RIP Boston Acoustics

Yes! My older siblings exposed me to books, music and art, all I cherish and love today. Art being at the top

 

I remember the BA speakers I had installed in my first car in the mid '80s, supporting the CD system I had installed. In particular, the rear speakers that were attached to the trunk partition of my liftback were a football-shaped pair of drivers (roughly 6" x 9"). They rocked.

Doug

 

You got the best deal on the planet, getting a pair of M-350's for $500, they originally retailed for five times that amount.

 

I would say that about half the speakers I own are either BA's or Polk's. I'm currently running the Polk LSiM707's as my front speaker's. I think they sound incredible and I don't even bother to run them with tubes, only a SS amplifier.

 

Boston VRM60's in front for the main system; Polk MSi-100's at the compyooter.

 

Me too, great speakers for the price i paid years ago.

 

Yes, for a while.

Early 90's they re-dedicated themselves to audiophile equipment with the R&D of the Lynnfield system, which resulted in the the impressive but appropriately-priced 500L and 300L. They were never positioned properly next to competitors in HiFi shops, though.

That research and drivers trickled down into other products, both with pretty cabinetry (VR-M50 thru VR-M90), and more practical systems (VR950). Somewhat unique was the VR960/VR965 and VR970/VR975 which had a built-in amplifier for the low frequency driver using a speaker "tap", giving the advantages of electronic crossover. The Lynnfield technology was even used in small speakers like Micro90x + sub, a Bose annihilator. (I have VR960 and VR965, along with Micro90x II/Micro90c/Micro80x).

Around 2000 the formerly USA models started to be made in Malaysia. Lower "CR" models became ubiquitous, and then China, and clock radios and sound bars and post-buyout corporate destruction by D+M Group under Bain Capital.

The VR series are very much "sleepers" in the used market, and are discovered by many 20 years too late to help the company. They are faithful and accurate, without a sound that jumps out at the common man who goes for the brightest TV. $1000 speakers might be discovered at 1/5 the original price.

 

This hobby is dying.

Whatever happened to Allison acoustics since the founder passed away?

 

I had a pair of A150s back in the day. They sounded great with my NAD 7020 receiver!

 

I dunno about that. The thing is, hardly anybody is EXPOSED to how good bigger/better speakers can sound. They get a bigger Bluetooth thing, or a Block Rocker, and they think that is the ultimate because basically they don't know any better.

 

The audiophile world will move on to active speakers probably with built in streamer like KEF LS50 Wireless.

Average Joe wants bluetooth mono speakers.

And the hipsters prefer Crosleys or vintage gear from ebay or thrift stores.

The classic hifi components and speakers will become even more a niche market in the future.

Moving to active speakers will be the dead of many smaller speaker / hifi brands ... because I suppose the production and research / technical knowledge will be financially impossible for them.

 

I've offered to set my daughter up with a hifi for her room, but she declined. She likes using her headphones. My guess is she likes the escapism and in-head experience that headphone use provides. At least I was "allowed" to set her up with a decent pair of Sennheisers, which she appreciated.

She's about to start college in a few weeks, and I casually mentioned how fun it was when I set up my hifi in the dorm room, making new friends through shared musical interest. She didn't take the bait, LOL.

Her boyfriend, on the other hand, seems very interested in my hifi, but he's been too shy to come right out and ask to hear it, heh heh.

 

I still use some HD7's in a second system. Always impressed with their natural sound.

 

Boston was one of my favorite lines when I worked in mobile audio. They had high sensitivity and sounded far more natural than some of the competition - as long as they were driven by class AB.

 

Bought my BA M-350's on your recommendation. Would love to find some open box M surrounds and center to match my set. Using their A series for surrounds and center now.

 

Just keep an eye out for them on eBay listings.

Here is a last pair that this seller has.

BOSTON ACOUSTICS MSURROUND M SURROUND SPEAKERS ( PAIR ) MSURROUNDS $399


Consider jumping on these brand new M-Surround's. The M-series was discontinued years ago. Doubtful that you will find any "open box" units laying around?

The M-Center's are scarce as hen's teeth! I am amazed that I found one.

BTW, how are you liking your M-350's?

 

So tempting, but I got the A series pretty recently. Loving the M-350's! Upgraded to a cheap tube preamp for my turntable (Pro-Ject DS) and they sound phenomenal.

 

Consider that the average consumer buys small speakers for rear's or surround's.

Well and good, but I don't see anything extra special about their tiny surrounds or rears. Your "A's" would serve the same purpose just fine.

Most people have the room only for smaller surround's or rear's, so that's what they purchase.

I use rear speakers for both 5.1 surround sound HT and also for 2-channel stereo.

Since the beginning, I have always used towers for the rears.

Originally, I bought a pair of Polk Monitor 60's Series II for the rear channels.

Then, I changed them out for the flagship of the Klipsch Icon series, WF-35's, which were discontinued, the same as the BA's. They were originally $1,500/pair. I bought them on clearance sale through NewEgg for $600/pair.

With all the upgraded audio gear, I decided to box up the WF-35's and replace them with the BA M-350's, which I am totally happy with.

The sound is much fuller and less harsh than the Klpsch and bigger and deeper bass too.

If you are running a 5.1 system with two rear speakers, be sure that you do not set them up as "rear channel" speakers, even though they have been placed at the rear of the room.

When 7.1 came in, the speakers on the sides became the "surround's" and if you have speaker's in the rear, they become the "rear channel" speakers and not the system surrounds. In your system configuration, you would set the rear channel speaker's to none. This way, any program information that would be normally directed to the "rear's" is redirected to the side surround's. Which, in the case of a 5.1 system would actually be your rear speakers.

So glad that you are enjoying your M-350's. When they were on final clearance, they were the best speaker deal on the planet!

 

Still have my A60s which I bought from Bill Inglot back in the 80s. Hooked them up to my Decware Rachael amp and was impressed. Still won't take over the Omega 7s, but it gave them a good run for the money.

 

For fans of the CR series, here's a discussion of them with informative contributions by a former Boston employee.

 

Just some information from Engadet, from 3/1/17.

Polk Audio parent company nabs Hi-Fi brands Denon, Marantz

There's big news for audiophiles: Sound United, the company behind Polk Audio and Definitive Technology, has purchased D+M Group, the owner of Denon, Marantz and Boston Acoustics brands. That will let Sound United, a company mostly known for speakers, sell some of the best-known (and priciest) receivers and home theater systems around.

BA doesn't have the market presence that it had in years past and now days was mostly selling very entry level speakers after failing to move up into the more audiophile and higher end home related speakers after the failure of their newly announced flagship M-Series several years back.

Truthfully, they were just a shadow of what they were in years past.

 

What killed the company? The boardroom thought that you could buy out an American company, gut the staff and sell off the assets, and have your product not just built, but designed, in China. What makes you think the Chinese even need you as part of this equation?

Late-model service manual:

 

My kid, who admittedly has argumentative issues, claims that the sound coming out of phone is "fine" and that she can't tell a difference between files played off it vs. CDs played through my $2000 speakers. I'm just glad she is horrified by her classmates who play earbuds at volumes loud enough for everyone else in the room to hear. She's only in 9th grade and said some of her friends are already suffering hearing loss.

 

Most audio files I know come out ear buds.

 

Spell check makes an ass out of me once again.