2024 Bose 901 Series 7???

[GXAlan]

Bose Is Reviving Its Legendary Loudspeakers from the 1960s

Initially released in 1968, the Bose 901 speakers had a revolutionary design that brought a concert-like sound into the home.

www.gearpatrol.com

There is a new Bose 901 being produced. Looks gorgeous. The real question is how have they improved the design?

 

[GXAlan]

This claims there are only 12, but I bet there will be the 60th Anniversary badging which is limited and then a non-anniversary one.

If they can keep this Sonos Arc Ultra priced, and it is active with support for wireless surround speakers and Bose wireless subs, it could be exciting.

 

[GXAlan]

I found this post on Twitter. It looks like it includes and amplifier and the box which is probably a version of the Bose Streaming Amplifier as a preamp.

 

[Penelinfi]

Those stands would be pretty nice to sell by itself. Would probably be expensive though

 

[SCR]

That looks like an late seventies/early eighties product design done by someone who was not around that time. Also the proportions are out of whack, like a set from a puppet house?

 

[GXAlan]

That looks like a late seventies/early eighties product design done by someone who was not around that time. Also the proportions are out of whack, like a set from a puppet house?

The company kith is run by a millennial (born 1982) so your perspective is accurate. I am not in touch with the fashion world, but there have been BMW x Kith collaboration and this would be the second Bose collaboration. It feels a little like Drop or Supreme collaborations but in a more premium way where it’s not just a brand that’s slapped on, but something new. They have done clothing collaborations with names like Versace and Giorgio Armani and even BMW.

I wonder if Bose had R&D related to future versions of the 901, at which point this would be great, or if this is simply the old Bose 901 with a nicer enclosure and they are using old parts stored in a warehouse somewhere. The proportions definitely look different in several photos.

For the Bose headphones, they announced the collab version before announcing the normal version.

 

[SCR]

I did an overlay (yellow) of the original plastic structure of the 901 VI and stand. It looks like they kept the wooden side panels and original plastic structure and just added thicker and more curved top and bottom panels. That would also explain the different proportions compared to the original 901 VI's.

 

[Schollaudio]

I would think it would be a better design to make this from 3 6" two ways.

 

[GXAlan]

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Looks like it’s just a rehousing and it still needs the equalizer

 

[Mr. Widget]

Bose Is Reviving Its Legendary Loudspeakers from the 1960s

Initially released in 1968, the Bose 901 speakers had a revolutionary design that brought a concert-like sound into the home.

www.gearpatrol.com

There is a new Bose 901 being produced. Looks gorgeous. The real question is how have they improved the design?

I'll have to strenuously disagree with you. I find the bulbous top and bottom rather hideous and the base has lost all of the elegance of the original which was inspired by the Tulip Chair and table bases designed by Eero Saarinen.

I think the most refined visual versions of the 901 began with the version III and continued through the next few iterations.

I agree that if they applied their current engineering prowess towards modernizing the technical aspects of the design, these could be quite interesting.

 

[Petrushka]

Modern drivers, active, DSP.

Might be interesting.

But I have two sets in storage because I have no suitable room.

 

[gnarly]

Did the blurb in #2 mean to be taken literally...as in 12 pairs of original 901's that were refurbished?
That's they way I took it...???

having owned series II and still using series VI in the garage,
I can't really see any significant improvements to the 901 design, other than improved same-sized drivers.
Or maybe a forward firing tweeter to augment the single front firing cone.
But why?
The speaker is what it is...a simple, made to reflect sound rearward, and do it smoothly....

 

[Joe Smith]

The new base looks awful IMO.

 

[GXAlan]

I'll have to strenuously disagree with you. I find the bulbous top and bottom rather hideous and the base has lost all of the elegance of the original which was inspired by the Tulip Chair and table bases designed by Eero Saarinen.

I bit like the modern muscle cars vs. the original, the original will always have a timeless look. But the more sculpted look is probably what you would see in Crate and Barrel or Design Within Reach today.

I think what I like the most is premium quality of the wood. An original geometry 901 with premium wood and improved fabric would work too.

I agree that if they applied their current engineering prowess towards modernizing the technical aspects of the design, these could be quite interesting.

Modern drivers, active, DSP.

Might be interesting.

But I have two sets in storage because I have no suitable room.

Yeah, I had 4 pairs in storage using one for my non-critical recreational listening room. Ultimately went to Meyer Sound Ultra X40’s in that room and passed my collection on to other hobbyists.

But conceptually, the idea of 11% forward and 89% rear is a reasonable one. If they made it active, it would be possible to a premium 5-6” concentric and digitally control the volume. Add sound bar circuitry and you now have a super-premium aspirational model.

 

[OldHvyMec]

How they look was never the issue. The fact that Bose 901 series I could suck any amp dry was an issue along with no lows and no highs.

There were a few speakers that "looked" very close to the Bose 901. Gale GS401. I had a pair of those for quite a while, nice speakers actually.

I used Bose in the early 70s, added Sony ribbons and built subs into the system. They were a ton of fun and bulletproof. Immersive sound but
a horrible soundstage. I still have them, somewhere. They held up quite nicely and I'm sure, they would still work just fine.

I doubt I'd ever spend money on anything new from Bose after I chose to go with planars and ribbons 45 years ago.

The reps used to plug the series one into 110/120VAC for a period of time and then into an amp to show just how tough they were.

I can never remember anyone blowing a driver, to tell the truth. Heavy too, considering the actual size.

Regards

 

[GXAlan]

The new base looks awful IMO.

They were imagining “anniversary = flowers” so the brass is designed to replicate stems.

I think the more I look at it, the more polarizing it is. On the other hand, the use of premium materials looks great.

 

[Petrushka]

How they look was never the issue. The fact that Bose 901 series I could suck any amp dry was an issue along with no lows and no highs.

There were a few speakers that "looked" very close to the Bose 901. Gale GS401. I had a pair of those for quite a while, nice speakers actually.

I used Bose in the early 70s, added Sony ribbons and built subs into the system. They were a ton of fun and bulletproof. Immersive sound but
a horrible soundstage. I still have them, somewhere. They held up quite nicely and I'm sure, they would still work just fine.

I doubt I'd ever spend money on anything new from Bose after I chose to go with planars and ribbons 45 years ago.

The reps used to plug the series one into 110/120VAC for a period of time and then into an amp to show just how tough they were.

I can never remember anyone blowing a driver, to tell the truth. Heavy too, considering the actual size.

Regards

Soundstage in the modern sense was never their goal. What they did was provide a sense of a large orchestra, with no individually localizable instruments. I’m sure this is done better with modern speakers and multichannel mixes, but it was a lot of fun for $400.

I burned up several amps with the Series I.

 

[Head_Unit]

how have they improved the design?

They have the wood sticking out past the grille, which it did before, but now it is in a precisely calibrated way so the reflection/resonance cancels out dips in the frequency response.

It would be interesting if Bose really released a new 901 for actual sale-powered, which would be the only way to do the heavy EQ these days, vastly improved drivers are possible by now, Bluetooth etc. But they are big for today-a more sellable item might be scaled-down 901s with 3" or 2.5" drivers.

 

[GXAlan]

They have the wood sticking out past the grille, which it did before, but now it is in a precisely calibrated way so the reflection/resonance cancels out dips in the frequency response.

It would be interesting if Bose really released a new 901 for actual sale-powered, which would be the only way to do the heavy EQ these days, vastly improved drivers are possible by now, Bluetooth etc. But they are big for today-a more sellable item might be scaled-down 901s with 3" or 2.5" drivers.

Yeah, I have always said that "when I win the lottery", I'd like to try to make a modern Bose 901 using SOTA full range drivers instead. Heck, what if I took three LS50's and digitally adjusted the volume to do the 11/88% split.

Reflective audio is the core of Meyer Sound's Ultra Reflex and apparently it works great because of the calibration.

 

[norman bates]

You can wire 9 drivers in series / parallel, or 3 groups of 3.
Place 1 on the front.