I have ancient but good condition Pioneer M90 and C90 amplifiers and Bose 901 speakers, but have never been able to get decent bass reponse. Is this a hookup problem or a compatibility problem?

Bose 901 speakers are designed to use with the Bose equaliser patched between the pre-amplifier out and power-amplifier in of your receiver. Having said that, Bose did not invent EQ, neither is EQ a mystical process. Not sure which series 901s you are talking about, but I would definitely be experimenting with the built-in EQ supplied with your Sony DA5800 ES. The manual says you have +/- 10 dB of adjustment for treble and bass for each of the surround channels. That is not really adequate in my opinion, not only would I be seeking +/- 15 dB, but I would also like to be able to apply those adjustments at frequencies chosen by me, not just 'treble' and 'bass' To use the Bose EQ, it needs to be patched between a preamp output and power amp input. The Sony DA5800 ES has preamp outputs, so you could use these (Note that the built-in EQ is disabled when using these outputs) In this case you could either feed the signals back into the Sony (post Bose EQ) perhaps using a different 'Zone'. As an alternative option, you could power your 901's with a stand-alone two channel power amplifier. Then you get the full benefit of the Bose EQ as well as the surround sound from your Sony (front L+R speakers off) It all sounds like a lot of fun. Happy listening! Cheers, Don.

You can do this however you will need a separate power amplifier.

See notes here: https://deercreekaudio.com/blogs-%26-updates/f/connecting-your-eq901-to-an-audio-video-receiver-avr

1. Connect the pre-out main left and right to the EQ901 inputs 1 and 2, and the EQ901 outputs 1 and 2 to the power amplifier inputs left and right
2. Connect your 901 speaker to the power amplifier outputs

The equalized signal will now play through the front left and right speaker outputs in the stereo and home theater modes.

The manual is at Bose.com.

In any question regarding connections the exact models of all parts in the scenario should be defined.

"Pioneer amplifier" is not unique nor revealing. Integrated amplifer? Power amp? Tape Loops available? Pre-Outs? What's involved as a preamp?

The key thing to know is that any amplifier channels driving 901's must not drive other speakers as the Active EQ severely modifies the Line Level source input. If the EQ (or any sound processor) is used in a Tape Loop on a modern multichannel digital-audio-capable AVR, ONLY 2-channel analog sources will function when the Tape Loop is engaged; and all downstream speakers will be affected by the processing. That's par for the AVR course.

Bose 901 use in multichannel applications (which I have) will require access to Pre-Amp outputs for the chosen channels (likely the Front) and you will need to get a separate amp for the 901's, placing the EQ in series with the chosen amplifier. I currently drive mine with a Carver MT-200T.

Ideally, an amplifier or receiver should have either a "Tape Monitor" selector switch and Tape Input & Tape Output jacks, OR have Preamp Output & Amp Input jacks to enable insertion of the Bose Active equalizer into the circuit before the amplifier stage. Power requirements - according to the 901 Series VI manual:

"Your 901 speakers are designed to work compatibly with receivers or amplifiers rated from
10 to 450 watts per channel."

If you have questions not answered by the manual, you can contact customer service at The Bose Corporation in Framingham, MASS toll free at:

1-800-999-2673
Hours of operation:
7 AM - 2 AM ET, 7 days a week

I hope this helped & good luck!

If they're all Bose 301-5's then you have the rare instance of matching speakers all around, so when sounds move around the room in a movie they don't change. I'm envious because even though I have Bose 901's (front) and 301's I don't have that exact match you have. The 301 sound is very good to my ears.

I assume you have them all set as LARGE speakers in the Pioneer, since they are capable of good bass and the parameter is more about Bass response than actual size.

If you added a subwoofer (which you may not need) you might fill in the lowest bass and effects channel.

The 901 Active Equalizer comes with some bass and midrange adjustment for tayloring them to your environment and taste.

Your question is about personal preference, which none of us could possibly answer.

Since any amplifier worth its salt should just make the sound BIGGER without coloring it, your question is moot. What you want is NOT a quality amp. Maybe an equalizer?

By all-in-one amplifier that handles the surround I think you mean all-in-one receiver or preamp. Amps are just big dumb muscular power supplies for speakers.

The source control and digital decoding could be handled by a modern AV receiver with multichannel analog outputs for driving separate amps or you could get a digital AV preamplifier/control unit functionally like this Adcom. Prepare for sticker shock.

http://hdtvdreams.com/Adcom-GTP-870HD-7.1-Multi-Channel-Processor/Preamplifier-GTP870HD.aspx

Understand that EACH PAIR of Bose 901's will require its own DEDICATED two channels of amplification AND someplace to jack in its Active Equalizer - between the line level source and the power amp.

Conventional speakers can probably run off the receiver's amplifiers since they don't/can't/must not have the Bose Active EQ in line with them.

Having a single pair of 901's plus a passive subwoofer or two in the same room for accurate 6- or 7.1 surround would require at least four stereo amps or some combination that adds up to 8 channels.

In my own system I have a Pioneer VSX-36TX Receiver (with 5 potential channels of amplification for Left, Right, Center, two Surrounds) doing light duty as the control and routing center but ONLY driving the Center (two Kenwood 777's) and Surround speakers (Bose 301's). I have a Carver 5-channel amp pushing the Bose 901 Front speakers (100Wx2), two dbx Subwoofers (110Wx1) and the Bose 301 Rear Surround speakers (60Wx1).

You could probably get by with a powerful 2-, 3- or 4-channel amplifier to push the 901's and subwoofer(s) as I did. It's the cheapest way out if you get a decent AV receiver. Once you set up the levels and delays the receiver does all the thinking and controlling for you.

I would recommend a high power 2-channel amplifier, minimum 16 guage speaker wire, and of course the Bose 901 active EQ that matches the series of your speakers. I use a Yamaha mx-830 power amp & cx-830 pre amp 170 wpc They (Bose) claim that they're unlimited power handling, But if you use a amplifier with to little power and overdrive it to make it louder, you could damage the speakers or amp. With my 170 watt class A amp,the 901 series 6 will blow wind across the room. Go with the best amp you can afford! best for money- Yamaha,Denon,Onkyo!

the audio output of C90 control amp.is in the>INPUT of your pioneer M90 power amp.
message me if ever not ok..

Option 1: Adding a Separate Power Amplifier - Best Option

https://deercreekaudio.com/blogs-%26-updates/f/connecting-your-eq901-to-an-audio-video-receiver-avr

This option requires that you add a separate power amplifier.
1) Connect the pre-out main left and right to the EQ901 inputs 1 and 2, and the EQ901 outputs 1 and 2 to the power amplifier inputs left and right
2) Connect your 901 speaker to the power amplifier outputs
3) The equalized signal will now play through the front left and right speaker outputs in the stereo and home theater modes.