Help with my bose 301's

[Knightwick]

I have a question for everyone. I know a lot of people don't like bose speakers and I respect everyones opinons. About a year ago I found 4 bose 301's series 4 speakers. I bought them at a very good price "I thought". I hooked them up and they sounded ok but at closer inspection I noticed that someone had taken out the original 8 inch drivers. I could live with that but they don't even match and a couple are crap. The rest of the mids and tweeters are original and sound great. The box's and covers are in good shape. I learned a lesson here though and a mistake I won't make again. My question is , Should I try to find some original bose 8 inch subwoofers or can I buy some decent matching 8's that are comparable and 8 ohms and if so what specs should I look for? Any help here would be great and I thank all of you for reading this.
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[GMichael]

I do not know what the specs are on those drivers. Someone here may know where to get that info for you. In the mean time, as Bose goes, the 301's were one of their best bang for the buck speakers.

[Feanor]

I have a question for everyone. I know a lot of people don't like bose speakers and I respect everyones opinons. About a year ago I found 4 bose 301's series 4 speakers. I bought them at a very good price "I thought". I hooked them up and they sounded ok but at closer inspection I noticed that someone had taken out the original 8 inch drivers. I could live with that but they don't even match and a couple are crap. The rest of the mids and tweeters are original and sound great. The box's and covers are in good shape. I learned a lesson here though and a mistake I won't make again. My question is , Should I try to find some original bose 8 inch subwoofers or can I buy some decent matching 8's that are comparable and 8 ohms and if so what specs should I look for? Any help here would be great and I thank all of you for reading this.
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To find matching drivers you really need to know more that the impedance.

The minimum driver attributes, (a.k.a. Thiele/Small parameters), you should try to match are:

Impedance, (yes, it is important)
Fs, the free-air resonance frequency
Qts, the total, mechanical & electrical "Q"
Vas, the equivalent compliance volume of air
Sensitivity, dB per 1 watt at 1 meter.Your problem will be discover the original Bose values.

[Knightwick]

Thanks for the info... They do have good sound but I know I can make them better with better drivers.

[pixelthis]

Thanks for the info... They do have good sound but I know I can make them better with better drivers.

i DOUBT IT.
They are bose after all.
I spent a decade trying to get decent sound outta a pair of 501-4s', dense even for me,
but they cost 1500 in todays dollars and I couldnt unload em.
Took listening to real speakers in the 90's to get my love of home audio back.
Tore em up when I trashed em, these was a reason you couldn't take the grills off.
TWO cheap paper cone tweeters facing in opposite directions, and a cheap paper bass\mid cone with the foam gone, didnt cost fifty to make I bet.
You can't make a silk purse outta a sows ear, ever heard that one?
BUT it will kill some time and keep you out of traffic .
Bose is the dark side of the force in home audio.
Bose drones look at my three thousand dollars worth of speakers and say,
"well, if you can't afford Bose...
Bose, better sales through marketing brainwashing...:1:

[dakatabg]

You better get the original drivers otherwise they won't be called bose anymore. I saw some on ebay but they are overpriced. If you know any other sources where you can get them for cheaper do it but don't put any other woofers on the cabinets. What is the brand of the drivers you have right now?(not the original ones)

[blackraven]

Call it a loss and buy some real speakers. If your on a tight budget, checkout www.audioadvisor and look at some of their Energy speakers. They are a real bargain for budget audio. You will waste time and money on trying to fix a speaker that sounded terrible when they were new.

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ENC300

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ENC200

[dakatabg]

I was thinking to tell him the same but since he is asking he may really like the Bose 301! It is better to get new speakers or get new bose 301! Try to sell the ones you have and get better ones!

[markw]

Just for the halibut, why not ask Bose what they would charge for the correct, OEM drivers?

[dakatabg]

Bose will charge you more than to buy used bose 301. I know this for fact!

[pixelthis]

Call it a loss and buy some real speakers. If your on a tight budget, checkout www.audioadvisor and look at some of their Energy speakers. They are a real bargain for budget audio. You will waste time and money on trying to fix a speaker that sounded terrible when they were new.

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ENC300

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ENC200

Not a total loss, you can always use them for kindling.:1:

[GMichael]

It looks like there are two possible drivers depending on which series 301's you have. Check this site http://www.oaktreevintage.com/Bose_Speaker_Parts.htm

[pixelthis]

It looks like there are two possible drivers depending on which series 301's you have. Check this site http://www.oaktreevintage.com/Bose_Speaker_Parts.htm

DON'T encourage him, hes' only gonna get his heart broken.:1:

[Knightwick]

Hey
Thanks for all the help.
I think I will get rid of the bose and get some other speakers.
When money allows it.

[Knightwick]

You better get the original drivers otherwise they won't be called bose anymore. I saw some on ebay but they are overpriced. If you know any other sources where you can get them for cheaper do it but don't put any other woofers on the cabinets. What is the brand of the drivers you have right now?(not the original ones)
I'm not sure what brand was in there.
I'm going to try and find some real speakers.
Thanks for the info

[pixelthis]

Hey
Thanks for all the help.
I think I will get rid of the bose and get some other speakers.
When money allows it.


The forces of goodness win again.
Bose actually makes some decent products , computer speakers, headphones,
etc, but trust me, sound bliss lies in another direction.
Theres a lot of "cheap" speakers out there that sound very good.:1: