b&w or Bose 901

[ac81017]

First all, I would like to say that I´m not much of an expert when it comes to hifi and stereo. And I was looking for reviews on a certain speaker which turned out to not everybodys favorite!! ops: Anyway I swapped my b&w 602s3 for a pair of Bose 901 series 6! I´m guessing it was an exellent deal??

I thought that the Bose 901´s sounded better than the b&w 683´s that i was looking at, and it didn´t cost me a penny to upgrade! I was looking at an old pair of Dm7´s, and thinking that they were top model at the time, then they must be good, but I thought the 602s3 sounded better!

My local store called me after i´ve swapped for the 901´s and said that he has a pair of ex demo 704´s going for the right price! I´m not sure if to keep the 901´s or go for the 704´s??

:T

[btf1980]

Bose sounding better than B&W?

This will not end well.....

[ThomasW]

I´m not sure if to keep the 901´s or go for the 704´s??

Whatever makes you happy.

The forum staff will be keeping an eye on this thread, so play nice people...

[William]

...I thought that the Bose 901´s sounded better than the b&w 683´s that i was looking at, and it didn´t cost me a penny to upgrade!...

You mean didn't make a penny downgrading. Bose 901 are a terrible speaker design (not pure hardware junk like the Acoustimass though). They have no tweeter or woofers. Instead they rely on 8(?) rear facing midranges and one forward facing. Most all of the sound is radiated off the back wall. This kind of setup is only suitable for a large hall and has no place in a home. It gives a nasty reflected ambient sound that has no high or low frequencies. I wouldn't trade a pair of Pioneer bookshelves for them if I was stuck having to listen to them.

[Ken49r]

Not knowing what electronics you are using the Bose could sound better to your ears.
The 704 is a nice speaker. You may decide to upgrade your Bose after hearing them.
B&W sound better with Rotel or similar equipment over the Big store receivers. Even the 600 series.

[H.T.C]

[QUOTE=ThomasW]Whatever makes you happy.

The forum staff will be keeping an eye on this thread, so play nice people...[/QUOTE

I thought all the mods would of been in their underground bunkers by now or at least ducking. :B

[ac81017]

Not knowing what electronics you are using the Bose could sound better to your ears.
The 704 is a nice speaker. You may decide to upgrade your Bose after hearing them.
B&W sound better with Rotel or similar equipment over the Big store receivers. Even the 600 series.

I´m using

Sony strdb 1070
Sony Tan 9000es
Bose 901
B&w asw 750
Sony cd 930 qs
sony Md 940 qs
Sony dvd 900qs

[ac81017]

You mean didn't make a penny downgrading. Bose 901 are a terrible speaker design (not pure hardware junk like the Acoustimass though). They have no tweeter or woofers. Instead they rely on 8(?) rear facing midranges and one forward facing. Most all of the sound is radiated off the back wall. This kind of setup is only suitable for a large hall and has no place in a home. It gives a nasty reflected ambient sound that has no high or low frequencies. I wouldn't trade a pair of Pioneer bookshelves for them if I was stuck having to listen to them.

I think the 901 have a good overall sound, deep shaking bass, and a lot of highs!

[sunshdw]

You mean didn't make a penny downgrading. Bose 901 are a terrible speaker design (not pure hardware junk like the Acoustimass though). They have no tweeter or woofers. Instead they rely on 8(?) rear facing midranges and one forward facing. Most all of the sound is radiated off the back wall. This kind of setup is only suitable for a large hall and has no place in a home. It gives a nasty reflected ambient sound that has no high or low frequencies. I wouldn't trade a pair of Pioneer bookshelves for them if I was stuck having to listen to them.

X2
No high No lows....it must be Bose.

IMHO the only two reasons to use Bose would be for a cat litter box and starting a fire. Bose reminds me of Harley Davidson, all you buy is the name and the ego value.

[impala454]

Come on why ya gotta get a shot in on Harley too...

[ThomasW]

X2
No high No lows....it must be Bose.

IMHO the only two reasons to use Bose would be for a cat litter box and starting a fire. Bose reminds me of Harley Davidson, all you buy is the name and the ego value.

1st warning....

If you have nothing constructive to add, don't bother posting.

[wgriel]

My local store called me after i´ve swapped for the 901´s and said that he has a pair of ex demo 704´s going for the right price! I´m not sure if to keep the 901´s or go for the 704´s??

:T

As you may have gathered, not many here are big fans of the 901s. However, if you like them, that's what matters. But it's impossible to predict whether you will like the 704s better or not - I would jump at the 704s myself, but I don't think I would have gone for the 901s in the first place.

So, as they say - you'll have to listen for yourself!

[Alaric]

Try the 704s. They are nice speakers. Won't comment on the Bose-you like what you like.

Come on why ya gotta get a shot in on Harley too...

Somewhat of a performance deficit there. What Harleys do , they do better than anything else-but they're a little behind the curve in some areas. Blame the marketplace. HD will always have an air cooled twin , but making it compete with the state-of-the-art , while meeting EPA regs , is hard. Wait till the XR1200 comes out Stateside (soon!)

[Briz vegas]

My Stereo thing started listening to my sisters 301s, but when I was old enough to buy I got the MS30 from Mordaunt Short.

I would suggest that if you like that speaker that you will not like the 704.
The Bose company have a very different philosophy to Bowers and Wilkins.

Now that I know a little more about this "troll" thing I suspect that the original poster is travelling a little close to the wind on that score.

Maybe a Club Bose would provide a better forum for discussion.

[Alaric]

Maybe a Club Bose would provide a better forum for discussion.

....

[ac81017]

b&w vs Bose 901 part 2!!!

I think it´s a bit sad to have ones face rubbed into the ground because of a speaker!! I´ll jugde for myself if the bose are for me or not!! The good thing that came out was, some basic facts which I would have never thought of!

1. 901 is mostly midrange
2. They have a special or different way of producing sound compaired to
average B&W or any other speaker!

I´m going to give the 704´s a demo today after an hour of listening to the 901´s!

Maybe I´m starting to see the light??

I still think it´s a bit sad that people have to be so mean just because of a speaker! I had heard from a friend that bose is not the most popular make for some! but nothing like this!!

I don´t have $1000´s to spend on great stuff, but if I did I would go for the B&W 901´s!! Kidding!! B&W 803D because they blew me away! hope I win the lottery soon!!

:T

[jericho]

I think it's a matter of taste, WAF, budget, etc...
If you like bose, you must buy bose, if you prefer B&w, go for B&W
Members of this forum can not choose for you.
I know what I would do!

[Briz vegas]

I think the title of your post indicates that you knew the likely reaction.
Bose is a lifestyle product designed to provide good enough sound quality for it's market segment. It is a company that does not allow dealers to do comparisons with its products and other brands. Personally I don't think they deserve to be taken too seriously.

[William]

I think the 901 have a good overall sound, deep shaking bass, and a lot of highs!

In is impossible for the 901's produce highs since they have NO high frequency driver. It's a fact that the high end frequency response is limited to the maximum frequency the mid range driver's in the 901's can produce. This is a law of physics and Bose has no way of breaking that law. the same rules apply for low frequencies.

Just get a CD with some frequency tones and play anything above about 10KHz and you will see there is no (can't be) sound. The same applies for below about 100Hz.

[rednelb]

Yeah... just go with the 803Ds. I did. Use the bose as end tables.

[Grasynoll]

use the Bose as toilets

*** Aussie Geoff here - this is not helpful!!!! ***

[mjb]

You know, I've often wondered by Bose 901's get such a bad rap. 901's are not very common in Europe, and I admit I've never even seen or heard them. A couple on minutes Googling set me straight!

http://www.stereophile.com/historical/425/index.html

http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/07/the_other_side_of_the_bose_sto.php

http://reviews.ebay.com/Bose-901-Speakers-A-primer_W0QQugidZ10000000001314034

[dknightd]

I remember going to a party when I was in college. They had 4 Bose 901 in a big room. I was impressed how well they filled up the room, and their ability to play loud and clear even with all the people in the room.

[beden1]

I remember going to a party when I was in college. They had 4 Bose 901 in a big room. I was impressed how well they filled up the room, and their ability to play loud and clear even with all the people in the room.

I remember I was very impressed with the 901s I heard a number of years ago in a friend's house with a large room and cathedral ceilings. The sound engulfed his room.

[ShadowZA]

I remember going to a party when I was in college. They had 4 Bose 901 in a big room. I was impressed how well they filled up the room, and their ability to play loud and clear even with all the people in the room.

I recall taking my date (now my wife) to a dance club (Club 604 in Cape Town) back in'83. The music utilized some 901's which were mounted into the ceiling. In fact, I've found a couple of pics of a live band playing at that very club in '83. Take a squizz at the ceiling.

[WI Rotel]

We had a previously acrimonious 901 discussion..... AS I stated previously the 901 is great for its intended purpose! For throwing a party and open venues they are fantastic, they can be driven ridiculously loud without significant distortion since they are composed entirely of full range drivers (midranges). For those that are curious about their frequency response, its about 60-15000 at -6db. Please note that for farts like me in my 40's that is the entire audio spectrum! Are they as accurate or sound as "good" as most BW's, not in anyone's wildest dreams, but then again there are no BW's that will play 120dB for hours on end either. They are simply speakers for different purposes, one is for live performance (the 901 is a home version of the 802 pro loudspeaker), Bw's are more akin to reference audio reproduction where sonic acuracy and detail are paramount. I wouldn't take 801D's to a party, however, a lot of people wouldn't entirely mind having 901's as home speakers. BTW 901's must have equalization (a separate equalizer is included) the speakers by themselves sound simply horrible.

[WI Rotel]

I recall taking my date (now my wife) to a dance club (Club 604 in Cape Town) back in'83. The music utilized some 901's which were mounted into the ceiling. In fact, I've found a couple of pics of a live band playing at that very club in '83. Take a squizz at the ceiling.

Those are indeed 901's, note the wood plastic veneer! Interesting since most live shows use the 802 which is covered by industrial plastic venner and doesnt include the single rear driver. Great memories form 83'. At that time I actually owned a pair that I used for home and DJ use! :T

[Miyuki]

At public places here in Tokyo such as clubs, bars and discos, I see Bose hanging everywhere and they sound really OK but as described above those places are very loud and it’s hard to conduct a normal conversations. Having a long tube called acoustic cannon (Bose) is quite popular and its purpose seems to be to produce vibrations rather than music. I have regarded Bose as either great party speakers or home theaters in a box. For Jazz, classic music and operas, Boses is, in my opinion, overwhelmingly outperformed by B&Ws 800 series. Some disadvantages with B&W are that you can’t move as freely in the room and that I have to scrap my collection of bad recordings. I don’t know much about audio technology and I don’t even ask for specs when listening to different speakers. After extensive listening, I fund B&W to be the closest to the source I can possible get. As I listen more and more to multichannel 92KHz PCM listening, the advantages of B&W will be even more pronouced.

[wettou]

At public places here in Tokyo such as clubs, bars and discos, I see Bose hanging everywhere and they sound really OK but as described above those places are very loud and it’s hard to conduct a normal conversations. Having a long tube called acoustic cannon (Bose) is quite popular and its purpose seems to be to produce vibrations rather than music. I have regarded Bose as either great party speakers or home theaters in a box. For Jazz, classic music and operas, Boses is, in my opinion, overwhelmingly outperformed by B&Ws 800 series. Some disadvantages with B&W are that you can’t move as freely in the room and that I have to scrap my collection of bad recordings. I don’t know much about audio technology and I don’t even ask for specs when listening to different speakers. After extensive listening, I fund B&W to be the closest to the source I can possible get. As I listen more and more to multichannel 92KHz PCM listening, the advantages of B&W will be even more pronouced.

Yes Bose has great advertising mantra and for those listening to mp3 they are fine. I would never spend the money on such product

You might enjoy this with your B&W, very high resolution music available to test:T

http://www.2l.no/hires/index.html

[WI Rotel]

At public places here in Tokyo such as clubs, bars and discos, I see Bose hanging everywhere and they sound really OK but as described above those places are very loud and it’s hard to conduct a normal conversations. Having a long tube called acoustic cannon (Bose) is quite popular and its purpose seems to be to produce vibrations rather than music. I have regarded Bose as either great party speakers or home theaters in a box. For Jazz, classic music and operas, Boses is, in my opinion, overwhelmingly outperformed by B&Ws 800 series. Some disadvantages with B&W are that you can’t move as freely in the room and that I have to scrap my collection of bad recordings. I don’t know much about audio technology and I don’t even ask for specs when listening to different speakers. After extensive listening, I fund B&W to be the closest to the source I can possible get. As I listen more and more to multichannel 92KHz PCM listening, the advantages of B&W will be even more pronouced.

I wonder where they get the acoustic Cannons, I dont think they have made those in a while. And yes they are in effect a subwoofer for live venues. Japan has (or had) a thing for Bose. In the 70's and 80' the japanese market was "Boseaholic". That "love" was further enhanced when Japanese car manufacturers made many of their "premium" car audio Bose, I own an 06 RL (legend in Japan) and its audio is Bose. BTW, it sounds much better than the BW stereo I auditioned in a supercharged Jaguar XF, which, for me, was quite a disappointment. I expected the jaguar's audio to blow me away, on the contrary, it sounded flat, gutless and lifeless, goes to show that there is more to any audio than just a prestigious brand. My MDX's ELS stereo is also everwhelmingly better and that is simply a fancy Pioneer!
It's good you confess not to know about specs, and in reality that is a very good thing! By a very long shot, the most important spec is the ears!!!!Even the best equipment has to be tailored to your own particular listening venue and most importantly, to your own particular taste. IMO BW's forte is the transparent quality of their highs and their fantastic dispersion (I use XT's which excell in that regard), to some extent that is due to their de-enfasis of the lower ocataves, to some listeners they sound a little thin (because in general they are) but to me they simply offer a more acurate (less bassy) rendition of music. However what makes them fantastic, as you said, for classical, jazz, and vocals, also makes them sound a little weak whne listening to Deff Lepard for example :W
BTW its nice to hear from a female audio enthusiast, and from Japan no less!Audio fan women are few and far between :T