I recently bought a pair of used Bose 901 speakers and I absolutely love them: the shape, the sound and the vintage feel.
I did a lot of reading and research before buying. I wrote this article to save you time.
You need to pay attention to these things if you want to buy a pair of used Bose 901 speakers.
What is so special about the Bose 901?
The Bose 901 loudspeakers came onto the market in 1968 at a price of just under 2000 DM and were sold worldwide in the 70s and 80s.
The principle was unusual at the time: nine small broadband loudspeakers were used to create a surround sound.
Eight speakers are installed at the back of the speaker, with another one at the front. A similar principle is being tried again today with current soundbars such as the Bose 900.
The Bose 901 must be positioned around 30 cm away from the wall to achieve the correct surround sound. An external Bose equalizer is also required to get the full frequency spectrum out of the speakers.
Apart from the special design and the beautiful tulip stands, the Bose 901s have another advantage: they are extremely loud and resilient, although this also requires a powerful amplifier.
Because of these properties, the speakers were even used in discotheques, often with four speakers at each corner of the dance floor.
Nowadays, however, the Boses can no longer keep up with a club sound system; the bass is powerful, but not comparable with modern loudspeakers or even subwoofers.
Make sure you have the right amplifier
To supply the many small speakers with sufficient power, the amplifier should deliver at least 2x 100W.
In the 1970s, Bose launched an amplifier on the market that was perfect for the 901s. The Bose 1801 weighed a whopping 38 kilos and was therefore almost impossible to carry on its own.
It delivered 2x 400 watts into 4 ohms and was sold for 3000 – 4000 DM at the time. Today, the Bose 1801 is rarely found in good condition. It was accompanied by the Bose 4401 preamplifier.
Installation against the wall
The Bose 901 only sound really good if they are positioned correctly. Important: The pointed side with the eight speakers must not point forwards, but backwards – i.e. towards the wall.
The sound is reflected off the wall and thus creates the surround sound. The distance to the wall should be approximately 30 cm.
Bose 901 Series I & II with fabric beading
The Bose 901 was produced over many years and therefore there were various further developments from Series I to Series VI.
Personally, however, I would recommend Series I or II models. The advantage of these series is that they still use fabric surrounds. A surround is the flexible transition between the speaker chassis and the cone.
From Series III onwards, these beads were made of foam, which ages quickly due to UV light and therefore crumbles at some point. There are repair kits available on the Internet for this, but they are very time-consuming and expensive.
The Series I and II fabric beads still hold up today and are extremely stable. The exact differences between the series are explained very well and in detail on this site.
Equalizer for Bose 901
When buying a used Bose 901, make sure that the matching equalizer is included. Only with this small additional device can the correct sound be produced. The equalizer is connected to the power supply and placed between the preamp and power amplifier.
In contrast to the loudspeakers, there are unfortunately some electronic components in the equalizer that do not improve over the years. This can quickly affect the sound. For the layman, it is difficult to tell from the outside whether the equalizer is still working well.
Find a used Bose 901
As the Bose 901 has not been produced for a long time, you can only buy it second-hand. If you have a car and can pick up the heavy speakers yourself, eBay classifieds are the best place to do this.
Alternatively, you can also get a bargain on eBay. However, you should insist on insured shipping and good packaging.
Lars Grudzinski has been working as a sound and lighting technician since the 90s, was a DJ for electronic music, has a large collection of vintage speakers, and has been working for various radio stations in Germany for 20 years. At home, he enjoys high-quality home theater products such as soundbars and projectors and has installed an extensive Sonos system in his own home.