Can play very loud without distortion

truly amusical sound. Very strange design concept and implementation. The way Bose advertises their products as compared to the performance their products actually deliver.

I have heard several iterations of this product since my first exposure to it in 1983.

It boggles my mind that this speaker is still around today. It is one of the most poorly designed audio products ever, both in concept and execution.

This speaker offers no realistic images. With every set-up I have heard it in (a few homes and many dealers), the sound stage at the typical stereo position is difuse and foggy. Instruments have no body and much of their individual character is lost in a sort of homgenous blob of sound.Delayed sounds come from all around, but this is not a positive effect. Rather it is a distraction.

The most striking thing about these speakers is that they sound better OUTSIDE of the stereo position (off axis if you will.) Indeed they come very close to a 'live' sound when heard from another room. This is not a joke. We have all sat in a bar or such when a live band was playing nearby and we could tell it was live as opposed to recorded.
Well these speakers have that same affect. When they are playing in a nearby room, that "it must be live" feeling is very strong. Is this deliberate? Were they designed to do this? I find it hard to believe that they would be. In short this speaker does not sound good when used to play back stereo recordings as Dr. Blumien intended them to be played. So I guess that makes these sort of the ultimate back ground music speaker.

As to their success, I agree with most that it is the company's marketing that sells them. People hear them and notice how much different they sound than conventional speakers. They are then 'sold' on the idea that this difference equates to superiority. "Only Bose produces music the way it is meant to be heard". In other words, the consumer is made to doubt his concepts of what 'good stereo' should sound like.

Now I am not saying most 'average' consumers are easily duped. Audiophiles, perhaps more than average consumers, can be seduced by good marketing. Indeed I see a mirror-image of the Bose situation above in the selling of some of the new single-ended triode amps. Weak bass, low volume, subdued treble and audible distortion are dismissed as the discussion focuses on ill-defined, subjective concepts like "Soul", "Musical Tapestry", "inner detail", etc.

All this said, I cannot recommend these speakers in any way. They simply are not accurate reproducers of music. Much better can be had for much less money

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a very large number of speakers recently...ended up buying Meadowlark Kestrels...see my review on this site.

Good dispersion and tonal balance

Watt-hungry, finicky optimization regarding walls, and orientation. Sound better in a concrete home, rather than a wood/gypsum-walled home.

Once used these as a rear channel speaker system, suspended from the ceiling - powered by a Yamaha M-80. Bass augmented that of the Polk SRS 1.2's very well. Military personnel like their compact, high power capapability - easy to move from country to country. Properly set up - they sound very, very good and are easy on the ears at high volume levels for extended periods of time. Indestructible.

You 'audioflies' who seem to appear for no other reason than to criticize these speakers (and those who buy them) really crack me up (what, did Dr. Bose have his way with your wives or something ?) I also hear and read of your fishwife-sarcasm regarding Polk speakers. You verge on ludicrous, go away. After auditioning many, many speakers in Europe, Japan, and America, I'm very happy with my audio purchases - several other fellas have heard, and BOUGHT Polks and Bose speakers after hearing my system (especially the Polks). Your snide comments only mitigate your credibility and won't sway any positive opinions to the contrary.

Hey, I also own higher end Yamaha and Carver components, many of them - wanna criticize those too? Heh.

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Bose Series I

They annoy my neighbors dog, rattle the windows in my trailer home and are the perfect height to place beer cans on. (with optional stands of course)

none, these babys ROCK HARD!!!!

Let me start by filling you in on a little back ground. I was first introduced to HIGH end audio equipment years ago while hangin' out with a few of my buddies down at the local greasy spoon. A friend of mine invited me over to his trailer home to bang down some brewskys and listen to some tunes. We got to Jimbo's place and immediately started guzzling beers and gabing about stereo equipment and chicks. Jimbo explained that to really appreciate music, you had to set up quality gear, as he popped in a CD and turned up the volume.
Shazzam! When the music started playing, I could not believe how loud it could get...like standing on the runway as a 747 Jumbo jet takes off MAN!!! I'll never forget how everything in the room shook, including the walls and how my ears were ringing when I got home to my pad.
Jimbo went through every piece of gear that night but the thing that still rings in my ears were those speakers that Jimbo was so proud of...BOSE 901 !!! Jimbo showed me what a really great set of speakers could do and since then I've been an Audiophile.
Let me clear up a few misgivings concerning Bose:
1. You can play Bose speakers REALLY LOUD!
2. You can pick up a used pair for 25% of the original price!
3. If some one burglarizes your home they won't bother taking your Bose speakers.
4. They work great as a table to place your beer on while watching wrestling on TV.
5. You don't have to spend a lot of dough on expensive related components because it won't make a difference if you do.
And these are just to name a few. In my opinion they are worth every penny of the $400 you'll buy them for and won't have to keep spending money on stuff like expensive cables, line conditioners and so on.

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Dentist Drill, Pneumatic Jackhammer

large soundstage

imaging, detail

Everyone seems to have a sort of love/hate relationship with this speaker; some hate to love them, others love to hate them. But extremes are rarely helpful advice, so I'd like to give my own observations from the middle ground: they're not the worst speakers out there, but they're definitely not the best either.
Contrary to what some audiophiles have stated, what's wrong with these speakers isn't that Bose Corp. practices ruthless marketing/advertising gimmicks. And I would even hesitate a little (just a little) when people argue that Bose speakers are made of cheap materials. Yes, Bose speakers use paper cones, but that doesn't necessarily make them bad speakers.
The problem stems from the flaws inherent in the design of the speakers and from Bose's design philosophy in general. Dr. Bose argues that 91% of the sound in a concert hall reaches the listener's is resonated off the walls, rather than direct, sound. Thus, his patented "direct/reflect" technology claims to reproduce these concert hall conditions and "spacious, lifelike" sound. While this may be true, what his speakers provide isn't "resonated" sound, it's "reflected" sound. Yes, there's a difference. Resonated sound emanates when objects are made to reverberate (vibrate) from a sound source. These reverberating objects then contribute to propagating the sound wave. Bose's favorite example of this phenomenon is the large sound coming from a small flute. The inside walls of the flute reverberate when played and amplify the sound by reinforcing the sound waves. But reflected sound, doesn't involve objects reverberating. It only involves sound waves literally bouncing off a surface, just like a visual image bouncing off or reflecting off a mirror. The light waves aren't causing the mirror to vibrate (like resonated sound), they are only bouncing off the mirror (reflected sound).
In the same way, Bose speakers don't emanate reverberated sound, only reflected sound. Bose does this by having the speakers fire 8 cones BACKWARDS and only 1 cone forward (to achieve the 91% "reflected sound" effect. The fraction 8/9 is about 91%). In addition to the fact that this design only emanates reflected, not resonated sound, this rear firing design sacrficies imaging and detail. Imaging refers to creating a sonic picture. For example, when listening to a band on stage you should be able to close your eyes and say that the guitarist is on the left, the drummer in the back, singer in front-center, and bass guitarist on the right. But in order to "image" correctly, the sound waves must reach your ears at very precise intevals. Comparing this phenomenon to sight, you can only see in 3 dimensions because your left eye and right eye give you two different snap shots of the same visual image. In the same way, being able to judge distances and directions with sound is dependent upon the different times that the sound waves reach your ear. If the sound source is located to the right of you, sound waves should reach your right ear before your left one. Your brain translates this time difference as direction and tells you exactly where that sound source is.
But with Bose's reflected sound, the sound waves bounce off 2,3, or even more surfaces before reaching your ears. So, the distance the sound waves has to travel (and thus the time it takes to reach your ears) isn't dependent upon where your speakers (or sound source) are, but rather the dimensions of your room, the shape of your room, and the placement of the speakers. And while this may overwhelm the listener with a huge wall of sound (sound waves are literally filling the room and bouncing off every wall, the floor, and ceiling), the QUALITY of the sound that does reach your ears is not detailed and cannot provide an accurate image because the sound waves are travelling different distances and are bouncing everywhere. Hence, Bose's "revolutionary" "stereo-everywhere" technology argues that it has a much larger sweet spot than traditional front-firing speakers, which is true. However, this room-sized "sweet spot," isn't so sweet...neither is it detailed, clear, and clean-sounding.
These speakers were great 30 years ago before Dolby digital when everyone listened in 2-speaker stereo mode, but now many people listen with 5 or more speakers: 2 fronts, 2 rears, subwoofer, and center channel. In other words, there are other ways to create a large soundstage, i.e. to get room-filling sound. Try bipole rear speakers, for instance. That way, you'd have both the precise detail of traditional front main speakers and room filling rear speakers.
I'm not saying these speakers are bad. They're actually decent speakers. In fact, Bose speakers would make pretty good rear speakers because of the way they fill the room with sound. But $1500 rear speakers? Or worse yet, as front speakers for a 5-speaker system? Technology has progressed from stereo mode to Dolby digital. Maybe it's time Bose speakers did too.

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axiom, psb, paradigm, polk, b&w

trmendous power handling, great midrange

need a sub for full sound. Idiots who don't own them doing purile fabricated reviews.

All speakers have their pros and cons, these are no exception. But for $1000.00 speakers to hold up and sound good day after day on a 400 W/channel RMS system is worth 5 starts by itself. I challenge any detractors to bring their 1000.00 MSRP speakers to a similar system and see how long they last.

To those who have nothing better to do than trash a product they are totally ignorant of on some obscure review site... Get A Life.

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EPI, Klipsch

big sound for size

need for big power

I had been disappointed big time with these 901 series VI's. I had run them with a Sansui 9090, rated at 125W/ch, and the speakers crapped out at higher levels, requiring me to turn the bass way down to clear up the popping. But then ,after having to do that, there was no bass left!
So I hooked them up to a friend of mines Sansui G9700 receiver rated at 200W/ch, and man! What a difference! No crapping out at high volume, and the sound was outstanding after proper adjustment of the EQ/receiver.
The bottom line is, I must conclude, that in order to get 901's to sound well, a receiver/amp with an output in excess of rated 200W/ch rms IS MANDATORY! These babys are power hungry and MUST be fed accordingly! With that being said, and that being done, the 901's are quite nice, capable of very hard, earth-shaking sound. I now own a Sansui G9000DB and they play without a hiccup.

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none like these

power handling, great midrange

moronic reviewers, dependance on location

These speakers are very location dependant. They sound terrible in the wrong place, however they sound great in the right place. They need a lot of power, I drive them with 2 bridged Rotel amps (~350 Watts/side) and have not popped the speakers once.

These speakers really require a subwoofer to complete the sound theatre, they work too hard to produce the low bass and the excursions required add midrange distorion, so back off the base on them and hire a sub.

As for the detractors, here may be the problem, a resonant room like a lean-to or cardboard will vibrate too much for these speakers and make them sound bad, they are best in a rigid location such as a basement or concrete building.

As for having paper cones, so what? I don't care if they're made out of burlap. They are still tougher and more duarable than any speaker I've owned.

Do a side by side comparison with other speakers and you'll be impressed. Sorry, but I like them. But then again, I'm not one of these "audiophile" people that buys some of the audiophile bs like "breaking in" wires.

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lots

power handling, great midrange

moronic reviewers, dependance on location

These speakers are very location dependant. They sound terrible in the wrong place, however they sound great in the right place. They need a lot of power, I drive them with 2 bridged Rotel amps (~350 Watts/side) and have not popped the speakers once.

These speakers really require a subwoofer to complete the sound theatre, they work too hard to produce the low base and the excursions required add midrange distorion, so back off the base on them and hire a sub.

As for the detractors, here may be the problem, a resonant room like a lean-to or cardboard will vibrate too much for these speakers and make them sound bad, they are best in a rigid location such as a basement or concrete building.

As for having paper cones, so what? I don't care if they're made out of burlap. They are still tougher and more duarable than any speaker I've owned.

Do a side by side comparison with other speakers and you'll be impressed. Sorry, but I like them. But then again, I'm not one of these "audiophile" people that buys some of the audiophile bs like "breaking in" wires.

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lots

You won’t find a more realistic natural sound for the price.

For solid highs and lows at higher levels, you must have lots of clean power. LOTS. The provided EQ is a requirement not a nicety. They must be set-up (positioned) properly in a suitable place. Most good speakers are like that.

These speakers are differently not for everyone but, if you are looking for clarity, spaciousness, and realism at median listening levels, you should give these unique speakers a try.

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There are none.

Rich sound

Too blended

These speakers aren't everyone's cup of tea.
Any "name brand" popular product you purchase is a very high profit item, and all dominant successful companies are aggressive and sometimes ruthless. The police state necessary to completely control them is a far worse alternative, but we do have rules to contain most of their dangerous excesses.
The best social control over these entities is exchange of honest information to affect their markets.
"Bose Bashing" clearly has no effect. Crude hysterical name calling renders whatever point you're trying to make moot, invalid, a failure.
Like Bose? State your reasons.
Don't like Bose? Same standard.
HATE Bose? You're just advertising your impotence.
And endlessly ruining these forums.
You're having no effect on Bose. You are destroying this thread. And making an annonymous horse's arse of yourself.