Jump to content

Bose 901


dtximages

Recommended Posts

The bose do have their applications though....There really is no APEX center of the soundstage...you can walk around the room with little discernible difference in sound quality......The Aplication that GLA was useing them for was to kinda fill in the holes .....I think the 901's would be great if you had alot of people at a party , or I would even try them as surrounds in an HT application.................Anyway MY Heresies are anything but "mere".[;)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 129
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I've held back from this string because Bose-bashing (with some justification) is de rigeur for many folks here. But what the heck. As perhaps one of the very few if not the only one using BOTH Klipschorns (2003 models) and Bose 901 Series VI's, I think I know whereof I speak.

No, I haven'r A/B'd them directly with each other in the same room. And yes, the Klipschorns at high volume will blow away the 901's with the Khorns' effortless high clarity.

BUT, at anywhere up to moderately high volumes the 901's hold their own. They are quite easily listenable, with an honest bass down to around 40hz or so. They are light years beyond (better) than the micro-cube plus (non)-subwoofer Acoustimass-type modules Bose overprices yet hypermarkets so successfully. The 901 VI's are, indeed, a good stereo pair of speakers, and are still in production at some $1400 per pair.

Plus, I have had my pair of 901's since 1988, and they look and sound as good as new. No cone rot, etc. They are durable beasts, as compared to a pair of classic Large Advents I hAve whose woofer surrounds totally rotted and the woofers had to be replaced.

The 901's are in a back-up computer bedroom office I use when my main computer in the larger Klipschorn living room goes down or I am backing up files on the other machine. So, I don't listen now to the 901's terribly often, but when I do, I still smile.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"So, I don't listen now to the 901's terribly often, but when I do, I still smile."

I like how you phrased that. They struck me on an emotional rather than intellectual level, too. The Klipschorns do that as well, as do our Lowthers, so for me I'm not sure I look at this in the sense of one being universally better than the other. They are different, and all three can sound awesome. I've not heard the 901s in our own house though, and that might be a completely different story. However, that would be an application problem, not necessarily an example of inferior speaker design.

Erik

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My wife had a pair of original 901s when we got married. These speakers were no match in any way to my Khorns. We put the Bose in another room, set up exactly as prescribed in the manual. I could not stand to be in that room when the 901s were on. The sound from these boxes can only be described as a crime against sound reproduction. The early reflections off the walls smeared the transient attack and caused comb filtering which created a wierd sort of "phaseyness" to the sound.

Around that time these Bose were popular sellers, mostly to people unfamiliar with truly good sound. Many were installed in bars and restaurants in our area. We would go into a restaurant and a short time after we arrived I would start to feel uncomfortable for no apparent reason. Then I would look up and see the reason... right there on the speakers ... BOSE. I had an open bet that I could be blindfolded, led into a room with 901s and other speakers present, and identify when the 901s were switched on. I never lost a bet.

People would just be raving about these audio atrocities, so I would invite them over. I would play the music of their choice, first on the Khorns, then on the Bose. I dare say that during that time I was responsible, due to these demos, for more Klipsch sales than the dealers in the area were.

The direct/reflecting design of the 901 is fundamentally flawed. and making the enclosures of plastic and using a vented alignment won't help a bit. When I hear one of these pieces of **** today I still experience a strong feeling of something not being right, of something being very wrong. Tests run by PWK and others have shown very high levels of distortion and lowered intelligibility compared to most other designs.

Of course, I am spoiled. Listening to Khorns for 40 years tends do that to you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

im glad i posted this thread because its very entertaining because so many of my friends believe the commercials and agree that bose is really the premier loudspeaker. I mean they have to be great because they heard a Cadilac with a bose system one time and were surprised... by something, idk what.

anyway for those who are mad that I posted this on the klipsch website, you really didnt have to read it or post on it, and it is directly related to Klipsch. The purpose is not to bash bose, as fun as it can be, rather the thread is intended to compare and discuss a common "misconception" or "flat wrongness" that Klipsch owners GENERALLY believe to be true regarding the hype around bose speakers.

I dont really like to bose bash, i like to talk about actual comparisons and thats what I wanted to do here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I too am glad for this thread and a great forum on which to discuss topics such as this.........In my teen years I remember thinking that the 901's were the apex of hifi...and so did my peers. My favorite uncle had a pair and I still get very nostalgic about them..........many flavors to life, the kentucky derby wouldn't be much fun if only one horse was running. Set up properly I still think the 901's fill a niche and can be very enjoyable.........I prefer the klipsch sound.in most cases......but hey , i also like a nice pickled tongue on rye ....... Just my cup of tea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree; he best thing is to A~B whatever you have questions about.

A friend owns a music store and went into partnership with someone to produce small PA speakers. Played them for me. They got real loud. So I brought him an HI to compare with. While his speaker seemed to sound OK when auditioned, it sounded like pure crap when A~B'ed with the HI.

Currently, there is a Bose PA system that is all the rage with some local DJ's. These are the same folks who think mp3 files sound as good as vinyl. Nuff said.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree; he best thing is to A~B whatever you have questions about.

A friend owns a music store and went into partnership with someone to produce small PA speakers.  Played them for me.  They got real loud.  So I brought him an HI to compare with.  While his speaker seemed to sound OK when auditioned, it sounded like pure crap when A~B'ed with the HI.

Currently, there is a Bose PA system that is all the rage with some local DJ's.  These are the same folks who think mp3 files sound as good as vinyl.  Nuff said.

Well Anyone who says "SOMBODY SCREAMMMMMM" 30 times during a song must know what they are talking about [:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well.... in any event, I boxed up the 901's, put them on eBay for what I had in them, hit the "sell" button, and they sold before I could pour a cup of coffee and return to the computer. I guess someone out there is happy.

It was interesting though. I was able to listen to a pair of 1968's and a pair of 2008's, and compare them to Klipschorns, Cornwalls,Heresy's, LaScala's, Forte's, garage boombox....

All said and done? In the IMHO department: For ~$1400 a pair, I can think of much better ways to spend that kind of money, as in a pair of H-III's and don't need an EQ unit. But, then again, I think that for their size, they would be great in a college dorm room (suspended from the ceiling away from students partying...), small bar, nightclub, restaurant, etc where you need a small "footprint" and the ability to just crank up the sound to weird levels if necessary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...