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AX September: Teacher and Innovator

September 4 2013, 13:01

We’d like to note the recent passing of world-renowned pro-sound innovator and longtime MIT professor Amar Bose. The sound and electrical engineer founded Bose audio company in 1964.

News of his death in July, at age 83, came as this issue was in production. Since that time, much has been written about Bose’s contributions. Jan Didden, editor/publisher of Linear Audio, will explore Bose’s legacy more deeply in an article in next month’s issue of audioXpress.

In the meantime, here is a small tribute to Bose. His many accomplishments include inventing the 901 Direct/Reflecting Speaker System in 1968. The speakers were among the first to utilize the space around them, producing a mix of direct and reflected sound that re-created the dynamics of concert hall acoustics. Other popular innovations followed, including the Bose noise-canceling headphones and the Bose Wave radio.

But Bose was also a committed and beloved teacher. In 2011, he gave MIT the majority of stock in the Bose company, as nonvoting shares. The dividends must be used to support MIT’s educational and research missions.

To hear Bose tell his own story, watch his 1996 talk titled “Experiences of an Academician in Industry,” available on the MIT website at http://video.mit.edu.

Regards,
Mary Wilson
editor@audioxpress.com

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