Bose Impresses

[Allanvh5150]

When I started working at the radio station I found out that they had some Bo$e 801 Pro speakers.
They are plastic versions of the 901 but with out the lone speaker on the front. They also sound like crap without EQ. 3 years ago the remote people brought one of them to me saying that one of the speaker was blow. I tested the speaker and found out the 2 of drivers were blown, I really hated to get replacements.
Since I had to look inside to trace the wiring since the speakers are hooked up in a strange series-parallel configuration. What they looked like in the inside was appalling What a mess!
Two years ago the station wanted to get another remote setup, the remote dept. asked for MORE Bo$e speakers. I said NO WAY IN HELL!! I got 2 pairs of JBL SRX115s and two 18" subs for what one pair of Bo$e 801s would have cost. After the JBLs showed up I set up a shoot out JBL vs Bo$E!!! I set up the speakers in the door of the shop and aimed them down the hall. I had the remote people stand at the other end of the hall about 60' way. First I played the Bo$e for about 30 seconds, then I moved the speakon plug to the JBL and watch their jaws drop. Needless to saw the remote dept uses the JBL most of the time now. John

So you eset up all that JBL against an 801?.......priceless

[Tweak48]

I'm not sure what the big fascination was with the Bose 901 in the 70's. They were the speaker of choice if you could afford them.

901's played loud (with enough power) and looked nice. Add a Phase Linear 400 and you had one hell of a headache machine!!!

Every once in a while I would lose a JBL sale to the camera shop down the street that sold Bose. By and large, the folks I knew that bought Bose grew up listening to Magnavox consoles of their parents, and thought Bose was a step up. It was.

On the other hand, my buds that grew up listening to their Dads Altec, AR, JBL, Warfedale systems never bought Bose when they became big kids; at least not the ones I kept in touch with.

[Mr. Widget]

Every once in a while I would lose a JBL sale to the camera shop down the street that sold Bose. By and large, the folks I knew that bought Bose grew up listening to Magnavox consoles of their parents, and thought Bose was a step up. It was.

Interesting observation.

I remember those Magnavox consoles. I took one apart once and upgraded the speakers. The originals were a pair of 10 or 12" woofers that were really more like large mids and a pretty crappy horn tweeter that had no response above 10-12KHz. The sub enclosures were actually styrofoam tubs that looked like an ice chest once I pulled them out.

I think I'd have to agree, the Bose of that era was a step up. I suppose a Bose PA might be a step up from a Shure Vocal Master too, though that might be more of a personal choice sort of thing.


Widget

[Titanium Dome]

When I was nine our neighbors got a Magnavox console, which eventually prompted my parents to get a Magnavox console. That's where my love of audio began, lying on the floor at night in the dark with the volume very low while everyone was asleep. I listened to 90% classical at the time, and I still treasure those recordings these many years later.

In HS, it was Electrophonic gear with separate speakers that got me thinking components, and it was a trip to Toledo's Sound Masters that introduced me to JBLs, Kenwood, and Dual.

I was briefly tempted to get on the Bose bandwagon, but there was no way to go from JBLs to Bose for me. Apparently there still isn't.

[MikeBrewster77]

So do I - in fact, my grandparents still have one. It's a hideous green thing, but the sound (for what it is) isn't half bad. I just put one of several turntables I have in storage in it since the idler wheel and multiple springs on the original changer were shot. If nothing else, it makes grandma happy to be able to play her vinyl again.

That being said, I own a pair of Bose 301's that I bought for sh*t's and giggles, and though I'm not a "Bose basher" I certainly don't understand the hype. The soundstage is pure smoke and mirrors, and the bass is .... well, what bass?

Truth be told, I'm not sure that grandma's Magnavox couldn't kick their asses in certain regards.

I remember those Magnavox consoles.

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[Hoerninger]

Could someone please post a picture of a Magnavox?
I would like to see one as I do not know it.
____________
Peter

[MikeBrewster77]

I'm having trouble getting any of the photos to embed, but a quick goodle image search of Magavox Console will give you a plethora of results of the different models:

http://images.google.com/images?ndsp...=Search+images

Best,
- Mike

Could someone please post a picture of a Magnavox?
I would like to see one as I do not know it.
____________
Peter

[Hoerninger]

... will give you a plethora of results of the different models:

Thank you!
It seems to be comparable with "Grundig Musiktruhe".
My Brother and I started with a Grundig stereo tube receiver - memory comes to mind.
____________
Peter

[Mr. Widget]

Magnavox was the original inventor of the moving coil loudspeaker in 1915 in Northern California. I am not sure if they invented the console stereo, but they seemed to be quite prevalent in that market with dozens of competing brands. Because of the size of the consoles they were able to create a rich mellow tone which was popular. The ideas of stereo imaging, detail articulation, and general tonal accuracy were not particularly sought after by their designers or customers.


Widget

[SEAWOLF97]

The ideas of stereo imaging, detail articulation, and general tonal accuracy were not particularly sought after by their designers or customers.
Widget

Magnavox
A prototype for the iPod ? The mPod ...

[MikeBrewster77]

The ideas of stereo imaging, detail articulation, and general tonal accuracy were not particularly sought after by their designers...

Wow - you've just perfectly summarized Bose's entire engineering philosophy in a single sentence.