Had it not been for Dr. Amar Bose and this speaker, who would
have caused so many speaker designers to even give stereo
imaging the slightest consideration!????

The one thing the Bose 901s do NOT do is "image" what is on the recording. They
create their own ersatz soundstage.


When the salesman put on an album by a band called Chase,
the 901's that were suspended from the ceiling immediately
shook the room and the clarity was awesome! Stereo everywhere
yet I could distinctly identify each trumpet, guitar, percussion and
voices with better separation than I had ever experienced!

The fact is that the 901s are distinctly LACKING in detail and clarity.

I bought 901s (and the necessary amp, tuner, 'table, etc.) in 1973. They
replaced a KLH Model 11 FM, which used similar 4" full-range drivers. When I put
on a familiar recording, I was startled to discover that the 901 did not provide
ANY improvement in detail, clarity, etc, over the KLH. And even in 1973, the KLH
Model 11 was NOT considered true "high fidelity."

About a year later, I sold the 901s and replaced them with Dahlquist DQ-10s, a
speaker which sounded far more like "live sound" than the 901s. (My current
speakers are Apogee Divas.)


Thus the reason for the model #...9 drivers total with 1 in front. The
design is appropriately designated as direct/reflecting with 89% of the
sound projected from the rear and the remaining 11% coming out of the
front. This proportion was the finding of Dr. Bose's MIT team when
studying various halls where LIVE PERFORMANCES were featured.

A small recital hall does not have the same ratio of direct-to-reflected sound
as a concert hall, which in turn is different from a cathedral. And the ratio
varies within a particular venue, as well. Even assuming one would want to
superimpose artificial ambience on a recording, there is no single "correct"
ratio.

The reason the 901s sound so spacious is that they generate comb-filter effects,
of the same sort that once were used to convert mono recordings into fake
stereo.


Because of the use of small full-range drivers, an active equalizer
which is absolutely essential to the system is used in place of the
normal CROSSOVERS that introduce distortion no matter how well
engineered. The 901 EQ simply smooths out any bumps or
irregularities in the system's power response.

What sort of distortion? Even picky audiophiles do not feel that a properly
engineered crossover significantly degrades the sound.

In fact, one of the arguments against the use of full-range dynamic drivers is
that you get far more IM distortion than when using drivers specifically
designed for a specific part of the sound spectrum. Using separte woofers,
midranges, tweeters, etc, REDUCES system distortion.


THE 901 IS NOT FOR EVERYONE.

Correct. It's only for people who don't know what live sound sounds like.


The speaker has an uncanny ability to reveal eveything!

You've obviously never heard electrostatic or ribbon/orthodynamic speakers.


But don't just take my word for it... listen for yourself! You may
or may not agree. That is how controversial this speaker is!

There is nothing controversial about the 901. Everything about its design is
both theoretically and practically incorrect.


This silliness began in 1971 when J Gordon Holt gave the original Bose
901 a somewhat negative review. He did however bring up some good
points but was off the mark on the 901's sounding "fat" in the bass as
they are anything but that! However, the battle lines were drawn. This review
sparked the "Love/Hate" of the Bose 901 speaker system and you can link
to the entire review from my profile page. Just so you have an idea of where
Mr. Holt is at...he loves the sound of the B&W 801. I thought that this was
rather ironic as this model [although great] has been tagged by myself
and others as a bit overwhelming and "fat sounding" in the bass
frequencies...again...room acoustics like it or not will affect various
speaker models more than we sometimes are willing to admit!

JGH has been a friend for over 25 years. His review was the only one in the
audio magazines that showed any sense in analyzing the design and sound of the
901s. 30 years later, it remains a fundamentally correct analysis.


The Bose 901s were designed by an ignorant, deluded, incompetent engineer. His
company has done absolutely nothing to advance the art of sound reproduction.
(In fairness, the same could be said about most other audio companies.) It's a
shame you've aligned yourself with them for so many years, because, never having
heard A REALLY GOOD SPEAKER, you simply don't know what you're missing.

I'm a degreed EE and have made many live recordings of full orchestra, chamber
music, etc. If the Bose 901s accurately reproduced what was on the recording
better than any other speaker, I would own them. They don't, and I don't.

"William Sommerwerck"


(snip lots of good stuff)

The Bose 901s were designed by an ignorant, deluded, incompetent engineer.
His
company has done absolutely nothing to advance the art of sound
reproduction.


** Well said Bill.

Bose is not a brand of speaker - it is a religious cult.




........... Phil

Peter Sammon wrote:
http://www.epinions.com/content_105506836100

In 1968, I took an old Philco record player and turned it into my
first hifi record player by installing a Shure M3D stereo magnetic

Which planet are you from. Or which universe more like it.

Nice try, Amar, but we still don't belive that the 901 is anything but a
gimmick, and a crappy-ounding one at that. ....


geoff

William Sommerwerck wrote:

The one thing the Bose 901s do NOT do is "image" what is on the recording. They
create their own ersatz soundstage.


There was once a really great club in Mpls called Boyds On The River. At
the time it was my favorite hangout. They had 901's all over the place.
Usually playing the live band so you could hear them clearly anywhere in
the club.

I always thought they sounded pretty good. Oh, wait a minute, I was
really drunk at the time... g

Ah back in the day (pre-digital) I was a regular attendee at the
Chicago CES roaming the halls of the Congress listening to demos of
the best that high end had to offer. One year Bose dared to exhibit
there rather than the usual lo & mid-fi exhibit areas. Honestly the
worse sounding demo I ever experienced. The sales staff stood there
just beaming at what they apparently perceived as a convincing demo.
The audiophiles just looked at each other in mock horror. The
laughter & snickering continued all up & down the exhibit floor.

I retreated to a demo of some Beveridge electrostatics to get my ears
"straight" so I could continue the show.

Just sign me--
An objective audiophile who owns nothing of any worth
and therefore doesn't need to justify my purchase
of 2 plastic boxes full of car audio-grade door speakers.
Bose? Stereo imaging? Get real!

On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 23:23:29 -0000, Peter Sammon
wrote:

http://www.epinions.com/content_105506836100

In 1968, I took an old Philco record player and turned it into my first
hifi record player by installing a Shure M3D stereo magnetic phono
cartridge and then adding a preamp and low powered amp and sealing the
entire deal by building these gigantic enclosures for a pair of Jensen
duo
cone 8" speakers that cost a grand total of $20/Pr. This was my
introduction to stereo hifi and a new audionut had been born!

This was also the year that the now famous Bose 901 DIRECT/REFLECTING
speaker system graced the audio world with a courageous unorthodox
design!
Had it not been for Dr. Amar Bose and this speaker, who would have caused
so many speaker designers to even give stereo imaging the slightest
consideration!????

Believe it or not, I wasn't even aware of the design at that time. In
fact
it wasn't until 1972 when I was stationed in Alaska for the USAF that I
took to picking up a few stereo magazines including CONSUMER GUIDE and
STEREO REVIEW and then ventured into the local hifi shop in Fairbanks
that
my first encounter with the 901 took place.

When the salesman put on an album by a band called Chase, The 901's that
were suspended from the ceiling immediately shook the room and the
clarity
was awesome! Stereo everywhere yet I could distinctly identify each
trumpet, guitar, percussion and voices with better separation than I had
ever experienced! The amplifier driving the speakers at the time was none
other than Bob Carver's creation...the Phase Linear 700. The love affair
had begun and I purchased my first set of Bose 901's.

In 1983 I upgraded to SERIES V and just recently to SERIES VI...the
subject
of this review. It is a solidly well built speaker system throughout!

The Bose 901 SERIES VI features a 21" x 12" x 13" cabinet with curved
fronts and two angled panels in the rear. The two angled panels each
contain four 4 1/2" drivers while one single driver is placed toward the
center of the front panel.

Thus the reason for the model #...9 drivers total with 1 in front. The
design is appropriately designated as direct/reflecting with 89% of the
sound projected from the rear and the remaining 11% coming out of the
front. This proportion was the finding of Dr. Bose's MIT team when
studying
various halls where LIVE PERFORMANCES were featured.

The impedence is a solid 8 ohms across the musical spectrum and should
prove to be a most stable load for whatever amplifier one chooses but
choose wisely as this speaker is extremely picky about what drives it and
I'm not referring to just power alone! It is quite conceivable that a
given
50 watt amp could sound better with the 901's than a competitive 200 watt
amp!

The small drivers themselves boast heavy magnets and high quality voice
coils as they must move an enormous amount of air. The multi chambered
ACOUSTIC MATRIX enclosure vents the speaker in a most unusual way with
air
speeds exceeding 60 mph! Three ports or jets protrude through the rear of
the 901 enclosure.

Because of the use of small full range drivers, an active equalizer which
is absolutely essential to the system is used in place of the normal
CROSSOVERS that introduce distortion no matter how well engineered. The
901
EQ simply smooths out any bumps or irregularities in the system's power
response.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE specs are not ever offered by Bose because one of the
founding principles was that they offer little or no value to the
audiophile! Bose simply observed that great specs certainly did not
always
coincide with equally great performance.

The OWNER'S MANUAL is quite extensive and written in several languages.
It
also gives special instructions for mounting the 901's on pedestals or
hanging them from ceilings.

The speakers are rated to handle amplifiers of 10 to 450 watts of clean
power but do not induce amplifier clipping as this will kill any speaker
regardless of the rating or how well it is made! DYNAMIC RANGE is rated
at
106db...well above the 90db capability of the best digital sources!

The two finishes that are available are black ash and light walnut. I
chose
the light walnut for mine with dark brown indestructible grills that are
absolutely seductive looking!
Optional PS6 pedestals are available. Pedestals are also offered by
others
and you could save some money but make sure they support your 901's
properly. Two foot high end tables offer a sturdy and childproof support
of
the speakers also.

The bottom of each 901 speaker reveals a circular cutaway that surrounds
the two heavy duty knurled nut speaker terminals that hold speaker wire
like no other arrangement I know of. It is very secure and should make
for
a lifetime of good connection to quality OFC speaker wire. This wire is
available from Kimber Kable and AR but for my money MIRASONIC.COM has the
best stuff at super low prices that can truly make an audible difference.
There is no substitute for controlled well defined bass and clear mids
and
highs. Good wire can accomplish that! It's been proven.

After patching the 901 EQ into my TAPE MONITOR circuit on my humble
Parasound integrated amplifier with the supplied patch chords and then
carefully setting up the speakers in my living room I was able to listen
to
my vast collection of CD's into the wee hours of the morning night after
night as I simply could not get enough of the beautiful sound the
speakers
project! A new TAPE MONITOR is provided on the EQ to replace your old
one.
Adjust the MID BASS and MID TREBLE slider controls moderately for room
and
source compensation.

DO NOT MIX AND MATCH WRONG EQ's FROM VARIOUS SERIES MODELS AS THE SOUND
WILL BE INCORRECT AND DO NOT USE WITH OTHER CONVENTIONAL UNEQUALIZED
SPEAKERS FOR HOME THEATER!!!!

901 EQ AND SPEAKER SERIES COMPATABILITY:

SERIES I and II...ACOUSTIC SUSPENSION design from 1968-1976
SERIES III and IV...ACOUSTIC MATRIX design from 1976-1983
SERIES V and VI...ACOUSTIC MATRIX design from 1983-Present day

Do not deviate from these guidelines as 901's are available in used
condition over the internet. Undoubtedly as you read this review, someone
is selling a SERIES IV 901 with a SERIES VI EQ or a SERIES II EQ with a
SERIES III speaker and will result in total dissatisfaction with the
product on the buyer's end.

Also beware of the phony 901 look alike LDL 749 speakers that were
manufactured from 1970 to 1974 without EQ's but did not equal the 901
quality sound. I almost purchased one of these systems back then but
thankfully did not but beware as they can easily be peddled as 901's.
They
do resemble the Bose to a great degree. I think someone from the original
Bose/MIT group jumped ship to make these imposters.

As for the subject of speaker placement I can only suggest that you
experiment a bit and rid yourself of any normal distance you would keep
between conventional LEFT and RIGHT STEREO speakers as the 901 is
anything
but conventional itself! I really do believe that the LOVE and HATE stems
from the fact that the 901 sound can change drastically in the lower
frequencies when not setup properly! Alas, I have found the 901's to
sound
best on 18" high pedestals and out 18" from the REAR wall along the SHORT
wall of my listening room as compared to the LONGER wall. I think this is
better than hanging the speakers from the ceiling where the bass tends to
get lost. Experiment...experiment...this is the key!

Because of the angled rear panels, the "middle sound" will be quite
strong
and stable eliminating the typical "sweet spot" rules. You can separate
these speakers miles apart from each other and in fact should do so
within
reason to get great stereo separation!

By doing so, you'll not only widen the fantastic soundstage but also
eliminate any possibility of losing left and right channel detail. Don't
worry, you will not have a "hole in the middle" effect. This way also
gets
you to move the 901's closer to the adjacent walls. Just keep the wall
behind the speakers relatively free of drapes and teddy bears.

Hanging the 901's from ceilings more than ten feet from the ground is not
recommended as the sound may get obscured a bit and imaging along with
deep
bass lost. In other words, if you have a ceiling like the Sistine Chapel,
forget it!

The sound of the 901 SERIES VI is really special and downright seductive!
Regardless of the many genres of music that have been played thru my
901's,
the SOUNDSTAGING is such that never have I experienced a wider higher
portrayal of various performances with equally impressive depth! You can
literally point to every instrument in the orchestra or follow a soloist
as
he or she moves about the stage in front of you [e.g. Tony Clarke-"The
Entertainer" as he as he moves to and fro banging his tambourine...it's
really something to behold!]

The break-in period for the 901-VI went very nicely with the drivers
fully
seated after six months. Be careful not to push them too hard at first
and
do not introduce amplifier clipping. By the way, this break-in period
applies to owners of older 901 models that have had their foam surrounds
replaced [Simply Speakers on EBAY has a wondertful kit for under $50].

I love it when people say that the 901's can't go deep. Just checkout the
opening low pedal note in the movie "2001-A Space Oddysey" and see if it
doesn't rattle every window and loose floor board in the house! Or
checkout
Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" at the four minute mark. Just MIDRANGE
speakers, huh? No, what's happening is that the ACOUSTIC MATRIX enclosure
is moving huge amounts of air! That's what gives you bass...not just the
physical size of the driver. Why do you think many top notch speaker
systems like Win Burhoe's SILENT SPEAKERS or the Spendors use such small
drivers and are still able to produce such deep notes? It's because the
cabinets have special sophisticated chambers that create significant air
speeds. Also the drivers have powerful motors in their voice coil and
magnet assemblies.

All other systems seem to be fat sounding in the bass...even the biggest
most expensive ones! Forget about subwoofering the 901 as it is not
necessary in the right room! Put your wallet away and be happy with the
fact that you own a fantastic 40Hz gut puncher!

Telarc's CD of "Carmina Burana" is so dynamic with the voices and
orchestra
bringing forth massive but clear emotional sound thru the 901's. Midrange
and high notes are crystal clear thru the speakers when they are truly
present. That brings me to another point...that the 901's only reproduce
what's in the recording itself and very little of anything else! BUT YOU
GOTTA LISTEN TO THEM FOR YOURSELF. YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH MY FINDINGS AS
THE 901 IS NOT FOR EVERYONE.


The EQ is silent with no perceived extraneous noise. The only noise that
will be revealed is amplifier hiss or such sound in an analog mastered
recording. Some digital recordings even have modulation noise and you
will
recognize such flawed CD's immediately!

The speaker has an uncanny ability to reveal eveything! Beware as this is
certainly a double edged sword for the Bose. I have one CD of Barry
White's
Greatest Hits that on the song..."You're The First, The Last, My
Everything" where this older recording used a poor microphone for Barry's
voice that can sound downright harsh! Yet the orchestra behind him is
very
nicely portrayed. You will certainly stay up late the first night
checking
out all of your library to see what's good and what isn't.

I'm not kidding when I tell you that the 901 can distinguish between a
good
MIC or a bad one. You can even hear "poof!" sounds from microphones that
were not properly screened and windproofed! Just listen to a variety of
radio broadcasts or checkout the "Buddy Holly Collection" CD of
remastered
recordings and listen for yourself.

That is how revealing the 901 is. I dare say that many of you will not
like
the speaker because of this very fact. The quality of your amplifier and
CD
player will also be unveiled for whatever it is. Use good quality power
as
the 901 likes heaps of it! Yes, it can play quite loudly but sounds
wonderful at a whisper.

That high current Onkyo/Integra stereo only receiver should be wonderful
with the 901's! I'm not so sure about some other massed produced brands.
Certainly super audiophile expensive MONO BLOCKS will be at their best
also.

If you listen to JAZZ 88 in the Newark, NJ area you will hear non smeared
percussion and wonderful vocalists with plenty of plucked basses and
super
sweet highs all naturally portrayed thru the 901's. The cymbals are so
darn
natural! TRANSIENT RESPONSE is exemplary! I love the fact that I can hear
a
kickdrum change tone or every subtlety and overtone on various recorded
music. The simple striking of a trianglular bell can raise the hairs on
my
back!

Accuracy of musical timbre is important and with the Bose you get plenty
of
it. You haven't heard the Beatles until you've heard "Sgt Peppers" played
thru the Bose 901! There is a rather nice CD entitled "Atmospheres-Celtic
Voices" featuring ambient waterfall sounds along with various seductive
strings, tom toms, woodwinds and basses. This Irish music CD is worth
seeking out as it reveals changes in the stringed bass's tones and
subtleties that can be a very useful tool for speaker evaluation! You can
probably pick it up for around $8 or less! The 901 sounds wonderful with
this recording!

But don't just take my word for it...listen for yourself! You may or may
not agree. That is how controversial this speaker is! Speaker auditioning
should be fun and pleasant so don't let snotty proprietors and extremely
opinionated sales people stand in your way. Some of the hatred stems from
the fact that Bose seems to pursuit competitors in court quite often and
also even went after a negative reviewer...and that's not right. We are
free to print how we feel about a product and should have no fear of
repercussion!

But as a maker of great speakers I think Bose does very well indeed and
their customer support is unbelievable! I have had some nice chats with
both Bose field and customer service reps.

Look, my feeling is that a truly great speaker can involve you in the
performance so well as to summon all your emotions as I have felt many
tears in my eyes when listening to beautiful music thru the speakers.
Telarc's "Rite Of Spring" has a tympani gut puncher at around the ten
minute mark that can make your heart jump out and if you hold a tissue
over
one of the 901's ports it will fly out of your hand! Yet the orchestra
sounds so sweet as to make you cry or stand up and exclaim...BRAVO!...as
it
does on CBS MASTERWORKS' "Nutcracker" w/Michael Tilson Thomas conducting
the New Phiharmonia Orch.

There are many bigger more expensive models costing well over $5000 a
pair
but I don't really consider some of these Gigantors to be appropriate for
the average listening room. We don't have auditoriums for listening areas
do we?

Well the 901's have served me well in some of my rooms over the past
thirty
years and can sound great in rooms big or small if the acoustics are
correct for them. If your listening room is smaller than average and full
of curtains then look elsewhere for your special transducer. In larger
rooms with solid walls or undraped windows the Bose 901 SERIES VI will be
at its best! The fact that their current price is still within reason for
such great performance at $1500 is a credit to Bose. The USA engineered
speaker is now being crafted in Canada which lays claim to such fine
outfits like Mirage, PSB and Paradigm.

Although the system is not always setup properly in malls and generally
not
available through high end dealers, don't let that fact stop you from
seeking the speaker out. My advice is to find someone locally who owns a
SERIES III thru VI system and ask for an audition in the home where they
reside. There is simply no substitute for auditioning the 901's in an
actual home! You can also go online at BOSE.COM to place an order and use
a
12 month payment plan that makes it so much easier on your pocketbook.

A Special Note To 901 Owners And Perspective Buyers:
Do not be discouraged or put off by those who feel this speaker system is
overrated or hyped up. Trust your own ears! No amount of poetic flowery
descriptive double talk can truly make a given speaker system sound
great.
Neither can impressive manufacturer's specifications! Listen for
yourself.

Compare the speakers to the best of the best like the B&W NAUTILUS 801's
and 802's but also the biggest most expensive Tannoys, Martin Logans,
Definitives, JBL's, Allisons, Bostons, Polks, Legacy's or any other brand
you can think of as I have and see if you agree with my findings. Isn't
it
most interesting that some of these lovely sounding models cost up to ten
times the price of the 901 or more! I did compare my Bose to these
speakers! While I did so, the high end salesman tried to tell me what was
wrong with them [like most of us audiophiles he was very opinionated]! I
simply smiled as my 901's outperformed these great speakers on every
single
CD used for this audition!

What a great audition but the salesman knew he had lost his battle! Who
needs someone telling us what we should be hearing while auditioning
speakers or any piece of audio gear? It is our decision. We know what to
listen for! Just beware of this little trick when you decide to bring a
901
system into a high end store. They don't like Bose!

This silliness began in 1971 when J Gordon Holt gave the original Bose
901
a somewhat negative review. He did however bring up some good points but
was off the mark on the 901's sounding "fat" in the bass as they are
anything but that! However, the battle lines were drawn. This review
sparked the "Love/Hate" of the Bose 901 speaker system and you can link
to
the entire review from my profile page. Just so you have an idea of where
Mr. Holt is at...he loves the sound of the B&W 801. I thought that this
was
rather ironic as this model [although great] has been tagged by myself
and
others as a bit overwhelming and "fat sounding" in the bass
frequencies...again...room acoustics like it or not will affect various
speaker models more than we sometimes are willing to admit!


With the proper amplifier and room your reaction may very well be like
this..."I may be living in a different world from everyone else but if
so...DO NOT wake me up! I'm having too much fun listening to music the
way
it was meant to be heard with this heavenly speaker!" With the wrong amp
and improper room you will probably feel that you've been ripped off and
Bose is full of nothing but hype.

I recommend the speakers highly with the condition that you fully
audition
them in the right situation but be aware of the fact that many of you
will
find yourselves wondering why you even bothered to give the beasts a
listen! For those of you in this situation I highly recommend the
Vandersteen 1C speakers at a slightly lower price. The Vandersteens are
wonderful sounding in just about any room you can think of and are
available at fine high end stores like John Rutan's Audio Connection of
Verona, NJ [see the link on my profile page].

Bose states that the 901-VI was engineered by passionate music lovers.
This
fact is so highly obvious once you give the speaker a listen in an
appropriate setup [and the Bose Store may very well not be the best!]. It
seems like no other speaker system delivers powerful accuracy quite like
this one!

I attended lecture by Mr. Bose in 1975, he was proud of the fact that he
used
cheap drivers.... claimed that their defects averaged out.

When asked about phase cancellation (comb filtering) he changed the subject.

You have to give Bose credit his marketing skills are excellent...

Phil... if it is a religious cult, it would be a Hindu cult....

Rgds:
Eric


"Mark" wrote in message
...
Ah back in the day (pre-digital) I was a regular attendee at the
Chicago CES roaming the halls of the Congress listening to demos of
the best that high end had to offer. One year Bose dared to exhibit
there rather than the usual lo & mid-fi exhibit areas. Honestly the
worse sounding demo I ever experienced. The sales staff stood there
just beaming at what they apparently perceived as a convincing demo.
The audiophiles just looked at each other in mock horror. The
laughter & snickering continued all up & down the exhibit floor.

I retreated to a demo of some Beveridge electrostatics to get my ears
"straight" so I could continue the show.

Just sign me--
An objective audiophile who owns nothing of any worth
and therefore doesn't need to justify my purchase
of 2 plastic boxes full of car audio-grade door speakers.
Bose? Stereo imaging? Get real!

On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 23:23:29 -0000, Peter Sammon
wrote:

http://www.epinions.com/content_105506836100

In 1968, I took an old Philco record player and turned it into my first
hifi record player by installing a Shure M3D stereo magnetic phono
cartridge and then adding a preamp and low powered amp and sealing the
entire deal by building these gigantic enclosures for a pair of Jensen
duo
cone 8" speakers that cost a grand total of $20/Pr. This was my
introduction to stereo hifi and a new audionut had been born!

This was also the year that the now famous Bose 901 DIRECT/REFLECTING
speaker system graced the audio world with a courageous unorthodox
design!
Had it not been for Dr. Amar Bose and this speaker, who would have caused
so many speaker designers to even give stereo imaging the slightest
consideration!????

Believe it or not, I wasn't even aware of the design at that time. In
fact
it wasn't until 1972 when I was stationed in Alaska for the USAF that I
took to picking up a few stereo magazines including CONSUMER GUIDE and
STEREO REVIEW and then ventured into the local hifi shop in Fairbanks
that
my first encounter with the 901 took place.

When the salesman put on an album by a band called Chase, The 901's that
were suspended from the ceiling immediately shook the room and the
clarity
was awesome! Stereo everywhere yet I could distinctly identify each
trumpet, guitar, percussion and voices with better separation than I had
ever experienced! The amplifier driving the speakers at the time was none
other than Bob Carver's creation...the Phase Linear 700. The love affair
had begun and I purchased my first set of Bose 901's.

In 1983 I upgraded to SERIES V and just recently to SERIES VI...the
subject
of this review. It is a solidly well built speaker system throughout!

The Bose 901 SERIES VI features a 21" x 12" x 13" cabinet with curved
fronts and two angled panels in the rear. The two angled panels each
contain four 4 1/2" drivers while one single driver is placed toward the
center of the front panel.

Thus the reason for the model #...9 drivers total with 1 in front. The
design is appropriately designated as direct/reflecting with 89% of the
sound projected from the rear and the remaining 11% coming out of the
front. This proportion was the finding of Dr. Bose's MIT team when
studying
various halls where LIVE PERFORMANCES were featured.

The impedence is a solid 8 ohms across the musical spectrum and should
prove to be a most stable load for whatever amplifier one chooses but
choose wisely as this speaker is extremely picky about what drives it and
I'm not referring to just power alone! It is quite conceivable that a
given
50 watt amp could sound better with the 901's than a competitive 200 watt
amp!

The small drivers themselves boast heavy magnets and high quality voice
coils as they must move an enormous amount of air. The multi chambered
ACOUSTIC MATRIX enclosure vents the speaker in a most unusual way with
air
speeds exceeding 60 mph! Three ports or jets protrude through the rear of
the 901 enclosure.

Because of the use of small full range drivers, an active equalizer which
is absolutely essential to the system is used in place of the normal
CROSSOVERS that introduce distortion no matter how well engineered. The
901
EQ simply smooths out any bumps or irregularities in the system's power
response.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE specs are not ever offered by Bose because one of the
founding principles was that they offer little or no value to the
audiophile! Bose simply observed that great specs certainly did not
always
coincide with equally great performance.

The OWNER'S MANUAL is quite extensive and written in several languages.
It
also gives special instructions for mounting the 901's on pedestals or
hanging them from ceilings.

The speakers are rated to handle amplifiers of 10 to 450 watts of clean
power but do not induce amplifier clipping as this will kill any speaker
regardless of the rating or how well it is made! DYNAMIC RANGE is rated
at
106db...well above the 90db capability of the best digital sources!

The two finishes that are available are black ash and light walnut. I
chose
the light walnut for mine with dark brown indestructible grills that are
absolutely seductive looking!
Optional PS6 pedestals are available. Pedestals are also offered by
others
and you could save some money but make sure they support your 901's
properly. Two foot high end tables offer a sturdy and childproof support
of
the speakers also.

The bottom of each 901 speaker reveals a circular cutaway that surrounds
the two heavy duty knurled nut speaker terminals that hold speaker wire
like no other arrangement I know of. It is very secure and should make
for
a lifetime of good connection to quality OFC speaker wire. This wire is
available from Kimber Kable and AR but for my money MIRASONIC.COM has the
best stuff at super low prices that can truly make an audible difference.
There is no substitute for controlled well defined bass and clear mids
and
highs. Good wire can accomplish that! It's been proven.

After patching the 901 EQ into my TAPE MONITOR circuit on my humble
Parasound integrated amplifier with the supplied patch chords and then
carefully setting up the speakers in my living room I was able to listen
to
my vast collection of CD's into the wee hours of the morning night after
night as I simply could not get enough of the beautiful sound the
speakers
project! A new TAPE MONITOR is provided on the EQ to replace your old
one.
Adjust the MID BASS and MID TREBLE slider controls moderately for room
and
source compensation.

DO NOT MIX AND MATCH WRONG EQ's FROM VARIOUS SERIES MODELS AS THE SOUND
WILL BE INCORRECT AND DO NOT USE WITH OTHER CONVENTIONAL UNEQUALIZED
SPEAKERS FOR HOME THEATER!!!!

901 EQ AND SPEAKER SERIES COMPATABILITY:

SERIES I and II...ACOUSTIC SUSPENSION design from 1968-1976
SERIES III and IV...ACOUSTIC MATRIX design from 1976-1983
SERIES V and VI...ACOUSTIC MATRIX design from 1983-Present day

Do not deviate from these guidelines as 901's are available in used
condition over the internet. Undoubtedly as you read this review, someone
is selling a SERIES IV 901 with a SERIES VI EQ or a SERIES II EQ with a
SERIES III speaker and will result in total dissatisfaction with the
product on the buyer's end.

Also beware of the phony 901 look alike LDL 749 speakers that were
manufactured from 1970 to 1974 without EQ's but did not equal the 901
quality sound. I almost purchased one of these systems back then but
thankfully did not but beware as they can easily be peddled as 901's.
They
do resemble the Bose to a great degree. I think someone from the original
Bose/MIT group jumped ship to make these imposters.

As for the subject of speaker placement I can only suggest that you
experiment a bit and rid yourself of any normal distance you would keep
between conventional LEFT and RIGHT STEREO speakers as the 901 is
anything
but conventional itself! I really do believe that the LOVE and HATE stems
from the fact that the 901 sound can change drastically in the lower
frequencies when not setup properly! Alas, I have found the 901's to
sound
best on 18" high pedestals and out 18" from the REAR wall along the SHORT
wall of my listening room as compared to the LONGER wall. I think this is
better than hanging the speakers from the ceiling where the bass tends to
get lost. Experiment...experiment...this is the key!

Because of the angled rear panels, the "middle sound" will be quite
strong
and stable eliminating the typical "sweet spot" rules. You can separate
these speakers miles apart from each other and in fact should do so
within
reason to get great stereo separation!

By doing so, you'll not only widen the fantastic soundstage but also
eliminate any possibility of losing left and right channel detail. Don't
worry, you will not have a "hole in the middle" effect. This way also
gets
you to move the 901's closer to the adjacent walls. Just keep the wall
behind the speakers relatively free of drapes and teddy bears.

Hanging the 901's from ceilings more than ten feet from the ground is not
recommended as the sound may get obscured a bit and imaging along with
deep
bass lost. In other words, if you have a ceiling like the Sistine Chapel,
forget it!

The sound of the 901 SERIES VI is really special and downright seductive!
Regardless of the many genres of music that have been played thru my
901's,
the SOUNDSTAGING is such that never have I experienced a wider higher
portrayal of various performances with equally impressive depth! You can
literally point to every instrument in the orchestra or follow a soloist
as
he or she moves about the stage in front of you [e.g. Tony Clarke-"The
Entertainer" as he as he moves to and fro banging his tambourine...it's
really something to behold!]

The break-in period for the 901-VI went very nicely with the drivers
fully
seated after six months. Be careful not to push them too hard at first
and
do not introduce amplifier clipping. By the way, this break-in period
applies to owners of older 901 models that have had their foam surrounds
replaced [Simply Speakers on EBAY has a wondertful kit for under $50].

I love it when people say that the 901's can't go deep. Just checkout the
opening low pedal note in the movie "2001-A Space Oddysey" and see if it
doesn't rattle every window and loose floor board in the house! Or
checkout
Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" at the four minute mark. Just MIDRANGE
speakers, huh? No, what's happening is that the ACOUSTIC MATRIX enclosure
is moving huge amounts of air! That's what gives you bass...not just the
physical size of the driver. Why do you think many top notch speaker
systems like Win Burhoe's SILENT SPEAKERS or the Spendors use such small
drivers and are still able to produce such deep notes? It's because the
cabinets have special sophisticated chambers that create significant air
speeds. Also the drivers have powerful motors in their voice coil and
magnet assemblies.

All other systems seem to be fat sounding in the bass...even the biggest
most expensive ones! Forget about subwoofering the 901 as it is not
necessary in the right room! Put your wallet away and be happy with the
fact that you own a fantastic 40Hz gut puncher!

Telarc's CD of "Carmina Burana" is so dynamic with the voices and
orchestra
bringing forth massive but clear emotional sound thru the 901's. Midrange
and high notes are crystal clear thru the speakers when they are truly
present. That brings me to another point...that the 901's only reproduce
what's in the recording itself and very little of anything else! BUT YOU
GOTTA LISTEN TO THEM FOR YOURSELF. YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH MY FINDINGS AS
THE 901 IS NOT FOR EVERYONE.


The EQ is silent with no perceived extraneous noise. The only noise that
will be revealed is amplifier hiss or such sound in an analog mastered
recording. Some digital recordings even have modulation noise and you
will
recognize such flawed CD's immediately!

The speaker has an uncanny ability to reveal eveything! Beware as this is
certainly a double edged sword for the Bose. I have one CD of Barry
White's
Greatest Hits that on the song..."You're The First, The Last, My
Everything" where this older recording used a poor microphone for Barry's
voice that can sound downright harsh! Yet the orchestra behind him is
very
nicely portrayed. You will certainly stay up late the first night
checking
out all of your library to see what's good and what isn't.

I'm not kidding when I tell you that the 901 can distinguish between a
good
MIC or a bad one. You can even hear "poof!" sounds from microphones that
were not properly screened and windproofed! Just listen to a variety of
radio broadcasts or checkout the "Buddy Holly Collection" CD of
remastered
recordings and listen for yourself.

That is how revealing the 901 is. I dare say that many of you will not
like
the speaker because of this very fact. The quality of your amplifier and
CD
player will also be unveiled for whatever it is. Use good quality power
as
the 901 likes heaps of it! Yes, it can play quite loudly but sounds
wonderful at a whisper.

That high current Onkyo/Integra stereo only receiver should be wonderful
with the 901's! I'm not so sure about some other massed produced brands.
Certainly super audiophile expensive MONO BLOCKS will be at their best
also.

If you listen to JAZZ 88 in the Newark, NJ area you will hear non smeared
percussion and wonderful vocalists with plenty of plucked basses and
super
sweet highs all naturally portrayed thru the 901's. The cymbals are so
darn
natural! TRANSIENT RESPONSE is exemplary! I love the fact that I can hear
a
kickdrum change tone or every subtlety and overtone on various recorded
music. The simple striking of a trianglular bell can raise the hairs on
my
back!

Accuracy of musical timbre is important and with the Bose you get plenty
of
it. You haven't heard the Beatles until you've heard "Sgt Peppers" played
thru the Bose 901! There is a rather nice CD entitled "Atmospheres-Celtic
Voices" featuring ambient waterfall sounds along with various seductive
strings, tom toms, woodwinds and basses. This Irish music CD is worth
seeking out as it reveals changes in the stringed bass's tones and
subtleties that can be a very useful tool for speaker evaluation! You can
probably pick it up for around $8 or less! The 901 sounds wonderful with
this recording!

But don't just take my word for it...listen for yourself! You may or may
not agree. That is how controversial this speaker is! Speaker auditioning
should be fun and pleasant so don't let snotty proprietors and extremely
opinionated sales people stand in your way. Some of the hatred stems from
the fact that Bose seems to pursuit competitors in court quite often and
also even went after a negative reviewer...and that's not right. We are
free to print how we feel about a product and should have no fear of
repercussion!

But as a maker of great speakers I think Bose does very well indeed and
their customer support is unbelievable! I have had some nice chats with
both Bose field and customer service reps.

Look, my feeling is that a truly great speaker can involve you in the
performance so well as to summon all your emotions as I have felt many
tears in my eyes when listening to beautiful music thru the speakers.
Telarc's "Rite Of Spring" has a tympani gut puncher at around the ten
minute mark that can make your heart jump out and if you hold a tissue
over
one of the 901's ports it will fly out of your hand! Yet the orchestra
sounds so sweet as to make you cry or stand up and exclaim...BRAVO!...as
it
does on CBS MASTERWORKS' "Nutcracker" w/Michael Tilson Thomas conducting
the New Phiharmonia Orch.

There are many bigger more expensive models costing well over $5000 a
pair
but I don't really consider some of these Gigantors to be appropriate for
the average listening room. We don't have auditoriums for listening areas
do we?

Well the 901's have served me well in some of my rooms over the past
thirty
years and can sound great in rooms big or small if the acoustics are
correct for them. If your listening room is smaller than average and full
of curtains then look elsewhere for your special transducer. In larger
rooms with solid walls or undraped windows the Bose 901 SERIES VI will be
at its best! The fact that their current price is still within reason for

such great performance at $1500 is a credit to Bose. The USA engineered
speaker is now being crafted in Canada which lays claim to such fine
outfits like Mirage, PSB and Paradigm.

Although the system is not always setup properly in malls and generally
not
available through high end dealers, don't let that fact stop you from
seeking the speaker out. My advice is to find someone locally who owns a
SERIES III thru VI system and ask for an audition in the home where they
reside. There is simply no substitute for auditioning the 901's in an
actual home! You can also go online at BOSE.COM to place an order and use
a
12 month payment plan that makes it so much easier on your pocketbook.

A Special Note To 901 Owners And Perspective Buyers:
Do not be discouraged or put off by those who feel this speaker system is
overrated or hyped up. Trust your own ears! No amount of poetic flowery
descriptive double talk can truly make a given speaker system sound
great.
Neither can impressive manufacturer's specifications! Listen for
yourself.

Compare the speakers to the best of the best like the B&W NAUTILUS 801's
and 802's but also the biggest most expensive Tannoys, Martin Logans,
Definitives, JBL's, Allisons, Bostons, Polks, Legacy's or any other brand
you can think of as I have and see if you agree with my findings. Isn't
it
most interesting that some of these lovely sounding models cost up to ten
times the price of the 901 or more! I did compare my Bose to these
speakers! While I did so, the high end salesman tried to tell me what was
wrong with them [like most of us audiophiles he was very opinionated]! I
simply smiled as my 901's outperformed these great speakers on every
single
CD used for this audition!

What a great audition but the salesman knew he had lost his battle! Who
needs someone telling us what we should be hearing while auditioning
speakers or any piece of audio gear? It is our decision. We know what to
listen for! Just beware of this little trick when you decide to bring a
901
system into a high end store. They don't like Bose!

This silliness began in 1971 when J Gordon Holt gave the original Bose
901
a somewhat negative review. He did however bring up some good points but
was off the mark on the 901's sounding "fat" in the bass as they are
anything but that! However, the battle lines were drawn. This review
sparked the "Love/Hate" of the Bose 901 speaker system and you can link
to
the entire review from my profile page. Just so you have an idea of where
Mr. Holt is at...he loves the sound of the B&W 801. I thought that this
was
rather ironic as this model [although great] has been tagged by myself
and
others as a bit overwhelming and "fat sounding" in the bass
frequencies...again...room acoustics like it or not will affect various
speaker models more than we sometimes are willing to admit!


With the proper amplifier and room your reaction may very well be like
this..."I may be living in a different world from everyone else but if
so...DO NOT wake me up! I'm having too much fun listening to music the
way
it was meant to be heard with this heavenly speaker!" With the wrong amp
and improper room you will probably feel that you've been ripped off and
Bose is full of nothing but hype.

I recommend the speakers highly with the condition that you fully
audition
them in the right situation but be aware of the fact that many of you
will
find yourselves wondering why you even bothered to give the beasts a
listen! For those of you in this situation I highly recommend the
Vandersteen 1C speakers at a slightly lower price. The Vandersteens are
wonderful sounding in just about any room you can think of and are
available at fine high end stores like John Rutan's Audio Connection of
Verona, NJ [see the link on my profile page].

Bose states that the 901-VI was engineered by passionate music lovers.
This
fact is so highly obvious once you give the speaker a listen in an
appropriate setup [and the Bose Store may very well not be the best!]. It
seems like no other speaker system delivers powerful accuracy quite like
this one!

"Eric K. Weber"

I attended lecture by Mr. Bose in 1975, he was proud of the fact that he
used cheap drivers.... claimed that their defects averaged out.

** Nah - they sum to make bigger defects.


When asked about phase cancellation (comb filtering) he changed the
subject.


** That's because it is the secret of the Bose 901's "sound".


You have to give Bose credit his marketing skills are excellent...


** Bose's marketing is only one tiny step removed from fraud.


Phil... if it is a religious cult, it would be a Hindu cult....


** More like Scientology - ie find gullible fools, suck their brains
out then make them your slaves forever.




............. Phil

The ONLY reason that Amar put the single driver on the front of the 901 was to escape
prosecution for patent infringement by the guy he stole the reflecting sound idea from, Dan
Greenfield of Danby Radio in Philadelphia. As Dan would recite at the slightest hint of the
subject of Bose by a customer in his store, Amar walked in one day in the mid '60's to peddle
his quarter-sphere multidriver corner-box speaker, finding only Dan's wife in the store at the
time. Mrs. Greenfield, after hearing Bose's junk, said "I don't think your speakers sound
nearly as good as my husband's." She then played a set of Dan's reflecting speakers. Bose
immediately dropped his sales pitch & listened for a while, reputedly taking some notes.
Within a few months, he started marketing the 901. Shortly thereafter, Dan received a letter
from Amar's lawyer, stating that it was felt that the added front driver made the design
different enough to "escape Mr. Greenfield's patent umbrella". So, besides making some of the
worst speakers in history, Amar Bose is also a complete slimeball.

--
Stephen Sank, Owner & Ribbon Mic Restorer
Talking Dog Transducer Company
http://stephensank.com
5517 Carmelita Drive N.E.
Albuquerque, New Mexico [87111]
505-332-0336
Auth. Nakamichi & McIntosh servicer
Payments preferred through Paypal.com
"Eric K. Weber" wrote in message
...
I attended lecture by Mr. Bose in 1975, he was proud of the fact that he
used
cheap drivers.... claimed that their defects averaged out.

When asked about phase cancellation (comb filtering) he changed the subject.

You have to give Bose credit his marketing skills are excellent...

Phil... if it is a religious cult, it would be a Hindu cult....

Rgds:
Eric


"Mark" wrote in message
...
Ah back in the day (pre-digital) I was a regular attendee at the
Chicago CES roaming the halls of the Congress listening to demos of
the best that high end had to offer. One year Bose dared to exhibit
there rather than the usual lo & mid-fi exhibit areas. Honestly the
worse sounding demo I ever experienced. The sales staff stood there
just beaming at what they apparently perceived as a convincing demo.
The audiophiles just looked at each other in mock horror. The
laughter & snickering continued all up & down the exhibit floor.

I retreated to a demo of some Beveridge electrostatics to get my ears
"straight" so I could continue the show.

Just sign me--
An objective audiophile who owns nothing of any worth
and therefore doesn't need to justify my purchase
of 2 plastic boxes full of car audio-grade door speakers.
Bose? Stereo imaging? Get real!

On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 23:23:29 -0000, Peter Sammon
wrote:

http://www.epinions.com/content_105506836100

In 1968, I took an old Philco record player and turned it into my first
hifi record player by installing a Shure M3D stereo magnetic phono
cartridge and then adding a preamp and low powered amp and sealing the
entire deal by building these gigantic enclosures for a pair of Jensen
duo
cone 8" speakers that cost a grand total of $20/Pr. This was my
introduction to stereo hifi and a new audionut had been born!

This was also the year that the now famous Bose 901 DIRECT/REFLECTING
speaker system graced the audio world with a courageous unorthodox
design!
Had it not been for Dr. Amar Bose and this speaker, who would have caused
so many speaker designers to even give stereo imaging the slightest
consideration!????

Believe it or not, I wasn't even aware of the design at that time. In
fact
it wasn't until 1972 when I was stationed in Alaska for the USAF that I
took to picking up a few stereo magazines including CONSUMER GUIDE and
STEREO REVIEW and then ventured into the local hifi shop in Fairbanks
that
my first encounter with the 901 took place.

When the salesman put on an album by a band called Chase, The 901's that
were suspended from the ceiling immediately shook the room and the
clarity
was awesome! Stereo everywhere yet I could distinctly identify each
trumpet, guitar, percussion and voices with better separation than I had
ever experienced! The amplifier driving the speakers at the time was none
other than Bob Carver's creation...the Phase Linear 700. The love affair
had begun and I purchased my first set of Bose 901's.

In 1983 I upgraded to SERIES V and just recently to SERIES VI...the
subject
of this review. It is a solidly well built speaker system throughout!

The Bose 901 SERIES VI features a 21" x 12" x 13" cabinet with curved
fronts and two angled panels in the rear. The two angled panels each
contain four 4 1/2" drivers while one single driver is placed toward the
center of the front panel.

Thus the reason for the model #...9 drivers total with 1 in front. The
design is appropriately designated as direct/reflecting with 89% of the
sound projected from the rear and the remaining 11% coming out of the
front. This proportion was the finding of Dr. Bose's MIT team when
studying
various halls where LIVE PERFORMANCES were featured.

The impedence is a solid 8 ohms across the musical spectrum and should
prove to be a most stable load for whatever amplifier one chooses but
choose wisely as this speaker is extremely picky about what drives it and
I'm not referring to just power alone! It is quite conceivable that a
given
50 watt amp could sound better with the 901's than a competitive 200 watt
amp!

The small drivers themselves boast heavy magnets and high quality voice
coils as they must move an enormous amount of air. The multi chambered
ACOUSTIC MATRIX enclosure vents the speaker in a most unusual way with
air
speeds exceeding 60 mph! Three ports or jets protrude through the rear of
the 901 enclosure.

Because of the use of small full range drivers, an active equalizer which
is absolutely essential to the system is used in place of the normal
CROSSOVERS that introduce distortion no matter how well engineered. The
901
EQ simply smooths out any bumps or irregularities in the system's power
response.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE specs are not ever offered by Bose because one of the
founding principles was that they offer little or no value to the
audiophile! Bose simply observed that great specs certainly did not
always
coincide with equally great performance.

The OWNER'S MANUAL is quite extensive and written in several languages.
It
also gives special instructions for mounting the 901's on pedestals or
hanging them from ceilings.

The speakers are rated to handle amplifiers of 10 to 450 watts of clean
power but do not induce amplifier clipping as this will kill any speaker
regardless of the rating or how well it is made! DYNAMIC RANGE is rated
at
106db...well above the 90db capability of the best digital sources!

The two finishes that are available are black ash and light walnut. I
chose
the light walnut for mine with dark brown indestructible grills that are
absolutely seductive looking!
Optional PS6 pedestals are available. Pedestals are also offered by
others
and you could save some money but make sure they support your 901's
properly. Two foot high end tables offer a sturdy and childproof support
of
the speakers also.

The bottom of each 901 speaker reveals a circular cutaway that surrounds
the two heavy duty knurled nut speaker terminals that hold speaker wire
like no other arrangement I know of. It is very secure and should make
for
a lifetime of good connection to quality OFC speaker wire. This wire is
available from Kimber Kable and AR but for my money MIRASONIC.COM has the
best stuff at super low prices that can truly make an audible difference.
There is no substitute for controlled well defined bass and clear mids
and
highs. Good wire can accomplish that! It's been proven.

After patching the 901 EQ into my TAPE MONITOR circuit on my humble
Parasound integrated amplifier with the supplied patch chords and then
carefully setting up the speakers in my living room I was able to listen
to
my vast collection of CD's into the wee hours of the morning night after
night as I simply could not get enough of the beautiful sound the
speakers
project! A new TAPE MONITOR is provided on the EQ to replace your old
one.
Adjust the MID BASS and MID TREBLE slider controls moderately for room
and
source compensation.

DO NOT MIX AND MATCH WRONG EQ's FROM VARIOUS SERIES MODELS AS THE SOUND
WILL BE INCORRECT AND DO NOT USE WITH OTHER CONVENTIONAL UNEQUALIZED
SPEAKERS FOR HOME THEATER!!!!

901 EQ AND SPEAKER SERIES COMPATABILITY:

SERIES I and II...ACOUSTIC SUSPENSION design from 1968-1976
SERIES III and IV...ACOUSTIC MATRIX design from 1976-1983
SERIES V and VI...ACOUSTIC MATRIX design from 1983-Present day

Do not deviate from these guidelines as 901's are available in used
condition over the internet. Undoubtedly as you read this review, someone
is selling a SERIES IV 901 with a SERIES VI EQ or a SERIES II EQ with a
SERIES III speaker and will result in total dissatisfaction with the
product on the buyer's end.

Also beware of the phony 901 look alike LDL 749 speakers that were
manufactured from 1970 to 1974 without EQ's but did not equal the 901
quality sound. I almost purchased one of these systems back then but
thankfully did not but beware as they can easily be peddled as 901's.
They
do resemble the Bose to a great degree. I think someone from the original
Bose/MIT group jumped ship to make these imposters.

As for the subject of speaker placement I can only suggest that you
experiment a bit and rid yourself of any normal distance you would keep
between conventional LEFT and RIGHT STEREO speakers as the 901 is
anything
but conventional itself! I really do believe that the LOVE and HATE stems
from the fact that the 901 sound can change drastically in the lower
frequencies when not setup properly! Alas, I have found the 901's to
sound
best on 18" high pedestals and out 18" from the REAR wall along the SHORT
wall of my listening room as compared to the LONGER wall. I think this is
better than hanging the speakers from the ceiling where the bass tends to
get lost. Experiment...experiment...this is the key!

Because of the angled rear panels, the "middle sound" will be quite
strong
and stable eliminating the typical "sweet spot" rules. You can separate
these speakers miles apart from each other and in fact should do so
within
reason to get great stereo separation!

By doing so, you'll not only widen the fantastic soundstage but also
eliminate any possibility of losing left and right channel detail. Don't
worry, you will not have a "hole in the middle" effect. This way also
gets
you to move the 901's closer to the adjacent walls. Just keep the wall
behind the speakers relatively free of drapes and teddy bears.

Hanging the 901's from ceilings more than ten feet from the ground is not
recommended as the sound may get obscured a bit and imaging along with
deep
bass lost. In other words, if you have a ceiling like the Sistine Chapel,
forget it!

The sound of the 901 SERIES VI is really special and downright seductive!
Regardless of the many genres of music that have been played thru my
901's,
the SOUNDSTAGING is such that never have I experienced a wider higher
portrayal of various performances with equally impressive depth! You can
literally point to every instrument in the orchestra or follow a soloist
as
he or she moves about the stage in front of you [e.g. Tony Clarke-"The
Entertainer" as he as he moves to and fro banging his tambourine...it's
really something to behold!]

The break-in period for the 901-VI went very nicely with the drivers
fully
seated after six months. Be careful not to push them too hard at first
and
do not introduce amplifier clipping. By the way, this break-in period
applies to owners of older 901 models that have had their foam surrounds
replaced [Simply Speakers on EBAY has a wondertful kit for under $50].

I love it when people say that the 901's can't go deep. Just checkout the
opening low pedal note in the movie "2001-A Space Oddysey" and see if it
doesn't rattle every window and loose floor board in the house! Or
checkout
Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" at the four minute mark. Just MIDRANGE
speakers, huh? No, what's happening is that the ACOUSTIC MATRIX enclosure
is moving huge amounts of air! That's what gives you bass...not just the
physical size of the driver. Why do you think many top notch speaker
systems like Win Burhoe's SILENT SPEAKERS or the Spendors use such small
drivers and are still able to produce such deep notes? It's because the
cabinets have special sophisticated chambers that create significant air
speeds. Also the drivers have powerful motors in their voice coil and
magnet assemblies.

All other systems seem to be fat sounding in the bass...even the biggest
most expensive ones! Forget about subwoofering the 901 as it is not
necessary in the right room! Put your wallet away and be happy with the
fact that you own a fantastic 40Hz gut puncher!

Telarc's CD of "Carmina Burana" is so dynamic with the voices and
orchestra
bringing forth massive but clear emotional sound thru the 901's. Midrange
and high notes are crystal clear thru the speakers when they are truly
present. That brings me to another point...that the 901's only reproduce
what's in the recording itself and very little of anything else! BUT YOU
GOTTA LISTEN TO THEM FOR YOURSELF. YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH MY FINDINGS AS
THE 901 IS NOT FOR EVERYONE.


The EQ is silent with no perceived extraneous noise. The only noise that
will be revealed is amplifier hiss or such sound in an analog mastered
recording. Some digital recordings even have modulation noise and you
will
recognize such flawed CD's immediately!

The speaker has an uncanny ability to reveal eveything! Beware as this is
certainly a double edged sword for the Bose. I have one CD of Barry
White's
Greatest Hits that on the song..."You're The First, The Last, My
Everything" where this older recording used a poor microphone for Barry's
voice that can sound downright harsh! Yet the orchestra behind him is
very
nicely portrayed. You will certainly stay up late the first night
checking
out all of your library to see what's good and what isn't.

I'm not kidding when I tell you that the 901 can distinguish between a
good
MIC or a bad one. You can even hear "poof!" sounds from microphones that
were not properly screened and windproofed! Just listen to a variety of
radio broadcasts or checkout the "Buddy Holly Collection" CD of
remastered
recordings and listen for yourself.

That is how revealing the 901 is. I dare say that many of you will not
like
the speaker because of this very fact. The quality of your amplifier and
CD
player will also be unveiled for whatever it is. Use good quality power
as
the 901 likes heaps of it! Yes, it can play quite loudly but sounds
wonderful at a whisper.

That high current Onkyo/Integra stereo only receiver should be wonderful
with the 901's! I'm not so sure about some other massed produced brands.
Certainly super audiophile expensive MONO BLOCKS will be at their best
also.

If you listen to JAZZ 88 in the Newark, NJ area you will hear non smeared
percussion and wonderful vocalists with plenty of plucked basses and
super
sweet highs all naturally portrayed thru the 901's. The cymbals are so
darn
natural! TRANSIENT RESPONSE is exemplary! I love the fact that I can hear
a
kickdrum change tone or every subtlety and overtone on various recorded
music. The simple striking of a trianglular bell can raise the hairs on
my
back!

Accuracy of musical timbre is important and with the Bose you get plenty
of
it. You haven't heard the Beatles until you've heard "Sgt Peppers" played
thru the Bose 901! There is a rather nice CD entitled "Atmospheres-Celtic
Voices" featuring ambient waterfall sounds along with various seductive
strings, tom toms, woodwinds and basses. This Irish music CD is worth
seeking out as it reveals changes in the stringed bass's tones and
subtleties that can be a very useful tool for speaker evaluation! You can
probably pick it up for around $8 or less! The 901 sounds wonderful with
this recording!

But don't just take my word for it...listen for yourself! You may or may
not agree. That is how controversial this speaker is! Speaker auditioning
should be fun and pleasant so don't let snotty proprietors and extremely
opinionated sales people stand in your way. Some of the hatred stems from
the fact that Bose seems to pursuit competitors in court quite often and
also even went after a negative reviewer...and that's not right. We are
free to print how we feel about a product and should have no fear of
repercussion!

But as a maker of great speakers I think Bose does very well indeed and
their customer support is unbelievable! I have had some nice chats with
both Bose field and customer service reps.

Look, my feeling is that a truly great speaker can involve you in the
performance so well as to summon all your emotions as I have felt many
tears in my eyes when listening to beautiful music thru the speakers.
Telarc's "Rite Of Spring" has a tympani gut puncher at around the ten
minute mark that can make your heart jump out and if you hold a tissue
over
one of the 901's ports it will fly out of your hand! Yet the orchestra
sounds so sweet as to make you cry or stand up and exclaim...BRAVO!...as
it
does on CBS MASTERWORKS' "Nutcracker" w/Michael Tilson Thomas conducting
the New Phiharmonia Orch.

There are many bigger more expensive models costing well over $5000 a
pair
but I don't really consider some of these Gigantors to be appropriate for
the average listening room. We don't have auditoriums for listening areas
do we?

Well the 901's have served me well in some of my rooms over the past
thirty
years and can sound great in rooms big or small if the acoustics are
correct for them. If your listening room is smaller than average and full
of curtains then look elsewhere for your special transducer. In larger
rooms with solid walls or undraped windows the Bose 901 SERIES VI will be
at its best! The fact that their current price is still within reason for

such great performance at $1500 is a credit to Bose. The USA engineered
speaker is now being crafted in Canada which lays claim to such fine
outfits like Mirage, PSB and Paradigm.

Although the system is not always setup properly in malls and generally
not
available through high end dealers, don't let that fact stop you from
seeking the speaker out. My advice is to find someone locally who owns a
SERIES III thru VI system and ask for an audition in the home where they
reside. There is simply no substitute for auditioning the 901's in an
actual home! You can also go online at BOSE.COM to place an order and use
a
12 month payment plan that makes it so much easier on your pocketbook.

A Special Note To 901 Owners And Perspective Buyers:
Do not be discouraged or put off by those who feel this speaker system is
overrated or hyped up. Trust your own ears! No amount of poetic flowery
descriptive double talk can truly make a given speaker system sound
great.
Neither can impressive manufacturer's specifications! Listen for
yourself.

Compare the speakers to the best of the best like the B&W NAUTILUS 801's
and 802's but also the biggest most expensive Tannoys, Martin Logans,
Definitives, JBL's, Allisons, Bostons, Polks, Legacy's or any other brand
you can think of as I have and see if you agree with my findings. Isn't
it
most interesting that some of these lovely sounding models cost up to ten
times the price of the 901 or more! I did compare my Bose to these
speakers! While I did so, the high end salesman tried to tell me what was
wrong with them [like most of us audiophiles he was very opinionated]! I
simply smiled as my 901's outperformed these great speakers on every
single
CD used for this audition!

What a great audition but the salesman knew he had lost his battle! Who
needs someone telling us what we should be hearing while auditioning
speakers or any piece of audio gear? It is our decision. We know what to
listen for! Just beware of this little trick when you decide to bring a
901
system into a high end store. They don't like Bose!

This silliness began in 1971 when J Gordon Holt gave the original Bose
901
a somewhat negative review. He did however bring up some good points but
was off the mark on the 901's sounding "fat" in the bass as they are
anything but that! However, the battle lines were drawn. This review
sparked the "Love/Hate" of the Bose 901 speaker system and you can link
to
the entire review from my profile page. Just so you have an idea of where
Mr. Holt is at...he loves the sound of the B&W 801. I thought that this
was
rather ironic as this model [although great] has been tagged by myself
and
others as a bit overwhelming and "fat sounding" in the bass
frequencies...again...room acoustics like it or not will affect various
speaker models more than we sometimes are willing to admit!


With the proper amplifier and room your reaction may very well be like
this..."I may be living in a different world from everyone else but if
so...DO NOT wake me up! I'm having too much fun listening to music the
way
it was meant to be heard with this heavenly speaker!" With the wrong amp
and improper room you will probably feel that you've been ripped off and
Bose is full of nothing but hype.

I recommend the speakers highly with the condition that you fully
audition
them in the right situation but be aware of the fact that many of you
will
find yourselves wondering why you even bothered to give the beasts a
listen! For those of you in this situation I highly recommend the
Vandersteen 1C speakers at a slightly lower price. The Vandersteens are
wonderful sounding in just about any room you can think of and are
available at fine high end stores like John Rutan's Audio Connection of
Verona, NJ [see the link on my profile page].

Bose states that the 901-VI was engineered by passionate music lovers.
This
fact is so highly obvious once you give the speaker a listen in an
appropriate setup [and the Bose Store may very well not be the best!]. It
seems like no other speaker system delivers powerful accuracy quite like
this one!

No Highs, No Lows, must be Bose has remained true
since 1968. No imaging either. Great to demonstrate
doppler effect though.

Bose did keep after Consumer Reports in the courts all
the way to the Supreme Court for 14 years a bad review.

For some reason they did not go after J. Gordon Holt for
his not so flattering review in Stereophile.

http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/425/


"Peter Sammon" wrote in message
...
http://www.epinions.com/content_105506836100

In 1968, I took an old Philco record player and turned it into my first
hifi record player by installing a Shure M3D stereo magnetic phono
cartridge and then adding a preamp and low powered amp and sealing the
entire deal by building these gigantic enclosures for a pair of Jensen
duo
cone 8" speakers that cost a grand total of $20/Pr. This was my
introduction to stereo hifi and a new audionut had been born!

This was also the year that the now famous Bose 901 DIRECT/REFLECTING
speaker system graced the audio world with a courageous unorthodox
design!
Had it not been for Dr. Amar Bose and this speaker, who would have caused
so many speaker designers to even give stereo imaging the slightest
consideration!????

Believe it or not, I wasn't even aware of the design at that time. In
fact
it wasn't until 1972 when I was stationed in Alaska for the USAF that I
took to picking up a few stereo magazines including CONSUMER GUIDE and
STEREO REVIEW and then ventured into the local hifi shop in Fairbanks
that
my first encounter with the 901 took place.

When the salesman put on an album by a band called Chase, The 901's that
were suspended from the ceiling immediately shook the room and the
clarity
was awesome! Stereo everywhere yet I could distinctly identify each
trumpet, guitar, percussion and voices with better separation than I had
ever experienced! The amplifier driving the speakers at the time was none
other than Bob Carver's creation...the Phase Linear 700. The love affair
had begun and I purchased my first set of Bose 901's.

In 1983 I upgraded to SERIES V and just recently to SERIES VI...the
subject
of this review. It is a solidly well built speaker system throughout!

The Bose 901 SERIES VI features a 21" x 12" x 13" cabinet with curved
fronts and two angled panels in the rear. The two angled panels each
contain four 4 1/2" drivers while one single driver is placed toward the
center of the front panel.

Thus the reason for the model #...9 drivers total with 1 in front. The
design is appropriately designated as direct/reflecting with 89% of the
sound projected from the rear and the remaining 11% coming out of the
front. This proportion was the finding of Dr. Bose's MIT team when
studying
various halls where LIVE PERFORMANCES were featured.

The impedence is a solid 8 ohms across the musical spectrum and should
prove to be a most stable load for whatever amplifier one chooses but
choose wisely as this speaker is extremely picky about what drives it and
I'm not referring to just power alone! It is quite conceivable that a
given
50 watt amp could sound better with the 901's than a competitive 200 watt
amp!

The small drivers themselves boast heavy magnets and high quality voice
coils as they must move an enormous amount of air. The multi chambered
ACOUSTIC MATRIX enclosure vents the speaker in a most unusual way with
air
speeds exceeding 60 mph! Three ports or jets protrude through the rear of
the 901 enclosure.

Because of the use of small full range drivers, an active equalizer which
is absolutely essential to the system is used in place of the normal
CROSSOVERS that introduce distortion no matter how well engineered. The
901
EQ simply smooths out any bumps or irregularities in the system's power
response.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE specs are not ever offered by Bose because one of the
founding principles was that they offer little or no value to the
audiophile! Bose simply observed that great specs certainly did not
always
coincide with equally great performance.

The OWNER'S MANUAL is quite extensive and written in several languages.
It
also gives special instructions for mounting the 901's on pedestals or
hanging them from ceilings.

The speakers are rated to handle amplifiers of 10 to 450 watts of clean
power but do not induce amplifier clipping as this will kill any speaker
regardless of the rating or how well it is made! DYNAMIC RANGE is rated
at
106db...well above the 90db capability of the best digital sources!

The two finishes that are available are black ash and light walnut. I
chose
the light walnut for mine with dark brown indestructible grills that are
absolutely seductive looking!
Optional PS6 pedestals are available. Pedestals are also offered by
others
and you could save some money but make sure they support your 901's
properly. Two foot high end tables offer a sturdy and childproof support
of
the speakers also.

The bottom of each 901 speaker reveals a circular cutaway that surrounds
the two heavy duty knurled nut speaker terminals that hold speaker wire
like no other arrangement I know of. It is very secure and should make
for
a lifetime of good connection to quality OFC speaker wire. This wire is
available from Kimber Kable and AR but for my money MIRASONIC.COM has the
best stuff at super low prices that can truly make an audible difference.
There is no substitute for controlled well defined bass and clear mids
and
highs. Good wire can accomplish that! It's been proven.

After patching the 901 EQ into my TAPE MONITOR circuit on my humble
Parasound integrated amplifier with the supplied patch chords and then
carefully setting up the speakers in my living room I was able to listen
to
my vast collection of CD's into the wee hours of the morning night after
night as I simply could not get enough of the beautiful sound the
speakers
project! A new TAPE MONITOR is provided on the EQ to replace your old
one.
Adjust the MID BASS and MID TREBLE slider controls moderately for room
and
source compensation.

DO NOT MIX AND MATCH WRONG EQ's FROM VARIOUS SERIES MODELS AS THE SOUND
WILL BE INCORRECT AND DO NOT USE WITH OTHER CONVENTIONAL UNEQUALIZED
SPEAKERS FOR HOME THEATER!!!!

901 EQ AND SPEAKER SERIES COMPATABILITY:

SERIES I and II...ACOUSTIC SUSPENSION design from 1968-1976
SERIES III and IV...ACOUSTIC MATRIX design from 1976-1983
SERIES V and VI...ACOUSTIC MATRIX design from 1983-Present day

Do not deviate from these guidelines as 901's are available in used
condition over the internet. Undoubtedly as you read this review, someone
is selling a SERIES IV 901 with a SERIES VI EQ or a SERIES II EQ with a
SERIES III speaker and will result in total dissatisfaction with the
product on the buyer's end.

Also beware of the phony 901 look alike LDL 749 speakers that were
manufactured from 1970 to 1974 without EQ's but did not equal the 901
quality sound. I almost purchased one of these systems back then but
thankfully did not but beware as they can easily be peddled as 901's.
They
do resemble the Bose to a great degree. I think someone from the original
Bose/MIT group jumped ship to make these imposters.

As for the subject of speaker placement I can only suggest that you
experiment a bit and rid yourself of any normal distance you would keep
between conventional LEFT and RIGHT STEREO speakers as the 901 is
anything
but conventional itself! I really do believe that the LOVE and HATE stems
from the fact that the 901 sound can change drastically in the lower
frequencies when not setup properly! Alas, I have found the 901's to
sound
best on 18" high pedestals and out 18" from the REAR wall along the SHORT
wall of my listening room as compared to the LONGER wall. I think this is
better than hanging the speakers from the ceiling where the bass tends to
get lost. Experiment...experiment...this is the key!

Because of the angled rear panels, the "middle sound" will be quite
strong
and stable eliminating the typical "sweet spot" rules. You can separate
these speakers miles apart from each other and in fact should do so
within
reason to get great stereo separation!

By doing so, you'll not only widen the fantastic soundstage but also
eliminate any possibility of losing left and right channel detail. Don't
worry, you will not have a "hole in the middle" effect. This way also
gets
you to move the 901's closer to the adjacent walls. Just keep the wall
behind the speakers relatively free of drapes and teddy bears.

Hanging the 901's from ceilings more than ten feet from the ground is not
recommended as the sound may get obscured a bit and imaging along with
deep
bass lost. In other words, if you have a ceiling like the Sistine Chapel,
forget it!

The sound of the 901 SERIES VI is really special and downright seductive!
Regardless of the many genres of music that have been played thru my
901's,
the SOUNDSTAGING is such that never have I experienced a wider higher
portrayal of various performances with equally impressive depth! You can
literally point to every instrument in the orchestra or follow a soloist
as
he or she moves about the stage in front of you [e.g. Tony Clarke-"The
Entertainer" as he as he moves to and fro banging his tambourine...it's
really something to behold!]

The break-in period for the 901-VI went very nicely with the drivers
fully
seated after six months. Be careful not to push them too hard at first
and
do not introduce amplifier clipping. By the way, this break-in period
applies to owners of older 901 models that have had their foam surrounds
replaced [Simply Speakers on EBAY has a wondertful kit for under $50].

I love it when people say that the 901's can't go deep. Just checkout the
opening low pedal note in the movie "2001-A Space Oddysey" and see if it
doesn't rattle every window and loose floor board in the house! Or
checkout
Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" at the four minute mark. Just MIDRANGE
speakers, huh? No, what's happening is that the ACOUSTIC MATRIX enclosure
is moving huge amounts of air! That's what gives you bass...not just the
physical size of the driver. Why do you think many top notch speaker
systems like Win Burhoe's SILENT SPEAKERS or the Spendors use such small
drivers and are still able to produce such deep notes? It's because the
cabinets have special sophisticated chambers that create significant air
speeds. Also the drivers have powerful motors in their voice coil and
magnet assemblies.

All other systems seem to be fat sounding in the bass...even the biggest
most expensive ones! Forget about subwoofering the 901 as it is not
necessary in the right room! Put your wallet away and be happy with the
fact that you own a fantastic 40Hz gut puncher!

Telarc's CD of "Carmina Burana" is so dynamic with the voices and
orchestra
bringing forth massive but clear emotional sound thru the 901's. Midrange
and high notes are crystal clear thru the speakers when they are truly
present. That brings me to another point...that the 901's only reproduce
what's in the recording itself and very little of anything else! BUT YOU
GOTTA LISTEN TO THEM FOR YOURSELF. YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH MY FINDINGS AS
THE 901 IS NOT FOR EVERYONE.


The EQ is silent with no perceived extraneous noise. The only noise that
will be revealed is amplifier hiss or such sound in an analog mastered
recording. Some digital recordings even have modulation noise and you
will
recognize such flawed CD's immediately!

The speaker has an uncanny ability to reveal eveything! Beware as this is
certainly a double edged sword for the Bose. I have one CD of Barry
White's
Greatest Hits that on the song..."You're The First, The Last, My
Everything" where this older recording used a poor microphone for Barry's
voice that can sound downright harsh! Yet the orchestra behind him is
very
nicely portrayed. You will certainly stay up late the first night
checking
out all of your library to see what's good and what isn't.

I'm not kidding when I tell you that the 901 can distinguish between a
good
MIC or a bad one. You can even hear "poof!" sounds from microphones that
were not properly screened and windproofed! Just listen to a variety of
radio broadcasts or checkout the "Buddy Holly Collection" CD of
remastered
recordings and listen for yourself.

That is how revealing the 901 is. I dare say that many of you will not
like
the speaker because of this very fact. The quality of your amplifier and
CD
player will also be unveiled for whatever it is. Use good quality power
as
the 901 likes heaps of it! Yes, it can play quite loudly but sounds
wonderful at a whisper.

That high current Onkyo/Integra stereo only receiver should be wonderful
with the 901's! I'm not so sure about some other massed produced brands.
Certainly super audiophile expensive MONO BLOCKS will be at their best
also.

If you listen to JAZZ 88 in the Newark, NJ area you will hear non smeared
percussion and wonderful vocalists with plenty of plucked basses and
super
sweet highs all naturally portrayed thru the 901's. The cymbals are so
darn
natural! TRANSIENT RESPONSE is exemplary! I love the fact that I can hear
a
kickdrum change tone or every subtlety and overtone on various recorded
music. The simple striking of a trianglular bell can raise the hairs on
my
back!

Accuracy of musical timbre is important and with the Bose you get plenty
of
it. You haven't heard the Beatles until you've heard "Sgt Peppers" played
thru the Bose 901! There is a rather nice CD entitled "Atmospheres-Celtic
Voices" featuring ambient waterfall sounds along with various seductive
strings, tom toms, woodwinds and basses. This Irish music CD is worth
seeking out as it reveals changes in the stringed bass's tones and
subtleties that can be a very useful tool for speaker evaluation! You can
probably pick it up for around $8 or less! The 901 sounds wonderful with
this recording!

But don't just take my word for it...listen for yourself! You may or may
not agree. That is how controversial this speaker is! Speaker auditioning
should be fun and pleasant so don't let snotty proprietors and extremely
opinionated sales people stand in your way. Some of the hatred stems from
the fact that Bose seems to pursuit competitors in court quite often and
also even went after a negative reviewer...and that's not right. We are
free to print how we feel about a product and should have no fear of
repercussion!

But as a maker of great speakers I think Bose does very well indeed and
their customer support is unbelievable! I have had some nice chats with
both Bose field and customer service reps.

Look, my feeling is that a truly great speaker can involve you in the
performance so well as to summon all your emotions as I have felt many
tears in my eyes when listening to beautiful music thru the speakers.
Telarc's "Rite Of Spring" has a tympani gut puncher at around the ten
minute mark that can make your heart jump out and if you hold a tissue
over
one of the 901's ports it will fly out of your hand! Yet the orchestra
sounds so sweet as to make you cry or stand up and exclaim...BRAVO!...as
it
does on CBS MASTERWORKS' "Nutcracker" w/Michael Tilson Thomas conducting
the New Phiharmonia Orch.

There are many bigger more expensive models costing well over $5000 a
pair
but I don't really consider some of these Gigantors to be appropriate for
the average listening room. We don't have auditoriums for listening areas
do we?

Well the 901's have served me well in some of my rooms over the past
thirty
years and can sound great in rooms big or small if the acoustics are
correct for them. If your listening room is smaller than average and full
of curtains then look elsewhere for your special transducer. In larger
rooms with solid walls or undraped windows the Bose 901 SERIES VI will be
at its best! The fact that their current price is still within reason for
such great performance at $1500 is a credit to Bose. The USA engineered
speaker is now being crafted in Canada which lays claim to such fine
outfits like Mirage, PSB and Paradigm.

Although the system is not always setup properly in malls and generally
not
available through high end dealers, don't let that fact stop you from
seeking the speaker out. My advice is to find someone locally who owns a
SERIES III thru VI system and ask for an audition in the home where they
reside. There is simply no substitute for auditioning the 901's in an
actual home! You can also go online at BOSE.COM to place an order and use
a
12 month payment plan that makes it so much easier on your pocketbook.

A Special Note To 901 Owners And Perspective Buyers:
Do not be discouraged or put off by those who feel this speaker system is
overrated or hyped up. Trust your own ears! No amount of poetic flowery
descriptive double talk can truly make a given speaker system sound
great.
Neither can impressive manufacturer's specifications! Listen for
yourself.

Compare the speakers to the best of the best like the B&W NAUTILUS 801's
and 802's but also the biggest most expensive Tannoys, Martin Logans,
Definitives, JBL's, Allisons, Bostons, Polks, Legacy's or any other brand
you can think of as I have and see if you agree with my findings. Isn't
it
most interesting that some of these lovely sounding models cost up to ten
times the price of the 901 or more! I did compare my Bose to these
speakers! While I did so, the high end salesman tried to tell me what was
wrong with them [like most of us audiophiles he was very opinionated]! I
simply smiled as my 901's outperformed these great speakers on every
single
CD used for this audition!

What a great audition but the salesman knew he had lost his battle! Who
needs someone telling us what we should be hearing while auditioning
speakers or any piece of audio gear? It is our decision. We know what to
listen for! Just beware of this little trick when you decide to bring a
901
system into a high end store. They don't like Bose!

This silliness began in 1971 when J Gordon Holt gave the original Bose
901
a somewhat negative review. He did however bring up some good points but
was off the mark on the 901's sounding "fat" in the bass as they are
anything but that! However, the battle lines were drawn. This review
sparked the "Love/Hate" of the Bose 901 speaker system and you can link
to
the entire review from my profile page. Just so you have an idea of where
Mr. Holt is at...he loves the sound of the B&W 801. I thought that this
was
rather ironic as this model [although great] has been tagged by myself
and
others as a bit overwhelming and "fat sounding" in the bass
frequencies...again...room acoustics like it or not will affect various
speaker models more than we sometimes are willing to admit!


With the proper amplifier and room your reaction may very well be like
this..."I may be living in a different world from everyone else but if
so...DO NOT wake me up! I'm having too much fun listening to music the
way
it was meant to be heard with this heavenly speaker!" With the wrong amp
and improper room you will probably feel that you've been ripped off and
Bose is full of nothing but hype.

I recommend the speakers highly with the condition that you fully
audition
them in the right situation but be aware of the fact that many of you
will
find yourselves wondering why you even bothered to give the beasts a
listen! For those of you in this situation I highly recommend the
Vandersteen 1C speakers at a slightly lower price. The Vandersteens are
wonderful sounding in just about any room you can think of and are
available at fine high end stores like John Rutan's Audio Connection of
Verona, NJ [see the link on my profile page].

Bose states that the 901-VI was engineered by passionate music lovers.
This
fact is so highly obvious once you give the speaker a listen in an
appropriate setup [and the Bose Store may very well not be the best!]. It
seems like no other speaker system delivers powerful accuracy quite like
this one!

"Peter Sammon" wrote in message


The small drivers themselves boast heavy magnets and high quality
voice coils as they must move an enormous amount of air.

Myth number one: A reasonable number of small drivers can move as much air
as a single large one, all other things being equal.

The hidden agenda is linear stroke.

Let's compare a 4" driver and an 8" driver. How many 4" drivers does it take
to move as much air as an 8" driver?

The naive answer is 4, presuming that cone area is proportional to diameter,
squared. True for theoretical geometry, not true for speakers.

Speakers have flexible surrounds and a fraction of the area of the surround
must be deducted from the area of the cone. However, the width of the
surround is not proportional to the diameter of the speaker, but rather is
dependent on the designer's goals for maximum linear stroke. IOW an 8"
speaker with a certain linear stroke will have a surround that is a certain
width. If the 4" speaker has the same linear stroke, then its surround will
have to be the same width. However, since the diameter of the smaller
speaker is quite a bit smaller, the surround takes up a greater proportion
of the diameter of the speaker. IOW, the area of the actual moving part of
the smaller cone is even less than proportionately smaller.

For small speakers, it may take 5 4" speakers to have the same moving cone
area as an 8" speaker due to the loss of effective moving diaphragm area
because of the width of the surround.

Secondly, smaller speakers, all other things being equal, don't have the
same linear stroke as larger speakers. Speakers tend to scale in all
dimensions. Not only is a 4" speaker half the diameter of an 8" speaker, but
it will have half the linear stroke, all other things being equal.

In short, it might take as many as 10 4" speakers to have the air-moving
capacity of a single 8" speaker, all other things being equal.

The multi
chambered ACOUSTIC MATRIX enclosure vents the speaker in a most
unusual way with air
speeds exceeding 60 mph! Three ports or jets protrude through the
rear of the 901 enclosure.

Knowledgeable speaker designers know that high air velocity in ports is
anathema. High air velocities lead to higher turbulence, and turbulent flow
tends to be noisy flow. One sign of a quality ported speaker is a large,
low-velocity port.

Because of the use of small full range drivers, an active equalizer
which is absolutely essential to the system is used in place of the
normal CROSSOVERS that introduce distortion no matter how well
engineered. The 901 EQ simply smooths out any bumps or irregularities in
the system's
power response.

Plan B: build a system that is essentially acoustically flat. Not mission
impossible in this day and age.

Now for the seriously damning facts about the Bose 901. When the 901 was
built, not that much was generally known about optimizing the performance of
arrays of small drivers. It turns out that arrays of small drivers can be a
real can of worms, if smooth, well-balanced frequency response is desired.
I'm quite sure that if Bose were to design the 901 today with a clean piece
of paper, they'd do it quite a bit differently.

Probably the most serious problem with designs based on ad-hoc collections
of identical small drivers is that they can have very rough frequency
response (lobing and comb-filter effects) when you move slightly off-axis,
and they can also have frequency response that is a strong function of
distance from the speaker to the listener. There are ways to manage these
problems with generally involve putting the drivers on curved baffles,
and/or adjusting the level and/or frequency response of the drive to the
various drivers. However, the classic Bose 901 design really does neither of
these things well.

Here's an AES paper that points out these problems and potential solutions
in some detail:

Author(s): Keele, Jr., D. B.
Publication: JAES Volume 38 Number 10 pp. 723·748; October 1990
Abstract: The Bessel array is a configuration of five, seven, or nine
identical loudspeakers in an equal-spaced line array that provides the same
overall polar pattern as a single loudspeaker of the array

One important point is that the no way is the Bose 901 a Bessel array.
A second important point is that of all the Bessel arrays analyzed, 5
drivers in a row was found to be the only one that was recommended.

"Arny Krueger"

Now for the seriously damning facts about the Bose 901. When the 901 was
built, not that much was generally known about optimizing the performance
of
arrays of small drivers. It turns out that arrays of small drivers can be
a
real can of worms, if smooth, well-balanced frequency response is desired.
I'm quite sure that if Bose were to design the 901 today with a clean
piece
of paper, they'd do it quite a bit differently.


** What - you mean there is an even " cheaper " way than the one used
now ;-)


Probably the most serious problem with designs based on ad-hoc collections
of identical small drivers is that they can have very rough frequency
response (lobing and comb-filter effects) when you move slightly off-axis,
and they can also have frequency response that is a strong function of
distance from the speaker to the listener. There are ways to manage these
problems with generally involve putting the drivers on curved baffles,
and/or adjusting the level and/or frequency response of the drive to the
various drivers. However, the classic Bose 901 design really does neither
of
these things well.

Here's an AES paper that points out these problems and potential solutions
in some detail:

Author(s): Keele, Jr., D. B.
Publication: JAES Volume 38 Number 10 pp. 723·748; October 1990
Abstract: The Bessel array is a configuration of five, seven, or
nine
identical loudspeakers in an equal-spaced line array that provides the
same
overall polar pattern as a single loudspeaker of the array

One important point is that the no way is the Bose 901 a Bessel
array.
A second important point is that of all the Bessel arrays analyzed, 5
drivers in a row was found to be the only one that was recommended.


** Hang on Arny, what multi driver array has the 901 really got ?????

The answer is none. There is only ONE driver facing the listener.

You are mixing the 901 up with the 802 PA speaker.




.......... Phil

"Phil Allison" wrote in message

"Arny Krueger"

Now for the seriously damning facts about the Bose 901. When the 901
was built, not that much was generally known about optimizing the
performance of arrays of small drivers. It turns out that arrays of
small drivers can be
a
real can of worms, if smooth, well-balanced frequency response is
desired. I'm quite sure that if Bose were to design the 901 today
with a clean
piece
of paper, they'd do it quite a bit differently.


** What - you mean there is an even " cheaper " way than the
one used now ;-)


Probably the most serious problem with designs based on ad-hoc
collections of identical small drivers is that they can have very
rough frequency response (lobing and comb-filter effects) when you
move slightly off-axis, and they can also have frequency response
that is a strong function of distance from the speaker to the
listener. There are ways to manage these problems with generally
involve putting the drivers on curved baffles, and/or adjusting the
level and/or frequency response of the drive to the various drivers.
However, the classic Bose 901 design really does neither of these
things well.

Here's an AES paper that points out these problems and potential
solutions in some detail:

Author(s): Keele, Jr., D. B.
Publication: JAES Volume 38 Number 10 pp. 723·748; October 1990
Abstract: The Bessel array is a configuration of five, seven,
or
nine
identical loudspeakers in an equal-spaced line array that provides
the
same
overall polar pattern as a single loudspeaker of the array

One important point is that the no way is the Bose 901 a
Bessel array. A second important point is that of all the Bessel
arrays analyzed, 5 drivers in a row was found to be the only one
that was recommended.


** Hang on Arny, what multi driver array has the 901 really got
?????

The answer is none. There is only ONE driver facing the listener.

You are mixing the 901 up with the 802 PA speaker.

Phil, what are those two arrays of 4 speakers on the back of the 901? Or, am
I imagining that I saw them there?

"Arny Krueger"
"Phil Allison"


** Hang on Arny, what multi driver array has the 901 really got
?????

The answer is none. There is only ONE driver facing the listener.

You are mixing the 901 up with the 802 PA speaker.

Phil, what are those two arrays of 4 speakers on the back of the 901? Or,
am
I imagining that I saw them there?



** Oh come on Arny !!!!!

There is no significant "lobing and comb-filter effects" with a driver
array that is **NOT** facing the listener - compared with one that is.


............ Phil

"Phil Allison" wrote in message
u
"Arny Krueger"
"Phil Allison"


** Hang on Arny, what multi driver array has the 901 really got
?????

The answer is none. There is only ONE driver facing the
listener.

You are mixing the 901 up with the 802 PA speaker.

Phil, what are those two arrays of 4 speakers on the back of the
901? Or, am I imagining that I saw them there?

** Oh come on Arny !!!!!

OK, so we agree that there are in fact two arrays of 4 drivers each back
there, right?

There is no significant "lobing and comb-filter effects" with a
driver array that is **NOT** facing the listener - compared with
one that is.

In most cases the back drivers on a 901 are facing a smooth wall. Lobes
bounced off a wall are still lobes. Furthermore, there are those oddities
where the array has a critical distance, and significantly different
frequency response when the listener is closer or further than the critical
distance. This affects 89% of the sound coming out of a 901, if Bose is to
be believed.

"Arny Krueger" ..
"Phil Allison"

** Hang on Arny, what multi driver array has the 901 really got
?????

The answer is none. There is only ONE driver facing the
listener.

You are mixing the 901 up with the 802 PA speaker.

Phil, what are those two arrays of 4 speakers on the back of the
901? Or, am I imagining that I saw them there?

** Oh come on Arny !!!!!

OK, so we agree that there are in fact two arrays of 4 drivers each back
there, right?


** That is a red herring - Arny.



There is no significant "lobing and comb-filter effects" with a
driver array that is **NOT** facing the listener - compared with
one that is.


In most cases the back drivers on a 901 are facing a smooth wall. Lobes
bounced off a wall are still lobes.


** The lobes are spread way out by the off angle reflection and lost to
the listener.

A listener seated in the usual central position could not detect them.



Furthermore, there are those oddities where the array has a critical
distance,


** Define your terms, please.


This affects 89% of the sound coming out of a 901, if Bose is to be
believed.


** The "Hass" effect plus the extra proximity and brighter sound of the
forward facing driver normally makes it the apparent source for a centrally
positioned listener.

The other rear facing ones will produce a delayed and duller sound -
depending on the nature of the walls, distance away and their coefficient of
absorption at various frequencies. If the walls are far away and
acoustically dead then the forward facing driver dominates strongly.

The "lobing ... effects" are only going to be audible if the listener
moves their head in the direct field where the lobes exist - ie behind the
901.

The "...comb-filter effects" are audible where rear wall proximity and
reflection of sound creates them - it is not due to the way the drivers are
arrayed.

IME both the 901 and 802 suffer from *gross* IM and Doppler distortion at
high SPL levels - nauseatingly so to my ears.




............. Phil

"Phil Allison" wrote in message
u
"Arny Krueger" ..
"Phil Allison"

** Hang on Arny, what multi driver array has the 901 really got
?????

The answer is none. There is only ONE driver facing the
listener.

You are mixing the 901 up with the 802 PA speaker.

Phil, what are those two arrays of 4 speakers on the back of the
901? Or, am I imagining that I saw them there?

** Oh come on Arny !!!!!

OK, so we agree that there are in fact two arrays of 4 drivers each
back there, right?


** That is a red herring - Arny.



There is no significant "lobing and comb-filter effects" with a
driver array that is **NOT** facing the listener - compared with
one that is.


In most cases the back drivers on a 901 are facing a smooth wall.
Lobes bounced off a wall are still lobes.


** The lobes are spread way out by the off angle reflection and
lost to the listener.

A listener seated in the usual central position could not detect
them.



Furthermore, there are those oddities where the array has a critical
distance,

** Define your terms, please.

I've cited this paper once already, and it's clear that there aren't a lot
of people on this thread who have actually even glanced at it:

Author(s): Keele, Jr., D. B. Publication: JAES Volume 38 Number 10 pp.
723·748; October 1990.

Well, not everybody has the kind of library I have at my disposal. Sadly, I
can't find any online references with enough detail. The "critical distance"
w/r/t to an array of speakers is the point where the sound from the array
drivers starts to fuse into a single pattern. This is independent of the
reverberant nature of the room - it is actually most noticeable in an
anechoic room. The parameters of the fusion are frequency and array-design
dependent. This has the result that even aside from the lobing, the
frequency response of the array changes quite a bit as you move away from
it. At some point it stabilizes, but this is usually some distance from the
array.

So much for arrays in general. One strength of a good Bessel array is that
this effect is minimized. The dispersion gets smoother as you move away, but
the average response is more consistent at most practical distances. Just to
clarify, I'm not recommending using any kind of multi-speaker array for near
field critical listening.


This affects 89% of the sound coming out of a 901, if Bose is to be
believed.

** The "Hass" effect plus the extra proximity and brighter sound of
the forward facing driver normally makes it the apparent source for a
centrally positioned listener.

Already considered. Since I've been doing SR quite a bit I've learned to
love the Haas effect and figuratively take it to the bank every opportunity.
However, Haas Effect fusion is not perfect - there is some perception of
added fullness or fuzziness, depending on the individual perceptions.

The other rear facing ones will produce a delayed and duller sound
- depending on the nature of the walls, distance away and their
coefficient of absorption at various frequencies. If the walls are
far away and acoustically dead then the forward facing driver
dominates strongly.

Agreed that if the back wall is dead than much of what the back speakers do
is moot. However, most architectural features are not good absorbers below 1
KHz, less below 500 Hz, and very few below 200 Hz. Since all drivers in the
901 are supposedly full-range...

The "lobing ... effects" are only going to be audible if the
listener moves their head in the direct field where the lobes exist
- ie behind the 901.

Or as I've said once and feel somewhat put-upon to have to repeat - the
lobes will exist in front of the 901s if the walls are good reflectors. Bose
seems to recommend using a reflective back wall, see page 6 of
http://www.bose.com/pdf/customer_ser...ers/og_901.pdf .

The "...comb-filter effects" are audible where rear wall proximity
and reflection of sound creates them - it is not due to the way the
drivers are arrayed.

I've cited this paper once already, and it's clear that there aren't a lot
of people on this thread who have actually even glanced at it:

Author(s): Keele, Jr., D. B.
Publication: JAES Volume 38 Number 10 pp. 723·748; October 1990
Abstract: The Bessel array is a configuration of five, seven,

The title of the paper is misleading in that some of the "Bessel Arrays"
that are analyzed are really common configurations that we know and maybe
*love*.


IME both the 901 and 802 suffer from *gross* IM and Doppler
distortion at high SPL levels - nauseatingly so to my ears.

Well, that too. I think we're now agreeing about one of my earlier points
about how many small drivers it takes to equal a larger one. On a good day a
Bose 901 should be equaled or bettered in the bass range by a single long
stroke (i.e., JL Audio W7 series or equivalent) 8 or 10 inch driver.

On detailed inspection, the Bose 901 suffers from what now looks like a
really bad basic design. It was controversial when it was new, but that was
then and this is now. It's been around for about 30 years, right? I suspect
that even Bose would like to send it out to pasture.

For serious listening, if that's possible at all with a speaker with so many
inherent flaws, 901s should be used with a competent subwoofer.

There is no significant "lobing and comb-filter effects" with a driver
array that is **NOT** facing the listener -- compared with one that is.

I'm inclined to agree about the lobing -- IF you're far enough back. But I
disagree about comb filtering.

JGH was the first to point this out. The rear drivers "spray" the sound at an
angle against the rear wall. This results in multiple arrival times at the
listener's ears. There is additional interference with the output of the front
driver, as well.

I don't know why these points are still being argued 36 years after the 901 was
introduced. The 901 is a poor speaker, NOT because Arny or I or JGH or anyone
else doesn't like the way it sounds (the 901 can be quite euphonic, actually),
but because everything about its design contradicts what is needed for accurate,
REALISTIC sound reproduction. The 901s are to speakers (roughly) what DynaGroove
was to phonograph records.

I'm tempted to use Julian Hirsch's favorable review as the ultimate condemnation
of his reviewing career, but the sad truth is that many other reviewers -- who
should have known better, and later admitted it -- were taken in. As I was.

As JGH said, in a hi-fi store the 901s sound like the truth and the light. This,
combined with the revolutionary "paradigm shift" the 901s represented, lead many
listeners to believe they represented a real advance in sound reproduction.

I love it when people say that Bose is not taken seriously by the rest of
the industry...of course if you are referring to the so called HIGH END...
there is a great reason why...because the high end hates Bose and the
901 and generally will go to great lengths to deter people from giving the
speakers any credibility by using the same stupid excuses like "older
technology," Direct/Reflecting sound obscures the image rather than
enhances it, no direct competition in the particular store of purchase etc.
etc. I, for one DO NOT play politics nor will I succumb to these ploys by
the so-called experts who have their noses too high in the air that they
cannot even smell what life is made of. Thanks anyway for your comments.

You obviously didn't understand what I wrote. THE DESIGN OF THE BOSE 901 IS
OBJECTIVELY INCORRECT, for engineering and pyschoacoustic reasons that are
well-understood. The fact that you or like or dislike the speaker is completely
beside the point.

Stop by sometime and listen to my Krell/Apogee system. Then tell me which sounds
more like live sound.

Peter Sammon wrote:

I love it when people say that Bose is not taken seriously by the rest of
the industry...of course if you are referring to the so called HIGH
END...there is a great reason why...because the high end hates Bose and the
901 and generally will go to great lengths to deter people from giving the
speakers any credibility by using the same stupid excuses like "older
technology", Direct/Reflecting sound obscures the image rather than
enhances it, no direct competition in the particular store of purchase etc.
etc. I, for one DO NOT play politics nor will I succumb to these ploys by
the so called experts who have their noses too high in the air that they
cannot even smell what life is made of. Thanks anyway for your comments.

Have you actually listened to the Bose stuff?

Ammar is something of a genius, but he's more of a marketer than an engineer
these days. That's fine... he makes a product that's designed to sell rather
than to be accurate, and from a business perspective that's a good idea.

But personally, I'd rather not listen to it.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

So why the hell is it here on RAT.

Tim

--
"That's for the courts to decide." - Homer Simpson
Website @ http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms

"Peter Sammon" wrote in message
...
http://www.epinions.com/content_105506836100

In 1968...snip huge nef

Peter Sammon schrieb:

Peter Sammon wrote in
:

http://www.epinions.com/content_105506836100


I love it when people say that Bose is not taken seriously by the rest of
the industry...of course if you are referring to the so called HIGH
END...there is a great reason why...because the high end hates Bose and the
901 and generally will go to great lengths to deter people from giving the
speakers any credibility by using the same stupid excuses like "older
technology", Direct/Reflecting sound obscures the image rather than
enhances it, no direct competition in the particular store of purchase etc.
etc. I, for one DO NOT play politics nor will I succumb to these ploys by
the so called experts who have their noses too high in the air that they
cannot even smell what life is made of. Thanks anyway for your comments.

Peter


I bought 901s in 1972 and used to listen to them until 1985 always with
the impression there is something missing in the sound.
Then I got my present, much older technology, my Klipschorns.
ON A/B listening, the difference in sound to the 901s was the same, as
between the 901s and cheap PC-speakers.

Peter

Tim Williams wrote:
So why the hell is it here on RAT.

Well, the Bose 901 has a lot to do with tubes. For example, if you put
a speaker at the end of a long plastic tube and then put your ear to the
other end, it would sound a lot like the Bose 901.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
Tim Williams wrote:
So why the hell is it here on RAT.

Well, the Bose 901 has a lot to do with tubes. For example, if you put
a speaker at the end of a long plastic tube and then put your ear to the
other end, it would sound a lot like the Bose 901.

.... I find that the gray electrical plastic conduit sounds much better than
the white water pipe ... I think size really matters!

Peter Sammon wrote:
Peter Sammon wrote in
:


http://www.epinions.com/content_105506836100



I love it when people say that Bose is not taken seriously by the rest of
the industry...of course if you are referring to the so called HIGH
END...there is a great reason why...because the high end hates Bose and the
901 and generally will go to great lengths to deter people from giving the
speakers any credibility by using the same stupid excuses like "older
technology", Direct/Reflecting sound obscures the image rather than
enhances it, no direct competition in the particular store of purchase etc.
etc. I, for one DO NOT play politics nor will I succumb to these ploys by
the so called experts who have their noses too high in the air that they
cannot even smell what life is made of. Thanks anyway for your comments.

Peter


I spent quite a few years in Massachussets in and around the hif-fi
scene and, for a time, worked as a temporary employee at "The Mountain"
in Framingham. I was employed as a technician on a project to build a
custom mixing console for the marketing department. At the time, Bose
was using a multimedia slide-tape show and a pair of doctored 901 series
IIIs (driven by a four-channel amp with one channel feeding and
independent signal to four of the eight rear drivers). The amount of
effort spent on these specialized shows was stunning. The tapes were
carefully tweaked, the program material was carefully selected (and
presented in two-to-four second snippets) and an awful lot of voice-over
marketing hype was applied.

To me, that is the genius of the Bose company. They convince people that
little plastic boxes with $2 drivers in them are somehow worth six or
seven hundred dollars.

And if you think that it's "audio snobs" who are jealous, here's a
little story. About a year and a half back, I designed and built a set
of transmission-line speakers. This was the first set of my speakers
that my second wife had ever heard. Prior to marrying me she was the
proud owner of a plasticky Onkyo all-in-one system. When I hauled the
new TLs out of my basement shop and hooked them up, she sat slack-jawed
at what she heard. About a month later, we found ourselves in a Bose
store and we watched and listened to one of these multimedia
extravaganzas for the Bose AM-7s. I made a point of not saying anything
to her. When I aked her what she thought, she said that the Bose product
couldn't hold a candle to my TLs. As others have suggested, you really
do need to go listen to something else.

Peter Hansen
www.geocities.com/bunkie21 (for those interested in my TL design)

Peter Sammon wrote:

It's a well known engineering fact that audiophile quality speakers such as
the 901s work well on tube amplifiers.

l.o.l.

Peter Sammon wrote:

I love it when people say that Bose is not taken seriously by the
rest of the industry...of course if you are referring to the so
called HIGH END...there is a great reason why...because the high end
hates Bose and the 901 and generally will go to great lengths to
deter people from giving the speakers any credibility by using the
same stupid excuses like "older technology", Direct/Reflecting sound
obscures the image rather than enhances it, no direct competition in
the particular store of purchase etc. etc. I, for one DO NOT play
politics nor will I succumb to these ploys by the so called experts
who have their noses too high in the air that they cannot even smell
what life is made of. Thanks anyway for your comments.


I suppose you enjoy slide-shows, with the projector aimed at a series of
mirrors ? All the best with your religon.

geoff

wrote:
On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 21:12:05 GMT, fronobulax
wrote:


Bose are selling a watch here (as well as the Wave Radio) - lots of
marketing hype. I don't know if it gives you a range of different choices,
all near-but-not-quite the actual time ...

geoff

"Arny Krueger"
"Phil Allison"

There is no significant "lobing and comb-filter effects" with a
driver array that is **NOT** facing the listener - compared with
one that is.

In most cases the back drivers on a 901 are facing a smooth wall.
Lobes bounced off a wall are still lobes.


** The lobes are spread way out by the off angle reflection and
lost to the listener. A listener seated in the usual central position
could not detect
them.

Furthermore, there are those oddities where the array has a critical
distance,

** Define your terms, please.

I've cited this paper once already, and it's clear that there aren't a lot
of people on this thread who have actually even glanced at it:

** Being pompous and quoting absent documents does you no credit.



Author(s): Keele, Jr., D. B. Publication: JAES Volume 38 Number 10 pp.
723·748; October 1990.

Well, not everybody has the kind of library I have at my disposal. Sadly,
I
can't find any online references with enough detail. The "critical
distance"
w/r/t to an array of speakers is the point where the sound from the array
drivers starts to fuse into a single pattern.

** Which makes your original "oddities" remark even more mysterious.



This affects 89% of the sound coming out of a 901, if Bose is to be
believed.

** The "Hass" effect plus the extra proximity and brighter sound of
the forward facing driver normally makes it the apparent source for a
centrally positioned listener.

Already considered. Since I've been doing SR quite a bit I've learned to
love the Haas effect and figuratively take it to the bank every
opportunity.
However, Haas Effect fusion is not perfect - there is some perception of
added fullness or fuzziness, depending on the individual perceptions.

The other rear facing ones will produce a delayed and duller sound
- depending on the nature of the walls, distance away and their
coefficient of absorption at various frequencies. If the walls are
far away and acoustically dead then the forward facing driver
dominates strongly.

Agreed that if the back wall is dead than much of what the back speakers
do
is moot. However, most architectural features are not good absorbers below
1
KHz, less below 500 Hz, and very few below 200 Hz. Since all drivers in
the
901 are supposedly full-range...


** You say there is significant lobing going on at or below 500 Hz from an
array of 4 inch drivers ??

Below 500 Hz 901s pretty soon become non directional - providing there is
actually a wall behind them.




The "lobing ... effects" are only going to be audible if the
listener moves their head in the direct field where the lobes exist
- ie behind the 901.

Or as I've said once and feel somewhat put-upon to have to repeat - the
lobes will exist in front of the 901s if the walls are good reflectors.


** Keep repeating the dubious claim - it gets more convincing every time
you know. You need to show these alleged lobes are actually audible to a
listener seated in the central position on *music* programme.



The "...comb-filter effects" are audible where rear wall proximity
and reflection of sound creates them - it is not due to the way the
drivers are arrayed.

I've cited this paper once already, and it's clear that there aren't a lot
of people on this thread who have actually even glanced at it:


** Quoting the absent expert is a debating cheat - Arny.

You have seen my 10 cheats list.



IME both the 901 and 802 suffer from *gross* IM and Doppler
distortion at high SPL levels - nauseatingly so to my ears.


Well, that too. I think we're now agreeing about one of my earlier points
about how many small drivers it takes to equal a larger one.


** The comparison fails since the Bose 901 has falling output below 300Hz
without its equaliser. Early 901s ( there are at least 12 distinct
versions) used a sealed box with the drivers operating below resonance. The
equaliser added up to 15 dB boost ( 31 times power) at low frequencies to
compensate. The excursion limit of those drivers was *very soon* exceeded
if an amp of any size ( PL700s were popular !) were being used.

A good 10 inch driver has about the same cone area as the 9 used in the
Bose 901. Mounted in a tuned box somewhat bigger than a 901 it could equal
the 901's SPL at low frequencies with 31 times LESS power input and hence
massively reduced THD. Allow that 10 inch to be accompanied by a mid and
treble drivers and IM is reduced to nil as well.

I well remember a demo session with 901s and a PL700 in 1977 - every time
the bass drum thumped there was a distinct crack from the 901s and the mids
and tops went on a short holiday. The only surprising thing was that the
owner thought this sounded great and pushed the PL700 right up to clipping.

I left the room suffering from nausea after 10 minutes - just the sight of
a 901 induces that feeling now.




............. Phil

"Peter Sammon"

Dr. Amar G. Bose is Chairman of the Board and Technical Director of the
Bose Corporation and Professor of Electrical Engineering at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was born in Philadelphia
in 1929, and received his bachelor, master and doctoral degrees from MIT
in the mid-50s. In 1956, Dr. Bose began research into physical acoustics
and psychoacoustics: the study of human perception of sound.

Bose’s studies at the Institute led to numerous patents in the fields of
acoustics, electronics, nonlinear systems, and communication theory, as
well as the founding of the Bose Corporation in 1964.

After initially questioning why loudspeakers with advanced technical
specifications failed to reproduce the realism of a live performance, Dr.
Bose began his 12-year study of speaker design and psychoacoustics. The
Bose Corporation introduced the Bose 901 Sound System, which set a new
standard for sound quality and promptly received worldwide acclaim.

The Bose Corporation currently designs and manufacturers some of the most
sophisticated and highly regarded audio products in the world—including
the Bose Wave® Radio. The Bose name is synonymous with quality sound and
is known for its lifelike sound and dependability.

Dr. Amar G. Bose was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2000.



** What is this pack of marketing vile puke doing here ?????

Peter Sammon is a walking Bose Bozo.




............. Phil

Peter Sammon wrote in
:

Dr. Amar G. Bose is Chairman of the Board and Technical Director of
the Bose Corporation and Professor of Electrical Engineering at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was born in
Philadelphia in 1929, and received his bachelor, master and doctoral
degrees from MIT in the mid-50s. In 1956, Dr. Bose began research into
physical acoustics and psychoacoustics: the study of human perception
of sound.

Bose’s studies at the Institute led to numerous patents in the fields
of acoustics, electronics, nonlinear systems, and communication
theory, as well as the founding of the Bose Corporation in 1964.

After initially questioning why loudspeakers with advanced technical
specifications failed to reproduce the realism of a live performance,
Dr. Bose began his 12-year study of speaker design and
psychoacoustics. The Bose Corporation introduced the Bose 901 Sound
System, which set a new standard for sound quality and promptly
received worldwide acclaim.

The Bose Corporation currently designs and manufacturers some of the
most sophisticated and highly regarded audio products in the
world—including the Bose Wave® Radio. The Bose name is synonymous with
quality sound and is known for its lifelike sound and dependability.

Dr. Amar G. Bose was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2000.

Quoted verbatim from the Radio Hall of Fame website.
http://www.radiohof.org/pioneer/amarbose.html

"Peter Sammon"

As any true audiophile knows it's the sound that counts and companies
such as Bose incorporate the latest research. There have been
advancements in audio that you are obviously not aware of. Many of the
Bose models incorporate these advancements.

It's not religion, it's appreciation of engineering, audio and live
music.



** Who agrees this Sammon dude is some kind of bot ??




............. Phil

Peter Sammon wrote:

As any true audiophile knows it's the sound that counts and companies
such as Bose incorporate the latest research. There have been
advancements in audio that you are obviously not aware of. Many of the
Bose models incorporate these advancements.

Then why do they keep selling the 901?

It's not religion, it's appreciation of engineering, audio and live
music.

If the Acoustimass system is fine engineering, something is horribly
wrong. That something includes most of the midrange.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Peter Sammon wrote in
:

It's true. The matching of two sophisticated technologies such as
advanced contemporary tube amplifiers and state-of-the-art Bose
electronics produces the most advanced audio sound yet developed. Very
cutting edge.

Give up, ladies and gentlemen. Peter hasn't heard a thing anyone has said
in this entire thread. I suggest we let it drop and let him listen to his
901 as long as he likes.

Just so long as I don't have to listen, too.

Phil Allison wrote:


** Who agrees this Sammon dude is some kind of bot ??


But who sent him?

Peter Sammon wrote:


It's true. The matching of two sophisticated technologies such as advanced
contemporary tube amplifiers and state-of-the-art Bose electronics produces
the most advanced audio sound yet developed. Very cutting edge.


Umm, Peter, we've HEARD them.

You gotta be a glutton for punishment for bringing up Bose products on this
N/G......George




"Peter Sammon" wrote in message
...
Rob Adelman wrote in
:



Peter Sammon wrote:

It's a well known engineering fact that audiophile quality speakers
such as the 901s work well on tube amplifiers.

l.o.l.



It's true. The matching of two sophisticated technologies such as advanced
contemporary tube amplifiers and state-of-the-art Bose electronics
produces
the most advanced audio sound yet developed. Very cutting edge.

It's a well known engineering fact that audiophile quality speakers
such as the 901s work well on tube amplifiers.

Sheer nonsense. Again, if you like it, fine, but I can think of a lot of
people that make their livings at creating music and putting on live shows,
and Bose is not a company that they espouse as being usable in any manner.

As for audiophyles, well, different beasts they are, and not in the same
vein as a master of sonics such as George Massenburg.

I also found your little diatribe somewhat condescending and totally
misinformed when it comes to people who's job it is to listen to music
everyday and for long periods. I daresay that if you do that with Bose,
it's no wonder you find them so wonderful. But you might try listening to
some real speakers sometime. At the end of the day you'll wonder why your
ears aren't fatigued and why you can still talk with people and understand
what they are saying. So far it appears as if even reading and
comprehending what people are telling you has been affected.

--


Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio

"Peter Sammon" wrote in message
...
Rob Adelman wrote in
:



Peter Sammon wrote:


l.o.l.



It's true. The matching of two sophisticated technologies such as advanced
contemporary tube amplifiers and state-of-the-art Bose electronics
produces
the most advanced audio sound yet developed. Very cutting edge.

"george craig"


You gotta be a glutton for punishment for bringing up Bose products on
this
N/G......George



** Haven't you worked out this is a ****troll*** - yet ???

A check on Google Groups shows Peter Sammon has never posted on
usenet before.

He is having fun.




........... Phil

Phil Allison wrote:
"Peter Sammon"

As any true audiophile knows it's the sound that counts and companies
such as Bose incorporate the latest research. There have been
advancements in audio that you are obviously not aware of. Many of
the Bose models incorporate these advancements.

It's not religion, it's appreciation of engineering, audio and live
music.



** Who agrees this Sammon dude is some kind of bot ??


I think he's actually a troll. Nobody could seriously believe all that
stuff.

geoff

In a thread strategicallly crossposted by the Original Poster to the
following groups:
rec.audio.tubes,
rec.audio.pro,
rec.audio.misc,
"Phil Allison" responded thusly:


"Peter Sammon"

As any true audiophile knows it's the sound that counts and companies
such as Bose incorporate the latest research. There have been
advancements in audio that you are obviously not aware of. Many of the
Bose models incorporate these advancements.

It's not religion, it's appreciation of engineering, audio and live
music.



** Who agrees this Sammon dude is some kind of bot ??

Dare I use the T word? I wonder if he listens to guitar
performances of J*** S***** through his B*** 9**'s.





............ Phil



-----
http://mindspring.com/~benbradley