Repairing The Bose 901: A Speaker Odyssey

This video is mostly me complaining about having to repair the foam on a pair of vintage Bose 901 speakers from the Seventies. It's not a step by step breakdown of the refoaming process or a how-to but we at least get to discuss the process... and how the bose 901 series 3 sounds.
Never mind the Kubrick references and dad jokes.
I am a huge fan of mid century design and these speakers embody that look.
All photos are either drawn/taken by me or used courtesy of Shutterstock.

[@Bozakky]

Beautiful set of Bose. Love your honesty and humor.

[@scottlowell493]

I cut to the chase. Got some blown 901's cheap. I ordered all new parts express OEM bose 901 drivers. Turns out, they are better than bose factory drivers. Also had a company in Massachusetts upgrade the eq with new caps and opamps. VAST improvement over factory.

[@AudioThrift]

I did that in another video with a pair of portable Akai speakers. It was a vast improvement. Now, I hear that the Bose equalizer makes a difference but even so, I can't image it's THAT significant. What was the brand of driver you used?

[@scottlowell493]

@@AudioThrift they are on parts express. It’s more than just bandwidth. It’s compliance, throw, all sorts of physical properties. Superior to Bose. The eq made a significant difference. But, going to better speakers than Bose made than I biggest difference. I prefer actual tweeters, woofers and midrange drivers. Fidelity matters.

[@Paufit]

parts express are copper coils made in china.... bose used helical aluminum wound on small edge by computer to insane tolerances.also aluminum is not affected by force of magnet

[@jamesm90]

You have to have the eq box its not optional. I have some 901s and without it they sound like a 1960s pocket radio. The eq box has a curve that varies by 18dB. You could use a cheap Beringer dsp unit but that would entail guessing the curve or adjusting until it sounds right to you.

[@Tortuga6able]

In regards to the eq. I run my series2 continentals, without the eq and I am with you on that they sound great without it. I hear about people having issues but I don’t have any issues. They sound better the more power you put into them. I did see a big change with the brand new Marantz amp with built in DAC I just bought. That was a big game changer. Great video, you have a great sense of humor.

[@AudioThrift]

Thank you! I appreciate that!

[@yvesboutin5604]

Hello! As iconic as they are, it is easy to make a replica of those with modern drivers that would outperform the 901 and without the need for the equilization box. I am surprised to see anyone trying that! Great video!

[@AudioThrift]

If I had more resources/space and could make another channel, I would actually try doing that. That might make a good video.

[@yvesboutin5604]

I think your channel is patching a nice hole in the audio community! Keep going strong my friend!@@AudioThrift

[@AudioThrift]

Thank you! 😊

[@user-gk3lh6qu3c]

Good job Will! I have series 4

[@AudioThrift]

Nice. Do they look really different?

[@mikehanks1399]

I had a pair, and I thought they sounded great. Most of us hung them from the ceiling, hence the holes you saw. They did soak up the power, though. You needed an amp with some grunt.

[@jameslaidler2152]

Though I do respect Bose thinking about what the room is doing, I'd only use these in a big setup as midranges. Active DSP them as mid, build some similar type cabinets with larger woofers, and set a tweeter array up top. They always made excellent quality drivers, but that's about it.

[@AudioThrift]

Yeah, I'm afraid I agree. Bose seems to advertise them as being all you need and they're really... not...

[@jameslaidler2152]

@@AudioThrift Dayton also makes some 50W X 2 amps with on board DSP for about $40 each. You have a decent looking mic there, maybe try messing around with hooking it and the amp to your computer to use the supplied software to adjust the DSP. Could be a fun project.

[@luminousfractal420]

Got a set of bose 42's (not 4.2 but similar) came with the amp and adjuster box. Termites had the amp and adjuster. They had to go. Fixing the speakers

[@seuantonio]

Thanks heaps for this video. I just got some of those today and I have the same issue with the foam. Any chance you could tell me the specification to get some foam and where to look for them as well? Also, in regards the EQ, I also don’t have the original ones, would they work with any EQ or only the Bose original EQ? Thanks heaps

[@AudioThrift]

As far as the EQ goes, you're going to want the one that goes to your series. Series 1, 2, 3... etc. Let me get back to you about the foam though. It was a while ago that I did this so I have to figure out where I got the refoam kit.

[@seuantonio]

@@AudioThrift thanks heaps mate, appreciate your reply.

[@Grommet2007]

I think an inline DSP (like the Dayton DSP408) ban be used to replace the Bose EQ. It might even produce better results.

[@AudioThrift]

Oh nice. I'll keep my eyes open for one of those.

[@Claytone-Records]

Those holes that don’t align for the stand are for ceiling mounts With Chains. Great video, however.

[@AudioThrift]

Possibly. That must have been before the guy we bought them from because he didn’t have them hanging.

[@Claytone-Records]

@@AudioThrift That’s what they are for, however, I have mine on the stands. Yours look great btw.

[@AudioThrift]

Thanks.

[@laorhino9702]

Got series 5 cheap cheap 8 years ago and are sitting in the garage collecting dust, yes, refoam and alight 18 small speakers is scary. I think they are going to sit a bit more.

[@AudioThrift]

It's easier than I made it look. I'm willing to bet that you can do it no problem.

[@timothyexner]

Beautiful. I think i would glue some rubber to the bases, leaving gaps for the wires.

[@AudioThrift]

Yeah, I don't really know why they didn't leave room for that. Seems like a bit of an oversight.

[@TorontoJon]

Yeah, Bose 901 speakers are NOTORIOUS for speaker surround rot and there are so many speakers in those enclosures that make it a real pain. Plus, if you don't have the proprietary Bose equalizer unit, they can sound okay to off to awful; nowhere near the quality of sound that Bose originally intended. Granted, they are iconic beauties and I certainly wanted to buy a pair about 10 or 15 years ago, but I bought a pair of Bowers & Wilkins tower speakers instead and even some smaller Bang & Olufsen speakers for some fun as well as B&O's design aesthetic.

[@AudioThrift]

I have a pair of B&O speakers and a matching B&O Beocord cassette player that will be coming back from the repair shop soon. That will be a video in the next month or so...

[@TorontoJon]

@@AudioThrift, awesome! I have a couple of B&O Beogram 7000 cassette players too that had belt rot issues as well as problems with the "fishing line" pulley system to open and close the drawers. I have a similar pulley system issue with a matching B&O Beogram CD7000 CD player, but another B&O 7000 CD player deck works perfectly. Plus, have you ever seen those B&O 7000 remote controls? They're HUGE! You'll never lose them behind a couch cushion. Haha! They are a very unique design. B&O has a bit of a reputation of over-engineering their products, hence, the mechanical issues that can arise, but I'm looking forward to your B&O Beocord cassette player video. B&O's industrial design is very iconic and its products belong in any Museum of Modern Art. :)

[@n6dl321]

I still have a pair.. 901 series 1's from 1970 hanging from the ceiling. Maybe I should examine the cones

[@AudioThrift]

Would be worth it to check, for sure.

[@stefangemmecke]

Series 1 and 2 no problems with the cones.

[@charliewilliams9811]

Get the Deer Creek 901 EQ. About $250 and sounds better than the Bose unit.

[@MattChmielecki]

Carl Sagan hair...😁

[@AudioThrift]

Billions and Billions

[@nikonman3971]

DCM Time Windows

[@bobnevala5218]

I like your Channel. You say that you have little experience in repairing what you buy, but you are able to understand things better than a lot of people out there and you have fixed some things. I watch a few channels on repairing this stuff and you learn something from each of them. I don't know that I could recommend just one channel to watch, but if I had to it would be this guy. Hope this helps. P.S. 16 Ohm Speakers must be very difficult to come by now a days or do you use 8 Ohm speakers with some of the equipment that calls for 16 Ohm speakers? kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqXFmJh6lsyFq9U

[@AudioThrift]

Thank you.

[@paulfarley0078]

what is up with the alligator

[@AudioThrift]

Inside joke with my coworker.

[@reevissequeira5929]

still have a problem with every 802 and I'm in India

[@AudioThrift]

Yeah, that sounds like Bose. lol I'd never heard of the 802 model until you just mentioned it. Interesting that they made a PA speaker based on the 901 model.

[@tedtrotz8145]

next time filter those ashes for gold teeth

[@alanarmstrong2323]

901's may look cool but I prefer a set of 601 's.

[@AudioThrift]

Haven't found any of those yet.

[@alanarmstrong2323]

​@@AudioThriftfound a set 850 us wow

[@AudioThrift]

I'm jealous! Do those require an EQ like the 901's do?

[@alanarmstrong2323]

@@AudioThrift nope

[@rvsteve583]

"no highs, no lows, must be bose"................................................

[@AudioThrift]

Indeed. And without the EQ, that's unfortunately pretty true.

[@revamp777]

Massive problem with these 901, direct reflection, eq unit or nothing totally unbalanced sound imaging nightmare, build and stands ridiculous, avoid at cost

[@milwaukeegregg]

Was never a fan.....................

[@AudioThrift]

I'm a fan of how much they sold for though... gotta give 'em that. lol

[@milwaukeegregg]

@@AudioThriftVery expensive back in the day and if Im right they needed lots of power.. Had a bar in the early 70's with 4 voice of the theaters in the rear half and 2 large Bic venturi's in the front using a Crown DC300a as the motor. You wanted them all out at 2 am just turn that baby up..

[@AudioThrift]

But the important question is WHAT did you play at 2am to get everyone out?

[@milwaukeegregg]

@@AudioThrift whole lotta love..........

[@AudioThrift]

Good choice.

[@robertdavis5714]

The criminal probable needed EQ for his set of Bose speakers.