Bose 1801 Power Amp

[Buckeyefan 1]

Check out this link - back when Bose had more respect. MacmanNM is working on one now. Hopefully he'll demo it and give us a quick review. There's some other vintage stuff you've probably never seen below the Bose unit.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/sireno/vintage_audio.htm

Here's the new version - most likely a class D, seeing how it weighs 33lbs and puts out 450 watts per channel into 8 ohms. If so, it's an extremely heavy class D. The power consumption is 100 watts at idle, and 2400 watts at full power into 4 ohms! At $2600, it seems a bit pricey to me when you can pick up a Mackie M1400i for around $600.
www.bose.com/pdf/professional/1800VI_AMP_TDS.pdf
http://www.zzounds.com/item--MACM1400I

 

[MacManNM]

All you guys think that bose is junk, not this one. This thing is a monster. 82lbs. One of the best built units I've ever seen. Very good design.

 

[MacManNM]

I got this thing fixed last night, it is an animal. 315 w/ch 8 ohms, 1100 w/ch into 2 ohms measured. Less than 1 mV rms output noise. This thing is such a beast that I believe it will drive a dead short! If anyone comes across one of these things, broken or not, either get it for yourself, or let me know about it. I want about 4 more. This is one of the best amps I have ever seen.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I got this thing fixed last night, it is an animal. 315 w/ch 8 ohms, 1100 w/ch into 2 ohms measured. Less than 1 mV rms output noise. This thing is such a beast that I believe it will drive a dead short! If anyone comes across one of these things, broken or not, either get it for yourself, or let me know about it. I want about 4 more. This is one of the best amps I have ever seen.

Yikes. A Bose being one of the best amps I have ever seen? What's the world coming to?

 

[MacManNM]

.....Mac, I very proudly had the 1801 when Bose lacked a full year marketing the pre to go with it....mine was rated 250 per at 8, and 400 per at 4....I loved it, but, some power transistors went out on one bank after about 2 years, and I got out lucky by having it fixed by a local railroad electrician assigned to fixing radios and electronic equipment and stuff.....it would have cost me huge to have had it done regular.....Heaven forbid if I'd had to mail it back to The Mountain.......

No doubt at 82 lbs, I had a hard time moving it from the workbench to my equipoment rack. I really like this thin though, I'm really impressed if you can't tell.

 

[jaxvon]

I wonder what the distortion is like on that thing...

I'd like to see it put to the test driving some huge sub(s) or a pair of Magnepans.

 

[MacManNM]

I wonder what the distortion is like on that thing...

I'd like to see it put to the test driving some huge sub(s) or a pair of Magnepans.

I'm going to do a full set of measurements on it as soon as I'm done listening to it for a while. My initial measurements indicate that it is way less than 1% 1KHz, @ 315 watts. I'd guess it's prob 0.5% 20-20K @ that power.

 

[dave1490]

bose 1801

i bought this amp way back in the 80,s for 600.it had 250w@8ohm and 400@4ohm. it had 1 side repaired,then a month later the other whent.but after that it was great i clipped it almost 90% of the time. allway,s untill the thermal breaker switches off{about 30 minutes @4ohms}even ran it a 2ohm,s at times, it,s bullit proof!!!!.the thd is .01.nerver brighed it allway,s wondered if it was possible?thanks

 

[race4aliving]

Those amps were studs for sound renforcment and clubs back in the the day. it took a major *&%& up to hurt one and they sounded pretty good too.

 

[zildjian]

Here's the new version - most likely a class D, seeing how it weighs 33lbs and puts out 450 watts per channel into 8 ohms. If so, it's an extremely heavy class D.

"The 1600VI and 1800VI amplifiers use a conventional class AB push-pull power amplifier circuit, with a commutated two-stage (dual-rail, class H) power supply." -per the service manual for both the 1600 IV & 1800 IV Bose amps.

Service manual & schematics for both amps here.

I'll admit it, many years ago I used to work for Bose. There I said it! Things were better back then, not all the hype of today's Bose. I'm not going to say the products were all sliced bread then, but definately better than what has slowly evolved into today's Bose. It makes me sad actually as I had much pride in our speakers then. Things certainly have changed.

After admitting that, watch now I'll get banned! HA!
Brad