You've settled into a nest of Bose bashers here. I have 901s and have enjoyed them, but I'm moving on. Are there better speakers for the money -- absolutely, many. Are there speakers that will make a $150 big box store amp sound better --I kind of doubt it. For folks investing thousands of dollars in an audio system, Bose is not the answer. Also, you need to be aware that 901s use an active equalizer that makes it extremely difficult to use them in an HT system unless you use a separate preamp or processor. Fact is, these things need a tape loop which you will no longer find on 99% of the integrated HT amps out there. So, my advice if you plan to use these for HT is forget it and buy something else. And if you have a mid-range or high end system, there are plenty of other, better options. That's my objective opinion. Let the bashing begin.
the 901 are horribly overpriced midfi (at best) speakers with muddy lows and shrill highs. They are almost impossible to place properly, but do sound decent when placed well. These speakers are more dependent on the room than anything else to reproduce sound due to the way they radiate.