My experiance with Bose 901's is limited to my memory of them from the 70's. A friend of my father had a pair, and he was driving them with a VERY powerful Phase Linear amp. As I remember they played VERY loud, and the bass was VERY tight. My reccollection was that the sound was so much more life-like as compare to direct firing speakers that my father turned our speakers around to see how much of that effect it would create. ( a failed experiment, but a worthwhile one). If you've ever been to a concert, be it rock, jazz or classical, then you know that the laser like imaging, and intense point source sound of most conventional speakers is NOT what you hear. Most of the sound that is heard at a concert, unless your the conductor, is reflected. All monopole speakers are incapeable of producing such a soundstage. To Bose's credit, he saw that was the case, and produced a speaker with the idea to create that. Were they everyones "cup-o-tea"? No, but then that's why we have so many different speakers!

Does this have anything to do with the speakers that Bose produces today? Or their huge investment in marketing vs. improving the product? I don't think so.