Best way to hookup Bose 901s into my H/T setup

[WVU-WGK]

Mods - You can move this to the appropriate sub-forum as needed.

I recently inherited a pair of Bose 901 Series IV speakers with the Bose Active Equalizer.
I am currently running a Onkyo TX-NR595 with 5.1 surround and a second zone with 2 speakers connected.
What is the best setup for adding the 901s?
I know I can use the Zone B Out to the Equalizer then to a separate amp but I’ll lose the Zone 2 speakers.
I have some old amps, but they all have issues, so I’m fine with buying a new amp to power the 901s. Would the Bose Amp work?
Any suggestions on how I can get the whole system to work?

 

[lovinthehd]

What Bose amp? Does it have volume control? The avr's Zone B is a line out so no volume control from the avr. Today's avrs just don't have the tape/processing or preout/main in connections like older gear to accommodate something like the eq. All you can really do is set these up as a stereo pair via zone B in any case.

 

[isolar8001]

Yep...the EQ presents a whole 'nother type of setup required to use 901's....don't even think of using them without it.
Best to just set up a separate system for them. 901's can be rewarding if they are setup properly....definitely different.

 

[TLS Guy]

Mods - You can move this to the appropriate sub-forum as needed.

I recently inherited a pair of Bose 901 Series IV speakers with the Bose Active Equalizer.
I am currently running a Onkyo TX-NR595 with 5.1 surround and a second zone with 2 speakers connected.
What is the best setup for adding the 901s?
I know I can use the Zone B Out to the Equalizer then to a separate amp but I’ll lose the Zone 2 speakers.
I have some old amps, but they all have issues, so I’m fine with buying a new amp to power the 901s. Would the Bose Amp work?
Any suggestions on how I can get the whole system to work?

We get this question often.

The problem is that those speakers require an equalizer, which is supposed to go in the tape recorder loop. Modern equipment does not have a tape loop. Your receiver has no preouts, so it is impossible to use those speakers with that receiver. If it had preouts you would still need a dual channel power amplifier.

Now I'm going to be brutally honest with you. I have always regarded those Bose 901 speakers as being perfectly dreadful. Those miserable 4" drivers were available on the OEM market back then for $3.75 a piece.
The equalizer attempted to push them well below their fundamental resonance, with the predicable miserable results they achieved. Those speakers were always all hype and no substance.

I would caution you against committing any funds to using those speakers.

I would cash in and relieve a mug on eBay of some of his cash.

 

[WVU-WGK]

Thanks for opening some dialogue.
This is the Bose Amp is was referring to:
Bose Music Amplifier – Speaker amp with Bluetooth & Wi-Fi connectivity https://a.co/d/4oFed5q
I’m not sure that’s the route I should go though.
Completely different direction, I actually have a Sonos Amp (every other room in my house is some form of Sonos speaker system). I have a Sonos Port connected to the Onkyo unit in the 5.1 system noted above. If I connect Zone B line out from the Onkyo to the 901 Equalizer then to the Sonos Amp and connect it to the actual 901 speakers, there is SIGNIFICANT audio delay when setting the Sonos Amp to line in and playing anything through the Onkyo unit (Video, Sonos Port). I cannot adjust the Audio Delay for the Sonos Amp off of Max (2000 ms). The 5.1 speakers in the setup are not experiencing delay, so I can’t just adjust something on the Onkyo unit. There’s no delay when running WiFi music directly from the Sonos Amp to the 901s, but I’m not utilizing the Bose Equalizer in that scenario. Any suggestions here?

Where I think I currently am:
The Sonos Amp won’t work due to the delay when utilizing the Line in
Bose Amp may not be the way to go due to limited functionality
So I think I need a decent Amp with the sole purpose of powering the 901s. I want to leave them connected to the Onkyo or whatever my main AV unit is as I enjoy music videos and want to get the full effect of the 901s when watching them on my HT setup.
Any recommendations for an amp to do the trick? Preferably $750 or under. Or should I just use an old AV receiver I have laying around, solely for the 901s?
Thanks for any feedback and help!

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks for opening some dialogue.
This is the Bose Amp is was referring to:
Bose Music Amplifier – Speaker amp with Bluetooth & Wi-Fi connectivity https://a.co/d/4oFed5q
I’m not sure that’s the route I should go though.
Completely different direction, I actually have a Sonos Amp (every other room in my house is some form of Sonos speaker system). I have a Sonos Port connected to the Onkyo unit in the 5.1 system noted above. If I connect Zone B line out from the Onkyo to the 901 Equalizer then to the Sonos Amp and connect it to the actual 901 speakers, there is SIGNIFICANT audio delay when setting the Sonos Amp to line in and playing anything through the Onkyo unit (Video, Sonos Port). I cannot adjust the Audio Delay for the Sonos Amp off of Max (2000 ms). The 5.1 speakers in the setup are not experiencing delay, so I can’t just adjust something on the Onkyo unit. There’s no delay when running WiFi music directly from the Sonos Amp to the 901s, but I’m not utilizing the Bose Equalizer in that scenario. Any suggestions here?

Where I think I currently am:
The Sonos Amp won’t work due to the delay when utilizing the Line in
Bose Amp may not be the way to go due to limited functionality
So I think I need a decent Amp with the sole purpose of powering the 901s. I want to leave them connected to the Onkyo or whatever my main AV unit is as I enjoy music videos and want to get the full effect of the 901s when watching them on my HT setup.
Any recommendations for an amp to do the trick? Preferably $750 or under. Or should I just use an old AV receiver I have laying around, solely for the 901s?
Thanks for any feedback and help!

I would use the old receiver. I would not commit funds to this project. You will get the full effect of those speakers soon enough. I guarantee that if you know how the program should sound you will want a whole lot less of that effect. Those speakers where a con job, like most of the products from Bose over the years.

 

[lovinthehd]

Does the old receiver have any better way of accommodating the eq?

 

[TLS Guy]

Does the old receiver have any better way of accommodating the eq?

Good point. I was assuming it was an old analog receiver with preouts. If it is an old AV receiver with no preouts he is again out of luck.

 

[Trebdp83]

Gonna’ agree with all of the replies here. I understand the curiosity. I’ve listened many times to those speakers. While they may appeal to those looking to compliment the visuals of their mid century decor, the audio experience may very well leave you wanting.

Older receivers with the analog tape ports necessary for connection to the equalizer can be had for not a lot of money from ebay, pawn shops, thrift stores and yard sales. Many have one or more in a closet, garage or shed. I know I still I have one buried under some boxes around here somewhere. Any experiments with those speakers should be done on the cheap.

 

[WVU-WGK]

It’s and old Pioneer from the mid-90s, so it has the tape loop at a minimum. I’m not near it so I can’t check right now.
With that said, my plan would be Zone B Line Out from Onkyo to Bose Equalizer to Pioneer Receiver/Amp to 901s. This way I can use the 901s when watching my home theater (all connected to Onkyo via HDMI).

 

[Trebdp83]

Am I correct in think that you would like to incorporate the 901 IV speakers into your system to change from a 5.1 to a 7.1 or a 5.1.2 speaker configuration that can be used when not sending music to Zone 2. If so, I can think of several things in your way if this is the case when trying to use the Onkyo. What are the speakers making up your 5.1 setup?

 

[lovinthehd]

Using zone b may have delay/sync issues with main zone, too. They're just not intended to play together like that. Zone b would simply be 2ch stereo, wouldn't necessarily be same as L/R in a surround mode either.

 

[TLS Guy]

It’s and old Pioneer from the mid-90s, so it has the tape loop at a minimum. I’m not near it so I can’t check right now.
With that said, my plan would be Zone B Line Out from Onkyo to Bose Equalizer to Pioneer Receiver/Amp to 901s. This way I can use the 901s when watching my home theater (all connected to Onkyo via HDMI).

You can forget that "for a game of soldiers!"

 

[lovinthehd]

You can forget that "for a game of soldiers!"

For the non-brits https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/333934/this-for-a-game-of-soldiers

 

[WVU-WGK]

I don’t necessarily want the 901s to support the full home theater experience, just when I’m listening to music or throw on some music videos I want to bring the 901s into the rest of the mix.

 

[TLS Guy]

I don’t necessarily want the 901s to support the full home theater experience, just when I’m listening to music or throw on some music videos I want to bring the 901s into the rest of the mix.

I really don't know why you want to spend so much time and money on these dreadful speakers. There is now proof they are dreadful, and measure exactly as they have always sounded to me.

I see Erin of Erin's audio corner did extensive measurements on these speakers in 2020.

If you think that a speaker with nine cheap speakers, of which 8 face the wall and one forward makes any rational sense then you are deluded. There is so much wrong with these speakers you don't know where to begin.

As I said these speakers are driven way below their fundamental resonance. In engineering terms this is a "howler" and something you should never do. This forcing results in distortion of 70% THD below Fs. I can see the Fs of these drivers is somewhere round 180 Hz from Erin's data.

So I now have absolute proof these speakers are absolutely awful and not worth a cent of trouble or expense.

But if you must then you need to power them from an old receiver with a tape loop connected to zone B of your Onkyo.

One amazing observation in Erin's report is the Dirac Live managed to clean them up to a degree, but can not solve the horrendous distortion problem.

So do NOT spend significant money on this.

 

[Eppie]

I'll confirm what others have mentioned. You can't integrate the 901s into a 5.1 setup with that AVR as it lacks pre-outs. Using the Zone-2 pre-outs is the only option for 2-channel source material. I would not try and use the other speakers with the 901s due to timing issues. If you are set on using the 901s, run the Zone-2 out to the Pioneer or another integrated amp or receiver and connect the Bose EQ to the tape loop and just enjoy it as a 2-channel setup. The most I would invest in would be a used integrated amp. I have a Marantz SR-4023 for example that has 80W/ch and pre-out / main-in jacks that accommodate an equalizer and those can be found for a couple hundred dollars. You could also run the Pioneer stand-alone for just the 901s and maybe connect a CD player or streamer to it. If you really want to use the Zone-2 for another room, note that the pre-outs and the analogue inputs are high impedance so you can get away with a Y-splitter on the Zone-2 out and connect to two components.

 

[Trebdp83]

With speakers already connected in another room for Zone 2, I'd leave the Onkyo alone and out of the loop concerning the 901 IV speakers. If the old Pioneer receiver has the Tape Monitor function, not just Tape IN and OUT, or the PRE OUT/MAIN IN ports, I would use it as the stand alone system for the 901 IV speakers. I'd connect the Sonos Port to the Pioneer as the Onkyo already supports Airplay 2 and Chromecast and the Sonos Port is a bit of a redundant device there. But, more info concerning all of the Sonos devices and any other streaming devices in the house would be helpful. This recommendation works for analog output of music to the Pioneer for use with the 901 IV speakers but digital devices connected to the Onkyo will be out of the loop because having Zone 2 speakers assigned to the Onkyo means Zone B Line Out does not work and settings adjustments would need to be made every time devices connected to the Onkyo need to be output to the Pioneer and the folks in the Onkyo's Zone 2 room will be out of luck.

 

[Squishman]

No highs, no lows, must be Bose.

 

[isolar8001]

Out of curiosity, have you checked that these speakers and the EQ are even in proper working order ?
Those 4 inch drivers were notorious for foam rot....the shop I used to work at got them in constantly for refoaming. Not hard, but you have 18 drivers to deal with.
Those old Bose EQ's were also notorious for bad capacitors.