Bose 901 sound test by TonePub?

Gotta give credit where credit is due. I'm sure Stereophile had the same issues with driving readers to Zinio that we did at the beginning, people's reluctance to want to read magazines on a computer (which I always enjoyed) but now with the tablet's going full blast, I bet their Zinio readership will really grow. I wouldn't be surprised if their subscriber base doubles in the next couple of years because of tablet readership.

 

Without getting too far off topic, I'd like to add my 'welcome' to JA! Thanks for popping in on our little discussion.

To add to the mini-topic at hand, I take all of my magazines via Zinio or Apple Newstand. With all of my travel, this is the only practical way to consume magazines. The lone holdout is TAS which insists on only producing a PDF version. This can be consumed via tablet, but the user experience of downloading and reading the magazine is much less satisfying.

 

Welcome JA, great to have you posting here.


BTW, I enjoy both TONE and Stereophile on zinio, there is just no better way to enjoy these publications.

 

I get Tone and TAS via PDF (Tone if you need a donation, let me know) and Stereophile via Zinio. I don't like the way Zinio creates minor problems with my computer, but I like to read Stereophile so ...

I am also old fashioned and like to have my own copies.

 

That's a personal opinion.

I like my Stereophile in print form. Too many computers in my life. I like to sit down with a coffee on the balcony and read the magazine; or take it with me in my back pocket when I go for a walk, maybe down to the coffee shop and sit in the bright California sun.

 

Save it, Geoff. It's 35 and cloudy in Pittsburgh today!!!

 

... that's what iPads are made for.

 

While we wait anxiously for the Bose 901 sound test by Tone Pub to be published....


A couple Bose 901 questions:

Although the 901 has received a few minor modifications over the years, it is still quite similar to the original model of 1968. Are there any other speakers currently in production that have been around as long? Is there any other Bose product that has been in production as long as the 901?

 

One major redesign. Many minor changes to the equalizer. Incompatibilities between some versions and equalizers from other versions. Basic principle remains the same.

 

Might be longer if you are driving for Marussia or HRT.

 

Klipschorn.
Made since the 40's I believe.

 

I think it is the longest continuous run of any audio product. Although it is kind of a marketing issue. not that it is an audio product but I would argue that the Leica M series film cameras are as much the same product as the Bose 901s but Leica chose to designate a new number for every incarnation they felt warrented such designation. But I feel pretty confident in asserting that an M3 form the mid fifities is more similar to a new 2012 MP than a 1968 Bose 901 is to a 2012 Bose 901.

How long have the obvious competition for the 901s, the Vandersteen 2Ces been around starting with the Vandersteen 2s? I think the 3 series from Magneplaner has been around quaite a while too. The Linn Sondek TT?

 

I believe the Vandersteen 2's entered production in 1977.

 

I am a long time subscriber of Stereophile magazine.

 

Hello to John Atkinson. I've always respected your work and your attempts to find measurable audio phenomenon and its correlation to the listening experience. Glad that you're on board here.

 

Thanks MilesSmiles, and to everyone else who made me welcome today.

I have to admit that the experience on the iPad is better than on a PC.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

 

Its an honor having you here! For 38 years, I've been a devoted to studying your "A" and "B" recommended gear list, and a consistent buyer from "D" list components (well, you know...). I've never once felt steered the wrong way by Stereophile's insightful reviews and it was your magazine's fondness for the Spica TC-50 helped me really learn to the music. Cheers and welcome!

 

I like print for reading in the sun (you can't use shades with an iPad) and I like electronic formats for other use cases. My preference is to have both - print and e-copy - but so far only the Economist allows that use case without jumping through too many hoops. Let me clarify - only the Economist among the magazines to which I subscribe allows this.

 

I've got a secondary home theater in my garage with a Bose system. Bought it in 1995.
It's fair for home theater, but boy does it suck for music.
Great marketing company!

 

Welcome, John

I've switched my Stereophile from print to Zinio/Ipad...still weighing the pros and cons of each format.

I find that I don't go back through Ipad mags as much as the print format ones...yet.

 

I didn't go back through them at all and that's part of the problem. The other part is that I stare at a screen all day at work and much of my free time due to my interests. I find some relief looking at a print magazine. I don't have an iPad, iPod or iPhone and at present don't feel moved to buy one. I will eventually, but not yet (in part due to the expense). Meanwhile I enjoy having print mags to go back through just to see what I have missed.

 

They ought to at least add a self-powered bass system (under @100Hz) to take the load - a big load - off of the receiver, since there are so few modern stereo receivers with gutsy amp sections.

 

Klipschorns have been around since the late 40s - the drivers have changed over time, but the folded corner horn concept has been there all along.

Klipsch's Cornwall and Heresy have been around since the 50's, and the La Scala has been produced since 1963.

 

I keep my copies of TAS in the bathroom for when nature calls. Other that that, I generally have better things to do... especially after their recent computer audio series.

FWIW, one of the few truly negative reviews I've read in Stereophile, at least in recent history, was for the Linn DSi. Bought one shortly after and love it to pieces! That said, I appreciate the measurements and the objectivist / subjectivist approach to reviewing, as well as the quality of writing.

 

TAS at 40K?

Looks like TAS is about 40K circulation. Same source (Echo Media) correctly lists Stereophile at 74K.

Bob