Equipment file · Direct/reflecting loudspeaker

901 direct-reflecting system

Bose · 1968

Evidence status · documented

Identity and core specifications are documented; some historical fields remain unavailable.

The Bose 901 used nine identical 4-inch drivers per cabinet, eight aimed at the wall behind and one forward, based on Amar Bose's research into reflected sound in concert halls. It required a matching active equaliser.

Introduced
1968
Category
Direct/reflecting loudspeaker
Intended use
Home stereo recreating concert-hall ambience; adopted for stage use
Production
Bose Corporation from 1968, with a dedicated active equaliser

Equipment photographs · 2

Bose 901 on stand

1 / 2 · Bose 901 on stand

Bose 901 on stand·Lambtron·CC BY-SA 4.0

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    It was built around reflected, room-dependent sound rather than direct output.

  2. 02

    Musicians soon adopted it for stage monitoring and PA, leading Bose into professional audio.

Engineering record

Drivers
Nine 4-inch full-range drivers; eight rear-facing, one forward[1]

Original pricing

No reliable period price located

2026 equivalent

Not calculated without a reliable original price.

Public price evidence was not sufficient to publish a defensible original figure.

Use in the field

Adopted by musicians as stage monitors and PA speakers, leading Bose into professional audio[2]

Manuals & original documents

No authoritative manual or original document has been located for this profile.

Sources

  1. 1Flashback 1968: The Bose 901 Speaker SystemSound & Vision · reference · 2018-04-26
  2. 270s - Bose TimelineBose Corporation · archive

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