Bose 3 Driver Direct/ReflectingTower Speakers 401

Amar G. Bose, an MIT electrical engineering professor, founded Bose in 1964 on his acoustics research and stayed on at MIT while he ran it. Early revenue came from military and NASA contracts.

The 901. The 901 Direct/Reflecting speaker of 1968 put eight of its nine full-range drivers on the back, to bounce sound off the wall behind it, and used an active equalizer. It was made for nearly five decades, until the mid-2010s, and Stereophile said it had caused more of a stir in audio circles than almost any other loudspeaker.

Bookshelf, Acoustimass and Wave. The 501 and the 301 bookshelf speaker of 1975 used the same reflecting idea. Acoustimass bass modules with small cube satellites followed in 1986, and the Wave radio in 1993.

Today. Bose is privately held. In 2011 Amar Bose gave MIT the majority of its shares, as non-voting stock, and in November 2024 Bose bought McIntosh Group, the maker of McIntosh and Sonus faber.

901 Direct/Reflecting (1968 to the mid-2010s): six series, from the original to the Series VI, each with its own active equalizer.

501 and 301 (from the 1970s): the 501, with rear-facing tweeters, and the 301 bookshelf speaker in several series from 1975.

Small bookshelf speakers: such as the 141, 161 and 201 series, our best sellers.

Acoustimass (from 1986): a bass module with cube satellites, such as the AM-5.

Wave and Lifestyle: the Acoustic Wave Music System of 1984, Lifestyle systems from 1990 and the Wave radio of 1993.

901 equalizer. The 901 needs its active equalizer, matched to its series, connected between the preamp and power amp or in a tape-monitor loop. Check that your amplifier has one of those.

901 foam surrounds. The foam surrounds used from the late Series II onward often deteriorate with age. Inspect the rear-facing drivers too.

901 bases. TONE Audio warns that removing and refitting the metal pedestals too often can damage the wood base.

Placement. Bose's reflecting designs rely on the walls, so set them up as the manual says, not in the middle of the floor.

Acoustimass systems. Check that the bass module and every cube are there, and that your amplifier is happy with a 4-ohm load.

Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.