How are VINTAGE bose speakers? (1 Viewer)

[Paras]

I have been using a pair of Bose 601 series III speakers for a long time (10+ years). I really didn’t know Bose had such a poor reputation :-(

I am planning to upgrade to a 5.1 setup, and was considering just getting a new ~$250 receiver like the Pioneer VSX-D812 and ~$100 subwoofer and continuing to use the 601s. I have 2 small surround and a center channel speaker already that are currently not used.

My question is should I keep these 601s or consider getting a HTIB instead? After reading these internet forums, it appears Bose speakers are not so good, but I have my doubts about the small speakers in HTIBs being better than these large 601s I already have. The 601s contain 2 8” drivers, 4 3” drivers, and a port in the back.

I have a budget of around $500 max, so I really can’t consider getting new front speakers.

Any opinions?

Thanks.

 

[Arthur S]

I owned the original 901's for a year or two. The spatial quality was different than anything I had ever heard. As someone mentioned, that is because 90% of the sound is reflected off the back wall.
These original 901's came with an equalizer. The problem was that because all the drivers were about 3 inches, there was a bass boost of close to 20 db. The receiver I had at that time was only 45 watts per channel. Because of the tremendous bass boost, the 901's would distort the bass.
Bose put a switch on the equalizer to reduce bass boost. I had to use that setting.
Those speakers needed about 200 watts per channel to avoid distorted bass.
Last but not least. One night after I had owned them for 6 months or more, I was listening and distinctly heard the sound of the piano coming from the ceiling of my room. That was the beginning of the end.
They were pristine and came with the dedicated optional metal stands. Lost $25 on the resale.
Different? Yes. Proper spatial orientation? No.
Artie

 

[chethammer]

If you didn't have the Amp that the Bose 901's came with then they will sound like crap. If set up properly they are the absolute best speaker. You might want to retry your setup with the amp....just sayin.

 

[David Norman]

Why did you dig this thread up after 8 years?
Just askin? There ought to be a flag in the software for the newbies to warn them b.c it happens way too often to be accidental

 

[capttwb]

I happened to come across this thread. As one of the early buyers of the Bose 901 speaker system (purchased mine in 1969) my recollection is Audiophile mags at the time raved about the 901's. Why else would one spend about a thousand bucks on 2 speakers, when another thousand or so would buy you a brand new automobile. Trust me, if they were as bad as some of you seem to think, Bose would never have gotten to be such a successful company. At the time, stereo retailers had a dedicated room for the two Bose 901's that were hung by chains from the ceiling. You went in that room and listened to the most realistic stereo sound that you had ever heard coming from a pair of speakers. Despite what people say today, at that time no speakers at that price point could even come close. You must remember stereo was still in its infancy back then. We were just coming from mono. For you young guys, that was just one speaker, one channel. We grew up in our early childhood listening to our parents 78 rpm records. If you dropped one it broke in pieces. Talk about tinny, popping, no bass at all. Then came the 45's we listened to. Mono of course. However you could drop them, they were made of vinyl. I guess in the early sixties music reproduction really started to improve. Most guys got their 3 way speaker systems from Allied Radio or Radio Shack, which at the time were catalog based companies. There just weren' t many stores dedicated to just Hi-Fi. In the mid to late sixties we began to see more HI-Fi shops, mostly selling high end turntables and cartridges (needles), reel to reel tape decks, and 3 way speakers (usually the best had 12 or 15" woofers). Yes they really sounded good compared to the crap we had before. Then in 1968 Bose came out with the 901's, WOW what a difference in music reproduction. You could close your eyes and imagine the band in the room. Until they came out with the 901's music did not sound real, it sounded reproduced. The 901's made it sound live. Today guys get confused with highs, lows, clarity. Bose never claimed to be the most clear , they just said come listen and decide for yourself which speakers sound more realistic. Remember stereo promised more realistic music reproduction. When you stepped in that room and listened to the Bose and then listened to the other top of the line 3 way speakers, the average guy thought Bose blew away the others. My 901's deteriorated after about 10- 12 years, I wrote Bose and asked who repaired them. Bose wrote back and explained the early 901's used a foam that they found to be defective after time, they offered to replace my 901's with current new ones for the cost of shipping and handling and my old speakers. I sent my old ones back, they sent me brand new ones that are still in use today. They still sound great. My son bought B&W tower speakers, he paid over 2 grand for them, and told me they sound way better than the old 901's. I went over and listened to them, yep they were crystal clear, sounded good, BUT when I closed my eyes I knew I was listening to two speakers, not a live band. The 901's still sound more realistic than the Bowers, and their 30 -40 years old. For all you bashers out there, they must be set up correctly, preferably hanging from the ceiling about 12 to 18" down and you have to have the active equalizer and at least a 500 watt amplifier. Then and only then are they at their best. When you listen to a pair that have been set up correctly, you may just change your tune, that is if you are looking for the most realistic sound. (Live) I hope you enjoyed a little history lesson. Let the flaming begin, LOL!