When I was in college, I worked for an audio retailer that was also a Bose authorized reseller. That job provided me with an opportunity that few experience. The retail environment allowed me to compare many different brands of speakers with many different combinations of equipment, material, and sources. I was also priviledged enough to check out items and take them home to audition in my own listening space on my own equipment. During my time I was able to do AB listening tests against other manufacturers speakers including KLH, AR, Dahlquist, Magnapan, Infinity and many others. I spent a lot of time with the Bose 301s, 601s, and 901 but despite that, I never developed a taste for Bose speaker technology.

Im no longer in retail, but I still spend time with friends who own Dali, Sonus Faber, Wilson, Martin Logan, Genelic, Tannoy, and others.

My latest experience with Bose occurred last month when I rebuilt a pair of 901 IIIs for a friend. After replacing all of the surrounds on the 18 individual drivers and cleaning the electronics, I hooked up the EQ to my preamp and auditioned the newly refurbished 901s in my listening room.

They definitely create immense sound pressure levels. And that characteristic Bose signature recalled my memories of the day when I used to sell them in the retail store. They were popular and easy to sell back then. And I found no shortage of buyers today when my friend asked me to put them up for sale on ebay. Its not my cup of tea but the feverish response to my eBay auction would indicate there are still numerous audio enthusiasts who would disagree with me.

It's a strict matter of taste when it comes to these speakers.