never bright, highs are real. tight bass

they are not made anymore

I just replaced all four 8" woofers in my 601 series I speakers (due to foam rot) and they sound better than ever.
IMO Bose does make some quality drivers these days, it's how they choose to use them that's the problem.

The 601 speakers are without a doubt the best floor standing speaker Bose ever made. The design keeps the tweeters out of the box which gives the speaker a very natural sound. The woofers are mounted in a high quality cabinet that keeps the bass tight and natural sounding as well. Even at low volumes you can feel the bass, and it's never boomy. Just listen to Chris Squire's bass on Yessongs and you'll hear what I mean.

I've owned these speakers for over 20 years now and am not the least bit tired of them. I've auditioned several speakers at Circuit City (I know Circuit City is definitely not the reference)just for the heck of it and none compared to the sound or build quality of the 601. If Bose was making speakers like this one today they would get more respect. So when people say "No highs, no lows, it must be Bose", they are surely not talking about the 601.

Similar Products Used:

none

8" Bass Woofers

Placement

We all start somewhere in our listening career,for me it wae with 2 pair of Bose 601 ser.2 and a Carver Receiver 2000. These bad boys ROCKED! Enough bass for my young ass and the high's got the job done. Sure Bose can't keep up with Paradigm,Jamo,Kef and many others but the price you pay should reflect that. Today I use the Paradigm Ref.100 with a complete Paradigm surround system I love the hell out of but my memory of the sound the 601's put out and the enjoyment they gave me was just as good then and the Paradigm do for me today. compare apples to apples! My hope is that someday Bose will get off it's ass and put a real audiophile speaker out so i can buy american again. 601 will always rock in my memory!!!

Still going strong

My first pair of speakers. I bought them back in 1984 in Germany when I was in the Army. They sounded good then and they sound good now. As I've upgraded my system over the years I have kept these speakers because they sound so good. I haven't had any problems with them and no parts have needed replacement.

excellent build quality, cabinets are beautiful real wood veneer. Best sounding speaker Bose ever made (IMO)Dont need an equalizer to sound good.

3" tweeters may not go higher than 16khz, but I probably can't hear beyond that anymore

These speakers are 20 years old and going strong. The only maintenance I've had to perform on them were replacement of one 8" woofer in both cabinets (due to surround rot). The other two woofers look to be in good condition still. When I
replaced the woofers I found there was adequate insulation in both cabinets and what looked to be quality cross-over components. If you knock hard on the outside of the cabinet be prepared to endure some knuckle pain.

Now for the sound quality. For the past year I have thought about replacing these speakers. I have heard speakers from Polk, Infinity, and Paradigm (all under $1000.00) and could not justify purchasing them compared to the Bose. The 601s were the closest to a domestic speaker (although they are direct/reflecting) Bose has made, and I would never consider buying a Bose product today. Bass is tight and in abundance.
Midrange sounds smooth and detailed. Again, I do not know how high a 3" tweeter can go, but cymbals and bells sound very realistic without having to use equalization (tone controls remain flat). Voices and very lifelike on good recordings. The one thing I like best is that these speakers sound good with any music, country, classic rock, classical, jazz, you name it. I have never tried rap or hiphop, so I can't say how they sound for those, but there is plenty of bass.

I would like to know if there is anyone out there who still own and listen to these speakers. Bose just doesn't make em
like they used to which is sad. It would be great if Bose would try to make a speaker that would sound good not necessarily to audiophiles, but to audio enthusiasts, without the hype and poor quality. Until that day I will never consider buying another Bose product.

Similar Products Used:

none

18 years and still going strong with only one repair

Then as now Bose held strict control over retail $.

I bought my 601's (Series II)in 1982 for $520 delivered from J&R Music World at a time when you couldn't touch them locally for under $700. I remember what a big deal it was to own a pair of Bose speakers. The 901's were (and still are)priced beyond my budget. I bought my JBL's about two years later which was another big thrill but there's nothing like your first.

The previous reviewer, sixtox, must have the 1st series because my cabinets are vinyl veneer but have held up very well and still look almost new. Each cabinet has an 8" woofer below and a second one up top along with four 3" tweeters (two facing forward an two facing opposite). The cloth grills have also worn well. Like sixtox, both of my top 8" woofers surrounds dry rotted and were replaced a couple of years ago which was a drag but to be expected given their age.

Last Fall I took the DVD plunge and my 601's are the only piece of old gear I incorporated into the new system. I bought the Bose VCS-30 package which is a VCS-10 center and the model 100 surrounds. They blend well with the 601's. I have an AR S108PS sub but don't use it with my Bose which seem to thump quite well when called upon to do so. I'm not a audiophile but like alot of people, I can tell a good speaker when I hear it. My 601's are still good sounding speakers and the new Bose work well along side them despite the obvious age difference.

Which brings me to all this anti-Bose b.s. being put out by The Audiophile Elite. This same group was around back in the 80's when I subscribed to Audio, Stereo Review and High Fidelity (which they considered to be low-end rags). I got out of it for quite awhile partly due to most of the stuff being reviewed was priced out of my reach. DVD has brought me back but I refuse to pay $200 for speaker wire or $4,000 for a pre-amp or whatever. The people who do remind me of the mopes you see parking $70,000 SUV's in front of their $15,000 sh*t-hole.

This site is a great idea but maybe the time has come to separate The Audiophile Elite from the rest of us who just want good stuff at a reasonable price. I'm sure the other half would be the first to agree.

Similar Products Used:

JBL L112

Last forever, sound great

Not made any more.

I bought these 601 series II's new in 1981, for the last 10 years they have been attached to the A/V reciever in the TV cabinet. All 4 surrounds on the woofers are currently rotted (discovered that in the last move we made a year ago)and 2 tweeters have been broken off in the many moves we have made (super glue fixed that.)But they don't really show the abuse they have received and they STILL sound good. My wife hates the way they look and had me convinced to sell them. But we couldn't find any speakers to replace them, that SHE liked the sound of, for less than $600, so the 601's stayed.

Great imaging, nice clear sound and durable well beyond my expectations. They sound fantastic (to me) in our home theater system. Back in '81 I was torn between the 601's and the Ohm Walsh speakers, chose the 601's because I thought they had better bass. Haven't regretted that decision.

I will be replacing the woofers in the near future and adding a dts reciever, my former Dolby unit suffered a lightning strike and died last year. Maybe they can last another 20 years?

Similar Products Used:

Bose 301, 901, Ohm Walsh