Bose 601 Series III Stereo Speakers Audiophile Direct Reflecting

This is a pair of Bose 601 Series III Direct Reflecting speakers from sometime during the production run in the mid 80s, I'm not sure of the exact year.

Unlike traditional floor standing speakers, which pointed the tweeters directly at the listener's ears, Bose used a "Direct Reflecting" approach. Attempting to recreate the feel of a large concert hall, Bose engineers pointed the tweeters at the walls and ceiling of the room, allowing the sound to bounce around the space before reaching the listener. Anecdotally, I can say that this approach works surprisingly well! They sound huge, with a filling sound that appears to come from all around you, rather than directly in front of you. The sound profile is warm, which works especially well with Jazz or 70s-80s Rock, for which I imagine it was designed. (See the video with Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage", from the album "Dark Side of The Moon".)

They sat in storage for awhile before use, and the wood veneer shows its age through various minor surface imperfections, nearly all of which are on the back side of the towers. The fabric covers have aged surprisingly well, with only the top right cover showing any cracking in its underlying frame, though both could use a good cleaning. The woofers and tweeters are in great condition, producing clear highs and strong bass, and their foam surrounds have ample give.