Bose Reveals New 901 60th Anniversary Edition Speakers

Bose Reimaged 901 Limited Edition Speakers - Only 12 Pairs!

As we recently reported, Bose Corporation stirred up quite a commotion in the high-end audio world when the company announced that it had acquired McIntosh Group, the parent company of both McIntosh and Sonos faber. Shortly after the announcement, Audioholics president Gene DellaSala posted a video discussing the iconic Bose 901 loudspeaker, which is easily one of the best-selling home audio products of all time, with a production period spanning multiple decades, beginning in 1968 and ending with the 901 Series VI speakers in 2016. Despite its enormous success, the 901 has always been somewhat controversial among audiophiles, owing to its unusual design. Each speaker uses nine identical full-range 4-inch drivers. Of these, only one fires toward the listener to deliver direct sound; the remaining eight drivers fire backward from the 901’s angled rear end. Bose’s goal for this design was to create a more immersive sound, similar to what one would hear in a concert hall, where reflections off the room’s walls and ceiling make up a significant part of what the audience hears.

Bose 901 Assembly (left pic) ; Bose 901 Rear Firing Drivers (right pic)

The degree to which the 901 achieves this goal (and whether it makes sense in the first place) has been the subject of much debate over the years. The speakers shipped with an equalizer box, intended to be placed between the user’s preamp and power amp. In his video, Gene discusses the original 901’s design, but also shows some teaser images of what appears to be a new, updated retro-chic 901. As soon as I saw a glimpse of these gorgeous speakers, I needed to know more. So, what are the new 901 speakers from Bose? Are they even real? Can I have them? The short answer is that, yes, they are real. But no, I can’t get a pair of my own, and sadly, neither can you — for now anyway. 

As part of Bose’s 60th anniversary, the company decided to revive the 901 by creating a limited-edition run of the original speakers, reimagined with a modern, elevated design. Bose wanted the new 901 to feel fresh, but still capture the vintage, 20th-century aesthetic that makes the 901 so appealing. Bose entrusted the creation of this timeless aesthetic to Ronnie Fieg and his fashion/lifestyle brand, Kith. Established in New York City in 2011, Kith began as a footwear retailer, and later expanded to streetwear and fashion. Kith now operates 15 locations around the world. Ronnie Fieg is Kith’s founder and creative director. Fieg turned to his friend, custom furniture designer Mark Jupiter, to assist with the design and execution of the new 901 speakers. The two are frequent collaborators. Jupiter has hand-built furniture for Kith stores across the globe, and even made the furnishings in Fieg’s own home.

Kith is known for its creative partnerships with other brands. In 2023, for example, the company worked with New Balance and The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to create a sneaker inspired by the famous architect’s signature color palette. Kith has even worked with Bose before; earlier in 2024, the two brands worked together to design a limited-edition version of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. But these new Bose 901 speakers are something truly special. Unfortunately, they are not being made available for purchase. Formally called the Bose 901 60th Anniversary Edition Speakers by Ronnie Fieg and Mark Jupiter, the speakers are “limited to 12 custom, commemorative sets of original 901 speakers, exclusively for our friends and family, refurbished in two finishes: white-washed ash wood and a natural air-dried walnut,” according to Bose. While I understand the allure of exclusivity, I think it’s a shame that such an intricate and beautiful design won’t be shared with the masses. Every detail of the design was carefully considered. Kith even sourced the same grey-tone fabric used for the original 901 speaker grilles in 1968. Nigel Sylvester, a professional BMX rider, appeared in an Instagram video showing off the modern 901 speakers’ gorgeous wood finishes, rounded wooden bases, and curved brass stems. He is one of the lucky 12 to receive a pair. 

If you’re half as meticulous about music and how it sounds as I am, you know the significance of the Bose 901 Speakers. To celebrate the brand’s 60th anniversary, I collaborated with Bose to reimagine the speaker. Since its debut in 1968, this speaker has stood as a pinnacle of audio engineering. For those that don’t know, the inception of the 901s was a result of Dr. Bose’s visionary pursuit to develop a speaker system that could replicate a live concert in his living room. They leveraged breakthrough technology that used a combination of both direct and reflecting sound to deliver the same immersive listening experience as live. When Bose approached me with the opportunity to redesign the speaker, I knew I wanted to work with my good friend Mark Jupiter. Mark has handcrafted the furnishings in my home and in Kith stores around the world, and I couldn’t imagine a better person to bring a fresh perspective to this project. Thank you, Jim, and the Bose team, for trusting me with my role as creative consultant and thank you Mark for continuously making my crazy ideas come to life.

— Ronnie Fieg, Founder of Kith

In an interview with Dezeen, the architecture, interiors, and design magazine, Fieg discussed the significance of the 901 and its timeless appeal. “The way people used to house these speakers in their home, I felt like they were more furniture pieces than anything else,” he said. Fieg went on to say that Bose “reinvented sound with these speakers,” but that the 901’s styling was just as important as their performance. “It’s that time to respect the design and understand how timeless it was, and all I’m trying to do is build around it because the 901 is iconic beyond words,” he said. Fieg set out to design “furniture that serves a function,” and said that turning to his friend Mark Jupiter was an obvious move. “Seeing his work, combined with the way I listen to music, it’s a natural progression of how we work together,” Fieg said. Kith is not known for designing furniture or home decor, and although retro-inspired speakers have become wildly popular in recent years, Fieg indicated that he was not jumping on any bandwagon by designing the 901 speakers. Instead, he simply allowed his own interest in music to steer him toward the collaboration with Bose.

There is no formula to this project. It’s not like I have an agenda of trying to bring furniture into what we do. These are, you know, items you have in your room that should be pleasant to look at. I think what has happened over the years is convenience has taken over the music industry, in the way that people view what music should look like, and what the speakers should look like, but I feel like that's gotten boring, for me. I’m very passionate about music. It's been the soundtrack to my life. So I want to beautify that.

— Ronnie Fieg

New Posh Phase for Bose Coming?

Despite the fact that the Bose 901 60th Anniversary Edition Speakers by Ronnie Fieg and Mark Jupiter are limited to just 12 pairs and will not be a commercially available product, the fact that Bose now owns Sonus faber leads me to suspect that we might see more high-style, high-end Bose products in the future. While I am not personally sold on the 901’s unusual acoustical design, I think Ronnie Fieg and Mark Jupiter have created something quite beautiful with these speakers. It also would not surprise me if Bose ended up re-launching the 901 using the 60th Anniversary design as a template. What do you think about these limited-edition speakers, and about the Bose 901 in general? Share your thoughts in the related forum thread below.