The Bose 901: A trilogy in three parts...

Nice. Starting out to be an interesting article.

 

It's possible to both like them for what they are and also to take them to the woodshed for what they're not. Does the consumer truly get $1,400 worth of speaker, regardless of the crazy concept of relying on room reflections? I hope the conclusion goes further than "not for everyone", yet "a sound investment for some".

Jeff- I really do wonder how many speakers at under $2,000 have far better build quality (fit and finish)? You see a bunch of speakers and there's some really well made stuff in this price range, right?

 

“No highs, no lows, it must be Bose.” That leaves the "magic mid-range" that our sponsor strives for in his work (but I doubt he masters on 901's)

 

I heard a pair many years ago and was fairly impressed. Given, I was probably only 19 or 20 at the time and my audiophilia-nervosa wasn't fully formed and I'm not sure if I would feel the same way today - I suspect my tastes have changed. But they made a positive impression on me. (I've heard several different Bose systems since that time and none have impressed me nearly as much).

Looking forward to the rest of the review.

 

Remember, every $2000 speaker has quite a few compromises....

For that matter, I've still heard a lot of $10k speakers with compromises.

More to follow!

 

Not since crowds gathered at the New York docks to read about the death of Little Nell in Charles Dickens's latest installment has there been such anticipation for a serialized drama.

 

I lived with a pair for 3 or 4 years which belonged to my roommate. They were decent, and sounded pretty good when we had the occasion to crank them a bit.

All I know is that I moved from that apartment and system to my current, modest, NHT setup, and thought from day 1 that the NHT system sounded significantly better than the 901s. I know it's not apples and apples since the room setups were different, but that's the impression I'm left with.

I look forward to an unbiased, thorough review by TONEPUB.

P.S. - Does a "trilogy in 3 parts" mean the review will span 9 episodes?

 

Where are the rumors of a "prequel"?

 

Well, i figured if I run really fast, I might be able to go back in time and get a mint original pair of 901's to compare these to!

 

Read Part 1, that was fun...

Well done, Jeff. Cool way to handle it.

 

the old "original superman movie" trick...works every time.

 

Your review pair looks just like mine, except mine hang 18" from my music room ceiling. I don't know how big of an obstacle it would be, but getting them up above the floor clutter does offer some advantages...of course, so can having them 18" from a thick pad and carpet on the floor. Which location works best will probably depend on the room and the preference of the listener.

You're off to a good start! I look forward to the next installment.

 

After your review of the 901s can we get a review of your Fiat 500? I love those little cars.

 

Let's see how long this "review in parts" thing lasts.

My prediction: the part that deals with the actual sound of the speakers arrives in exactly 19 days.

If I'm right, I better win a prize.

 

The review was in the Style section of issue 40, the one with the Pink Floyd cover..

I said at the beginning of the thread that this will be wrapped up over the course of the next week.

Part two should go up on Thursday or Friday, and final installment on Sun or Monday.

So you don't get a prize.

 

Well, I think you should to it my way. It would be the best april fool's ever.

 

I've read of many people doing this over the years, but wouldn't that cause them to sound rather......disconnected......from the listener located @6ft below? IMO the 901s already produce a pretty "gauzy" soundfield, so I would think that having them located so far above the listener would overly-emphasize that effect (I've never heard them set up that way, so I am just guessing about this).

 

... looking forward to part two.

 

I'm going to just skip ahead, sell all my gear, and buy a Wave radio.

 

They are currently playing with a PrimaLuna ProLogue 1 and BelCanto CD player, but I did have them powered by the big system last night. Vintage receivers tonight - we've got a Pioneer SX -424, Nakmichi TA2A and a Marantz 2245. Should be fun.

 

Great start!

I look forward to part 2.

I found it quite odd for the sales person at the Bose store to actually try to dissuade you from buying the 901s.

 

Well, he was trying to get a commission maybe? They didn't carry the 901s.

 

I love the PrimaLuna. It is a sweet amp and dead quiet. I look forward to your listening impressions. I have heard the newest model is quite an improvement over the earlier models, like the 901 Series III I owned.

 

I've had the ProLogue 1 since I bought the review sample, when I wrote it up for TAS back in 2004. It's now on semi permanent loan to my niece, but great nonetheless. We do have a review of the new ProLogue Premium integrated in the next issue...

 

I suspect you're correct. If they didn't carry the 901 speakers, the next logical suggestion would have been to consider the 301 speakers...the smaller brother of the 901s. After all, the reviewer told him he wanted to buy a pair of stereo speakers...not a radio.

But it makes sense looking at the price. The 301s are $329. The Wave Radios (with a CD player) start at $450 and go up from there. If he was trying to sell him on the top of of the line Wave Radio, thats about $1100. He stood to make more commission selling him a radio than a pair of stereo speakers.