# Boston Acoustics Owners, Unite!



## infinitesymphony

Let's start a thread about one of the most underrated brands: Boston Acoustics. Which of their speakers do you own, which have you heard, and what are your experiences with them?


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## john_ops

Love my old HD8's... Sitting in my dining room providing jus' fine ambient music when eating dinner. Probably wouldn't do much more with them (they'll end up in my basement workroom when I get new living room floorstanders and move my old floorstanders into the dining room). But I like the way they sound. Not honest, but understated. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 J


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## infinitesymphony

Yep... I have a pair of HD-9s that will function as my rear surrounds when I get the surround system up and running. Not bad for inexpensive bookshelves.


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## meat01

I believe I used to have some HD8s and I was quite happy with them for a few years, until I bought some Paradigm Mini Monitors. The Mini Monitors had a lot more detail, but the HD8s were a good value.


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## soundboy

I had the Boston Acoustics CR-8 and it was one of the best bookshelf speakers I've ever heard. I compared it to the NHT SuperOne and Paradigm Mini-Monitor, both of which I've owed, and the Boston sounded the best to me. Don't know why I sold the Boston speakers.


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## marvelusjd

I have their CR series bookshelfs and center channel set up at home, and a pair of 6.5 speakers in the car. Love the Boston Acoustics!


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## happyangryhappy

Although not home speakers, I have 2 pairs of boston acoustics pro60's in my car and love them. They sound fantastic.


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## bubblegum

here I have a pair of CR7 in my living room since like for ever and so far they've given great service!


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## infinitesymphony

Wow, a lot of CR series owners. What were your reasons for choosing your particular CR instead of something else?


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## soundboy

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *infinitesymphony* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Wow, a lot of CR series owners. What were your reasons for choosing your particular CR instead of something else?_

 

In the late 90s, the main competitors to the Boston Acoustics CR8 were the NHT SuperOnes and the Paradigm Mini-Monitors. Since I owned all three sets of speakers, I was able to do some in-home comparisons between the brands. The NHT was great at imaging, but not much bass. The Paradigm had too much bass, despite being placed at 12 inches from the walls, for my room. The Boston strikes a fine balance between the three. I love the look of the speakers as well, especially with those metal grills.


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## milesbeyondjazz

I have been using the CR75 bookshelfs for my mains for a few years now and I love these speakers.Great sound for the money.Since I just bought a pair of Athena ASF2 floorstanders(which should arrive any day now)to use as my mains,the Bostons are going to become the rear speakers in my surround setup.Boston Acoustics makes great speakers.


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## infinitesymphony

Are there any VR or Lynnfield series owners out there in Head-Fi-Land?


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## CRESCENDOPOWER

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *infinitesymphony* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Are there any VR or Lynnfield series owners out there in Head-Fi-Land?_

 

I never owned them, but the VR 20s, and VR 30s were exceptional speakers for the money especially when mated with warm electronics. They also had an elegant beauty to them, which made them fit perfectly into a home theater. 
 I remember a couple of stores having price wars with each other. It was Boston Acoustics VR series vs. Polk Audio LS series, and discounts were huge.


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## Old Pa

I've always like the sound of Boston Acoustics in midfi. For years my supplemental TV speakers were small Bostons and sounded great. Now, I've got a three pice Boston system on my PC as well.


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## imported_Matt_Carter

Despite there slightly plasticy signature. Yes, Boston Acoustics are quite impressive speakers.

 IMO, they're Bose done better.


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## Old Pa

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Matt_Carter* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_IMO, they're Bose done better._

 

Now there's your basic "damning by faint praise".


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## Solitary1

Man, I haven't owned Bostons in years (other than the Pro10s I had in the trunk of my car).

 I was the proud owner of the speaker that made Boston Acoustics, the venerable A40. What a great speaker for $150 a pair. They would still stand up to most budget mini monitors, I would venture to say.


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## infinitesymphony

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Matt_Carter* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Despite there slightly plasticy signature. Yes, Boston Acoustics are quite impressive speakers.

 IMO, they're Bose done better._

 

If you're talking about Boston Acoustics's plastic computer speakers, then yes, that's understandable.


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## infinitesymphony

I'm really, really interested to hear BA's new flagship speaker, the E100... I don't think they've ever made a speaker with as many drivers.











 The MSRP is $2,500 each, plus the stands (which cost extra), bringing the total cost for a pair to over $5,000... Whew.

 Six 5-1/4" woofers, two 5-1/4" midranges, 1 tweeter in the front, 1 switchable tweeter in the back.

 The first picture is from a recent eBay auction where the pair + stands were being sold for $2,700 plus shipping. Wish I had the money!


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## infinitesymphony

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Solitary1* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Man, I haven't owned Bostons in years (other than the Pro10s I had in the trunk of my car).

 I was the proud owner of the speaker that made Boston Acoustics, the venerable A40. What a great speaker for $150 a pair. They would still stand up to most budget mini monitors, I would venture to say._

 

Apparently they do, because the A series routinely fetches over $100/pair on eBay (depending on the model).


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## pentachris

FYI-

Woot.com has BA CR65 bookshelf speakers on sale for $150 today.

 If you're not familiar with woot.com, it's a "one deal, one day" website, so if you visit the site after today (4/6/7) don't expect to find them. Order up to three of whatever they've got that day, shipping is always $5 no matter what the item is or how many you order.

 I've ordered several things from them and always been satisfied. Sometimes the shipping is a bit slow, but usually the deals are so good that the slight delay is worth it.


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## infinitesymphony

Very cool... A decent price for a pair of budget bookshelf speakers. Thanks for sharing. I normally hear about Woot for their computer part sales.


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## sschell

My primary are BA A150s, which were free via craigslist. Can't believe how much I lucked out on that deal. I too have access to a pair of A40s (used in the kitchen), and agree that they are an excellent bookshelf.


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## xmetal2001

Pair of VR-970's towers here. Love them. VR-10 Center for the HT.


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## rune-san

I own a BA635 2.1 computer speaker system way back from 1998. Got it with my first comp, a Gateway G6-350 system  I love em still, though since replaced, they had tight bass, and just sounded great. They are in storage to be used when i need spare speakers.. I would never give them away for free.. they sound too good 

 BTW, first time poster, glad to be here ^_^


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## spyrius

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *happyangryhappy* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Although not home speakers, I have 2 pairs of boston acoustics pro60's in my car and love them. They sound fantastic._

 

Heck yeah! I have pro60s. They're beautiful. If only I could get them angled properly. Stupid door panels. I also have some 6x9's in the back, don't remember the model number.


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## OptionTrader

For my home theater, I have:

 (2) VR-M60 (front)
 (2) VR-M50 (rear)
 (2) VR-MX (side-surround)
 (1) VR-MC (center)
 (1) PV-1000 Subwoofer

 Very happy with them. They are driven with a Denon AVR-5803 receiver.


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## infinitesymphony

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *OptionTrader* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_(2) VR-M60 (front)
 (2) VR-M50 (rear)
 (2) VR-MX (side-surround)
 (1) VR-MC (center)
 (1) PV-1000 Subwoofer_

 

Sweet... That's the whole VR-M bookshelf reference series! I imagine it's very tonally-matched. I'm using VR-M60s as my main speakers with an integrated amplifier, and they perform very well despite the lack of a subwoofer.

 Have you heard the VR-M90s? I'm interested to hear how they compare to the VR-M60s.


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## infinitesymphony

'ello again, BA owners.

 Have any of you heard the E100 tower speakers yet?

 What about the AVR7120 receiver?


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## Orcin

I still like my circa-1989 BA T830's. They have a very neutral sound with solid bass response. They are reasonably efficient also. The look is kinda dated though, but then again so am I.


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## OptionTrader

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *infinitesymphony* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Sweet... That's the whole VR-M bookshelf reference series! I imagine it's very tonally-matched. I'm using VR-M60s as my main speakers with an integrated amplifier, and they perform very well despite the lack of a subwoofer.

 Have you heard the VR-M90s? I'm interested to hear how they compare to the VR-M60s._

 

Sorry. Haven't heard the VR-M90s yet. I would like to audition the E100s as well someday.


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## infinitesymphony

Does anyone have experience with BA's subwoofers? For example:

 VR500
 VR2000

 PV500
 PV600
 PV700
 PV800
 PV900
 PV1000







 XB2
 XB4
 XB6
 XB8


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## ccotenj

i have z6's in my car... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 none at home though...


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## DigiPete

Home Theater:

 Fronts: VR2s
 Center: VR910
 Surrounds: 3x CR65s

 driven by Denon 3930ci to a Denon AVR-3806

 Very happy with the system. But the VR2s sound bright to me,
 but I tolerate them because the room equalization system
 in the Denon receiver tames them to what I would call neutral.
 But again the VR2 speakers are less than $800 for the pair, so for the
 price you can't complain.

 The bookshelves beat out every other small speaker I heard
 at the Good Guys superstore in Glendale Ca.


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## infinitesymphony

Has anyone heard the VR-M90s?

 Or would anyone else like to share their experiences about other models?


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## tbonner1

Am I the only one that thinks most of the BA speakers are high priced? They are fair traded at chain stores like their competitor, Bose.

 Chain stores make very little margin on electronics(even at list around 15%) and depend on fair traded speakers that are marked up 50-100%.


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## infinitesymphony

I don't see how you can call Bose a competitor. Boston Acoustics doesn't even sell their higher-end speakers at chain stores. I also don't know what you mean by "fair-traded."

 This thread is called "Boston Acoustics Owners, Unite!" Do you own any Boston Acoustics speakers? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I'll agree that the MSRPs can be a little high, but you'll barely ever see those from an actual dealer.


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## soundboy

The latest CR series speakers are being discontinued. Anyone has experience with the CR77 bookshelf speakers?


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## infinitesymphony

No, but I've heard the CR57B at Circuit City, and if those cheap speakers are any indication of the upper-CR line's quality, they'll be pretty darned good for the price. Especially if you prefer soft dome tweeters to aluminum.


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## MrJoshua

I own a Boston Acoustics in-car amplifier and it's lovely.


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## manaox2

Oh yeah, got a great setup with these in the late 90s with my first premium desktop PC. I loved the sub, ended up replacing the satellite speakers though and used a new cable. These things had an awesome hit though.


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## infinitesymphony

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *manaox2* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Oh yeah, got a great setup with these in the late 90s with my first premium desktop PC. I loved the sub, ended up replacing the satellite speakers though and used a new cable. These things had an awesome hit though._

 

Was it the MediaTheater?


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## manaox2

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *infinitesymphony* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Was it the MediaTheater?_

 

No, its probably below that. Its the #BA375 speakers. You can buy them for $25 nowadays! hahaha

http://www.creative.com/products/pro...14097&bypass=1

 This is what I use nowadays. Got it on an insane deal for only $45 at Circuit City.


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## compuryan

At my hosue, we own a pair of VR965. We're using a really crappy receiver and its something I've always wanted to upgrade. The speakers are really underpowered, but still sound darn good.


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## SolomonPierce

Sorry to res this thread but just wanted to input, for anyone looking for their next car and wanting to stick with stock speakers... Dodge models / Chrysler from 08ish and on have a really decent Bosoton Acoustics setup for their class.  Better than the Bose in Caddys / Merc (if you don't get hk), but compared to similarly priced cars like they really shine.  Much better than Toyota's rice-paper speakers =P


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## Lenni

created by Karl Heinz Fink and Ken Ishiwata, Boston Acoustics introduces *m series* loudspeakers. anybody heard them? these seem promising for the mid-priced segment of the speaker market.
   
   

   
the M25


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## blasjw

I have some Boston A360s in my room.  For $399, I think they sound pretty damn good.  The bass is actually not bad either.  For rock music the bass is good enough, it's only when I listen to rap do I feel the need for a sub.
   
  On another note, I've always had a lot of respect for their car audio equipment and was sorry to hear they were leaving that market.  However, I was able to get a great deal recently on some nice equipment:
   
1. Boston Acoustics G110PD: 1 @ $139.99  MSRP  $329.95 ea.
2. Boston Acoustics GT-2125: 3 @ $109.99  MSRP  $299.95 ea.
   
Sadly, judging from their product line over the last few years it looks like it's moving lower and lower end.


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## blasjw

Received the new gear today and I couldn't be happier.  No just need to save up for two sets of Pro60SEs and I'll be all set.


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## givemeyourshoes

I fell in love with the rich, warm sound that comes out of my old CR-8s when paired with my 1974 Technics receiver. I jumped at the chance t buy a like new pair still with original packaging for $50. The end game is to pair them with an Oppo HA-1 and an SMSL SA50 And maybe a powered sub in the listening room as budget allows.


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## Gonuso

Back in 2000 I purchased a set of System 8000 5.1 speakers with powered sub. Still sounds awesome paired with my midrange Onkyo receiver. I can still remember auditioning several sets of speakers at The Good Guys and getting convinced by the sales guy that they were a much better deal than whatever speakers I was looking at. I don't remember what speakers they were, but I do remember that these came in about $300 cheaper and sounded pretty awesome in the theater room...
  
 Been thinking about moving that whole setup to my home office for my PC since thats where I do most of my watching of action movies and all of my gaming.
  
 (I don't like to watch violent or overly loud action movies in front of my 5 year old since she's old enough to get scared by them and precocious enough to want to keep interrupting the movie or argue about who gets to pick what's on the tv...)


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