Bose 901 multichannel system

M

mc_chofo

Audioholic Intern
Hi to everyone this is my first post here and i'm pretty noob in this subjet. the thing is:

i bought a HK3485 receiver(pretty old receiver) and i also got a pair of bose's 901. Saddly i did know that i couln't use normal speakers with bose's 901 due to it's equalizer. so then i got a onkyo's 805, and a pair of bower and wilkins 685 floor standing speakers for rear sound. it seams that i can not use everything togheter on my new onkyo's 805, is there any chance to make my money worth, or it's a waste of money the system that i built here?

i would appreciate any help with this.

by the way i can not find the way to use the bose's pream equalizer with the onkyo's 805 receiver. but seams that even if i could make them run togheter, eather bose's or b&w won't work as suppost to do.

thanks
 
mike c

mike c

Audioholic Warlord
please clarify some things for us ...

the 3485 is a great stereo receiver - you can use any speaker with these, except maybe the Bose speakers.

why did you buy an 805? did you want surround sound capability (the 3485 can't give that to you)

the B&W685 IIRC are bookshelf speakers ... did you use them for surrounds?

you should use the 685 as your mains either on the 805 or 3485.
 
G

griffinconst

Senior Audioholic
Exactly what problems are you having? You have two good recievers there.
 
M

mc_chofo

Audioholic Intern
well right now i'm only using the onkyo's 805, 'caused i wanted some hometheater capabilities, the thing is that in order to use de bose's 901 i have to use it's own pre am(equalizer) wich make almost useless the b&w. and i also can not make it work with the 805 amp, thing that i did do with the HK. What can i do in order to use both speakers, at it' maximun capatilities(fidelity speaking).
 
Midcow2

Midcow2

Banned
Bose 901 needs "tape Monitor" or Pre-out and Amp-in

Hi to everyone this is my first post here and i'm pretty noob in this subjet. the thing is:

i bought a HK3485 receiver(pretty old receiver) and i also got a pair of bose's 901. Saddly i did know that i couln't use normal speakers with bose's 901 due to it's equalizer. so then i got a onkyo's 805, and a pair of bower and wilkins 685 floor standing speakers for rear sound. it seams that i can not use everything togheter on my new onkyo's 805, is there any chance to make my money worth, or it's a waste of money the system that i built here?

i would appreciate any help with this.

by the way i can not find the way to use the bose's pream equalizer with the onkyo's 805 receiver. but seams that even if i could make them run togheter, eather bose's or b&w won't work as suppost to do.

thanks

The Bose 901s use an equalizer that on older recevers went of the "tape monitor" then you feed back into the "tape amp input". Many newer AVRs do not have tape monitor anymore. What this actually did was take the Pre-out connect it to the Bose 901 equalizer and then feed it back into the tape amp.

If you are using an external amp or willing to buy one to power your Bose 901s and you AVR has pre-outs it is easy to use the 901 equalizer. Connect the pre-out to the Bose 901 equalizer and connect the output of the equalizer to the external amp input. This will also work on a receiver with a bridge between pre-out and amp in.

You can connect the Bose 901s ithout the equalizer, but it sounds pretty plain; the nie 4 1/2' drivers just don't soud good without the bose 901 equalizer boosting frequencies.

Good luck

MidCow2
 
M

mc_chofo

Audioholic Intern
"The Bose 901s use an equalizer that on older recevers went of the "tape monitor" then you feed back into the "tape amp input". Many newer AVRs do not have tape monitor anymore. What this actually did was take the Pre-out connect it to the Bose 901 equalizer and then feed it back into the tape amp."

i did tried that, but no sucess. what i did was use the HK as an amp, and everything seams to work pretty well. what i will try to do is this get an stereo amp ROTEL 7010, and use this one with the bose's 901, my other opcion is get a pair of B&W 683 instead of the 901 and leave just the onkyo 805 avr with the 683 front and the 685 rear. what do you think of this?
 
mike c

mike c

Audioholic Warlord
i recommend you stop purchasing stuff for now. research and learn.

stop throwing money trying to make the Bose speaker work IMO.
 
H

Highbar

Senior Audioholic
i recommend you stop purchasing stuff for now. research and learn.

stop throwing money trying to make the Bose speaker work IMO.
Couldn't agree more. Start reading up on what you have and seeing what you can do with them. If you can get the speakers working with what you have now then do that for now, and research. Research in this hobby is your friend. Going in blind will have you spending money for things you don't need and wont use.
 
Midcow2

Midcow2

Banned
Reference to Bose 901 manual and exactly how to connect if you must use Bose 901s

"The Bose 901s use an equalizer that on older recevers went of the "tape monitor" then you feed back into the "tape amp input". Many newer AVRs do not have tape monitor anymore. What this actually did was take the Pre-out connect it to the Bose 901 equalizer and then feed it back into the tape amp."

i did tried that, but no sucess. what i did was use the HK as an amp, and everything seams to work pretty well. what i will try to do is this get an stereo amp ROTEL 7010, and use this one with the bose's 901, my other opcion is get a pair of B&W 683 instead of the 901 and leave just the onkyo 805 avr with the 683 front and the 685 rear. what do you think of this?
I am not sure how you connected it, but what I suggested works. Be more specific on how you hooked it up.


source pre-amp --> 901 equalizer--> receiver amp ---> receiver line level speaker output ---> Bose 901 speakers

Here is a copy of a recent 901 manual: http://www.rcaudio.net/ebay/bose901/bose_901.pdf

Equalizer Connections
There are two options for connecting the equalizer. Your choice depends on the type of
receiver you own and whether you plan to use the system primarily for stereo or for home
theater enjoyment.
Stereo/non-home theater use
(tape monitor connections)
The Bose® 901® active equalizer connects directly to your receiver through the tape monitor
connection. If your receiver has more than one tape connection, use the second one (TAPE 2).
To connect a tape deck, use the additional set of inputs and outputs located on the back of
the 901 active equalizer marked TAPE RECORDER CONNECTIONS.
The TAPE MONITOR switch on the front of the receiver lets you switch the equalizer in and
out of the signal path. This is important when you want to play conventional, non-equalized
speakers or headphones attached to your receiver. See Using other equipment on page 13.
Note: If your receiver is designed for home theater use, it may not have a Tape Monitor
switch. If not, you must use a PRE AMP OUT/MAIN AMP IN connection. This may also be
called the ADAPTER or SIGNAL PROCESSOR connection. Refer to “Home theater use (PRE
AMP OUT/MAIN AMP IN)” on page 10 for instructions on how to connect for home theater
use.
1. Disconnect any external tape deck or signal processor connected to the tape monitor
connection.
2. Use the twin cable assemblies (with two connectors at each end) that are supplied with the
equalizer. Use the red connector for the right (R) channel connections and the other
connector for the left (L) channel connections.

3. Connect one end of a cable to the AMPLIFIER INPUT jacks on the 901® active equalizer.
a. Insert the first connector firmly into the INPUT jack marked R.
b. Insert the second connector into the INPUT jack marked L.
4. Connect the other end of the cable to the OUT or RECORD jacks on your receiver. These
jacks may be marked TO INPUT, FROM INPUT, or REC.
a. Insert the first connector into the OUT or RECORD jack marked R.
b. Insert the second connector into the OUT or RECORD jack marked L.
5. Connect the second cable from the AMPLIFIER OUTPUT jacks on the 901 active equalizer
to the IN or TAPE jacks on your receiver. These jacks may be marked PLAY, TO OUTPUT,
FROM OUTPUT, or MONITOR.
6. Plug the power cord of the 901 active equalizer into one of the switched outlets on the
receiver so that it will be powered when the receiver is switched on.
Figure 5
Connecting to the tape monitor
connection
Home theater use
(PRE AMP OUT/MAIN AMP IN)Use these instructions:
• for stereo-only operation if your receiver does not have a TAPE MONITOR connection.
• if you are using a surround sound receiver that has a section on the back marked PRE
AMP OUT/MAIN AMP IN. The jacks may be labeled ADAPTER or SIGNAL PROCESSOR.
Note: If your receiver does not have this PRE AMP OUT/MAIN AMP IN section, the 901
speakers will not be usable in your home theater system.
1. The PRE AMP OUT/MAIN AMP IN jacks on your receiver are usually connected by small
bars called horseshoe pins. Remove these pins. See Figure 6.
2. Use the twin cable assemblies (with two connectors at each end) that are supplied with the
equalizer. Use one connector for the right (R) channel connections and the other connector
for the left (L) channel connections.
3. Connect the amplifier INPUT of the Bose® 901® active equalizer to the PRE AMP OUT jacks
of the receiver or amplifier. Connect right channel to right channel and left to left.
4. Connect the amplifier OUTPUT of the active equalizer to the MAIN AMP IN jacks on the
receiver or amplifier. Connect right channel to right channel and left to left.
5. Plug the power cord of the 901 active equalizer into one of the switched outlets on the
receiver so that it will be powered when the receiver is switched on.
Note: This connection method does not allow you to connect a tape deck directly to the active
equalizer. Connect it to the receiver instead.
Check to see that the 901 speakers are connected to the receiver MAIN or FRONT speaker
jacks. In this way the 901 active equalizer signals will reach only the 901 speakers – the front
channels of your home theater – and not any non-901 speakers used as center and surround
channels.
Call Bose Corporation for assistance with the connection of additional speakers or signal
processing equipment. Refer to the address information inside the back cover of this guide.
A free booklet is available (USA only): Guide to Optional System Connections for Bose 901
Direct/Reflecting® Speaker Systems. Ask for part number 149393.
Figure 7
Home theater receiver
connections


The above instrauction are from the bose manaul and specaifically state how to connect two ways : (1) with tape Monitor ad (2) pre-out /main amp


However, you might want to heed others suggestions ;) and consider not spending more money to get you 901s working. There are some speaker options that sound slightly :rolleyes: :rolleyes: better than Bose speakers


Good Luck!

MidCow2

Disclaimer - By providing this explanation and information concerning Bose 901 is not meant too, nor does it imply any endorsement or recommendation of Bose products. :D :D
 
Last edited by a moderator:
M

markw

Audioholic Overlord
I'll keep this simple.

I'll just try to summarize the useful info you've received so far.

The Bose Equalizer must be inserted into the circuit in one of two ways, neither of which your 805 allows.

First, a tape monitor loop, which virtually all AV receivers lack. This is NOT simply the presence of a "tape in/out" jack pair as described in your manual. It's a special type of circuit that is controlled by a switch on the front panel.

Second, between the preamp output stage and the power amp input stage. Some, not all, AV receivers allow this. You have the preamp outputs but not the power amp inputs.

Now, if you want to purchase a POWER amp to run the Bose speakers, then it would work. Simply insert the eq between the 805 and the external power amp and connect the 901's (only) to the external power amp.

If you were successful in incorporating the eq into the circuit, ALL the speakers connected to the amplifier channels that are affected by the eq will be affected, not just the 901's.

The best most people with modern AVRs can hope for is using the second option and inserting the eq in the two front main channels since you say you want to use the 901's there. If you wanted to use the 901's for a different two channels, the same applies.

You would then connect the B&W speakers to two DIFFERENT channels that are NOT passed through the eq.

(slightly? ha!)
 
Last edited:
mike c

mike c

Audioholic Warlord
hmmm, i do not know how the bose speaker works, but if markw's second way of making it work via pre-out and main-ins -> i believe the HK 3485 has this (at least my 3490 does)
 
M

markw

Audioholic Overlord
Well, since you put it that way.

hmmm, i do not know how the bose speaker works, but if markw's second way of making it work via pre-out and main-ins -> i believe the HK 3485 has this (at least my 3490 does)
Mike, the Bose 901 is a speaker that requires an equalizer to approximate decent sound. Each bose 901 series comes with it's own specific equalizer as part of the package when you buy it. Without it, think table radio, and a cheap one at that.

If he can get to the mains in on the HK then he could insert the eq between the pre outs on the 805 and the mains in on the HK. ..and connect only the 901's to the HK.
 
M

mc_chofo

Audioholic Intern
MARKW

"If he can get to the mains in on the HK then he could insert the eq between the pre outs on the 805 and the mains in on the HK. ..and connect only the 901's to the HK."

that is exactly what i did.

thantk you all for the info. lot of info. i'm started to look for a brand new set of front speakers, not so expensive, i'm looking for the bang for the buck.

thanks for everything
 
gmichael

gmichael

Audioholic Spartan
I would put the 901's on E-bay and say bye-bye to the whole problem. Use that money to get a different set of speakers.
 
lsiberian

lsiberian

Audioholic Overlord
MARKW

"If he can get to the mains in on the HK then he could insert the eq between the pre outs on the 805 and the mains in on the HK. ..and connect only the 901's to the HK."

that is exactly what i did.

thantk you all for the info. lot of info. i'm started to look for a brand new set of front speakers, not so expensive, i'm looking for the bang for the buck.

thanks for everything
The best bang for buck option going is the Infinity Beta 20s off ebay. You can get a 250 center and have a very nice budget front sound stage. You won't find a speaker that good for that price. I use them and love them. They are great for music and movies. They auction for about 50 each and are 20 on shipping I think
The 250s also auction for 50 each. So you will pay about 210 including shipping for a full front soundstage that is a great deal.

I have used these speakers and love them. They do great with Onkyo receivers. I prefer to play them covers off because I like seeing their insides.
 
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