Small size...

Proper setup...

Amazed at the wide range of opinions...I've had my 901's since the mid 1980's. Never had any problem that wasn't easily corrected with the EQ or placement distance..etc...
Suspect alot of the complaints are due to incorrect EQ connection. Would advise anyone who is purchasing these speakers to not try to drive them with an elcheapo 100W amp.
Been driving mine with a Onkyo Integra series 5099 for the past 13 years and have been very satisfied....My Value rating might be abit biased as I purchased mine while in the USAF stationed overseas...GOT THEM CHEAP

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JBL, Polk Audio, Infinity, B&W

clairity, soundstage(?), upper power handling limits

inefficiency, price, inconvenience

the bose 901s aren't that bad
a horrible introduction, but true to the evaluation atmosphere at this site

no, i am not an audiophile, whatever that is
...my ears may not be as tuned as some
...i may be a bit drunk
...but i can hear the difference between a small hall with a quartet and a digital recording of the same through a good pair of headphones.
901s iv do a very good job presenting that difference, not in your system's ability to reproduce or the speakers' limitations, but in the actual recording.

i like to wander as i listen, so the lack of a necessary stereo focal point in bose's direct/reflect is a nice bonus, if not a gimmick
yes, they are inefficient and limited on the lower base trip, but a good set up...acoustic and equiptment arrangement... can accommodate. this is, of course, a pain in the ass. especially if you don't have room, or money, or want to drill holes in your original plaster ceiling. a big drawback.
honestly i am a bit biased for two reasons:
-i was raised on bose 901s
my parents had a pair in the early 70's that wonderfully met their compromising preferences of orchestral-choral for my mom and blues-folk-rock for my dad. the current release does the same as well
-i just bought a pair at a significant discount through ebay and am trying to feel good about it
i am a bit disappointed considering the mythic proportions that 901s have achieved. i am wondering at the deal i got at a brand new pair for 900$

they are quite a bit better than what i had been using and i have no fear of damaging them by excessive distortion from the pathetic amp i'm using in my high punk rock listening phases

overall, they do the job well and i'm not disappointed. but could i have done a better job,with more careful shopping, for a grand?
i dont't know, but i am really enjoying what i hear right now. (John Parish and P.J. Harvey, dance hall at louse point)
with love to all you zombie bstards,
shmucko

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whatever

Smooth, coherant, seamless sound with lack of typical dynamic speaker boxiness (IMO)

A bit finicky with regards to placement; needs considerable power; equalizer is just a tad noisy

The purpose of these reviews, as I understand it, is to provide some guidance for those considering buying audio equipment. Well, if I were considering buying the Bose 901 for the first time, and consulted these pages, I would be greeted with 150+ reviews---an unusual number. The average rating for this speaker is low, but stuck in among the Bose-haters are some who give raves, such as the reviewer who favorably compares this speaker to the legendary Quad ESL's---regarded by many as some of the finest loudspeakers ever made! Obviously the 901 inspires passion on both sides--- a classic love-them-or-hate-them product---but this doesn't make it any easier for the shopper! If I were looking for guidance about the 901 here, I would be confused as hell!
Let me say right off that I am a big fan of the 901. I have owned a pair for 11 years now, and wanted to own them for a long time before that. I regard preferences in audio equipment, especially in speakers, as largely subjective. What we are after is a musically satisfying experience, and this is almost totally dependent on an image in our heads of what music is supposed to sound like. The 901 sounds like music to me. I have compared it to speakers costing 10-15 times as much, and with very rare exceptions have never been seriously tempted to own anything else. So, for me the 901 is a bargain.
However, prospective buyers should be aware that the 901 is a highly unusual speaker---and its detractors frequently use its uniqueness against it. The 901 is unlike any speaker on the market. It is an attempt (whether Amar Bose intended it or not) at the ideal dynamic speaker. How? To begin with, it uses ONE size driver. Like it or not, this is the ideal. With one driver, you have point-source coherance (all the reproduced frequencies originate from one point in space) and no crossover distortion (which CAN be heard). Frequency response is the trade-off. When hooked up to laboratory instruments, it's tough to find a driver that will reproduce a wide range of frequencies. Most speaker designers/manufacturers decided a long time ago that the ideal full-range dynamic driver doesn't exist, based on the frequency response parameter. Hence, the overwhelming majority of designs use woofers, tweeters, and crossovers. But Bose started with a different question: Can a single size driver's application be maximized so that the trade-off in terms of frequency response is minimized?
The result is the 901, and many, perhaps the majority, would say the attempt was unsuccessful. However, there are others who "click" with the 901 right away. I believe these are persons for whom point-source coherance and lack of crossover distortion is more important than frequency response. These qualities, plus the 901's unique dispersion characteristics (utilizing reflected sound), for these individuals, add up to MUSIC! Those who click with the 901 are persons who have, perhaps, been less influenced by prevailing trends in speaker design (various-sized drivers, crossovers).
But, prospective buyers, please don't be influenced by those on this web site or anywhere else who talk about speaker "accuracy." This is a strange concept which is based on a few laboratory parameters, not on the human ear. Use your ears---no laboratory measuring instrument will ever equal them. Audio speaker heaven is populated with designs which measured brilliantly in the lab but didn't sound musical.
Also, with regards to the active equalizer, maligned by so many. Most who criticize the 901 equalizer for altering the signal rarely stop to consider the effects of crossovers, which introduce coloration and phase-distortion. I personally would rather have my signal adjusted in the amplication path than in the speaker box.
I have never found the 901's lacking in construction quality, despite what some have said. I have had no trouble whatsoever with them. They are finicky, in my experience, with regard to placement, as others have noted. But with adequate rear wall space and some experimentation, this shouldn't be a problem.
In sum, it is my opinion that many who deride this speaker have never heard it. They are basing their opinions on what others have said, and on the speaker's unusual design. You owe it to yourself to give the 901 a serious audition if you love music.

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None

I had a pair of 901 IV around early eighties and since then I have ownedother brands such as OHM Walsh 4, AR90, and others. I purchased a new pair
of 901 VI several days ago. All I can say about 901 is that it is very
unique. I am sure many people will hate its sound characteristics. I am equally sure that some people will find its sound very pleasing. I would
say that if you are interested in a loudspeaker with a very broad sound stage
and effortless sound, 901 may be your choice. Quite contrary to the remarks of some reviewers, 901 can manage a very deep bass. As a matter of fact, I find that 901 exhibits much more solid bass than Walsh 4. As pointed out by several reviewers, it is critical that you place 901 properly to fully exploit its design features. On the whole, 901 is a fine speaker for those who like spacious, effortless, and natural sound.

Of all the American products that has made it to our shores, Bose is just debris. In the free port of Hongkong I am able to purchase a huge selection of American,Canadian and European audio. Bose has a full line of demonstration equipment available in a proper setup condition.
Since I only listen to classical, my selections contain everything from the lowest fundamentals, to the highes [piccolo] of the audio spectrum.
The 901's did unjustifiable violence to all of the materials. The piccolo highs were muted, strident and grainy. It was as if the artist had to play from inside a closet. As far as low bass, on "Thus Spake Zarenthrustra" the doppler distortion was evident, as was the extreme blur of the midbass. There wasn't any clarity or power at the bottom 2 or 3 octaves.
Luckily, not too far away, there was KEf sales. For considerably less than the 901's [they look like a wedge of goat cheese to me] I purchased a set of KEF speakers. One would have to be severely impaired not to tell a gigantic difference between the two.
The BOSE didn't strike me as anything special, in fact I can't imagine why anyone would waste their money on such trash. I am told these speakers are popular among the low income and individulas with no taste or ear for music.

I have had the Bose 901 for some time. I never liked them as a full range speaker. At first, I used them bi-amped with a Gauss 18" low frequency transducer. Later, I tri-amped the 901s, using the ESS electrostat. My point is that the 901 is one of the best midrange speaker I have found. If you turn it around so the cone drivers face out and add highs and lows, the sound is great. You can pay $20,000 to pick up a pair of speakers that sound this good, or you can fine 2 electronic crossovers and save all that $$$$ on speakers and expensive amps. Oh by the way, if you are lucky enough to find a cheap pair without the eq., by all means pick them up, as you can throw that item in the trash!

strictly a min-range speaker.

The Bose 901 speaker has remarkable midrange transparency. If you have the knowledge you could design your own super speaker by using the 901 as your midrange, wich is , to me, the most important source, since most of the information is here. As to bass, try any large quality LFD and by all means bi-amp. If you have the money and are proficient at speaker design, you can use min-bass transducers to augment the mid-to-bass accuracy. The highs are a matter of personal tast. By all means pick up these as they can be found at used prices, for little $. Just don't expect the EQ. to do much but waist power.

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none, the 901s are unique

Recently, a friend of mine invited me to his home to listen to some "Spectacular" speakers of his. I did. I brought a CD of mine as well. Oh my...I had to cover my ears, I did not want to be rude but I could not stand them! Now I am not sure how much he paid for them, but I got the impression they were not cheap. They were also not new. They looked 10 years old, and sounded 100 years old! I My clock radio SERIOUSLY sounds MUCH better than these speakers! I asked him what they were since they were place high up on a shelf, he said Bose. It is a shame that everyone thinks that Bose is the best, they do not know what they are missing in audio. It truly is a shame Bose has to steal peoples money. I am never going back to his house unless he promises not to touch the play button on his CD player the whole time I am there (Which by the way, I at first I thought was a 50 year old record player, by the sound from the speakers) Yes, it is a shame.

I found most of the comments on this page to be humerous. My take on the whole thing is that bose 901's are just another flavor in the vast pallet of loudspeakers. They can be appreciated for thier uniqueness and thats ok. Sure if you want musical accuracy the 901's won't come close to par. I've spent many hours enjoying dumping ridiculas amounts of power in to these speakers and then I went back to my B&W matrix 2's (also needed 100's of watts) and I was still enjoying the music. Neither listening expierence was bad. Buy the way, I paid less than half price for both pairs of speakers. I would buy Celstions at full price. Sorry About the typo's - It's all about the music.

I guess no other subject in audio excites as much passion as a debate on BOSE speakers--I currently own a pair of 901 series 6's and have to take the middle ground of the reviews posted here...The 901's aren't bad, they just aren't real good and are a poor value(I've auditioned more modern speakers).I first heard them like many people did at a demo in the seventies and the sound to me hasn't changed much; wide open soundstage, amazing bass (lots of it anyway--not well defined though) for the driver size (good); harsh and sibilant at times, not much of a stereo image (bad). The overall sound is very suitable to loud, overproduced rock or orchestral recordings and not so good for acoustic or vocal recordings without a lot of ambience.The cabinets are cheap vinyl-covered pressboard and certainly dont seem like they cost upwards of $1000 a pair. There are plenty of betteralues out there including the NHT's I use for Home Theater and have a more natural sound.
Conclusion? I doubt if I'd buy them again but if you're looking to rock a houseparty pick up a pair used somewhere and feed them at least 100 watts per channel (I'm currently using Marantz MA-500 monoblock amps to drive them with good results).

Direct reflecting sound. Good Value

Fills the room with sound with the direct reflecting sound. Nice looking speaker that does not take up the whole room, like alot of other speakers in this price range. Alot of bang for the dollar. Bose continues to lead the way in the Speakers business!!!!!!!