Boston Acoustic VR1

[ragged]

I can get a pair for $250.00 Problem is, I would have to really save to buy the other matching speakers for 5.1/7.1. Any opinions?

 

[tomd51]

It really depends on if you like the sound of them and BAs in general. I've always been fairly fond of the Boston Acoustic sound and after finding an excellent deal on some, I recently purchased a pair of VR3s and so far after a few months, I can say I'm quite pleased with their musical and HT performance. If you were to round out a 5.1/7.1 setup, you could use something similar to the following:

-CR line of bookshelfs for your surrounds/surround backs (VR55s, 65s, 67s or 77s either used or new. Surrounds aren't necesssarily as critical about timbre matching than your front soundstage (Left, Right, Center), so choosing from some others may be an option as well.

-used VR10, VR910, VRC, VR920 or VR12 (listed smallest to largest to match the VR1s) for your center from eBay, Audiogon or one of the 'For Sale' threads on a home theater forum. The older VR920 and VR12s are some of the best centers you'll hear from Boston Acoustics.

If you do like the sonic characteristics of BAs, consider these listed above to round out your 5.1/7.1 setup as well as a small to medium sized room subwoofer, depending upon the size of the room you intend to use it in. I was able to gather some decent information and get some good feedback from others here on choosing a subwoofer for a small to medium sized room that would give me the best "bang for the buck". Here's a link to this thread.

Any questions, just let me know.. -TD

 

[JEidt]

Check these options out

Good price on those VR1's.

Check out the CRC Center at your local Boston dealer - Most offer a 10 to 15 % discount from the $ 399 list price.
A 5.1 recommendation made by varoius Boston dealers included The VR1 Configuration along with a CRC Center & 2 Boston MR110's for $ 100 each. Keep in mine, my HT space is 10 x 12 feet. Hope this helps.

For a 7.1 set up & If your area is much larger - go with bravo bookshelfs for surrounds & the Boston MR110's for rear surround. This will complete 7.1 system.

For a sub - Check out HSU or SVS - I recently purchased a HSU VTF-2 MK2 sub for $ 475.00 shipped.

Good luck - Back to shoveling more snow.

 

[tomd51]

While the CRC would save you money, if you don't mind used or refurbished, I would suggest something a bit more powerful. By buying used or refurbished, you can get one of the models I'd mentioned for close the the same or cheaper than a new CRC and considering this is where most of the soundtrack for HT is handled, you want to keep your center as a strong point in your speaker system.

The micros are nice sounding speakers and a good solution in a predominantly HT configuration, but if you're considering any type of multichannel music, I would suggest a pair of surrounds with a deeper frequency response. A new pair of CR75s can be found at Audio Advisor for $175 here.


As JEidt mentioned, if you're listening environment is a small sized room, you may be able to save some money and go with the micros or some of the smaller form factor speakers for surrounds. The Bravos are a great solution in small to mid-sized applications, but are rather expensive. considering you're going with the entry level towers, I'd assume you'd like to keep as close to the cost of the mains (or less) as possible for the surrounds.

The SVS or HSU suggestions are also top notch (I own a 20-29 PCi myself and love it), but again, only being able to guess at what your budget may be, the SVS PB10 or HSU VTF-2 is likely more than you're willing/able to spend at this time.

If you're able to provide room dimensions and listening habits, we may be able to tailor the suggestions a bit better... -TD

 

[ragged]

Thanks for the info guys, I wasn't really planning on the BA's, but at that price I had to re-evaluate my HT. I am planning on an svs sub. Those cr75's at audio advisor are a good price, but they are a dark cherry finish. I guess I could always lightly sand them and rub them with some black shoe polish. I know it sounds crude, but the results are pretty good.

 

[tomd51]

If you're interested in the CR65 or 75s, they're on eBay for a pretty good price fairly frequently, probably cheaper than they are at Audio Advisor and you wouldn't have to mess w/the finish. Update: In fact, there's a pair on there right now, here's the link.

At one point, I was considering changing the laminate on a pair of speakers and buying the laminate at Parts Express, that might be a consideration, too... -TD