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Bose 901's with "highend ancillaries"??

I STILL see Bose 901's are available here and maybe new after umpteen years in existence and yet I have still never hear a pair (unless you count the occasional high school concert which used the professional version).

Has anyone ever used these with "highend" gear, and if so what was the result??

Just curious if there is actually something good about the speaker other than the marketing the Bose Corporation has done over the years as they have never been inexpensive and even now hold their value pretty well.

And while I ma sure one can do better for the $$$ etc etc I am only looking for comments on how they actually SOUND - strengths and weaknesses
jrinkerptdnet
mapman's avatar
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mapman
15,679 posts
 
Don't know about Bose specifically, but in general, I would say that all speakers, old/new, good/bad benefit when mated with higher quality gear upstream.

Digital sources and amp technology in particular has improved over the years. There are many good options, some more affordable than others, and its much easier to get really good sound these days than in years past if one just focuses on getting the right combo in place within their budget..
rlwainwright
1,901 posts
 
Well, if you look at the 901s technology, what do you see? I see a bunch of low-quality midrange drivers being driven waaaaay out of band using extreme EQ. IMHO, this is not a recipe for high-quality sound.

Don't get me wrong, they do sound "okay", but nothing that I'd want to live with day after day. Nonetheless, they are good "party" speakers and that is probably the best use for them...
tonykay
856 posts
 
Back in the 70's, my cousin had a pair that we listened to using some of the high-end brands from that era; Crown DC 300; C/M Labs preamp, and a Sony turntable (TTS-3000). Years later, I bought most of that system from him but replaced the speakers with a pair of large JBLs. I still remember that the Bose 901s had a pleasant, albeit limited sound. People put Bose down on most high-end forums, but I think they are fine for a non-audiophile, home theater system.
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mofimadness
4,152 posts
 
Here's a pretty decent review of them from Tone Audio.
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