossovers and drivers for cheap ,i mightbuild them myself. they look very simple.compared to other enclosures i have made.

[:$] my main speakers are a pair of simple 8" two way with soft dome tweeters I slapped together back in college... always been a fan of Klipsch products, just didn't think I could afford them in college, and then married, a baby ... then more of a spectator in hifi ... and woke up and realized I might want to uh, improve the sound around here while I can still hear but funding is non-existant the last couple of years... (was asleep or something when our finacance were more in order and could've spent some $$$, or overly medicated by my doctors - well, they do practice medicne) in due time.

Of all the speakers I've heard, Klipsch have been my favorites. Usually very good in the sound quality for the dollar$ depatment. I suspect it's the horn sound I like. They just sound right to me. Even our girls' i-Groove SXT iPod speakers sound "right" Not as right as a K-Horn or Heresy obvioulsy, but right . Klipschorns have long been my dream speakers ... still are, maybe, though in the not quite a home product, Jubilee incarnation. So, time to find some good used Klipsh on the cheap (REALLY CHEAP right now).... Mostly listen to music from mp3 using my Klipsch Custom 2 in ear headphone.... now that was something unexpected - the Legendary Sound Of Klipsch that fits in one ear (really fits in in the case of the Image X10 and even the Image X5) so I'm not totally deprived (depraved maybe ...)

[BEERbrooklyn]

i hate headphones.there is noyhing like feeling your chest jump during a bass drop.

[BLSamuel]

so ... what would I recommend? Not sure I answered that. Depends on preferences and budget.

At $200 to $300 I'd go for some used KG-4 (I've not heard but probably the speaker I should've scrounged and bought back in college) or Heresy 1 or 2. $400 to $500 maybe some Forte 1 or 2, Chorus 1 or 2, might even score some Cornwalls (a favorite of many) though $500 would be a real bargain if in good shape or nice Heresies. Around $900 I'd probably look for some nice used Cornwalls though maybe as low as $600 or LaScalas though I'd want to compare more and even beater LaScalas I think start around $700. Above that in cost some used LaScala or Klipschorns. The LaScalas or other morre "portable" models aslo have the advantage over a Klipschorn in that they can be hauled out to the patio for some outdoor tunage. Getting into new Heresy 3 range new ramge with good used Kliplschorns.. The reference series are very good as are the new Icon series. Out of my budget for now though I'd lean towards the Heritage models (I expand to include the Forte and Chorus) The synergy series actually sound very good for the money but I think Id lean towards the used Heritage models. Some pretty decent Heresies can be had starting for $300 sometimes even less, some really nice looking ones for around $600. The KLF models are also desired though I've not heard any personally. Can't really justify $200 to $300 right now so hoping to luck into some Heritage or KG for next to nothing..... could be fun to look and hopefully get things back on track and be able to spend a few bucks in the next few months but may be a couple of years....

[BLSamuel]

I don't really like headphones either but can't listen to music at work in our pen (4 person cube) environment. And the Klipsch models are a LOT more comfortable than anything resembling an ear bud or most all real in ear phones until you get to the custom molded ones. Especially the Image models. They're insanely small but sound rally big.

[BLSamuel]

they look very simple.compared to other enclosures i have made.

Don't be misled. They're a lot more complicated than they look. That said, you're probably more up to the task than I am and I have no idea what you've built. A lot of good information here on the Forum for home built LaScalas and even hybred LaScalas

Keep us posted.

edit: the folded bass horn makes LaScalas a bit more complicated then they might appear.... a lot simpler than a Klipschorn as it's bass horn is folded vertically and horizontally (there's a fancy term for that - can't recall at the moment and couldn't spell it if I did) - I've got too many projects around the home queued up ahead of such a project.....

[fenderbender]

Also Keep your eye's peeled to craigslist.....I'm amazed at what pops up for cheep from time to time........I passed on a pair of Forte's to a freind for $100 off CL....Have also seen nice La Scala's for $500....but these Items go fast!!!

Also, for the money Forte's are hard to beat especially if your into deep bass

FWIW I actually like 901's in the right situation........when you need a very large sound stage....say you are throwing a party and 15-20 people are milling around the 901's do a nice job of putting music in the whole room.......my wife has a pair of Bose 501 and swears by them...but then again her favorite artist is Celine Dion......good thing she knows how to" cook " (nudge nudge wink wink ) or I wouldn't be able to put up with her.......

[BEERbrooklyn]

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=257317447&albumID=1171309&imageID=11724108\

my sweetheart.There is more at ----brooklyn758@myspace.com

lets me know wat yous think.be easy on me,all i knew was bose,im trying.Can't afford them so i'll make them.

[Islander]

Can't afford them so i'll make them.

La Scalas are a bit complicated. See for yourself if this looks like an easy project:

[Islander]

To make a pair of La Scalas, you'd have to buy a pair of woofers, a pair of squawkers, a pair of tweeters and a pair of crossovers. Then you'd have to build the cabinets to factory spec. When you add it all up, buying second hand, even if you have to do some refinishing, looks like the cheaper and easier way to go. Here are the pieces needed to make a La Scala cabinet:

[Islander]

some1 said the lascala's lack base need a sub.How can that be if each has a 15"woofer.maybe the crossovers are not setup 4 bass?I know 15's in a house is a lot of woofer.should be a lot of bass.

In a direct-firing speaker, a 15" woofer should produce a lot of bass, but a horn-loaded woofer's bass response depends very much on the size of the horn. La Scalas are designed to be "relatively" portable, so their bass horns aren't large enough to produce really deep bass, although they do produce clear and powerful bass down to their design limit.

Bass horns that go really low are really huge. Here's a pair of horns that will go down to 30Hz. Would you want them in your living room?

[Islander]

Those 30Hz horns aren't just wide, they're long, too. This is why nearly all full-range horn speakers, even the $229,000 MAGICO Ultimate system, use a direct-firing speaker for the lowest bass range.

Avantgarde have a horn-loaded sub, but it's really huge and only suited to really big rooms. And if you have to ask how much it costs, well...

See for yourself at: http://www.avantgardeusa.com/basshorns.html

[BEERbrooklyn]

where can i get dimensions?model # of hardware?

Thanks guys for the help ,now i have to build them.Did you guys check out my sub10 and rt 10 i made? I picked up the rt19 woofer for 30 buc new off of ebay.im bidding now on a klipssch plate amp for it.

i got 2 brand new 8' for my rc-7 of ebay-30 bucs again.just got a 4.2 cross over and i also got a 10 and 1/2 inch klipsch horn for them iu mounted the horn on top of box facing down over my 61" hitachi.super speaker at low volumes .It over powers the 601's ,at low volume .but when i crank it its love a mathc made in heaven,

any prices for the hardware for the lascala's? any 1 have old horns or woofers {even if broken }i rebuilt 2 jbl 's in the past. had to refoam them.I'm pretty handy,sumtimes:}

Once again thank you 4 the support.You people are very friendly and intelligent.Don't find to many New Yorkers like that.

[jdm56]

OK, so I dredged this up from the vault. I just kinda stumbled on it.

Thing is, I actually have a room that nothing sounded good in but Bose 901's. Not klipschorns, not B&W 703's. And yet the 901's ROCK in there. Which is why I now use Bose 901's as my primary 2-channel speakers. Whassup wit dat?

[Cut-Throat]

I think you have to tell us about your Amplification and your room - and the music.

And if there were drugs and alcohol involved.

[Dennie]

It sounds like a problem with the room.

But if you're diggin' the 901's, that's what counts!

From Google...

The flagship 901 Direct/Reflecting stereo speakers bring the warmth,
power and excitement of a concert hall or movie theater to your home.
They create the mix of direct and reflected sound you hear in a live
performance, to deliver a listening experience that conveys much of the
emotion that only live music can evoke.901 speakers work by reflecting
most of the sound off walls and other flat surfaces, instead of aiming
all the sound toward you, as conventional speakers do. With
Direct/Reflecting speaker technology, anything you listen to - from the
latest DVD audio to your favorite vintage records - acquires lifelike
realism, because the speakers reproduce the natural concert hall balance
of direct and reflected sound.The result is the Stereo Everywhere
speaker performance - stereo performance that is clear and lifelike
everywhere in the room, instead of in just one "sweet spot." You'll
experience balanced sound throughout the listening environment, no
matter where you sit or stand.Just as you enjoy beautiful music
reproduction from these speakers, you can also experience thrilling home
theater effects from your home theater components. These speakers are
an appropriate choice for use with your surround sound receiver, and can
be used in conjunction with other Bose home theater speaker options.

Dennie

[Groomlakearea51]

It's the room, the beer, and..... oh well.... []

[Islander]

Here's a link showing the size of the Avantgarde Basshorn, relative to a shapely woman wearing high heels (or at least the outline of such a woman):

http://www.avantgarde-acoustic.de/basshorn-size-en.html

[jdm56]

I think you have to tell us about your Amplification and your room - and the music.

And if there were drugs and alcohol involved.

No drugs or alcohol...unless Nyquil and antihistamines count.

Amplification is an Adcom GFA5500 amp and an NAD C165BEE preamp. Sources are digital: CD's ripped to flac streamed wirelessly to a Slim Devices Squeezebox Classic whose analog out is fed to the pre, or CD's played on a Pioneer Elite DV47Ai dvd player or a TEAC CD-RW890 CD recorder.

I guess it will be obvious from the drawing that the room dimensions are less than ideal; especially considering the niche in one long wall. The dimensions are either too nearly the same or almost exactly double the room height.

When I had k-horns in there, they were in the corners flanking the niche. (The 901's are on the "left" short wall; placed in accordance to Bose' recommendations.) The horns were fine above 125 Hz but from there down they were bad, bad , bad. Too bass much here and no bass there. Moving the couch back against the opposite wall helped, but not enough. On top of the bass roughness, there was no life or sense of air in the room. The music sounded like it was mostly being absorbed by some invisible vacuum. My words to the wise: Avoid these dimensional relationships. It's not enough to simply have dimensions that aren't exactly the same. They must be mathematically dissimilar enough to ensure even spacing of room resonances.

This room is in our basement, so the floor is concrete. It is covered with thin office-style carpet w/ no pad. The walls and ceiling are all textured drywall. The room is 16x18.5x8.67', with a niche in one long wall 1.5' deep and 6' wide tapering to 3' wide. It looks kinda like this (drawing not to scale):

[leftwinger57]

Guys , I clearly remember growing up w/ the 901s coming out w/ the most intense advertiseing blitz I had ever seen. Their main competition as I remember were the East Coast Rectelinear 3 hiboys, Cambridge Audio and Advents not to mention Laffyette Criterion speakers. On the west coast there main competitor was JBLand Dalquist.. When the 901s came out they were paired with the Marantz 70000 line and that was a great match. The other selling point for the 901s was that you could hang them from the ceilings and never put them in dorm room danger. Of course we all know that the 9 drivers dry out and become a muddy mess unless rehabed which is not a cheap proposition.For me my favorite 70s speaker was the ESS HEIL AMT-----1t the one that had that pyramid shape....lw

[jdm56]

I had 901 IV's in the 70's which I sold after I moved to a place w/o a suitable room. Then I had ESS amt-1b's for a number of years. The ESS sounded "maaaahvelous, dahlings". I kept melting diaphragms in the amt, though, and then I blew a woofer. That's when klipsch entered the picture: a lovely pair of oak cornwall's in 1985 (that by the way, I should never have sold).

Speaking of 70's speakers and Bose 901 competition, remember the Design Acoustics speaker that was round, made of wood and had about umpteen drivers all over it? I guess the idea was to have an omni-directional radiator. It was designed to hang from the ceiling, too, I think. Shoot, lets just google the sucka...