Bose 102-S (c. 1986–1989)
Not much is documented about the Bose 102-S. The record shows a professional installed-sound loudspeaker from Bose's 102 Series Commercial line. It came in flush-mount and surface-mount versions and was aimed at distributed audio, paging, and architectural installations, not home hi-fi. HiFi-Stereo (August 1989, p.67) noted 102-S/E speakers mounted flush in the ceiling of Wolfgang Puck's kitchen in the DIFFA show house. So they really were used as built-in architectural speakers, and not only sold off dealer shelves.
A January 1986 buyer's guide in the trade press gives the basic engineering. The driver is a 4.5-inch Bose helical voice-coil full-range unit in a ported enclosure. Impedance is 8 ohm without transformer, frequency response is 80 Hz - 18 kHz, and power handling is 25 watts. A 70-volt transformer was available for commercial distributed-audio systems. A closely related sibling, the 102P, shared the same enclosures and added passive equalization for retrofitting into non-Bose or small portable PA setups.
Known specs from that period listing:
- 4.5-inch Bose helical voice-coil full-range driver, ported enclosure
- Frequency response: 80 Hz - 18 kHz
- Impedance: 8 ohms (without transformer); 70V transformer optional
- Power handling: 25 watts
- Mounting: flush or surface mount
The surviving sources don't record exact production years, original pricing, or most other history. The 102-S appears in the trade press between 1986 and 1989, then quietly fades.
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