A philosophical question: is the Bose 901 a full-range speaker? Or is it multiple drivers? You could argue either point. Well all can agree that it is a piece of $#!@ (at least the snobs can.) But then there is the hoi poloi...
Hello, I am a confirmed lover of Bose 901s, currently there are my only speaker system. Over the past ten years I have bought, repaired, sold, given away a few, and even beat one to bits (see other threads). I like the "original" 901s (series I, II) the best. I use two pair as my mains. Currently I have some spares, of which I hope to make another working pair and still have a lot of parts left over.
Today's "score" was a beat-up pair of Series I. $99 and no shipping (if you don't count a 100-mile round trip drive on a sunny afternoon...). This pair had one torn cone and...not sure what other damage. I will set them aside for when I have more DIY time (after the current semester is done...) OK here is the question...
Does anyone know what the "original" (new) series I, II speakers used for drivers? I know the patent says CTS 4C1077. I know that some speakers I've gotten have blue drivers that say BOSE. Others have black no-name drivers. One pair had obviously been restored by a prior owner (the silicone caulk around the drivers was kind of a give-away).
My question is not entirely idle: I want to keep speakers "stock" when possible -- perhaps increase the resale value. [OK, stop laughing and put on a clean pair of underwear. Yes, I had to look at that twice too ... ok, how about: "to keep them stock."]
Say what you want about 901s (please, out of earshot of the wife and kids!) but I can deal with: (1) easy to work on; (2) very cheaply available; (3) durable; (4) responds well to cheap 21st century power amps and EQ. (5) sounds good* (subjective!!!)
Now, what to do with three cabinets and 34 drivers, half of them untested...? (sorry, I don't have a fireplace.)
Hello, I am a confirmed lover of Bose 901s, currently there are my only speaker system. Over the past ten years I have bought, repaired, sold, given away a few, and even beat one to bits (see other threads). I like the "original" 901s (series I, II) the best. I use two pair as my mains. Currently I have some spares, of which I hope to make another working pair and still have a lot of parts left over.
Today's "score" was a beat-up pair of Series I. $99 and no shipping (if you don't count a 100-mile round trip drive on a sunny afternoon...). This pair had one torn cone and...not sure what other damage. I will set them aside for when I have more DIY time (after the current semester is done...) OK here is the question...
Does anyone know what the "original" (new) series I, II speakers used for drivers? I know the patent says CTS 4C1077. I know that some speakers I've gotten have blue drivers that say BOSE. Others have black no-name drivers. One pair had obviously been restored by a prior owner (the silicone caulk around the drivers was kind of a give-away).
My question is not entirely idle: I want to keep speakers "stock" when possible -- perhaps increase the resale value. [OK, stop laughing and put on a clean pair of underwear. Yes, I had to look at that twice too ... ok, how about: "to keep them stock."]
Say what you want about 901s (please, out of earshot of the wife and kids!) but I can deal with: (1) easy to work on; (2) very cheaply available; (3) durable; (4) responds well to cheap 21st century power amps and EQ. (5) sounds good* (subjective!!!)
Now, what to do with three cabinets and 34 drivers, half of them untested...? (sorry, I don't have a fireplace.)
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Hi,
They are poor speakers that sound like $#!@. Without the EQ module
they sound like utter $#!@. With the module things improve but the
bass end is a hideous one note distorted mess driving small speakers
that don't do bass into areas they simply don't want to go into *.
I guess the only way you would get on with them is by refusing
to listen to anything else. In the general scheme of things I can
think of plenty of drivers I'd rather use in a similar box with EQ.
rgds, sreten.
* May have improved with the later versions. Don't
know, don't care @ £1800 for the latest versions.
They are poor speakers that sound like $#!@. Without the EQ module
they sound like utter $#!@. With the module things improve but the
bass end is a hideous one note distorted mess driving small speakers
that don't do bass into areas they simply don't want to go into *.
I guess the only way you would get on with them is by refusing
to listen to anything else. In the general scheme of things I can
think of plenty of drivers I'd rather use in a similar box with EQ.
rgds, sreten.
* May have improved with the later versions. Don't
know, don't care @ £1800 for the latest versions.
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The one main issue with Bose is that they charge absorbent amounts of money for their products. I cringe when I see them in friend's homes.
E.g. Wave Radio - plastic transistor radio, with plastic wave guides - are they even HD?
Why did you drive a 100 miles, sounds like you have way more than you need now?
Not to be over the top, but was it a firewood run?
E.g. Wave Radio - plastic transistor radio, with plastic wave guides - are they even HD?
Why did you drive a 100 miles, sounds like you have way more than you need now?
Not to be over the top, but was it a firewood run?
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New ones are not much better. An over eq'd-4 inch, ten cent driver is just , well a ten cent driver. It was when introduced, it still is 45 years later. Now they push 2 inch speakers. They do the same with their PA systems. Good idea, terrible execution. Why anyone ever bought one is beyond me. Amar is not a fool and he is a real physicist, but he is a far better marketeer than speaker designer. If the money just went into his pocket, I would bust his chops more,but the majority of it goes into research projects he runs under the Bose banner out of MIT from what I understand.
In their defense, their $100 table radio is actually very good. Form and function is what most rational ( not audiophiles) need. Sound is quite decent. Too bad they charge $450 for it.
Oh yea, I forgot. Many years ago I heard a pair on 901's that sounded pretty good. Well, it turns out it had an 8 inch facing rear, and a tweeter added to the front using the Bose driver as a mid. Passive crossover.
In their defense, their $100 table radio is actually very good. Form and function is what most rational ( not audiophiles) need. Sound is quite decent. Too bad they charge $450 for it.
Oh yea, I forgot. Many years ago I heard a pair on 901's that sounded pretty good. Well, it turns out it had an 8 inch facing rear, and a tweeter added to the front using the Bose driver as a mid. Passive crossover.
Back in 1974 I was working at Bell Labs in Holmdel NJ and the fad was to build Bose 901 series 1 clones using drivers that were reportedly the same as Bose used. A bunch of us went in together and bought quite a few cases of raw drivers from a company called CTS in Paducha KY (sp?). They fit the description of no-name 4" drivers with black cones. We also had the schematic for the Bose equalizer that had been updated to use Western Electric transistors (Western Electric was part of Ma Bell and we had "access" to the transistors at work). I still have a soft spot for the original 901s and still have my clones hanging from the basement ceiling. They were my first piece of "high end" stereo kit and sounded great, at least compared to a one piece portable record player that I used before them.
Gosh, you guyz are *brutal*!!
The 901 sounds fantastic with a Phase 400 driving it, in a 1930s type room, with real plaster walls, wood floors and just the right amount of absorption everywhere other than the wall behind the speakers. Crank up Zep and you've got a great experience.
The limitations of the speaker have been repeated over and over, so no point in belaboring it. Suffice to say, it's not SOTA.
One idea would be to kill the HF EQ and put a suitable tweeter array up top... maybe a "mini-Bose 901" cabinet. HEY! Why didn't I think of that in 1973?? Geez.
Afaik it was CTS that made the original drivers.
It's a fun speaker, even with the inherent limitations.
_-_-
PS. no "ports" on the originals... fyi.
The 901 sounds fantastic with a Phase 400 driving it, in a 1930s type room, with real plaster walls, wood floors and just the right amount of absorption everywhere other than the wall behind the speakers. Crank up Zep and you've got a great experience.
The limitations of the speaker have been repeated over and over, so no point in belaboring it. Suffice to say, it's not SOTA.
One idea would be to kill the HF EQ and put a suitable tweeter array up top... maybe a "mini-Bose 901" cabinet. HEY! Why didn't I think of that in 1973?? Geez.
Afaik it was CTS that made the original drivers.
It's a fun speaker, even with the inherent limitations.
_-_-
PS. no "ports" on the originals... fyi.
Series I & II were 8Ω cloth surround, wired in series in groups of 3, then paralleled.
Here are the later 1Ω blue cone, foam surround, 3 bolt drivers. All wired in series.
Replacement Speaker Driver for Bose 901 4-1/2" 1 Ohm 290-922
Here are the later 1Ω blue cone, foam surround, 3 bolt drivers. All wired in series.
Replacement Speaker Driver for Bose 901 4-1/2" 1 Ohm 290-922
My tongue was in my cheek for that comparison
The original Series 1 was a sealed design. They did not get ports until Series 2 or 3. I never did a side-by-side comparison with real 901s, all my friends had the $75 clones (which is what I remember paying for the drivers plus plywood for the box). My first impression was that they had good bass. I first heard the clones at a friends house and he played the heartbeat on the Dark Side of the Moon - I was very impressed.
Bose Drivers
Rolla in Euclid, OH also made drivers for early Bose speakers. Rolla eventually was absorbed by Jensen International. Jensen consolidated most operations in Lumberton, NC and Punxatawney, PA. The samples I have sport Blue cones and black, doped fabric surrounds and round magnets.
Rolla in Euclid, OH also made drivers for early Bose speakers. Rolla eventually was absorbed by Jensen International. Jensen consolidated most operations in Lumberton, NC and Punxatawney, PA. The samples I have sport Blue cones and black, doped fabric surrounds and round magnets.
Yup, CTS. I thought they were out of Texas. Best speaker Bose made was the 301. Price/performance wise.
I forgot he is yet another of a long list of "first generation" audio leaders we have lost. The list is way too long.
Back in those days I had AR2s. I would take them over the 901s any day.
I forgot he is yet another of a long list of "first generation" audio leaders we have lost. The list is way too long.
Back in those days I had AR2s. I would take them over the 901s any day.
Good bar/tavern speakers - no hot spots. And you needed a hard and smooth back wall. I would love to hear four of them as surrounds but I would be too embarrassed to have them in my listening room. Hey, has anyone put full-range-designed drivers into that 901 configuration and equalized the system to flat power response?
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That's what it is: marketing. But so are other manufacturers from speakers to cars to shampoo. There is nothing sinister about it.
How about "the best loudspeaker on earth" ... do you really believe it even if it was made of gold
I do appreciate the willingness of Bose to come up with a design that is acoustically different. And clearly an attempt to fix an issue. They could have just made speakers like any other in the market. Perhaps with another colour or vinyl covering.
How about "the best loudspeaker on earth" ... do you really believe it even if it was made of gold
I do appreciate the willingness of Bose to come up with a design that is acoustically different. And clearly an attempt to fix an issue. They could have just made speakers like any other in the market. Perhaps with another colour or vinyl covering.
Does any-one remember the little "Sound Cubes" that used a single CTS driver in a tiny sealed box. I thought they were pretty good for the money at the time although I have learned better over the decades.
The Bose are actually pretty good a live voice and I have known quite a few acoustic/vocal artists that use the original 901 at gigs
The Bose are actually pretty good a live voice and I have known quite a few acoustic/vocal artists that use the original 901 at gigs
Finally ! Someone who understood their Huge Achilles' heel.
These things Required a solid concrete wall to bounce their noise off. Otherwise the frequency response was Genuinely horrid.. and deserving of ALL the Bad Press & abuse heaped on them.
Even then, with said Bunker wall sounding board, (Rarely available to their typical owner/consumer
they were not nearly up to their Brochure Babble. Unforgivable given the Usurious prices asked.Best buried and forgotten..along with their Snake Oil Salesman maker.
Just to add info to the thread..
Replacement Speaker Driver for Bose 901 4-1/2" 1 Ohm 290-922
Frequency response & impedance: http://www.parts-express.com/pedocs/brochures/290-922-parts-express-brochure.JPG
Impedance & T-S parameters: http://www.parts-express.com/pedocs/specs/290-922-parts-express-specifications.pdf
Note that this isn't the original driver from bose, but a replica from Parts-Express.
Replacement Speaker Driver for Bose 901 4-1/2" 1 Ohm 290-922
Frequency response & impedance: http://www.parts-express.com/pedocs/brochures/290-922-parts-express-brochure.JPG
Impedance & T-S parameters: http://www.parts-express.com/pedocs/specs/290-922-parts-express-specifications.pdf
Note that this isn't the original driver from bose, but a replica from Parts-Express.
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