#Bose 901 equalizer how to#
#Bose 901 equalizer drivers#
#Bose 901 equalizer series#

The idea is to place these near a rear-wall and the 8 speakers in the back would create an enveloping sound.

#Bose 901 equalizer drivers#

This version consists of a single “full range” 4.5 inch driver up front and 8… yes, 8… 4.5 full range drivers in the back.

#Bose 901 equalizer series#

Given the Series VI is the last production model and that the Series V and IV (apparently) only differ in cosmetic fashion, I was happy to have the “latest” 901 version to test. Funny side story: he was going to send the Series IV he owned but had issues when it came time to refoam them so he sourced a very good condition pair of Series V’s and shipped them to me. Long story short, a fellow forum member of AudioScienceReview was kind enough to send me his pair of Bose 901 Series V speakers. Additionally, with the gaining popularity of the CEA/CTA-2034 method of providing a complete set of measurements and a prediction for in-room performance based on Floyd Toole’s work, I couldn’t stop wondering not only how the 901 would sound to me but also how they would fare in the CTA-2034 standard set of curves. However, there are no measurements that replicate anechoic data. There have been some who have provided measurements of these speakers ( NoAudiophile did here).

Some despise them and everything they represent from the company to the product performance and how it colors (no pun intended) listeners’ perception of what good sound is supposed to be. I was born in 1982 and until this week I had never heard the Bose 901 speakers. The Bose 901 has been around for 50+ years and has long been considered a divisive product within the audiophile community.

The EQ was always in-line in my listening sessions.

So, before anyone gets up in arms about this factor yes, I am fully aware of the potential limitation related to this speaker’s direct/reflective design. Although, one can make the case that the SPL is simply adjusted by +6dB for this proximity and transition from the standard 4-pi reference to a 2-pi reference (free space vs near-wall).

#Bose 901 equalizer how to#

And, at this point, I do not know how to manipulate the data in a way to “trick” the Spinorama graphics in to showing what would happen when you place them in the manner they were designed to be placed. The “Spinorama” data does not take this into account. I have attached an image below but to summarize: The speakers should be placed at least 18 inches from side walls (with a recommendation of 2-4 feet from side walls) and 8-16 inches from the rear wall.

Some may be concerned that this “Spinorama” data doesn’t take in to affect the speakers needing to be close to a surface.

Please pay attention to the titles otherwise you will get confused as to what is going on. The title of each graph tells you how the settings were made. Then I tested it with the EQ in-line, with a few different setting configurations. I tested the speaker “Raw” (without the EQ in-line) first.

This speaker comes with an EQ that has all sorts of various slider positions.

Pay attention to the Title of each graph.

A few things that need to be stated up front before people skip this and go to the pictures: