OK, here goes. A little background first. I had a pair of 901s Series I (one) back in the day. I even sat through a Bose demo at an LA audio show using the "Super Bose" configuration (2 pairs) and the, then new, Bose 1801 powerhouse amp. It wasn't long before I moved on and learned more about panel loudspeakers and hi-fi in general. Today my favorite loudspeakers are large electrostatics, the Infinity RS-1Bs, and the larger Magnepan models.
Anyway, I have a small TV room in my vacation house and I wanted to set-up a music system for that room but it's not big enough for panels and I wanted something on the smaller side. So I ordered some 901s and stands. I gave some thought to some kind of small monitors but the goal was not to create another critical music system but have a fun time and put together a "play anything/juke box" but not the same old thing.
So before you guys start all the Bose bashing, give me some time and I'll write up a good review (well, as best I can) and I'll describe exactly what I'm hearing, or not hearing. I have not read anything since the original Stereophile report that truly describes the sound of the newer 901s. I wont sugar coat it or say things like the 901s really rocked out. Instead I'll give an accurate description so that you can get a good idea what you can expect out of this system. I'll edit this post after I get some listening time. Anybody interested?
Edit1: I will be using my AV-8 Wave tube amps and a Tube Head pre-amp in my little room. I will also be using a small Hsu sub, as I know they need a little help on the very bottom.
Later I will move them to the big room and give them some juice. I have a Parasound A21 and an Audio Research pre-amp in the other room. I'm familiar with the sound of all this gear so I'll be able to get a good idea how the speakers sound with each set-up.
Edit2: All packages in house.
Edit3: Change in direction. I got to thinking about my little tube mono blocks and although I'm sure they would work, I was worried about having extra power, just in case. Thinking more about that gear I also realized that the TubeHead pre-amp is a little short on top end performance and maybe not a fair test device. So...I bought a Creek integrated amp. At 80 wpc that should be enough power in that room. That should be here in two days.
Edit4: Well I got the system set-up. I ran into a snag. There are about three ways you can hook up the equalizer on my Creek integrated. But for whatever reason the equalizer has a bit too much idle hiss. When connected through the tape monitor, the hiss is way too loud, and easily heard from the listening chair. I ended up hooking the box straight through the CD player and that dropped the level quite a bit. It's listenable but still not 100% right. I'll have to send the box back to Bose. So stay tuned.
Edit5: OK got my Equalizer back from Bose. It included a form letter that stated a bunch of stuff, like; "Cleaned your disc drive if applicable." But no information about what they found with my unit. So the unit came back the same way it went out as far as I can see. There was no change to the noise level. So far Bose has been no help. Their suggestions have been, 1. Buy a line filter. 2. Try better interconnect cables. 3. Sent it in for repair. 4. "Well, all systems have a certain amount of noise."
So I was on my own. The problem is a gain mismatch with the equalizer. So I put a 10db attenuator on the line going into the equalizer. That did the trick, it's absolutely dead quiet now. So I can start the evaluation process.
I played with some cables and got a good working baseline. I'll need a week to play some discs and see what I get. More coming.
Edit6: OK, that took a little longer than I thought. I hooked up some AudioQuest Type 4 cables in an effort to get a little more out of the system. I am having a little trouble getting a handle on the sound. I think it might just be best to just list some highlights because a detailed description is not going to tell you much because many areas were lacking. First the weak points. The main weakness beside bandwidth was the inability to define the front and back soundstage. The for and aft image is blurred and is throw onto the back wall. No amount of tweaking helped that issue. The next issue would be the lack of air on the top end, we kind of expected that but with the missing depth imaging it really stood out. I think some measurements would be helpful there. The mid range was there but not in a coherent presentation. Some vocals sounded almost acceptable and others were a mix if being present, then dropping out as the frequency shifted. I even noticed some honk on male vocals at one particular frequency. The low band was OK but not particularly low or tight but it did keep the room energized and added a good foundation to the music.
The good points: Regrettably, not many. The thing that they do well is provide a good left and right image. Location of the listener is not important and everyone gets the full effect no mater where you sit. They really worked best as a TV/home theater sound system. The voices were clear and the sound effects dramatic. The only music that was listenable was music that worked well when spread across the wall. Classical or electronic was interesting but not particularly good enough for the critical listener.
I'll keep the summary short because there are no nuances to talk about, the system was lacking in serious ways. At this point, I'm going to say that the system is not high fidelity and the performance can be bettered by most loudspeakers, even some very inexpensive ones. On the other hand, I though as a home theater loudspeaker they provided a fun presentation and lots of excitement but as a music system, I cannot recommend them. Price was/is not a consideration, the speakers just didn't deliver.
Edits: 08/10/12 08/10/12 08/14/12 08/23/12 08/23/12 10/23/12 11/25/12
This post is made possible by the generous
support of people like you and our sponsors:
