Bose enlists Kith’s Ronnie Fieg to redesign classic 901 speakers
2 mins read

Bose enlists Kith’s Ronnie Fieg to redesign classic 901 speakers

Bose is celebrating 60 years in business by bringing back the speaker system that helped put it on the map.

The Massachusetts-based audio company is working on a revised version of its first stereo speaker system, the 901. That in itself would be exciting enough, but the brand has tabs KeithRonnie Fieg to help revise the design.

Introduced in 1968, the 901 was company founder Amar Bose’s attempt to create a speaker system that could reproduce the sound of a live concert in the listener’s home. The unconventional system consisted of two floor-standing speakers with nine drivers each (eight of which were rear-facing) and an active equalizer that were only intended to be used together. The 901 was something of a hit and would be sold for 48 years before its fourth iteration was discontinued in 2016.

The news of Fieg’s involvement in the project comes from no less reliable a source than the Kith founder himself. In a post on Instagram earlier this week he wrote that he and designer Mark Jupiter collaborated on the speakers. Fieg’s post didn’t include audio details — though he did call out the original 901’s use of “direct and reflective sound” to deliver an immersive listening experience — but it did include photos showing off a mid-century modern look that will be familiar for anyone who ever saw the original installation. Later, Bose shared that the reborn system will be available in two wood finishes — whitewashed ash or natural air-dried walnut.

Why did Bose Fieg choose to collaborate? Well, the designer has proven to be particularly adept at subtly remixing classic designs, be it sneakers, watches or even cars, in a way that highlights what made them so special in the first place. The audio company witnessed this firsthand when it collaborated with Kith on a special edition of theirs Ultra open headphoneswhich unsurprisingly quickly sold out.

A close-up of the Bose X Kith 901 speaker system

Bose X Kith 901 speakers

ronniefieg/Instagram

Technical details are not all we are waiting for. Bose has yet to announce when the new 901 will be available and how much it will cost. Our guess is a lot, especially after BMX rider and Bose partner Nigel Sylvester indicated that only 12 units would be made available in a video posted on his Instagram account.