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
I MAY have to try a pair just to satisfy my curiosity ... though I am not sure I can drive them with 6w of tube power. Might have to break out my old Yamaha 2020 receiver!
Keep in mind that the deep bass boost provided by the 901's external equalizer will eat up a lot of your amplifier's power capability, if the music being listened to has significant content at low frequencies.

Based on a quick Google search, it appears that frequencies in the 30 to 40 Hz region are boosted by amounts between 12 db and 20 db or so, depending on the setting of the bass contour control, and perhaps also on the version of the 901. With lesser but still significant boosts being applied up to well over 100 Hz at the control's center position.

A boost of 12 db would in effect reduce your 6 watt amplifier to a 0.375 watt amplifier on notes in the corresponding frequency range, while a 20 db boost would in effect reduce it to a 0.06 watt amplifier on notes in the corresponding frequency range.

Regards,
-- Al
901's are the perfect club speaker. You can run a ridiculous amount of current through them before they break up. We would run 1 Bryston 4B per speaker (usually 6-8 per venue) for ear drum shattering spl's. They would handle mids and uppers well but required sub support in most clubs.
I have heard them many times in a home system and it just doesn't compete with what is available.
Also note if you are looking for a pair you must have the equalizer. Seen many for sale without one. Also the equalizes for the different series are not comparable across all the different series if 901s produced.over the years.
Bose 901 series 1 and 2 equalizers are comparable, series 3 and are comparable with each other, and series 5 and 6 are compatible. Do some research on this, it's very interesting. And as mentioned above a good powerful amp goes a long way to improve their sound.