Hi OldsGuy, Hans, hello all



I'm also interested.

My guess is the 901s would have trouble with the high sound pressures needed for some of todays recordings.

I would have been up to date on the modern systems, but with profound hearing loss, I can no longer detect the differences, and cannot offer any meaningful opinions on sound quality.

Regards, Norm

OK, I have read good article on Bose home audio stuff, specifically the Bose AcoustiMass-15:

http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

Now, for their car audio stuff, having an 8 speaker 200 watt Bose system in my car....I can say that it can reproduce sound very well and get pretty loud at doing it too! The only thing that's missing is the bass, which will be fixed soon.

TOC Admin
Brando

Hi Brando, all


The end of the second paragraph shows a link to where the exact same driver can be purchased for $35.
The first paragraph in the link says it is not the same driver.

At the begining, this guy gave away any credibility he may have had.

Turns out he didn't have much to begin with as he drives a Lexus that needs a tuneup.

http://www.intellexual.net/movies/magnaflow2.5.mpg

Regards, Norm

Well, the truth is, you can get much better systems for the same or lower price. I personally have listened to those Bose systems in Best Buy/Circuit City....and they really don't sound that great. As for those Wave radios...they sound alright for what they are, but not $500 good. Bose has A LOT of money thrown into advertising and not their products...hopefully it's different for their car suspension systems.

Like I said before though, I have no problem with my Bose system in my car...very happy with it (except for bass, highs and mids are very good). But their home audio stuff is not good...a home theatre subwoofer made up of 3 5.5" midbass speakers? There's no way you can get any low bass from that no matter how well of a tuned enclosure it is put in.

TOC Admin
Brando

Hi Brando, all


I doubt if you listened to the 901s in the environment they were designed for.

The availability of Bose home systems in Best Buy/Circuit City, tells me they now have a mediocre line that they are marketing to the masses.

The superority of one or another system lies in the ears of the beholder.
The only agreement, I remember among audio enthusiasts, was (and is) that a vacuum tube amp is superior to a transistor setup.

These guys were one of my accounts until a couple of years ago, and they would get my business if I were to purchase/upgrade a home system.

IMO: Until an automotive interior can be configured like a music room or concert hall, no sound system will be up to the job, and Bose will be as good as any.

Regards, Norm

No, I can't say I have listened to the 901s, but I see that each uses 9 4.5" FULL RANGE drivers....now you know you can't possible get the full range out of little 4.5" drivers. You need a subwoofer to handle the 50Hz and below frequencies (sometimes a little higher...80Hz...120Hz), and with no tweeter, you won't get the crashing sound of a tweeter...no way no how with a 4.5" driver...no matter how many of them you have! $1,398.00

Agreed on the car environment...although many SQ competitors have come very close to doing so. One guy had a truck and he made all the interior pieces out of that acoustic foam. Sound deadening also helps to block out the road noise. So it's very possible to get that concert "feel", just need to put A LOT of work into it. I've been thinking of messing around with my Delta 88 actually...use it as a practice vehicle for some custom installation...we'll see

TOC Admin
Brando

Brando, hearing is believing. Seeing is believing. Have you ever seen a loudspeaker system that could move so much air that it coud blow out a match, driven at half power with the match six inches away fromt the enclosure surface? My 901s could. Have you ever seen them or read about Mr. Bose's concept on noise reproduction? His approach is still different today and he started ove thirty years ago. His idea is controversial even now. I agree that with standard enclosures, having a driver appropriately sized for the frequency it is intended to reproduce is a valid concept (with correct crossover networking). But you can't argue when you hear a pair of 901s correctly placed in a hearing room. Outstanding sound, that's all I can say.....

BTW I am a sound tech for live sound, concerts and understand what I am talking about.

Hi Brando, Oldsguy, all

That's the reason I asked if you had listened to them.

Because the engines are near stock rebuilds with street cams, the specs for my coupes lead most "experts" to believe they are both mid to low 13 second cars.

There were (and are) better home speakers but, for the most part they were (and are) much more expensive.


The only concert "feel" I remember could be reproduced at home with an AM radio, a baggie and some rolling papers.
Actually I'd rather hear the original sound without the electronics.

Regards, Norm

Kind of hard to fit that in a car now isn't it?

TOC Admin
Brando

My dad loves his 901's and has for 25 years now. He still has them in his living room and yes they do sound VERY GOOD. This cannot be said about any 20 year old heck 10 year old speaker system I have heard. They are far from efficent but he has more than enough juice on tap.

Like brando said, bose is EXTREMELY over priced. Their enclosures are generally marketing tools and are not really much better than any other enclosure.

I am not saying it is BAD equipment, it is high end stuff no doubt.

We all have different ears. One thing I dont like about bose sound is it seems not quite as sharp as what I like. Often bose will use multiple drivers with overlapping xover freqs and well we know what that means.

True reproduction is different than bose sound.

But then again I am one that does NOT LIKE rear fill.

As far as car audio applications go, it is damn near the best you can get stock. I acutally HAVE NOT removed the bose speakers from my car. I tossed the rears but the fronts sound good enough to keep for a while and when I put my deck in there it sounded quite good. (after massive wiring harness issues lol, had to get custom wiring harness since most 94's did not have the premium sound option).

And yes, I swore the first thing I would do to this car was replace the comps, and well still stock. Not great sound but it is good enough for right now.

All I know is that my deck is pushing those component speakers quite good for how much power it is putting out.

Hi Hans, all


After 25 years I don't believe they sound as good as they did when new.

I don't remember Bose ever being high end.

Has anyone here ever listened to high end speakers?

Regards, Norm