Bose 901 series VI & Yamaha A-S2000

01-07-12: Loomisjohnson
"almarg is unquestionably the smartest person on these forums. possibly in the world. therefore, you should follow his counsel."

Sometimes I just scan down the thread to almarg's post to get the answer.

I have extensive experience with the Bose 901s originals (now called series I) and experience with the Super Bose configuration and even the big Bose 1801 power amp. Bose can project a nice wide sound stage but it is a totally artificial concoction and only works with certain recordings. In most cases the sound is spread too wide and singers sound like they are 12 feet wide. Add the lack of full frequency response and the result is not even approaching anything near hi-fi.
If you like a wide sound stage and good 3D imaging without the loss of pinpoint location, a panel speaker will get you way more satisfaction. On your budget an Onkyo 9555 and a pair of Magnepans would work. If you must use Bose 901s the Onkyo is still a good choice. Happy hunting.

sebrof and loomis, too funny guys! and i agree. whenever an initial thread has me looking for more information, i first look for a reply by Al. his answers are most certainly all i need to know. incredible time saver as well.

cheers to Al.

For $3500 for amp & speakers there are so many great ways to split up the pie. For example, if you like "stereo everywhere" in a more realistic soundfield, you could get a pair of Mirage OMD-15s from vanns.com for $1K (closeout down from $2500) plus a Rogue Cronus Magnum tube integrated amp ($2195). Or a pair of GoldenEar Triton 2's plus any decent integrated amp at $1K or less and you'd have a true full-range system. Or Magnepan 1.7s plus an Anthem 225 or the $1500 integrated amp of your choice.

You could also get a pair of Ohm Micro Tall speakers and an Anthem or Rogue Cronus Magnum integrated amp.

Now with all of the brick and mortar stores mostly gone, it makes it hard for someone buying anymore.

The Creek is a good amp, but I don't know if it will have enough power for them.

Those Bose 901 speakers really does a design flaw. Any of them from the original, to present, will not sound transparent and clean. This is a problem trying to get bass and treble from a ~4 inch speaker. Everyone since the begin had a problem trying to do so. A 4 inch is good for midrange, not bass down into the thirty Hz region, and treble up to the twenty HZ region.

If you were used to good transparent speakers (I grew up with good audio gear), and system before auditioning the Bose 901 (all series), their flaws are very obvious. Still, a lot of people do enjoy them.

There is a lot of distortion, and congestion in their sound. Forcing them to do the highs and lows (with their equalizer), also destroys their their midrange. I've heard the factory reps put on their show/demo (at dealers) using two pairs, and large amps, but always the same result. It's hard for me to recommend speakers in that range.

I would try to find a dealer, even if you need to stay out of town over a weekend (or two) to audition some audio gear. The Bose 301 series from about 15 years ago fared a lot better for making music, but where small, and couldn't play as loud. I would take some of your music with you, and see what is out there. Paradigm (any price), Klipsch, and speakers with metal tweeters should probably not be considered either. The high dollar ones are better at using metal tweeters.

Big box stores don't seem to have anything good for music anymore. One exception might be Vienna Acoustics. I've always walked past them. So I can't comment on them fairly. Most big box store speakers are geared more for home theater. If the sales people use terms like crisp highs, they probably have no experience. Also, the big box stores almost always have the bass and treble turned up in the displays. Tell them to go in the menu, and set them (bass and treble) flat. I called the headquarters of three chains complaining about this years ago. One actually listened (I believe), and that worked for only a short time.