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Tom[_5_] Tom[_5_] is offline
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Default Do Old Bose 901 II's Need an Equalizer, Or Can't We just Turn Up Our Receiver's Bass and Treble

Hello all,

I was lucky enough to inherit a pair of 901 II in Tucson, I am 67,
mainly a lover of classical, and bought my AR2a's unfinished while
stationed at Offutt AFB, NB in 1962. Alas, there was no EQ

I have stayed with the classical since as a listener -- for pure
passion, meditative clarity, and support. But I fell away as an
audiophile, partly because some historical recordings of terribly bad
sound can still be thrilling. E.G, the Berling Symphony Orchestra
playing Bruckner's 9th over the radio in 1944 -- an unfinished
symphony by a dying composer, played in a dying Germany.

The 18 drivers are in perfect shape, and they look as if they were
recently refoamed, All 18 play approximately the same as measured by
the hose-in-the-ear stethoscope.

I wrote to Bose, and they answered the next day (see below.) They said
I must find a Series II EQ. Response curves werethe same for I's and
II's, different thereafter. My II speakers are acoustic suspension --
sealed box expecting plenty of amplifier power to move them and
compress the air in the box, while smothering backwaves. I am guessing
they caved to the "no highs, no lows; must be bose" cliche and ported
their boxes to shore up the base while stonewalling the boomy problems
bass reflex can bring. OK, I admit I am guessing on that, but what
else could those nifty tailpipes sticking out of the reflector side be
for?

Anyway I began looking for a used E in the Q II, but eBay sellers
don't know anything about complex electronic hardware, so it's a crap
shoot.

I want to use these speakers in the home I am building, more
specifcally in the great room (30'L x 20'w x 12' h.) They were such an
icon in my youth. I am not going to mod the boxes; I will try the EQ,
and will thoroughly tes repositioning them. However, in looking at the
EQ II,s pics it would appear to control the audio curve just as do
ordinary bass and treble controls on my receiver; why can't I use the
latter and forget the questionably-functioning 30-yr EQ I'll end up
with?

Thanks,
Tom Mitchell
Rio Rico, AZ

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Arny Krueger Arny Krueger is offline
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Default Do Old Bose 901 II's Need an Equalizer, Or Can't We just Turn Up Our Receiver's Bass and Treble

"Tom" wrote in message
oups.com
Hello all,

I was lucky enough to inherit a pair of 901 II in Tucson,


The 18 drivers are in perfect shape, and they look as if
they were recently refoamed, All 18 play approximately
the same as measured by the hose-in-the-ear stethoscope.

I wrote to Bose, and they answered the next day (see
below.) They said I must find a Series II EQ. Response
curves werethe same for I's and II's, different
thereafter. My II speakers are acoustic suspension --
sealed box expecting plenty of amplifier power to move
them and compress the air in the box, while smothering
backwaves. I am guessing they caved to the "no highs, no
lows; must be bose" cliche and ported their boxes to
shore up the base while stonewalling the boomy problems
bass reflex can bring. OK, I admit I am guessing on that,
but what else could those nifty tailpipes sticking out of
the reflector side be for?

Anyway I began looking for a used E in the Q II, but eBay
sellers don't know anything about complex electronic
hardware, so it's a crap shoot.

I want to use these speakers in the home I am building,
more specifcally in the great room (30'L x 20'w x 12' h.)
They were such an icon in my youth. I am not going to mod
the boxes; I will try the EQ, and will thoroughly tes
repositioning them. However, in looking at the EQ II,s
pics it would appear to control the audio curve just as
do ordinary bass and treble controls on my receiver; why
can't I use the latter and forget the
questionably-functioning 30-yr EQ I'll end up with?


All you need to do is to duplicate the equalization curve of the origional
type II equalizer. Hopefully, you can find it documented some place.

The best way to obtain a given equalization curve is a parametric equalizer
with 4-6 bands per channel.

If you have documentation about what the desired equalization curve is, your
remaining problem is to set the controls of the equalizer appropriately. A
relatively rapid means would be needed for accurately measuring the response
of the equalizer. I can think of several ways to do this, but the most
economical means I can think of would be to use the audio interface of a PC,
looping the line output of the PC through the equalizer and back into the
line input of the PC. Software that measures frequency response quickly,
such as the freeware Audio Rightmark software would let you know when you
had the equalizer's controls set appropriately. http://www.rightmark.org/



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GregS GregS is offline
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Default Do Old Bose 901 II's Need an Equalizer, Or Can't We just Turn Up Our Receiver's Bass and Treble

In article .com, Tom wrote:
Hello all,

I was lucky enough to inherit a pair of 901 II in Tucson, I am 67,
mainly a lover of classical, and bought my AR2a's unfinished while
stationed at Offutt AFB, NB in 1962. Alas, there was no EQ

I have stayed with the classical since as a listener -- for pure
passion, meditative clarity, and support. But I fell away as an
audiophile, partly because some historical recordings of terribly bad
sound can still be thrilling. E.G, the Berling Symphony Orchestra
playing Bruckner's 9th over the radio in 1944 -- an unfinished
symphony by a dying composer, played in a dying Germany.

The 18 drivers are in perfect shape, and they look as if they were
recently refoamed, All 18 play approximately the same as measured by
the hose-in-the-ear stethoscope.


The orginals did not use foam. They had treated cloth. I would be afraid if they
actually had foam.

I wrote to Bose, and they answered the next day (see below.) They said
I must find a Series II EQ. Response curves werethe same for I's and
II's, different thereafter. My II speakers are acoustic suspension --
sealed box expecting plenty of amplifier power to move them and
compress the air in the box, while smothering backwaves. I am guessing
they caved to the "no highs, no lows; must be bose" cliche and ported
their boxes to shore up the base while stonewalling the boomy problems
bass reflex can bring. OK, I admit I am guessing on that, but what
else could those nifty tailpipes sticking out of the reflector side be
for?


The I and II had slightly different circuits. The II had more flexibility.
You could actually use ANY of the equalizers, but the more recent ones were
out of control.

Anyway I began looking for a used E in the Q II, but eBay sellers
don't know anything about complex electronic hardware, so it's a crap
shoot.


You will find one for sale (either) occasionally. they should be tested thoughly.
Things go bad. I really don't trust the Bose equalizers for reliability,
performance, and consistancy..

I want to use these speakers in the home I am building, more
specifcally in the great room (30'L x 20'w x 12' h.) They were such an
icon in my youth. I am not going to mod the boxes; I will try the EQ,
and will thoroughly tes repositioning them. However, in looking at the
EQ II,s pics it would appear to control the audio curve just as do
ordinary bass and treble controls on my receiver; why can't I use the
latter and forget the questionably-functioning 30-yr EQ I'll end up
with?


I think they sound best in small rooms, and the closer you are to the speaker, the better they sound.

greg


Thanks,
Tom Mitchell
Rio Rico, AZ

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Arny Krueger Arny Krueger is offline
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Default Do Old Bose 901 II's Need an Equalizer, Or Can't We just Turn Up Our Receiver's Bass and Treble

"GregS" wrote in message

In article
.com,
Tom wrote:


I want to use these speakers in the home I am building,
more specifcally in the great room (30'L x 20'w x 12'
h.) They were such an icon in my youth. I am not going
to mod the boxes; I will try the EQ, and will thoroughly
tes repositioning them. However, in looking at the EQ
II,s pics it would appear to control the audio curve
just as do ordinary bass and treble controls on my
receiver; why can't I use the latter and forget the
questionably-functioning 30-yr EQ I'll end up with?


I think they sound best in small rooms, and the closer
you are to the speaker, the better they sound.


IOW, more direct sound, less reflected sound...


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GregS GregS is offline
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Posts: 527
Default Do Old Bose 901 II's Need an Equalizer, Or Can't We just Turn Up Our Receiver's Bass and Treble

In article , "Arny Krueger" wrote:
"GregS" wrote in message

In article
.com,
Tom wrote:


I want to use these speakers in the home I am building,
more specifcally in the great room (30'L x 20'w x 12'
h.) They were such an icon in my youth. I am not going
to mod the boxes; I will try the EQ, and will thoroughly
tes repositioning them. However, in looking at the EQ
II,s pics it would appear to control the audio curve
just as do ordinary bass and treble controls on my
receiver; why can't I use the latter and forget the
questionably-functioning 30-yr EQ I'll end up with?


I think they sound best in small rooms, and the closer
you are to the speaker, the better they sound.


IOW, more direct sound, less reflected sound...


Very true.

greg


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Geoff Geoff is offline
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Default Do Old Bose 901 II's Need an Equalizer, Or Can't We just Turn Up Our Receiver's Bass and Treble

GregS wrote:
\ The orginals did not use foam. They had treated cloth. I would be
afraid if they
actually had foam.



I would be afraid if I had Bose 901s !

They really are not that great - the main strength of BOSE was/is their
marketing department, not their 'R+D' .

I would sell them on Ebay and purhase some better-sounding speakers. Due to
BOSE's marketing, you may get an unreasonably good price fdor them !

Good luck

geoff


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No Name
 
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Default Do Old Bose 901 II's Need an Equalizer, Or Can't We just Turn Up Our Receiver's Bass and Treble

Last I heard 901s was the late-70s/early-80s.
Each time they were backed by monster amps --
as I recall Phase Linears, and maybe Pioneer's
-1 line (A1 I think it was). The 901s played
VERY loud, and to me, sounded remarkable. Stick
a weak amp in front of a 901's EQ and you get (I
would suppose) some pretty bad sound, just as you
would with anything that boosts the bass as much
as that EQ does, with an amp that can't possibly
supply the power. A 3 dB boost requires 2x the
power -- the 901 EQ has some really absurb boost,
maybe 15 dB down low. That alone is a good reason
to avoid the 901s, but if you have the power, I
say, go for it! Even back then they were around
$1400 a pair (pedastals extra, and I think you
could even buy them without the EQ -- bad idea).
I'd take a pair.

--
40th Floor - Software @ http://40th.com/
iplay.40th.com iPlay advanced audio player
zircon.40th.com Zircon mobile music player
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isw isw is offline
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Posts: 182
Default Do Old Bose 901 II's Need an Equalizer, Or Can't We just Turn Up Our Receiver's Bass and Treble

In article ,
(GregS) wrote:

In article .com, Tom
wrote:
Hello all,

I was lucky enough to inherit a pair of 901 II in Tucson, I am 67,
mainly a lover of classical, and bought my AR2a's unfinished while
stationed at Offutt AFB, NB in 1962. Alas, there was no EQ

I have stayed with the classical since as a listener -- for pure
passion, meditative clarity, and support. But I fell away as an
audiophile, partly because some historical recordings of terribly bad
sound can still be thrilling. E.G, the Berling Symphony Orchestra
playing Bruckner's 9th over the radio in 1944 -- an unfinished
symphony by a dying composer, played in a dying Germany.

The 18 drivers are in perfect shape, and they look as if they were
recently refoamed, All 18 play approximately the same as measured by
the hose-in-the-ear stethoscope.


The orginals did not use foam. They had treated cloth. I would be afraid if
they
actually had foam.

I wrote to Bose, and they answered the next day (see below.) They said
I must find a Series II EQ. Response curves werethe same for I's and
II's, different thereafter. My II speakers are acoustic suspension --
sealed box expecting plenty of amplifier power to move them and
compress the air in the box, while smothering backwaves. I am guessing
they caved to the "no highs, no lows; must be bose" cliche and ported
their boxes to shore up the base while stonewalling the boomy problems
bass reflex can bring. OK, I admit I am guessing on that, but what
else could those nifty tailpipes sticking out of the reflector side be
for?


The I and II had slightly different circuits. The II had more flexibility.
You could actually use ANY of the equalizers, but the more recent ones were
out of control.

Anyway I began looking for a used E in the Q II, but eBay sellers
don't know anything about complex electronic hardware, so it's a crap
shoot.


You will find one for sale (either) occasionally. they should be tested
thoughly.
Things go bad. I really don't trust the Bose equalizers for reliability,
performance, and consistancy..

I want to use these speakers in the home I am building, more
specifcally in the great room (30'L x 20'w x 12' h.)


I think the Bose speakers will have some problems in a venue that large.

They were such an
icon in my youth. I am not going to mod the boxes; I will try the EQ,
and will thoroughly tes repositioning them. However, in looking at the
EQ II,s pics it would appear to control the audio curve just as do
ordinary bass and treble controls on my receiver; why can't I use the
latter and forget the questionably-functioning 30-yr EQ I'll end up
with?


I think they sound best in small rooms, and the closer you are to the
speaker, the better they sound.


Yes. and also the lower the level you play them at, the better they
sound too -- all the way down to zero, at which point they actually
sound nearly as good as any other speaker.

Isaac
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RDOGuy RDOGuy is offline
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Default Do Old Bose 901 II's Need an Equalizer, Or Can't We just Turn Up Our Receiver's Bass and Treble

On May 24, 4:02 pm, "Geoff" wrote:

They really are not that great - the main strength of BOSE was/is their
marketing department, not their 'R+D' .


I worked in a stereo store for a brief period when the early 901s were
a current model, and I was always astounded that people preferred them
to much more accurate speakers. You would do an A/B comparison, and
people would love the "more spatial" sound of the 901s... when what
they were actually hearing was additional directional information from
all those drivers pointing all over the place. I have come to believe
that this was deliberate "marketing engineering" on Bose's part...
that they were specifically tailored to sound more "alive" in an A/B
comparison.

If I got a pair of 901s in good shape cheap, I'd sell them on eBay
(where they bring really good prices) in a heartbeat, and spend the
money on some really good speakers. But hey... if you like them,
that's OK. As I used to tell people back then, what really matters is
that *you* like them.




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