i corrently own the 901 bose, which is hooked up to a old school kenwood av receiver. just lately i went up to the bose dealer and tried out the 901 powered. i was very impressed with the sound. i would like to know if i could change my kenwood to another brand that can give me the same or at least similar sound as the 901 powered. thankyou
im only talking for the amp maybe 2 grand US. i just like the sound of the powered 901. do u have any comment on the powered 901. the price may go up depends on the benifit. thankyou Berny for the response
It is good that you liked the sound of the powered 901s, but have you heard any other speakers that are in that price range?
From my experience, the 901s sound horrible, powerd or not. The whole set-up is muffled, lacks fine detail and the bass is terribly inadequate. It just did not do it for me. If you like them, that is totally on you. However, it would really benefit you to listen to other speakers.
For a 2 grand budget on a receiver, you may want to go the separate components route, take a good look at the Outlaw Audio Model 990/ 7125 combo. It will cost you around $1900US.
For speakers, take a look at the Paradigm speakers, B&W, Axiom, Ascend Acoustics, Magnepan and my personal favorite, Sonus Faber. They all go well with the Outlaw components for a better price than the 901s and sounds worlds beter than any Bose top of the line product.
There is also a speaker line from Alegria Audio that is well received in these circles so you may want to check it out as well.
Venture out and you will find that Bose is probably not the better speaker at any price range.
DVAK, ok, I'm going to lay it to you straight... While I wholeheartedly welcome you to this board. I would very much caution you about mentioning the word BOSE here. It gets complicated as to why this sentiment exists. One main reason is that lots of us (me included) think that Bose charges an arm and leg for mediocre products and that they have put a ton of money into creating this high-end "persona" They charge pretty much straight retail, no specials.. the MSRP is the price ...yada yada, yada...Basically they have created an "illusion" to the typical unknowing consumer that they are an exceptional brand. Bottom line is this: In my opinion, their products are grossly overpriced for the quality of sound you get - Give me the money you will spend on a Bose based system and I will provide you with a system that will eat it for breakfast and cost less. ok.. but you own the 901 and like the sound...thats all that matters... you'll save money on speakers... I would go look at Rotel separates, Arcam separates, Creek separates, NAD separates, Marantz and Outlaw.. One question I have to ask, will you be delving into home theatre (HT)? or just staying with 2-channel.. One other request I have of you: please stay out of the Bose store...do not get the powered anything Bose...ok? You have the 901's -which are not a bad speaker..just stay far away from the Bose store! Promise. - You're budget allows for some pretty awesome sounding gear. I am going to hand this over to Hawk, our resident guru Hawk, what would you advise for this gentleman?
DVak...get prepared to learn A LOT....and yes, it will get confusing! But don't fret new camper, we're going to set you up with something very special... Sit back, relax and let the fun begin :-)
Let us strike at the heart of the topic. Why do the powered Bose sound better than the un-powered ones? I am unfamiliar with the powered Bose set-up, does it use some sort of static Eq. on the amps much the same way as the Bose Bass Modules do?
If that's the case placing an Eq in the system with the same spikes as the powered 901s would essentially provide the same sound with undoubtedly better amplification from the Kenwood.
Buying a better quality amplifier will provide an improvement in sound quality, but since the "Bose sound" seems to over-stress certain frequencies... and plain leave others out, it will not provide the same effect.
i have the 901s because i got it from a friend of mine for cheap. the music i listen to is mainly classical and the rest is going to be for HT only. should i keep the bose and hook it up with a integrad amp and buy a new system of ht or should i use the bose as fronts and get speakers for the rear and center to match the fronts. i truly appreciate all the pros for giving advice so far. salute
I'd suggest the opposite: use the 901s in your HT system and get really good speakers for your music system.
HT really does not require super-duper audio gear since 90% of your attention is focused on the screen. You might want a good subwoofer (around $400-600) if you're into action movies, but otherwise you can go cheap without any worries.
Actually the old Bose 901s were the best of their lot. While 2x 0 still is zero, the 901s are somewhat OK. I have never heard a powered 901 though. An in cabinet AMP potentially gives a better sound as the AMP and drivers are matched as opposed to be being passively driven by an unmatched AMP in an integrated receiver, so powered may make some sense.
Eddie, the band is playing at Brian O Neills Irish Pub in the Rice Village on Saturday starting at 10PM; bring friends and you if you can. It should be fun.
Ya know. I am not sure. I do know the place is popular and the Rice Village is pretty cool as an area. They do have a website and the address is on morningside; pretty close to Morningside and Kirby I think.
dvak, If you have the funds for a powered 901, it would make more sense to save that money, sell the 901s that you have, (I can almost assure you that there will be someone who will pay top dollar for them) pool all the coin together and start from scratch.
I have 8ga. power going to the back/Org.I got the wireing packedge for 350 watts if this helps. The amp it is normalily connected to is a SONY 600 watt amp. I currently have 1 12" Sony. peak 1100 watts. My question to you professionals is there anyway i can run a second AMP the same as i have and not be worried about pulling to much power through my power wire causeing it to heat/melt/Fire? Or do i need to be rewired for more watts? Thank You,
sorry about the delayed reply. im not sure about selling the 901s at this point or is it going to be worth it. the main reason for the new system will be mainly for movies. since most of the movies have classical music, i would think that the system should be good for music too. now i am willing to for get about the bose and think about a new 5.1 set up with amp. im willing to spent about 2 grand. my room is 25 sqft. looking for a system with the above mentioned likes. also could anybody give any comments on the jamo A 306 HCS 10. thankyou for all the inputs guys.
Don't know anything about Jamo speakers, but with your needs and budget, I'd highly recommend looking at the Internet-direct Ascend speakers...best bang for your buck by a long shot, IMO, and also does both music and HT equally well.
Does the $2K budget include an amp/receiver too or is that only for the speakers and subwoofer?
1 pair CMT-340SEs fronts, 1 CMT-340SE center, 1 pair CBM-170SEs for surrounds, $1184 shipped from ascendacoustics.com --- go to their user's forum and you might be able to find a local owner who'll let you come listen.
That leaves you with about $800 for the receiver, which is ample for your needs. The HK 635 going for about $600 shipped right now would be my first choice, since the digital Panasonic xr55 is nowhere to be found pending release of the xr57 in June/July.
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