Bose celebrated its 60th Anniversary in 2024 with a number of new product introductions including the Diamond Edition Ultra Open Earbuds, QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, and QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.
An impressive group of new products but that was merely a taste of what was about to happen in the final two months of 2024.
If you had Bose acquiring the McIntosh Group which includes the most valuable and iconic high-end audio brand in the world along with Sonus faber — you should probably purchase a PowerBall ticket this week.
But did you have Bose introducing a 60th Anniversary edition of its iconic 901 loudspeakers that you can’t buy?
Bose’s “secret” plan to manufacture a special 60th-Anniversary edition of its legendary (and controversial) 901 direct-reflecting loudspeakers is no longer a rumor.
The bad news is that they were not intended for sale to the public and all 12 pairs will be collector’s items exclusively for friends and family of Bose and Ronnie Fiege of Kith who was tasked with designing the limited edition loudspeakers.
Ronnie Fieg also enlisted the expertise of custom furniture designer Mark Jupiter, to assist with the design and execution of the new 901 speakers.
What is the Bose 901?
The story of the Bose 901 started in 1968. What made these speakers different is that the enclosure houses nine identical full-range 4-inch drivers. Eight of these drivers faced out of the rear of the enclosure while one faced the front sending sound directly to the listening area.
The 8 rear-facing speakers were designed to reflect sound off the wall the 901s were placed in front of. The idea was that the 901s would create a more immersive stereo soundstage, similar to how listeners experience sound in a live venue, such as a concert hall, theater, or club where a lot of sound reaches the listener’s ears as a result of room reflections.
In addition to speakers, an active equalizer was provided so the 901s could be properly “tuned” to get the most optimal performance.
With such an unusual approach to speaker design, the 901s received both praise and pans from audiophiles as to how effective they were.
Having heard a couple of versions of the 901s myself, I felt they sounded good, but were not as “revolutionary” as Bose claimed.
Over the course of 50 years, there have been several “improved” versions of the 901s, such as the Series II, III, IV, and V. The last version of the 901s was the series VI, with production ending in 2017.
Bose 901 60th Anniversary
The Bose 901 60th Anniversary Edition Speakers by Ronnie Fieg and Mark Jupiter come in two finishes – white-washed ash wood and a natural air-dried walnut. Both feature a hand-rubbed brass stand. The materials and finishes accentuate the furniture-like appearance of the speaker and fit beautifully within a modern home.
The Bottom Line
It doesn’t really matter if you love or hate them, the Bose 901 Direct Reflecting Speakers have a significant spot in audio history, bringing Bose both success and recognition as a “favored” brand name worldwide by many, despite having been given the nickname, “No Highs, No Lows, Must Be Bose.”
Bose’s marketing strategy is definitely effective. Although they get their share of criticism from audiophiles about their products being too expensive for what you get and their lack of transparency regarding the technical specifications of many of their products, they are definitely not going away anytime soon. And frankly, they should offer up the 901 60th Anniversary speakers to the public.
When you consider that they just purchased McIntosh, it would only make sense to jump on the vintage audio bandwagon when there is so much demand for older McIntosh designs from the 1960s and 1970s — and how much time and money the Binghamton manufacturer has spent on its own anniversary products.
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