Bose Is Reviving Its Legendary Loudspeakers from the 1960s

Today, Bose is best known for its noise-canceling headphones, wireless speakers and home theater systems, but the American audio company has a storied history in loudspeakers, too. In fact, the Bose 901s — first released in 1968 — are some of the most revered loudspeakers of all time.

And while Bose is far from prominent in the passive loudspeaker space these days, it’s teaming up with Kith — the NYC-based lifestyle and fashion brand — to resurrect its iconic 901 speaker system as part of the company’s 60th-anniversary celebrations.

Kith x Bose 901 Speaker System

Ronnie Fieg

1968 origins

When Bose released its 901 speakers in 1968, they looked and sounded like nothing else.

Each speaker had a pentagon-shaped cabinet that housed nine 4-inch full-range drivers, but interestingly, only one was front-firing. The other eight drivers were rear-firing and angled to reflect off the walls behind.

This innovative speaker design helped the 901s deliver a more immersive sound with a vast soundstage that most closely recreated what it was like to listen to music live at a concert.

Ronnie Fieg

A modern collab

As part of Bose’s 60th anniversary — the company was founded in Massachusetts in 1964, just four years before it released the original 901s — it’s enlisted the help of Ronnie Fieg, Kith’s founder and creative director, to reimagine the loudspeakers for modern times.

Fieg posted the announcement on his Instagram page, saying: “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.”

(Note: Kith and Bose have collaborated several times in the past, most recently on an “extremely limited-edition” version of its Ultra Open Earbuds.)

Ronnie Fieg

A vintage classic, refined

The revived Bose 901 speakers maintain the vintage appeal of the originals, but have a modern luster and elevated accents. To achieve this, Fieg enlisted the help of custom furniture designer Mark Jupiter, who, according to Fieg, has “handcrafted the furnishings in my home and in Kith stores around the world.”

The speakers will come in two different wood finishes: white ash or natural walnut. Unlike the originals, the revived 901 speakers have brass stems and round wooden bases.

It’s unknown how the specs of the actual speakers have been modernized. At the time of writing, the only news comes from Instagram posts from Ronnie Fieg and Bose’s official account.

Ronnie Fieg

Price and availability

As first revealed by Nigel Sylvester, a professional BMX rider who appeared in an announcement video for the Kith x Bose 901 speakers, only 12 of these modernized Bose 901 loudspeakers will be released.

Unfortunately, you’re out of luck if you’re looking to buy one. According to a Bose rep, the speakers will not be available for purchase as the collaboration is exclusive “for friends and family of Bose and Ronnie.”

Note: We updated this article with the above pricing and availability information.

To see more images of the Kith x Bose 901 Speaker System, check out Ronnie Fieg’s or Bose’s posts on Instagram.

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