Boston Acoustics 2 way or 3 way?

[moreira85]

I currently have a Boston Acoustics VR 910 center channel (2 way). I am looking to buy a set of floor standing loudspeakers. Obviously I want to match the two front wth my center channel so I will probably be going with a set of VR series for the front speakers. I have noticed that the VR 950s have had good reviews and I can get them for 225$ however they are only 2 way speakers. The Boston acoustics 3 way speakers seem really expensive and my question is how much of a difference is there between 2 way and 3 way? is it like night and day?? or should I go with the VR 950s.
Can you recomend any.
thanks!!

 

[sholling]

I've owned VR 950s and they have absolutely no deep bass, not even enough for mainstream music. You will seriously want a good subwoofer to round them out and to bring out the best in them. But when paired with a good quality sub the 910s do sound pretty darn good, and you're going to want a good sub for movies anyway. BTW you know that these are long discontinued right? $225/pr for used is about right.

FYI: The newer VR3 is a huge improvement and can be picked up brand new on ebay for under $800/pr delivered. The difference is night and day and the dark cherry finish looks sweet.

I've owned a VR910 and it works well with either tower. I sold them as a set and picked up the older VR10 3-way, but it really wasn't necessary.

 

[moreira85]

Vr2?

thanks for the input, i do have a good sub, PV1000, dual 10,s, however i think you answered my question thanks!!!!!! I know you said the V3 is a big step up, how is the V2 / i have heard it is similar to the v3?

 

[sholling]

thanks for the input, i do have a good sub, PV1000, dual 10,s, however i think you answered my question thanks!!!!!! I know you said the V3 is a big step up, how is the V2 / i have heard it is similar to the v3?

I haven't heard the the 2.

 

[tomd51]

Actually, I think the VR2s might be a better match for the 910, the VR3s might overpower it a bit. I previously owned a 920, which paired well w/VR3s, but I'm currently using a VR12 center, which is a great match for them... -TD

 

[sholling]

I don't dispute what you say but I'm not quite sure what you mean by overpower. I'm curious. But then again I run the VR3s as small with a serious subwoofer to handle most of the LFE anyway. With the speakers properly balanced this seems to work nicely. BTW that VR12 is an awsome center.

OP, the key to a quality system is the mains. Get the best you can afford, and build around those as money allows.

 

[dentman67]

Moreira, I was running four VR950'S with with a vr920 center ch in my system for about 3 years . My brother had the VR-2's in his system . The VR-2's/3's will play lower no doubt but they give up a little in midrange detail . I've measured the in room freq responce of both speakers in my old theater room and the VR-950'S have a smoother freq responce then the 2's did .

To say the 950's are very bass shy is not accurate , my in room freq responce showed that they could play cleanly down to around 46hz @ 89db with a fairly steep roll off from there . For people who like to listen to music without boosted bass this is fairly respectable . One thing that has to be kept in mind is that my room was fairly small , larger rooms will not yeild the same results . Also note that I always have my speakers pulled out a couple of feet from both the side walls and the rear walls . Had the speakers been tucked in a corner near the rear wall like many have then the in room bass responce would have even measured a little better but at the cost of sound quality.

I will try to post the freq responce charts that were just made of a side by side test between my new DIY speakers and the Bostons . The first test I did with between the two Bostons were done on a stand alone RTA so the results were not saved to a computer.

 

[dentman67]

Dont get too hung up on the 2-way VS 3-way thing , some of the best speakers made are 2-ways . If your going to use a sub which you should there are some very large advantages to keeping the low freq's out of your main speakers , the least of which not being is that you can place a sub where you will get the best bass responce for your room. Where you place your front speakers will almost never be the best location for smooth even bass .
Also when buying large speakers at the lower to middle price points in most cases you will be giving up midrange quality due to the price point restraints of the manufacturer. Personally I would much rather have a $1000.00 pair of bookshelf speakers and a sub then a 1k pair tower speakers . It took me along time to give into this way of thinking but over the last few years I have become friends with a person who has built and desighned speakers for many of the most popular speaker brands out there. Once the technical details were explained to me along with the marketing aspect it all made sense.

 

[tomd51]

I don't dispute what you say but I'm not quite sure what you mean by overpower. I'm curious. But then again I run the VR3s as small with a serious subwoofer to handle most of the LFE anyway. With the speakers properly balanced this seems to work nicely. BTW that VR12 is an awsome center.

OP, the key to a quality system is the mains. Get the best you can afford, and build around those as money allows.

I suppose "overpower" might not be the best terminology in this instance...

What I was trying to impart was that I think the VR2s might be a closer match from a driver perspective for the VR910. While I don't have any experience w/the 910 paired up w/my VR3s, from previous experience, even with proper level matching, I have a feeling the 910 may seem a bit recessed and may be better suited paired with the VR1s or VR2s.

The VR12 is a heck of a center, no qualms w/it whatsoever regardless of the source (movies, multichannel music, etc.). At one point I owned a VR920 that also performed pretty well with the VR3s, but possibly for the same reason I mentioned above, the VR12 seemed to integrate more seamlessly.

I would also have to agree that the rest of your system should be built around your mains and not the other way around. Just my 2¢... -TD

 

[moreira85]

Vr2/ Vr3

thanks for all the input folks, I am pretty knowledgable when it comes to home theatre but I am not an expert at all and appreciate all the feedback.
Does anyonelse have any input with the VR2 vs the BA VR3, i tested out the VR2s in the store and they sounded really good but i only had the chance to listen to music because they didnt have it hooked up to a DVD, but did not seem to have a lot of base, I am assuming that in home theatre you want all the base to come from your sub which I have the BA PV 1000 is that correct?

I have the Sony STR DE875 6.1, 5x100, I have heard a lot of talk about amplifiers, is it necessary to run an amp to any of my speakers or to my sub or is the Reciever strong enough to power them. the sub sounds really good when i watch movies on DVD but whnen i watch tv it is not that strong. I am new to the ampilfiers and not really sure If i need one or what speakers they are used for.

I know i have a lot of questions but in summary
1. VR2 vs VR3?
2. Bass in the mains or in the sub?
3. Is my reciever strong enough to power the sub and my BA mains or do I need an amp.

 

[tomd51]

1. If you can swing the VR3s, you won't be disappointed if you liked the sound of the VR2s.

2. You'll want the bass predominantly handled by your sub unless you have particularly capable towers. The VR3s are good down to 40Hz, so you can do both if you prefer. I run my VR3s large w/the Outlaw ICBM w/the crossover set to 60hz only for multichannel music (DVD-As, SACDs, etc) which allows all the bass down to 60Hz to be output from both the mains and sub, but for movies an all other source, I use the receiver's crossover setting of 80Hz and run them as small, diverting anything under 80Hz to my SVS.

3. You'll want a powered sub, powering a passive sub w/a receiver would be very hard on the receiver and due to most subwoofers being active (w/amplification built in), this will be your best option. I would do some critical listening for a few weeks w/the new speakers before deciding if you want to add an external amp to your setup as you may not need it. -TD