Customer Reviews

Bose 901 Direct/Reflecting Speaker System - Black Ash

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I owned a pair of 901s in the early 80s, they are excellent speakers in term of dynamics and their ability to fill a room with sound. Back then I used Phase Linear equipment to drive them. Phase Linear was designed by Bob Carver and were considered entry level high end at the time. Paired up with the 901s they produce some of my best memories of music. As I grew older and purchased a home with an open floor plan their limitations started to become more apparent. These speakers use reflected sound waves to produce a wide sound stage and excellent imaging, in an open area this effect is loss and you experience what others have called no highs or lows. The equalizer can compensate for some of this but not entirely. My advice is to carefully consider where you will use these speakers and if they fit the environment they can sound spectacular. They are not everyones cup of tea but they just may be yours.

I have owned this model of speaker for about twelve years. I would add to the above review that if you have a good equalizer in addition to the active eq, you can make these speakers put out unbelievable bass. Basically, the speakers accurately reproduce the sound on the recording, nothing more or less. They have the capability for lots of bass, as several of my present and former neighbors can attest to.

The 901s do take a lot of power and generally aren't as loud as other speakers would be connected to the same set-up. Loss of stereo separation is only an issue if you are unable to set them up properly. They don't go right in the corner or right next to each other, and they don't sit on the floor. The stands, unless you can build your own or intend to suspend them from the ceiling, are necessary.

If you plan to listen mainly to music and have a powerful component system, these are great speakers. Bose used to make a matching center channel speaker for surround sound applications (back when they were only five channel) but currently don't have anything specifically matched to the 901. This makes them a poor choice for someone really into home theater. Also, if you don't have an adaptor or tape loop for the active EQ, the sound will be very fat in the midrange. These aren't speakers you plug into one of those DVD/Tuner?Surround Sound all-in-one units.

probably some of the best speakers availiable to purchase, in the past I've owned a pair of 501's and these 901's blow those away. Note that the active EQ included with this set is not compatible with all receivers.

I bought a pair of these in the early '70's, while I was at college in Boston. They have been with me through thick and thin. They carried me through the deaths of John Lennon and Stevie Ray Vaughan. When Jerry died, they performed a funeral vigil for days. These days, they get more Mozart than Stones, and with the exception of one trip back to the factory in the early 80's for new driver seals, they have been the best sounding and most durable speakers I've owned or heard. They really get it when the kids are here for holidays. Powered by an old 200 watt per ch. Denon, they please the family and disturb the neighbors. These things are 36 years old. Do the math on dollars vs. decibel/minutes.

I'm a passionate music lover - some call an audiophile! In my search for speakers that can bring me the warmth and power of a live performance in my own home, I decided to buy a pair of 901's. This was more than a year ago ... the 901's are still kicking, and I can say with the utmost confidence that they're the best out there, no matter what the consumer and audio industry communities say otherwise about these speakers. Bose was the first to study and discover the direct/reflecting nature of live sound in a concert or ampitheatre setting. These are the only places where greatest musical sounds can be experienced! With this finding, Bose developed the direct/reflecting technology that changed the ways speakers were being made. After that, other speaker manufacturers were trying to erase the name Bose from the audio consumer industry. But the Bose 901's have been born and they were there to stay - right on top! Today, the 901's are in their 6th series.

The only downside about the 901's is that they are very picky about amplifier types and room conditions. But once you manage to set room conditions right and get an adequately powered nice-sounding stereo receiver or amplifier, the 901's will prove to you that they are truly the best of the best!

I've never come across speakers as revealing as these. They let you hear all the details of a performance to an extent that sometimes you think you're floating right in front of a live symphony orchestra.

Most haters of Bose products criticise the 901's as lacking deep bass. That's probably because they've never owned them to actually experience every musical nuance the speakers are capable of reproducing with incredible ease and smoothness.

To emphasise my point, one of my friends' dads owns a pair of Legacy Helix that's also claimed to be the ultimate in sound reproduction. After comparing the musical quality of the 901's with the older man's Helix, he was eventually convinced that the 901's were the winner.

Believe me these speakers can evoke all your inner feelings with their music reproduction capabilities. They are just the greatest, try them out and you'll see what I mean!!!

I have been the proud own of my 901's for 15 years and when I go out to do a comparison with what is presently being sold nothing else stands up to the 901's. These must be accompanied with only High output components and an array of accompanied Bose speakers such as center channel front and rear and subwoofer. A top of the line bose system should run you about $3,000.00 but worth every penny and they will last forever. Also, Bose has a program through the factory in which you can send your product to them and they will do a FREE diagnostics on them and if the proformance has sucomed to age or wear they will fix or replace anything for just the cost of shipping! If the speakers can not be fixed they will replace them for FREE! No other manufacturer stands behind their product like Bose. They also come with a 7 year warranty right out of the box. Simply worth every penny!

I bought my Series V 901's in 1988 and they are still as good as new. I expect them to outlast me. Once they are properly set up (equalizer connected to the receiver's tape monitor circuit is very important or they will sound terrible) and installed in a manner consistent with Bose's recommendations, they will outperform anything (at least anything I have ever heard except a live symphony orchestra). Placement is critical, but perfect placement cannot always be guaranteed. Even so, they are forgiving. Hanging them from the ceiling is preferable to placing them on a stand (less likelihood of interference from furniture). Make sure that you place at least the two front mounting positions under a ceiling joist or rafter. Ceiling drywall by itself will not support them adequately if at all - you don't want the anchors to pull out while you're standing under them. They are heavy. Now for sound quality. We don't listen to noise - we listen to music. That's what these things were made for. I fail to understand why some owners feel they are lacking in certain frequency ranges. Maybe they have better ears than me. I find that the bass they can put out can cause my walls to bulge. Too much bass is not natural - I prefer to hear every instrument in an orchestra as it was meant to be heard by the composer. These speakers do that. I am a most loyal Bose fan, needless to say. I own a pair of 501's as well; have had them since 1974, and they too are still as good as new. In 1999, I also bought a Wave Radio/CD which is still the best small electronic device I have ever bought. Now, if only I could justify a pair of noise cancelling headphones....Bose of course! You can't buy much these days that will still be around 30 or more years from now. I think Bose will continue to uphold their tradition of quality.

Ok folks. I never do this. But in the age of information I do seek as much as I can before I make a "major " purchase. I bought a pair of 901's in the early 80's,connected them to a Carver and abused them for the next 20 years.They truly are indestructible. I grew older and the need for the sheer force of these speakers gave way to many other things. So I bought a Krell 300I and some Theil 2.2s and tried to become an Audio snob. Every time I pushed the system, something gave, and this continued till the new "Ladies and Gentlemen " Stones DVD release killed the system altogether. There was always an "ohm-age" miss match but the system just couldn't take those rare occasions with an empty house if you know what I mean.. So I bought a NAD M3 integrated amp and a new pair of 901's. They aren't made of solid wood anymore sadly. Speaker stands need a wire cut out because if you use decent cables the stands pinch the cables and the rubber nubs they give you are totally inadequate. I used some felt furniture pads to get them off the cable. Also you MUST use the 901 equalizer connected to your receivers pre amp in/out jacks. The receiver must have these jacks available.This system is simple to hook up if two channel is what you are looking for. Surround sound receivers are another story, though it can be done ,as the equalizer affects all speakers connected to the system. Now for the sound. Placement matters, and the 901's like amps. The NAD is rated at 180 per channel and the 901's can take up to 450. So far my new combination is doing just what I had hoped. Cd's I have listened to a thousand times are reveling things I have not heard in a long time if ever. To the point of asking myself, what was that, when a triangle chimes or a pick hits a string. Bass plenty, and all filters including the equalizer are at "zero" ,the floor will shake when it's supposed to. DVD's are great in the two channel system as well. Although I am "breaking" the system in somewhat carefully, volume is not an issue, in fact the 901's do sound better the louder they are played. As someone said your neighbors will know you bought these. Our house has a large open down stairs and the sound follows us everywhere. If you want a pair of speakers you can rock, will last, (important these days) and have a Company stand behind them these are an excellent option.I like an expensive meal once in awhile, just as much as the next person, but I don't need it all the time. These speakers take a lot of criticism and I sometimes wonder if those doing the critique have left out the equalizer, as they are definitely flat and awful sounding without it. Or they simply haven't heard them and are repeating what they have read somewhere.Don't believe the hype and the "high end" audiophiles. Believe what you hear.

I bought a pair of 901 Series VI back in 1990, from the PX on post in Bamberg, Germany. I didn't really know much about A/V equipment then, but I figured, Hey, they're expensive, they must be good. I was right on both counts. And 19 years later, they still sound as good as they did the day that I bought them. While I certainly haven't listened to every high end speaker out there, I don't think one can do much better. Yes, you have plenty of people out there that'll spout off the quip, No highs, no lows - must be Bose. I couldn't disagree more. Most of these people compared the 901s to the speakers they bought only at the store and never looked back. But at most A/V stores, A. the 901s usually aren't set up like they need to be for their optimum sound, and B. yeah, their speakers might have sounded pretty good directly in front and center of them - the proverbial sweet spot - but did they compare them from the back of the room? The corner of the room? Probably not. That's the first caveat, though. When you get your 901s, read the manual. Twice. And get out a measuring tape. 901s have to be placed fairly precisely to get the best sound from them. The absolute best bet is to suspend them from the ceiling. If not, really, spring for the floor stands that are made for them. If you're going to set them on top of an entertainment unit or on end tables, you probably shouldn't get them. Second caveat - 901s really are primarily for stereo music (they're a surround system in and of themselves). While it is technically possible to use them as part of a 5.1 or 7.1 system, it's a major pain to really connect the power equalizer that's an integral part of a 901 setup into a home theater. If you're looking for speakers for a 5.1 or 7.1 setup, Bose is still the way to go, but get yourself some 301s, or look around for some used 601s or 701s. Anyway, get your 901s set up correctly and prepare to be blown away. And your audiosnob friends will probably razz you about buying into the Bose marketing machine, but just challenge them to bring their speakers over, put on some Bach organ works, and let them go head to head, and see if they're still spouting this no highs and no lows, Bose-is-just-hype junk. Yes, I agree, if Bose didn't spend so much hawking their Wave radios (which I'll agree with you - a 350-500 clock radio???) they could probably sell their real speakers more cheaply. But IMHO, a pair of 901s is an investment you and your ears will never regret. I've loved mine for almost two decades now. Note: I have never received any money from Bose. Quite the opposite. And if anyone out there wants to call Bose's Wave radios, center channel speakers, or cube systems underwhelming, I will agree with you.

I purchased my Bose 901 Series V Speakers while I was overseas in the military in 1983. I was stationed in the Philippines at that time, I then was stationed in England where I completed the stereo system I still have today. Needless to say these speakers have endured several moves and continue to be the most unbelievable home speaker I have ever heard. First let me say I purchased these speakers because I was told that the speakers had an unlimited max power rating. I had never heard of this before and I thought I have to try this to believe it. To the best of my memory I purchased these speakers for around 750.00 dollars at the base BX, I was told at that time they sold for $1200.00 back in the United States. I also purchased the Bose speaker EQ and speaker stands. After purchasing the speakers I figured I needed something powerful to drive them. So I purchased a Yamaha M-80 Power Amp and a M-80 pre Amp, the power amp puts out 250 watts per channel. I also have a ADC Equalizer and a DBX dynamic range expander and also a Yamaha CD player connected to this system. I recently decided to see if these speakers sill exist because I never see them at any of the box stores and all I ever hear about is Bose wave radios or surround systems. After checking the Bose website, I was so happy to see they still exist and the price is still close to what it was 27 years ago. If these speakers ever go out I will definitely buy them again. Most people nowadays buy items that are the cheapest just to make do, I would like to say that to most people I'm sure $1400.00 for a set of speakers is way too much money but when you realize what your purchasing its well worth the money especially when they continue to last after 27 years. Now let get to these speakers I have played all types of music through these speakers over the last 27 years and they continue to be the best sounding speaker to my ears. I have definitely pushed the limits of these speakers with different music types and they continue to amaze me. If you want a wonderful speaker that holds up years after years these are definitely the ones. Bose you are still the best speakers in my book.