Bose 901

@millercarbon............

Were they successful?

So you really don’t know then? Okay.

The Bose 901 was introduced in 1968. Back then we didn’t have anything like the standards we do today. Nowadays when someone says however many watts we know (or being audiophiles at any rate we should know) it means not instantaneous peak watts but continuous RMS watts and not only that but it was measured after a prescribed warm up period and not only that but had to be able to put out the measured watts for an extended period of time. All this we take for granted today.

None of this we had back in the 60’s. What we had back then was all kinds of power claims, which if measured at all were mere brief pulses, whatever they could do to get a big number, because then as now the average audiophool was easily misled by numbers.

I’m spending all this time painting a picture because today we look at something like a 6 watt triode like its nothing when back in the 50’s and 60’s that was big, big power. Serious power. Even today, with K-horns it will blow your mind.

Bose however did not have Paul Klipsch. They had whoever it was thought it would be a good idea to throw sound up against a wall and see what sticks, er I mean bounces back. They had just about the most inefficient loudspeaker ever made. And yes I know about the German robot thing, that’s why I said just about.

So Bose had this hopelessly inefficient speaker and it was all they had and so in order to make the 901 not quite so hopelessly lame they made this awesome 350 WPC amp and went on tour around the country, which is where I came in. Because one day the traveling Bose show made it all the way to Puyallup High in Puyallup, Washington and we got out of class and had our little minds blown by this guy playing music in our concert hall and it was really good and really loud. For back then anyway. Nothing back then rates today, except maybe the girls, but even they are hotter now too so nevermind.

Now Bose may have been dumb enough to make speakers bounce sound off walls but the guy they sent on the road was smart enough to know to point the 8 out into the audience. And to put the amp on stage. Which me and my audio pal Doug then drove to Tacoma to see close up. 350 watts! Per channel!

Silly idea. Dumbest thing you can do, make a speaker so inefficient. Second dumbest, make an amp that powerful. But yeah. They did.

Were they successful? Well, do you see them making that amp today? Hard even to find any record of it. So after all that I would be inclined to say, no. But at least now you know where I was coming from.

Thought they sounded good.
would I buy them, no, but they were a descent speaker.

i have my bose 901 series 2 that i bought back in the good old days. back then they were advertized as 'cadillac quality' in a volkswagon' space! they were said to need at least 100 watts per chanel because the 'eq' demanded 'power'!!! today bose is called ' no highs ,no lows must be bose'! that may be true but i still have my 4 901's series 2 powered by a mcintosh 600 watt per chanell amp that makes these speakers 'scream'!!!

The most hilarious experience ever in my shop when I tried them.  We laughed so hard I still remember it.

Successful?  Sure, at marketing and taking out really "cool" ads.  These were the days of Hugh Hefner's TV show where pipes, smoking jackets, jazz on the stereo, and scantily-clad ladies discussing Heidegger and the politics of sex were successful, too.

It was a period in time where the company, which continues its ways, presented itself as based on total science--I think they had guys in white coats in some of their print ads--to cover the ridiculous products they tried to sell.

Never has there been a worse-sounding speaker MASQUERADING as a great scientific achievement.  Well, I take that back.  Some of today's charlatans charge infinitely more for their hoo-doo, and they get it just like bose did back then. 

Evidently, some of their stuff is once again popular for some reason.  I would not waste any of my time seeking to hear anything they made back then or today. 

But hey, have at it if you wish.  The world is a big place full of many people.

Cheers--and still laughing!

Ahhhhhh, the no highs no lows, Bose.  Always thought they would make the worlds best midrange speaker, add a Heil tweeter and subwoofer to complete the system.  However, in 1978 or so a friend and I went to an old fashioned audio salon in Tempe AZ.  It was a free Bose 901 demo.  The sound room was dead quiet, carpets, drapes, thick cloth couches and comfortable chairs.  All of the electronics were Mcintosh, big macs not small watt amps.  Number one cheat, a reel to reel playing at 15 or 30 ips.  And as MC mentioned the 8 drivers were facing the listeners-not the wall.  The soundstage was huge.  I had never heard Mick and bros Sympathy for the Devil sound this good, sounds popping out of everywhere, it was a great demo.  The sound lacked cymbal sheen/timbre. 

 I had to replace my then ESS Heil AMT4 10inch driver, went downtown Phoenix AZ to the local recon shop.  The owner suggested a pair of used Bose 10inch woofs, instead of repairing the cheap, cheap ESS woof.  He also explained crossovers in detail, especially the air chokes, showed me a huge 25lb copper choke.  3 hours later I left with a pair of Bose 10s.  They were way better than the stock woofs.  You never know til you try.