Unbiased Reviews by Real People
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Unbiased Reviews by Real People
Will The Real Bose 901 Please Stand Up?...Series IIJun 6, 2012 (Updated Sep 10, 2012) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Nothing replaces sealed systems. Could not Acoustic Suspension design be further developed to accomodate higher efficiencies...lower distortion? Are later Bose 901s imposters? Maybe not...stay tuned and vote.
Since my first article broke several years ago about buying used Bose 901 loudspeakers...http://www.epinions.com/content_4691894404 I have received very wonderful comments and emails thanking me for the buying guide. You have been most kind! Thanks to you so-ooo-oo much! The article's intent was to bring to light some of the common misconceptions of the various Bose 901 speaker systems and to unmask the confusion over which e.q. was compatible with which series speaker. Hopefully most of that confusion has been sorted out and you as a potential used 901 buyer will find great success in your search for the right Bose 901 system at the right price...for you. However...This article here today is going to deal with something else about the world's most famous and powerful loudspeaker...at what point did the Bose 901 Direct/Reflecting Loudspeaker cease to be? Are you puzzled and shocked yet? You should be! Allow me...if you will...to explain. During the course of discussion through threads and comments about the original article....something quite nagging arose. In fact it has eaten away at me like a relentless mosquito for quite some time and it must be brought front and center right here and now...That the sound of the Bose 901 system changed drastically after Series II and when the last pair of Bose 901 Series II loudspeakers were sold somewhere on the face of God's good earth...the heart and soul of the Bose 901 ceased to beat! Throughout the comments and emails I read...I heard it said over and over again....that when Bose dropped the acoustic suspension principle in favor of their new Acoustic Matrix chambered plastic inner enclosure...the natural warmth and deep bass disappeared along with the clean mids and highs. Yes...over and over again I heard the same remarks...that Series III and on were "cropped up" versions....Hmmmm...I don't know. At first I thought to myself well yeah...the later series were more efficient...but are these people correct in assuming that something about the 901 system was jeopardized? And then recently after giving the matter much thought...and owning Series V & VI systems...and comparing them to my original Series I...I reached a horrible conclusion...yes...the 901s may have indeed been betrayed by four series of imposters and the board members of the Bose Corp...at least the bass changed. The Acoustic Suspension Bose 901 had been kidnapped and murdered by some so-called angel of light on the design team in favor of great revenue and false proclamation. The first erroneous statement from the Bose camp was issued in a color brochure back in 1978 stating that the newer 901 went deeper into the bass with lower distortion. The only way this could have been true was if like myself you were running a fifty watt per channel amp with the originals whereas the extreme demand in bass e.q. caused your amplifier to garble and clip due to the presence of really lower notes on the source material. My AR amp was marginal in this situation but a Phase Linear 700 or Dynaco 400 or even a great and powerful McIntosh could overcome this obstacle quite cleanly. Edgar Villchur aloing with Henry Kloss developed the Acoustic Suspension enlosure over at Acoustic Research and in 1954 the first design went to market with the AR-1. The earth-shaking bass coming out of the relatively small box was noteworthy and Amar Bose felt that it was perfect for his rather compact 901 enclosure. The acoustic suspension model received rave reviews from all sorts of mags as both Series I & II became instant legends. Still...there was that equalizer bass problem that caused lower powered amps to clip with a horrible garbling sound...and Bose felt that that needed to be addressed. The Acoustic Suspension design had been abandoned in favor of an Acoustic Matrix enclosure that sported a sort of transmission line leading out to three George Jetson-like ports. But don't tell Bose these are ported boxes. Oh no...they will not hear of it! Air does travel at fantastic speeds and they did adjust the basic equalizer curve for less bass boost but just does not allow for the system to perform like the originals that sported that ever-so-elusive low harmonic distortion Acoustic Suspension sound quality. Oh...if only I had been more patient and not sold my system due to this frustration! More powerful and economical yet well made power amplifiers started flooding the market right afterward. Another reason I had for giving up on my equipment back then in 1974 was that since my girlfriend and I had just broken up...I could no longer keep the rig in her nicely converted huge attic that served as perfect room acoustics for such a system. I was reduced to listening in my small bedroom and the big huge 901 sound just wasn't there. The system needed a big area to flex its big muscle. Still...in retrospect...I should have been more patient. Yeah...I know...but I also needed some cash at that time. Nine years later I was to be reunited with my Boses and purchased a Series V model with its cool-looking brushed aluminum side panels, striking black grill and walnut finish. The initial setup in my apartment's living room seemed okay but when placing a Shure V-15 Type VMR on Carly Simon's "Embrace Me You Child"...the results were most disappointing. Something had been lost and the warm deep bass along with emotional involvement that had been experienced with the original Boses were simply non-existent. At first i thought that this was due to design change that evolved because of the Compact Disc. Also...I noted an increased harshness on some poorly mic'd recordings. Oh well...I shrugged it off. Ultimately...the Series V would be traded for Boston Acoustics A-70 acoustic suspension models worth one third of the expensive Boses! Besides...again...hey I could use the cash...right? Nine years later....{you see a pattern forming here?} I would take the 901 plunge again as finances increased for me then. A beautifully crafted 901 Series VI with brown grills and walnut panels would grace our humble computer room. My initial listening of Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" was very dramatic and when the deep bass notes rattled our screen doors...I simply felt that finally the fantastic performance of the original Series I & II models were back! Wrong! Again...even with a great CD player now in the mix there was that problem of hollow harshness in the lower midrange on certain older recordings of male voices that I just couldna handle anymore. Still other recordings were wonderfully handled by the Series VI. So what was going on here? I am currently at a point in my life where my hearing and tastes in music have changed somewhat. Despite my age...I still listen very well to good recordings and can readily perceive sonic variations. I am also quite involved in resurrecting an old school speaker system that will bring back the best of the acoustic suspension years. The system is almost complete and inolves the acoustic suspension principle that embraces that big fat warm discrete sound of the original Bose 901. Yeah...I'm excited too! Results wil be forthcoming soon...I promise you. Bottom line....is there something seriously wrong with the Bose 901 Series III through VI...Present Day? Even my audio friend JR who is a high end retailer remarked years ago when as a Bose dealer he received the Series III. He claimed that they had changed the design and ruined the speaker! At that time...1977 I think....I just sort of shrugged it off and thought to myself...I don't know about that...oh well...at least Bose eliminated that amplifier clipping thing. They did....but at what cost? Had the original acoustic suspension 901 truly become a sacrificial lamb? Who was on the Series III design team. Amar bose and his MIT classmates definitely were involved in the initial prototype. But where were they now? Was Amar himself really involved with the evolution of the model or was he just sitting behind a desk now making corporate study and research of marketing while someone else took control of 901 development? It must be said that many 901 lovers are quite happy with their Series III through VI models [including me...surprised?] and will obviously disagree with my assessment. That's fine and I welcome all comments on the subject...but as for myself...and more than a few others...nothing can equal the low harmonic distortion and honest reproduction of a sealed system and the Bose 901 Series I & II are fabulous examples of that school of thought. It must be said that III through VI handle bass very nicely...but definitely...differently. As far as I am concerned...Series I & II are the originals...Acoustic Suspension. Are all other 901s just simply good looking imposters {wolves in sheep's clothing} and bad excuses for embracing the Digital Age...the New Age...if you will? Is there something wrong here???! Just some food for thought and a little fuel to the fire in the discussion of which 901 design is best. Oh...just to let you know...I'm putting my Series VI back in rotation after completing my speaker building project...so we'll see. A new Pyle Pro Blue Rock high powered amp is on the way and I think there will be quite the head-to-head competition! Maybe the later series Boses aren't so bad...we'll see...but definitely sound different. They need lots of high powered warmth and the Pyle just might be the answer. Okay...Done...They too are great! Still...there's a difference. Is it for better or worse? There are indications that the 901 Series VI speakers made over the past two years have improvements rendering a smoother sound. This latest crop of 901 is now being coined as 901 Series VI Mk II. The last pair of Bose 901 Series II sealed loudspeakers were crafted in 1976. Isn't it rather ironic that these Made In U.S.A. sealed treasures were removed from us during our Nation's Bicentennial celebration? The Acoustic Suspension Bose 901 Series I & II...The Only Real Bose 901???...1968-1976...R.I.P. ...PJSII Please view this article on the Bose 901... http://www.epinions.com/content_5639676036  |
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