BOSE 901 as never heard before! 

Jasper, I power my Bose 901s with Carver M1.0t amplifier. Also purchased in the late 80s. I absolutely love the combination and the sound.

@@aljames8777 I agree with you. Bose are one of the best speakers in the 80s and still using mine today. My Carver Power Amp is the same as yours and I love it.

olá sou brasileiro , moro na cidade de Recife , com muita sorte , estava em um local que vende coisas usadas e na parte de eletronico , vi um par do BOSE901. simplesmente fiquei paralisado . consegui comprar quase de graça . agora estou procurando um amplificador para poder ouvi lo com gosto

I get this similar feeling with 3-watt SET and Klipsch Forte IV's.

因為唔hi-if，最適合唱K，演講廳，BOSE整體物料造工都係普通，音箱用日系組合機類型喇叭箱，蔗渣板嘅音箱最音染但最響亮，不過太容易被時間洗禮，單元物料亦一樣，成個產品係以普通級基礎，再加以最強調整改良，第一次見到BOSE 301嘅高音單元，即時令人大跌眼鏡，不過事實上音場會比較飽滿，低音單元材料加上反射孔位置，整體來講唔可以當作hi-fi，主打禮堂、K場、大型活動等最適合不過。

But they are backwards to what everyone else has.. You are listening to 90% reflected energy vs direct energy…. Ir'a aupposed to be the other way around..

@@Oneness100 And if everyone jumped off a cliff you would too?

@@ecyfoto No.. I would rather educate myself as to why these people jumped off the cliff and to not make the same mistake as them. Seriously, get yourself educated, than buying into the Bose marketing hype.. The drivers they use in the Bose only go down to 83hz and only go up to 15,000hz…. you can get cheaper speakers that go down to 40 hz, which is what the lowest note on a 4 string electric bass plays. A kick drum on an average drum set is around 50hz to 60hz, which is below the capabilities of the Bose speaker driver. Now, is this starting to make sense? In an acoustically perfect room, you want to hear mostly direct sound, and less reflected sound…. WIth the Bose 901's, 8 of the drivers are pointing away from the listener and they are reflecting off the back wall, so with Bose 901's you're listening to reflected sound more than direct sound. now, is this starting to make sense? If it still doesn't make sense, then Houston, we have a problem So they lack the low end below 83hz and they lack the sparkle above 15,000hz. The raw drivers can be found for $35 a piece. Back 40 years ago, they were only $5 a piece.. Essentially pretty cheap speakers.. The cabinet is small. They have to rely on EQ to get any bass out of them and I still have not heard a pair with decent low end.. They had to create their own demo CD that was purposely mastered to sound good on a Bose in order sell them.. Friends of mine own an audio store and they had a Circuit City, now Best Buy is their biggest competitor, and Bose was sold at Circuit City and my friends would get customers all of the time asking for Bose specifically…. So, what did they do? They got a dealership to sell Bose and then instead of turning away brainwashed by marketing customers, they brought them into the store and before they bought anything, they would do a demonstration.. They'd take Paradigm speakers, which are made in Canada and they make a wide range of speakers. And they would have the Bose in the same room and they would go from the cheapest Paradigms, which were $200/pair Atom speakers all the way up the line of what Paradigm would have, and EVERY single Paradigm speaker sounded better than the Bose.. When they go to the Paradigm speaker that was at the same price point as the Bose, it would literally blow the Bose right out of being a competitor.. What would happen is only those that wanted Bose that would NOT even consider anything else, would buy their Bose speakers from my friends, and EVERYONE else would end up buying something else for the same amount or less money that sounded much better… They eventually gave up the dealership because they simply weren't selling that many Bose speakers because when they gave the customer a demo of other speakers they carried, costly less money, the customer would buy something else instead. Bose, stands for Better Off with Something Else… Have a great day…. And don't take it personally, which you are.

@@Oneness100 It’s people like you that make enjoying this hobby so difficult. Get a life, buddy and stop bullying me with your expertise. Merry Christmas

I'm surprised that comments create such vitriol.

You won't regret it

Bose and audiophile don't go together very well sadly

@@gianvitomarzulli9740 enough likes to have 50 years of manufacture.

@@gregsz1ful Enough likes? What does that mean. They produced the speakers for 48 years which has nothing to do with audiophiles. Audiophiles don't really care for Klipsch Herseys but they are still being produced.....64 years now.

because it is a unique construction and it works thanks to Prof. Bose

The reason we are still talking is because we can't believe how bad they sounded!...

i know Im randomly asking but does anyone know a way to log back into an Instagram account..? I somehow forgot the login password. I love any tricks you can give me

@Cain Jad instablaster ;)

Not many speakers made for 50 years.

You got sucked into the notion that reflected energy is better than direct energy. lReflected energy actually will smear the direct energy. you think it's better but it really isn't. But then most people have really badly designed/treated rooms for their home listening room, so most people don't even know what sounds good anymore. most consumers are pretty ignorant as to what "good sound" is. That's why a lot of stereo companies put a Loudness button on their receivers and most people would press it thinking it's better. Anyway, good luck if the 901's is what you like. But in terms of a high end speaker system, they are not.

I get it. I have heard plenty of speakers that have that cleaner crisp sound. I just fell in love with how they can give you that live stage performance experience.

This is nowhere near the proper implementation of Bose 901 speakers.

Sansui 5900z and same speakers sounds great.

Four 901s with Onkyo TX-8500 sounds great

hahaha 😂😂😂😂

When Bose introduced the new Acoustimass speakers in 1985, they set the cubes on top of 901's, covered with cloth. Everyone thought the music was from the 901's when it was actually coming from those tiny speakers. Very effective demonstration. But, I still bought the 901's. :)

So True!

Correct my first pair was in 1974 $525/pr with equalizer

Love the Phase Linear reference- as of 8/2023- am having a 700 Series 2 refurbished

funny...just read my comment from 2 yrs ago today....what I meant to say was my first pair were in 1974 (series II) at the age of 14....delivered newspapers, caddied and washed cars to pay back my dad....that pair of speakers blew away people at every party in college (driven by a Pioneer sx 1250....replaced the Pioneer with the Phase Linear around 2014 and although the Phase Linear did flame out around 2018...the 3 prs of 901's still are in our summer house...my wife prefers the 901's to my more contemporary system in our main house...when they are loud augmented with a sub it is hard to disagree with her

901's are 8 ohms btw.

@@suprgx472 2x 8ohm loads drive an amp into 4 ohms

@@peter12266 hooked up parallel, in series it would double it impedance

Two 8 ohm speakers in parallel are equivalent to a 4 ohm speaker.

2 pairs give you a 4 ohm load. @@suprgx472

Now it’s better sound by better advertising.

The audiophile community are a bunch wankers :)

I wouldn't give a rats ass about the audiophile community. Enjoy what you like. The only ears that matter are your own.

@@peter12266 You made me laugh! Yes, they can be wankers! People, like us are part, of that community! Lol!!! I have an appreciation, for alot of systems, that are not considered worthy, by the standards, of those perched on the high branches, of the audiophile tree! I am unapologetic! Listen on, my brother!

@@wildbill3006 l don't care what they think... and enjoy what l like! This channel is run by people, that have an appreciation, for the art of listening pleasure! Thanks, Sound Sommelier !!! Thanks ,Wildbill3006!

Audiophile: Old man who’s high frequency hearing is getting worse everyday, blames the equipment. And keeps his 901’s hidden under a blanket so his audiophile snob friends don’t find out.

Every speaker is diferent every amp is diferent...every hear is diferent..every good song is diferent..not fan of paper bose ..try definitive

@@nicolasarias4967 I have a Bose Lifestyle 525 in my living room. Works well and sounds good for TV and movies. I like the tiny speakers. It'll work for music, but certainly not it's strength. I have a Klipsch Reference Premier set-up in my listening room.

@@nicolasarias4967 definitive are if u like them but the Bose 901 will sound more open then any box speaker

@@nicolasarias4967 actually using treated paper for the woofer cone is the best material because it’s the lightest and fastest and that’s what u want for a speaker

@@dmptcb thanks sir..i own 301..201s 161ss and the souds is good...not very clearly but good..and i try aluminum and sounds way better..thanks .

They don't really do proper bass or treble. No deep bass or sparkle.

@@MrsZambezi - Subjective…set up as I indicated in my reply, they have all that to my ears.

because you are hearing 90% reflected energy off the walls, floor and ceiling, instead of 90% coming from the speakers and the rest reflected off the walls.. 8 of the 9 speakers are facing the front wall AWAY from the listener…. 180 degree on what it should be..

The recording doesn't even have any bass instruments so I don't know how you can say it has excellent bass. Also, go to :48 into the video, the camera shows the back of the speakers and they get more detail in the high frequencies….. You don't have anything that they are comparing it to.. If they played the same song with a different pair of speakers, then you could compare them to something else. But the recording itself is just sax and guitar and those are in the midrange.. There's really no deep bass being played. the other problem is that room they are using sucks. It's not treated properly, there's way too much crap in the room that's going to cause a lot of reflected energy that's going to mess up the sound..

@@Oneness100 - I’m surprised you don’t hear the upright bass. Perhaps what you’re listening through doesn’t produce the low frequencies, but I’m listening to this through a pair of HearID-tuned Liberty Pro 3 TWS earbuds, and the upright bass has plenty of presence. I agree that the setup is wonky, but this sounds great. Plenty of pop with the guitar solo too. I would love to hear it set up properly.

Hi SIr, As a complete newbie I would be very glad to have advice from you. I have juste restored 901 series 3 foams and lack the Bose 901 series 3 equalizer, is it mandatory? I have a Sony STR4800 or a SCOTT A457, will it work fine? Thanks

@@ThePhotonHD YES (and that's capitalized) because the Equalizer is of the utmost importance. Without the equalizer, the speakers sound flat, lack dynamics, and just plain sound horrible. And that's the one of the secrets of the 901's sounding so superb when setup correctly. You see, Bose uses 9 individual small full range driv ers (speakers) that are pretty boring by themselves. However, what the equalizer does - usually inserted into the tape monitor circuit - is to equalizer (adjust and boost) various frequencies in each speaker, bringing out the true potential of the 901's. Do what you can to search the internet for a good Bose equalizer and make sure it matches the series of 901's that you have - that's the key. For example, if you find an old equalizer designed for the 901 series I through II, then it may not properly mate with the newest version of the 901 (i.e. Series III or IV). Then, once set up (with the correct equalizer), find a flat wall behind the speakers with nothing preventing the bouncing of sound from the walls (12 to 18" from the wall). All too often, folks will improperly position the 901's and then expect them to sound exemplary when they were improperly positioned.

@@MrBenherrmann Thanks a million for your answer I'll follow your advice and try to find one of these equalizer. Also, do you have any website/forum to recommend to learn more on speakers/amplifier etc? Have a good day !

@@ThePhotonHD Just keep in mind that a good working set of Bose 901's have the uncanny ability to get better and better as the equipment you are using gets better and better. To start off, I'd strongly recommend getting an amplifier that gives off at least 200 watts per channel at 8 ohms. Look to spend anywhere from $600 to $1500 (or more) for things like an "integrated" amplifier, or if you like to go complete separates, get a separate Preamp and separate amplifier - but you will pay much more - up to $2500 for something like this from a reputable brand. When I had my 901's (I sold my last pair in the 1990's), I can distinctly recall that they had the uncanny ability to sound better and better as you added better and better audio components to power them. And just when I thought they sounded great, I upgraded my audio components and damn if they didn't improve. And I'm saying this as an audiophile (been one for 50 years or so). If you are looking to purchase a Receiver, get one that has quite alot of power because that equalizer (as it expands the capabilities of the speakers) uses more power - as I said, look for something that gives off 200 wpc at 8 ohms, or has a good dynamic headroom figure (meaning, at any given times, an amp can put out a much higher power output for sudden transients). And don't be cheap when it comes to electronics. Your speakers will only be as good as the electronics behind them. Ben

@@MrBenherrmann My idea for new 901..but will not happen ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mNG40u2ZSbk.html

Is there a budget amp you would recommend for them? My old Yamaha 5.1 amp sounds like crap

@@ashalexander1186 used technics amp

My Yamaha RX V592 and NAKIMICHI Cassette player Preamp into 4 Bose 901 series 4 speakers and using 2 Bose 4001 setup as centre speaker can still blow the roof off weather playing 2 cellos or letting it rip with AC/DC and still after all these years reproducing crystal clear music distorion free

Placement is everything and these guys will hold their own with the very best out there. As a matter of fact I don't think placement is all that great in the room shown, too much stuff in the back and those massive speakers in the background do nothing to throw back the sound at you. Just imho.

@@ashalexander1186 I have my 901 series vi hooked up to a 100 watt per channel Technics receiver from the 1980s that has a class h amp and it sounds fantastic. You may also try to find a Marantz or Pioneer receiver from the same era.

I totally understand how you feel. I own a pair of 601s and I love them too. 😂

P F 601s is awesome

@@bryantruong8586 Yes they are. I have them paired with all McIntosh gear so it’s a killer combination. 😊

🍾😋🍾

That's probably why those 901s are sounding so amazing. They are power hungry. Got to feed 'em!

I wouldnt call Boss high end tho. Its a niche rich peoples brand like Bang and Olufsun.

Bose 601 series 3 это шедевр!❤ Что бы Вы не говорили!

I would not say best known.MOST KNOWN.bose and best don't fit in a sentence. Unless best advertising and marketing is the referance😅

Imagine them high and close to a hard wall - uuuuuuh

They sound clear but thin to me.

They are LOUDSPEAKERS. Lol

Series V surrounds probably still good.

Wow. Now you blamed Japanese for bad sounding 901s when owners were too lazy to read the owner’s manual regarding placement. I’m running mine with Sansui receiver and they sounded good.

Controversial - Yes. Iconic - The Klipsch K-horn owns that title

@@bigelile07 nope just La Scala and Belle by Klipsch

@@watsonanthony8438 Okay 👌

@@bigelile07 bose 901 is loud 🤣🤣

@@bigelile07 based on what ? Bose 901 had a production run from 1968 to 2017 it's the biggest fuck you ever

The best for live music reproduction? Not that they there are the best for "the best for live music reproduction", but the Klipschorn, and Klipsch La Scalas will blow them away. My Klipsch Epic CF-3s will blow them away AFA as live sound. The direct/reflecting tech was "cool" at the time, but it is absolute garbage when it comes to accurate sound.

@@bigelile07 Be careful comparing apples and bananas. La Scala is 200 Lb/ea speaker with 14,000$ price tag.

@@edsonarantes7500 "Their speakers are the best for live music production" - The price doesn't matter, the bottom line is the Bose 901s aren't even close to being the best speaker for reproducing live music.

I've got a set of Magnapan MG lls...I live them, but I missed my 901s, so I went out and bought a pair last week. Waiting on the surround repair kit as we spesk

Good to hear. I've got the little brother Sansui QRX-8001quad amplifier with Bose 901's on the front and some custom 15" with horns on the rear channel. The addition of an active subwoofer truly makes it come alive.

No doubt, our 4 Bose 901 combi. is a fantastic set. With lots of power (I have 2 Denon pre-and power amps per channel, the correct (best circuit connection in to the pre) and solid wall backing..very few can rival this. Enjoy it!!!

Wow that is indeed a magical statement to make. Lol lol

It's all to make you spend more money.

People don't like Bose because they were overpriced and didn't preform as well as speakers that cost less, or the same price. Also, Bose never published specs for their speakers.

It has nothing to do with car systems. It's about overpricing and not giving much performance compared to cheaper speakers. They spend so much on marketing to sell inferior products at high prices

@@nox1cous654 always remember it's the company name you are buying I want quality that's why I have surround sound in my truck. I've been hooking up sounds for years I'm very familiar with high quality sound. And not b.s. sound.

It's about people being broke and and not being able to afford the brand. Still is. 😆

Show-off.... I hate you.

@@LordCommandor dude, seriously? SO many better quality options for the same or less expense

@@elsey1976 Was joking.

Haha that was funny

I run 2 pair of 901s and they sound great

I am listening to this with two pairs of 901, one is series v (just the one in the picture) and the other is series vi. SIMPLY ETHEREAL.

I have this setup now for a few days... Two pairs of 901 Series VI running off a Crown XLS 402 stable at 4ohm 400watt per channel. Live music masters sound absolutely insane ... Also does awesome with Hip Hop/R&B.

Legendary crapola

I have 2 pairs of series 6 facing upward and a center running off of a Yamaha DSP A1

So which amp you may recommend for Bose?

You are correct about that. My dad had a pair of Series I 901's and he powered them with two Carver M-400 cubes bridged mono, 500 wpc RMS. They absorbed the entire 500 wpc and the amps would go into clipping and they'd still take more! I'll never forget it.

Also using an Outlaw RR2150 to drive 901’s. Use the pre-out to run an rca to an SVS subwoofer, then from the sub to a DSP from Deercreek Audio that replaced the Bose equalizer, then back to the Main In on the Outlaw. The subwoofers crossover only sends over 80hz to the DSP. The 901’s sound amazing. Never get rid of them now.

Basically you're playing devils advocate with yourself lol.. I bought a pair of BIC venturi bookshelf speakers ($100 ish) as a gift for my cousin. Basically what happened is I surprised him with the speakers on my own system n they sounded terrific.. when he hooked them up to his entry level receiver, well.. even I was surprised at what I heard, and it wasn't a pleasant surprise to say the least

What about Sansui AU 555? Would it be a good match, I guess...

If someone has $100k laying around to blow on speakers they might as well just go buy the band to play live for them. Speakers like that are just for bragging rights. Even if they are hand crafted, I am willing to bet half the components originally come from China.

@@alperzorlu6000 sure 5900z here.

Good eye! Jack Nicholson had a pair of Avalons with McIntosh amps in the film As Good As It Gets. They don't get much screen time, but they are there.

Good point. Never understood that either. I’m not that old but I’ve heard them and know of their reputation. Maybe they’ll do an anniversary special?

Well Dr.Bose was an avid classical music enthusiast so that makes sense.

Likewise and it rounds out the sound spectrum quite nicely. Love my 901's.

@@joestrickl Yep! I have series 6 and have added a sub with the recommended Yamaha receiver for the 901's and it completes the frequency range nicely!!