Bose 901...really

Well, I ordered a pair.

Markphd...Exactly. It's for fun, not audiophile listening.

That said, I must admit that I have heard some Bose 901 setups that really were good. I think that they require a large room with high ceiling, and an uncluttered front wall for them to bounce their sound off. This is exactly what I have.

In spite of all the reflected sound they can image quite well. I believe that this is because the single front driver sound arrives at the listener earlier than the reflected sound, and time-of-arrival is very important in the sensing of sound location.

The owner's manual, which you can download, goes into detail about how to hang them from the ceiling. I never saw an owner's manual mention this option. Hanging speakers is a controversial topic among audiophiles, but the ones who say it's a lousy idea have never tried it. I intend to set up that way.

The Bose are intended for Rear channels. However, I will be able to compare them with some well regarded Dynaudio monitors with subwoofers at the front. Anyone want to make a bet?

During the late 80s I was stationed in Greece where the houses/apartments were usually concrete walls. I had a pair hanging in a large room. The ceiling was parobably ten feet high and the speakers were more than six feet off the floor. Was I listening to audiophile accuracy? Hell no. Was the place rocking? You bet.
I had a Sansui B2101 200 watt amp pushing them. I remember listening to Pink Floyd as loud as I could stand it. Thanks for the memories.

Given my luck with lottery tickets, I don't know whether I'm much of a betting man. However, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that the Bose will do very well indeed against the Dynaudio. I think that the Dynaudios are meant to be in a more traditional setting. Your setting seems to be playing up to the Bose's strengths. It's been a long, long time since I heard 901's so I don't really remember. However, I have certainly read many reports that the 901's are good speakers. Just because Bose don't work the high end of the market doesn't mean they're not capable. As an analogy, that downscale car company, Fiat, do pretty well with their upscale brand...what's it's called?...Ferrari is it?

Eldartford, I will not take that bet, because I feel that the Bose will do fine in the environment that you are describing. If you run full bass to the rear speakers (Bose, I presume) you will be surprised at the amount that these can render.
I still use the 901s in my 'B' system and they run flat to 30 Hz easily and the equaliser is quite usefull, which you will see (hear) when you start setting up your system in that highly reflective surfaced room. They are also quite sensitive, so power will not be a problem. I run mine off a Dynaco ST-70.
Salut, Bob P.

Thanks to all who offered encouragement. I suspect that there is a Bose in the past for a lot of audiophiles although some are afraid to admit it! I will report back when the building is complete and the speakers are up and playing.