Bose 901's in an acoustically treated room?

Thanks for the link to Holt’s review.  I read that years ago and had pretty much forgotten about it.

How nice that he actually took the time to give it an in-depth review rather than just dismissing it outright as many do nowadays.  In the end what I got out of it is it does some things well and others not so well.  Pretty much like any other speaker out there.

Years ago I had a pair of the Series VI in a small apartment living room driven by the Aleph 3 and the Rogue 66 preamp.  Listening to George Winston’s solo piano record was an awesome experience.  I have not heard a solo piano sound as good as that rig did in that room since.

 

Sounds like a fun experiment. Please post some pictures if you have time....

We, who know and appreciate the 901s, love to hear discussions like this. The fact is that all speakers benefit from room treatments as all rooms are different. And that includes the 901s. Although most of the sound is reflected, it's even more critical to be careful with the placement of diffusion and absorptive materials. To say that the reflective nature of the 901 is redundant since recorded sounds were reflected anyway shows just how little some people know about recording; as it's a fact that all recorded sounds are tightly controlled during the recording process. When I hear my 901s using a test disc for stereo separation, voices recorded in the left channel, the right channel and the center are all clearly defined within the space that a normal human being would occupy. Stereo separation and placement within a sound stage are all well defined. And speaking of bass, it appears that detractors who complain about no low bass are talking about wavelengths beyond the range of human hearing. When I hear an upright bass, I can hear the strings vibrating against the board. It sounds like an upright bass. You'd have to spend a prohibitive amount of money to get better sound than the Bose 901s in a properly treated room. Room treatments for Bose 901? Yes, absolutely. 

The 901 owners that i have crossed always reported that they sound better when the back is turned toward the listener... Go figure.

Any speaker will sound better in an acoustically treated room. Including the Bose 901s. Most of the sound from 901s comes reflected from the 16 4"Inch rear projecting drivers, but we don’t want sound, even sound that is primarily reflected to be endlessly reflected from the services of a room. With proper treatments, for example, the wall behind the speakers could be made to disappear, with the perception of sound extending beyond the rear wall. I’ve done it myself and my 901s sound great. Don’t fall for that "No highs, No lows" crap.