Kef LS50 versus Bose 901 Series VI

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I tell all my relatives and friends never to buy Bose. Period.

Where's TLS Guy?

 

[fmw]

I tell all my relatives and friends never to buy Bose. Period.

Where's TLS Guy?

Me too but if he prefers the sound to the other option then that is more important than the poor value in Bose products. Perhaps he just needs to do more listening in more places.

 

[KEW]

I tell all my relatives and friends never to buy Bose. Period.

Where's TLS Guy?

I thought you would be the last person to tell someone not to be trust their ears!

I have owned 901s before (Series IV) and loved the sound and ambiance and somewhat three-dimensional sound.

If the DefTech's sound better while still giving him enough of the 901 experience, that is great! If not, that is great! The important thing is not to make a 20 year(?) decision without intelligent evaluation and later regretting it.
Between the 901s, DefTech and the Tritons, he will get a reasonable sampling of alternate sounds to make an informed decision.

Sorry for the rant, but do we really need to turn this into a Bose bashing thread? If we do, it reflects poorly on us. The OP is thoughtful and deserves thoughtful advice.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The important thing is not to make a 20 year(?) decision without intelligent evaluation and later regretting it.

Can I just simply be honest and just simply say what's on my mind?

I'm not here for high ratings or popularity contest. Just to shoot the breeze and speak my mind uninhibited as much as possible.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Perhaps he just needs to do more listening in more places.

That's what I saying (without saying it).

 

[KEW]

Just to shoot the breeze and speak my mind uninhibited as much as possible.

That sounds more like it belongs in the "steam vent" sub-forum.

This would certainly quickly become a poor forum if every member saw "shoot the breeze and speak my mind uninhibited as much as possible" as an appropriate response to any thread asking for advice!

If your own brother or sister asked if he or she should spend $2K on Bose, would you tell him/her that it's great as long as it sounds good?

That is exactly what I would tell them ... along with what I told Mark.

 

[slipperybidness]

Boze 901's were the cat's meow back in the 70's. They still have a different sound but cant compete. You want to hear something that will blow you away like the Bose did back in the 70s" Go to a high end audio store and ask to listen to some GoldenEar Titan 5's. Best speaker I have ever heard. Beware if you have cats, they look like a scratching post!
If my SVS that I ordered dont work out for me I am going with the Titans and make up a metal fence to go around them to keep the cats from ripping them up.

TRITON, not Titan

 

[Seth=L]

TRITON, not Titan

He misspelled Bose too, but perhaps that was intentional.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

That sounds more like it belongs in the "steam vent" sub-forum.

This would certainly quickly become a poor forum if every member saw "shoot the breeze and speak my mind uninhibited as much as possible" as an appropriate response to any thread asking for advice!

That is exactly what I would tell them ... along with what I told Mark.

I never thought I would see a day when AH members recommend $1400 pair of Bose speakers.

I say keep doing more research and auditioning.

 

[shkumar4963]

The 901 series was the best system Bose marketed, although it is indeed a "special effects" product. There is no scientific foundation for the driver configuration Dr. Bose promoted. I forget the exact ratio of direct to reflected sound the 901's were supposed to replicate, but it was based on the ratio that Dr. Bose thought was present in a real live orchestra hall. What he forgot, or chose to forget, was that the reflected sound in a hall comes from the pure unadulterated direct sound of violins, brass, and winds. The sound that gets bounced around in a 901 is a recorded signal that already contains the ambiance (reflected sound) of the recording venue. So you're bouncing already reflected sound off of the listening room walls and getting bounced-bounced sound. In addition, all that rear-wave bouncing tends to create a cancellation in the midrange that introduces a somewhat hollow coloration to the sound. But the 901's can sound really interesting, and in a manner that you're not likely to get from a conventional forward-firing speaker. So if you like what you're hearing from the 901's, I would stick with them.

Most of today's recordings are done at a studio and not in the concert hall. So they do not contain reflected sound. Bose 901 intends to make them sound like concert recording.

Having said that, I am not a fan and use Ls50 at home.

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[Dennis Murphy]

Most of today's recordings are done at a studio and not in the concert hall. So they do not contain reflected sound. Bose 901 intends to make them sound like concert recording.

Having said that, I am not a fan and use Ls50 at home.

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But a lot of studio recordings have added reverb, so who knows what you end up hearing out of the 901's.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

you can always upgrade to a surround sound receiver and some relatively inexpensive speakers ... KEF, GoldenEar, Definitive Technology and certainly most others offer inexpensive compatible speakers to get that surround sound you had with the Bose. In the meantime enjoy good quality stereo sound. If it were me, that would be my preferred solution.

 

[shkumar4963]

Thank you very much. Good advice. Still leaning toward the 901s, but would sure like to actually hear the KEF LS50s. Don't know how to do that, without buying them first.

LS50 without a sub will sound worse than 901, I feel.

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[shadyJ]

LS50 without a sub will sound worse than 901, I feel.

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I don't share that opinion, certainly. The LS50 has pretty good extension for a bookshelf speaker.

 

[PENG]

I don't share that opinion, certainly. The LS50 has pretty good extension for a bookshelf speaker.

More than 2 years later, wonder what the OP ended up with. I remember suggesting that he should stick with Bose 901. Good thing I did, because lately there has been quite a few non favorable comments on the LS50 anyway. At the time I just felt that if he likes the 901, it is unlikely for him to like the LS50, and iirc he has a large room to fill.

 

[KenM10759]

LS50 without a sub will sound worse than 901, I feel.

Having heard the Bose 901 and now owning the LS50, I have to disagree.

Even if the LS50 didn't produce as much bass, it always sounds better than Bose 901. Almost any speaker does.

 

[KenM10759]

More than 2 years later, wonder what the OP ended up with. I remember suggesting that he should stick with Bose 901. Good thing I did, because lately there has been quite a few non favorable comments on the LS50 anyway. At the time I just felt that if he likes the 901, it is unlikely for him to like the LS50, and iirc he has a large room to fill.

Non favorable? I read all the comments here and elsewhere about them, trust me. These things are incredible. The more you push them, the better they sound. MY ears love them.

 

[PENG]

Non favorable? I read all the comments here and elsewhere about them, trust me. These things are incredible. The more you push them, the better they sound. MY ears love them.

I like them too, but not everyone, same for most other speakers. Some don't like B&W diamonds, yet I would probably go for the 800D3 or the Blades if I can afford them. The only one I know that no one seem to dislike are the Salon 2, I mean among the relatively affordable speakers.

 

[shkumar4963]

I don't share that opinion, certainly. The LS50 has pretty good extension for a bookshelf speaker.

Yes. I agree for a book shelf speaker. But with 901, you don't have to add that caveat.

In any case with a sub, ls50 will definitely beat 901 and any other speaker.

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[AcuDefTechGuy]

More than 2 years later, wonder what the OP ended up with. I remember suggesting that he should stick with Bose 901.

It's funny looking back at old threads. Sometimes I find myself disagreeing with my old posts.

If we were to look back 2 years from now in 2020, I may change my mind again.

But as of now, March 2018, I would say that I agree with my old posts here from 2 years ago.

If I'm just talking to strangers on the street who love Bose, then I'll just keep my mouth shut.


But there is no way in hell I would tell my family, relatives, or friends that it's okay to buy any Bose.

When I say that people should listen to the speakers and base their decisions on what they hear, I wasn't talking about speakers that measure almost +/- 10dB on-axis!

I was assuming the speakers in question were no worse than +/-5dB from 200Hz-10kHz.