Opinions on the Bose 901

Jvia, that's where the spatial control comes into play! And that's why I'm excited they're series IV. The new ones don't have that option...

I can always try by using a corner and trying the gypsum wall trick there...there would be more sound reflecting from the center, w/out having to use a spatial control.

Hey, got to give me credit for being creative...

I grew up with a Father that was heavily into audio and as such, i spent a lot of my personal free time as a teenager hanging out at Musicraft, Pacific Stereo, Playback, Schaak Electronics, etc...

As such, yes, i remember the Bose receivers distinctly. Only the 100 wpc model had the spatial control, the smaller receiver didn't have it. The reason for this is that the 100 wpc model was really four 50 wpc amps tied together. The smaller receiver ( think it was 40 wpc ) did not have this type of internal construction, so they couldn't offer that type of feature.

All the spatializer did was to divide how much signal was fed to the inner panel vs the outer panel by swinging the amount of signal between the two 50 wpc amps driving that speaker. In effect, it was a balance control for each individual speaker. You could emphasize the two outer panels for greater width or the two inner panels for a more central image. This could probably be duplicated, but i would have to think that it would not be worth the effort.

I think that most "audiophiles" are embarrassed to say that they've owned Bose, let alone admit it publicly. THAT is why you haven't gotten very many responses. My thoughts are that if you haven't owned Bose, you are either way ahead of the learning curve or you've missed part of your "audiophile education" somewhere along the way. Personally, i would prefer learning first hand and exposure to skipping lessons and having to guess. Like anything else in this world though, to each their own.

As to trying to do a "homebrew spatializer", i would not bother. I think that most folks would use these as surrounds in an HT system, as they are best suited for that. If you were to use them as mains, i would turn them around so that you had 89% direct radiation and 11% reflected. This would not only aid in a smoother frequency response due to the lack of reflections, it should also improve apparent transient response and clarity. After all, what better to try and reproduce the multitude of spoken word passages that are found in movies than a multitude of direct radiating midrange drivers ???? This would also minimize beaming since the panels are splayed, making for a wider sweet spot and better audibility for those not sitting "front and center". You could always play with adding a tweeter and / or subs to fill things out, should you feel the need. Sean
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OK, confession time for me and the Bose 901's.

When I was a kid and didn't know much about audio I traveled to a local high end dealer to purchase a stereo system consisting of a Thorens turntable with Ortofon cartridge, a Macintosh amp and preamp and Bose 901's.

In my youthful exuberance, I purchased the turntable and Mac gear and auditioned the Bose 901 for almost eight minutes before selecting another speaker!

Well Sean, I agree Bose *is* part of the learning curve. Although I never owned Bose, my high school had one hell of a Bose fever. There was this girl in my HS class whose father was the Bose factory manager (they were made in PR at the time). Needless to say, Bose speakers were prolific in my HS...

I had been thinking that using a compression horn on top would be the most efficient use of the speaker--biamped with a couple of $99 ASL monoblocks...you say that would offer excellent dialogue and soundstage (and I add SLAM!).

Most likely I'll go for the $150 refoaming.

Albertporter, you're not the only one--in my circle of HS audio guys, Yamaha's w/ beryllium drivers were the preferred loudspeakers, not Bose...

Are you really, really sure you should be describing the person who gave them to you as a FRIEND?