Anybody Have Any Experience With Bose 901 Series I Speakers?

TheWhaleShark

So I've got these vintage Bose speakers. Had 'em forever - they were a gift from my uncle. They're the 901 Series I speakers - the original Bose speakers that actually made the company famous.

Various audiophile forums I've found seem to offer mixed reviews - some people generally disavow Bose as overpriced crap (which I generally believe they are), while others claim that the 901's are excellent speakers. I haven't read any crazy-ass audiophile claims about these speakers, but I haven't looked too closely.

I generally distrust "audiophiles," because even though not all of them are crazy, enough of them are that it calls everyone's feedback into question.

The original 901's came with a "Bose Active Equalizer" that was designed to normalize the performance of the speakers. I guess the bass was a little flat and the treble was a little harsh, so the EQ is designed to fit the output to a more normal curve. The problem is that I can't find the EQ that goes with these speakers, so they're pretty much impossible to test effectively.

Here are my options as I see them:

1) Get an EQ on eBay, for anywhere from $40 to $100, and keep the speakers. I could hypothetically get one for less, but this is the range of final sale prices I've seen on closed auctions.

2) Sell the speakers on eBay as-is. Again, browsing closing prices, I've seen the speakers go for $200 apiece without the EQ. I've seen a full package go for close to $600. A more conservative estimate would be $300 for the pair. This is, of course, guaranteeing that I can figure out whether or not they work.

I could also get the EQ, test the speakers, and try selling the full package if they work. But my thinking is more that, if they work, then I might have good speakers for effectively free.

Anyone have any particular experience with Bose equipment? I'm generally in the "over-priced and over-hyped" camp, but I imagine they're at least good speakers.

Apreche

Do you think you can actually sell them for $200 each? If so, sell those bitches. You can use the money to get something else that sounds amazing and make a tidy profit.

I recommend the setup that used to be in the living room in Beacon, and is now in my bedroom connected to my iPhone dock. Sounds unbelievably good.

Sonic Impact T-Amp

BIC America DV62si Bookshelf Speakers

TheWhaleShark

Do you think you can actually sell them for $200 each? If so, sell those bitches. You can use the money to get something else that sounds amazing and make a tidy profit.

I'm uncertain about my ability to resell them at that much without being able to test them first. That's half of the conundrum. I'm thinking that I might try to find the EQ on the cheap and take a shot at testing them. If they don't work, I'm betting I can still turn a profit on the whole setup - like $250 - with the caveat that they need some replacing.

The question, though, is whether these free speakers are actually comparable to, say, a $200 or $300 modern audio setup. That's kind of what I'm trying to figure out.

This would also be for whatever apartment I get after the current one, so my exact purchasing decision is going to depend on my living room.

Apreche

They just have normal red/black speaker wire coming out of them right? If so, you can hook them up to just about any stereo amplifier and they should at least make sound. They might not be properly equalized because of their unique properties, but you'll know if they work.

Nuri

Before buying an expensive sound system, get rid of the giant TV that makes the horrible squealing noise. No point in good sound if you're just going to pollute it.

TheWhaleShark

Before buying an expensive sound system, get rid of the giant TV that makes the horrible squealing noise. No point in good sound if you're just going to pollute it.

Well, that's going to happen no matter what sound system I wind up getting.

They just have normal red/black speaker wire coming out of them right? If so, you can hook them up to just about any stereo amplifier and they should at least make sound. They might not be properly equalized because of their unique properties, but you'll know if they work.

Yeah, I guess I can just do that to figure out if there's anything wrong with them. I might not know if they're working "correctly," but at least it's more information than nothing.

Rym

Before buying an expensive sound system, get rid of the giant TV that makes the horrible squealing noise. No point in good sound if you're just going to pollute it.

I can't even stand to be in the same room as an old CRT at this point. ScoJo's livingroom was so loud due to his that I spent much of my time in the basement whenever it was on. ;^)

MrRoboto

They just have normal red/black speaker wire coming out of them right? If so, you can hook them up to just about any stereo amplifier and they should at least make sound. They might not be properly equalized because of their unique properties, but you'll know if they work.

A base and a guitar use the same cable, plug in a bass on a guitar amp, and watch it blow up. Plus, those things look huge, you probably need something extra to drive them.

Then again, I'm just guessing.

Nuri

Before buying an expensive sound system, get rid of the giant TV that makes the horrible squealing noise. No point in good sound if you're just going to pollute it.

I can't even stand to be in the same room as an old CRT at this point. ScoJo's livingroom was so loud due to his that I spent much of my time in the basement whenever it was on. ;^)

Pete LEAVES IT ON because he can't hear it. I have had to get out of bed to go into the living room to turn off his TV.

TheWhaleShark

A couple of different people said that these speakers can handle something like 450 watts each or something ludicrous like that. I don't know that I believe it's that high, but I doubt I'd burn out an amp or stereo receiver just because I don't have the active EQ hooked up.

Apreche

They just have normal red/black speaker wire coming out of them right? If so, you can hook them up to just about any stereo amplifier and they should at least make sound. They might not be properly equalized because of their unique properties, but you'll know if they work.

A base and a guitar use the same cable, plug in a bass on a guitar amp, and watch it blow up. Plus, those things look huge, you probably need something extra to drive them.

Then again, I'm just guessing.

Well, the amps are what matters. If the amp isn't powerful enough, the speakers will be very quiet even if you crank up the volume. Too many watts, and it's Back to the Future. Thing is, speakers and amps with big power, like what DJs use, use big cables and not home entertainment system speaker wire.

stormsweeper

Yeah, test them out and sell them if you think you can get a few hundred out of them. Bose products aren't as good or as terrible as people say, besides being overpriced.

The 901s look big, but they're just an array of small (4") drivers. Any normal receiver should be able to power them just fine.

Clockian

Before buying an expensive sound system, get rid of the giant TV that makes the horrible squealing noise. No point in good sound if you're just going to pollute it.

I can't even stand to be in the same room as an old CRT at this point. ScoJo's livingroom was so loud due to his that I spent much of my time in the basement whenever it was on. ;^)

Pete LEAVES IT ON because he can't hear it. I have had to get out of bed to go into the living room to turn off his TV.

OMG! You guys can hear that noise to! Whenever I talked to someone about that high pitch noise they would always look at me like I'm crazy. My parents always thought I was weird for always turning off the TV's because of that.

TheWhaleShark

I can kinda hear it sometimes, but most of the time my tinnitus just drowns it out.

Nuri

OMG! You guys can hear that noise to! Whenever I talked to someone about that high pitch noise they would always look at me like I'm crazy. My parents always thought I was weird for always turning off the TV's because of that.

It's part of the high range of hearing that is the first to go when you start to lose your hearing. Most people who have any sort of hearing damage can't hear it. That means the older you get the less likely you can hear it, and people who listen to their music too loud on a regular basis can't hear it either.

George Patches

If you want to bring them with us when you come down for magfest I can test them on my amp. My receiver can deliver 50 watts a channel, which sounds small but is more than enough to make yourself deaf.

George Patches

I can kinda hear it sometimes, but most of the time my tinnitus just drowns it out.

I can hear it, but only in the absence of other noise. Scojo's party was loud enough I didn't really notice it.

Rym

I can kinda hear it sometimes, but most of the time my tinnitus just drowns it out.

I can hear it, but only in the absence of other noise. Scojo's party was loud enough I didn't really notice it.

I could hear it over the din of the crowd. It was piercing.

George Patches

I can kinda hear it sometimes, but most of the time my tinnitus just drowns it out.

I can hear it, but only in the absence of other noise. Scojo's party was loud enough I didn't really notice it.

I could hear it over the din of the crowd. It was piercing.

Sounds annoying, I recommend lightly damaging your hearing. Few high powered rifles, couple trips to the drag strip and several hours in a miata and you'll be good to go.

TheWhaleShark

Just go to any show where Belphegor is playing and pull out your earplugs for 45 seconds. Problem solved.

trogdor9

I am also conveniently deaf to the CRT sound and other annoying sounds in that range. Those of you who can hear it need to go to moar concerts (and forget your earplugs).