Boston Acoustics A 25 Speaker Review

[ROOSKIE]

After the HD series, they had several CR series speakers (CR6, CR8, CR9, and others), then another round of updated CR series (CR57, CR77, others). These would have been late 90s through the 2000s.

In the 2010s they had the RS series, which included the RS240 and RS260 bookshelf speakers and the RS326 towers.

Following the RS series was the M series in the mid 2010s, which included the M25 bookshelf, and the M340 and M350 towers, among others.

These were all mid-level speakers in their lineups.

The VS series of the early 2010s was their final flagship line and successor to their older VR and VR-M speakers. The VS series included VS240, VS260 bookshelf speakers, and VS336 towers. These used SB Acoustics woofers and SB Acoustics dimpled-dome tweeters.

My first real speakers were the CR8's and a 10" Boston sub powered by an HK stereo receiver.
Man did that all sound good to me at the time. (early-mid 90's)

I had several itineration's of Boston Acoustics Pro series car component speakers as well.

Really I owe Boston a debt of gratitude, their products got me into HiFi and Car-Fi both.

I used to want these, never got to hear them but sure seemed cool in 1994
Lynnfield 300L

 

[tecnogadget]

So glad to finally see a Boston Acoustics over here.
It made me very sad when Sound United decided to end the brand.
Especially considering how influential they have been in the car audio world, their innovative Lynnfield series, the legendary VR-M90, the highly praised Micro Reference 90, the aluminum 1” VR tweeter made in Peabody to phenomenally tight tolerances on their incredibly advanced robotic assembly line, their Amplitude Modification Device (AMD), VR-12 the industry’s very first three-way center channel speaker with its midrange and tweeter in a vertical line, to avoid the destructive picket-fencing horizontal radiation pattern that afflicted virtually every side-by-side M-T-M center speaker that existed at the time.

I will always carry the sound of Boston in my heart. On my first hifi system I had the VR1 columns, the bookshelf CR67 and CR57, and the Classic Series Sub10 subwoofer, all of them a real budget gem.

I was very curious abouthow the current mid-range of the A series compared to the CR series.
The last high range, the M series went unnoticed but whoever reads the pdf brochure will see that it is very interesting.

 

[Beave]

My oldest brother owned Boston A60 speakers and a Harman Kardon receiver back in the mid 1980s. That was my first introduction to hifi.

My other brother had a pair of A70 series IIs in the late 80s.

In the 90s I had a pair of HD8s.

After my HD8s went bad (foam surround dry rotted), I owned a pair of CR6s and CR8s, then RS260s, and then VS260s.

I thought the VS260s were clearly better than the CR6, CR8, and RS260.

 

[infinitesymphony]

After the HD series, they had several CR series speakers (CR6, CR8, CR9, and others), then another round of updated CR series (CR57, CR77, others). These would have been late 90s through the 2000s.

In the 2010s they had the RS series, which included the RS240 and RS260 bookshelf speakers and the RS326 towers.

Following the RS series was the M series in the mid 2010s, which included the M25 bookshelf, and the M340 and M350 towers, among others.

These were all mid-level speakers in their lineups.

The VS series of the early 2010s was their final flagship line and successor to their older VR and VR-M speakers. The VS series included VS240, VS260 bookshelf speakers, and VS336 towers. These used SB Acoustics woofers and SB Acoustics dimpled-dome tweeters.

Good info, and you're right, the VS series should count. My recollection is really more of an opinion than a complete history and leaves out plenty of lines both vintage and modern (T series, CS series, etc.). Maybe it's just my perception but I felt a shift in 2005, and after that point I never saw a higher-end BA speaker in person again. They seemed to be available online for a short amount of time and then got clearanced out not long after that, re: events like the fire sale @ROOSKIE mentioned. And of course, the Lynnfield VR tweeter disappeared too.

 

[ROOSKIE]

So glad to finally see a Boston Acoustics over here.
It made me very sad when Sound United decided to end the brand.
Especially considering how influential they have been in the car audio world, their innovative Lynnfield series, the legendary VR-M90, the highly praised Micro Reference 90, the aluminum 1” VR tweeter made in Peabody to phenomenally tight tolerances on their incredibly advanced robotic assembly line, their Amplitude Modification Device (AMD), VR-12 the industry’s very first three-way center channel speaker with its midrange and tweeter in a vertical line, to avoid the destructive picket-fencing horizontal radiation pattern that afflicted virtually every side-by-side M-T-M center speaker that existed at the time.

I will always carry the sound of Boston in my heart. On my first hifi system I had the VR1 columns, the bookshelf CR67 and CR57, and the Classic Series Sub10 subwoofer, all of them a real budget gem.

I was very curious abouthow the current mid-range of the A series compared to the CR series.
The last high range, the M series went unnoticed but whoever reads the pdf brochure will see that it is very interesting.

Yah, Boston was the jam back then for me.
I had that VR-12 and the whole surround rig. That center was huge for the times. Laser disk based as well.
Wow this thread is a real trip on audio memory lane for a few of us here 'eh?

 

[MZKM]

Preference Rating
SCORE: 3.3
SCORE w/ sub: 5.9

Sensitivity: 85.3dB (spec: 89dB)
Frequency response: +/-5.9dB 55Hz-20kHz ; +/-3.6dB 80Hz-20kHz

​

All graphs/data

 

[Beave]

Good info, and you're right, the VS series should count. My recollection is really more of an opinion than a complete history and leaves out plenty of lines both vintage and modern (T series, CS series, etc.). Maybe it's just my perception but I felt a shift in 2005, and after that point I never saw a higher-end BA speaker in person again. They seemed to be available online for a short amount of time and then got clearanced out not long after that, re: events like the fire sale @ROOSKIE mentioned. And of course, the Lynnfield VR tweeter disappeared too.

And I just remembered they also had the E series for a while, which was a nice series that included small and medium bookshelf speakers, and MTM bookshelf/center speakers, and really tall thin towers, the E100, that were their flagship speakers in the mid 2000s.

E series

You're right about their higher end lineups not being widely available. From what I remember, they were mostly available through online vendors (Crutchfield? Adorama? World Wide Stereo? One Call? Vanns?). And management seemed to announce a new series to great fanfare, only to sell them off at clearance prices just a couple years later. When they did that, the speakers became really good bargains.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Wow this thread is a real trip on audio memory lane for a few of us here 'eh?

It mostly reminds me of how good their speakers were for the money at the time. I started with the MediaTheater 2.1 system as part of a custom Gateway desktop build in 1997 and that was the gateway drug (). Got a friend hooked and he eventually bought their flagship 5.1 computer speakers (BA7900), flagship AVR7120 receiver (rebranded Sherwood Newcastle R-965), and flagship VR975 floorstanders. Those sounded like end-game speakers to me.

I've had an eBay search for BA stuff running for quite a while and it looks like a number of people are starting to clear out their VR equipment this year. Might be a good chance to snag some bookshelves.

 

[MZKM]

If anyone has $250 to spare and wants the tower versions, someone is selling a used pair on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Set-Of-TWO-SPEAKERS-BOSTON-A250-ACOUSTICS-Loudspeaker-SPEAKER-TESTED-WORKING/

 

[Sprint]

@amirm Thanks for all the reviews? Is the source a CD or a service like Tidal? In general, what do you normally use?

 

[AnalogSteph]

Found some typos etc:

I tried to lift the drip but it subjectively made the speaker sound bright on some tracks so I took it off.

Dynamics were superb here and I could detect no sign of distortion at every high volumes.

@amirm, if you ever need someone to proofread, I've always been quite good at this stuff...

 

[jcb]

Thanks for the review. I’ve had the A360 in my living room for seven years now, they’re the 6.5” 3 way floorstander version and I’m not surprised the small bookshelf version measured okay despite the low price point. I paid $360 for the pair back in 2013. Main issue I have with mine is the finish, I have the white version and the sides have yellowed a fair bit while the front looks like new. Wife says they look “vintage cool” so they’re staying. So if you’re interested in the whites, they’ll probably yellow in a few years.

 

[bigLP]

Great to see something from Boston Acoustics reviewed. I'm not sure Boston exists as more than a brand name anymore, but here's the timeline as I remember it. You're likely to run into the original A series from the '80s, then the HD series, then a number of computer speakers in the mid- to late '90s during their partnership with Gateway 2000, low to high end car audio systems, the VR series, and finally the VR-M series. Then D&M Holdings acquired Boston Acoustics in 2005 and the brand quickly started to change into a budget outfit, eliminating flagships, focusing more on installation speakers, and targeting lower price points, and this coincided with a gradual change to the Boston logo you see on the speaker in this review. It's a shame because the VR and VR-M series were legitimately good, and the big-box-store oriented models that came after those paled in comparison.

A couple of flagship selections from their penultimate and final eras:

Boston Acoustics VR975, each with its own powered 10" subwoofer, F3 25Hz (!)

Boston Acoustics VR-M90, their final flagship

My ex wife allowed me to buy a pair of VR40s back in 1994 right after we married. When we got divorced in 2005 I was moving them to a friends house for storage. One fell out of the truck and all the drivers had some damage. Tore the other one apart and made some garage speakers out of the drive units. Damn I miss those speakers, not my ex though because we still talk nearly every day.................Closest thing to full range sound I have ever had in a totally passive speaker. They were very enjoyable. If I could find a good used pair I'd buy them .

 

[bobbooo]

Sound & Vision reviewed & measured these too, with results here

Looks like fairly similar response from ~150Hz to the Q Acoustics 3010 also measured by Sound & Vision, with the listening window response from 200Hz-10kHz of the latter actually better (+2.00/–2.22 dB to the A25's +3.20/–2.55 dB). Q Acoustics' larger 5-inch woofer 3020 model is likely to be similar but with better bass extension, so could be a good choice for people looking for a compact, stylish and affordable pair of speakers that are a decent match sound and size-wise for the A25 but still available new with warranty. We'd need measurements to confirm their frequency response of course though, can't find any proper ones really. (Incidentally the center speaker in that range, the 3090C, looks to be quite impressive too from the above Sound & Vision measurements, which could also be a good sign for the 3020's performance).

 

[Steve Dallas]

Thank you so much for this review, Amir. Impeccable timing, as these were my main speakers for the last 7 years but I just placed an order for the Focal Aria 906 yesterday.
Now I'm actually considering cancelling my order, if the Aria 906 is not a reasonable upgrade to what I already have. I have a room about 16ft2 room with somewhat low ceiling and intend to use them on my desk (elevated to about ear level). I am not playing at high volumes nor I intend to do that in the near future.

Am I making an unreasonable choice to try to change this speaker for the Focal (550€ delivered)?

The Focal 906 is objectively a FAR better speaker than this Boston Acoustics. You have not made a mistake. The 906 is pretty large for desk usage, however.

 

[P_M]

@amirm
How far is the speaker from a back wall ? and how far is the microphone ?
I am wondering if the close proximity of a back wall or the microphone is why its showing a rising and ragged port response ? and also the resonances picked up on the impedance chart ?
I dont see these artefacts in the S&V and Stereophile measurements. Not saying theirs are correct, maybe yours are more accurate, just observing differences.

 

[amirm]

@amirm Thanks for all the reviews? Is the source a CD or a service like Tidal? In general, what do you normally use?

It is a mix of my own content some of which is CD rips and others high res downloads. The rest is Tidal which get 90% play time for everyday listening.

 

[Vasr]

Boston Acoustics was a "dorm audiophile" favorite for a long time for extremely affordable models that were much better than the typical harsh sounding or bass-booming alternatives in the mass market at the time. They were also reasonably efficient for the low-powered amps/receivers at the time.

The measurements for this speaker are EQ friendly (a wholly under-appreciated dimension in speaker evaluation IMO) and with a good Room EQ can sound very good and can be easily tailored to one's tastes. They also make for good and inexpensive rear and side surrounds if the size isn't an issue and can be mounted to a wall stand.

These were alternatives to small Maggies for budding audiophiles bracketed by the $50/pair (on sale) original RadioShack Optimus for the cheapskates and the Vandersteen 2c for the snobs (who have now graduated to Revels).

The measurements show why they were subjectively perceived by people as warm (slightly elevated but not boomy lows) and detailed (rise in mid-upper treble) rather than bright. The slight dip just below high-mids doesn't matter much for rock/jazz/blues/etc but perhaps would leave the classical crowd unsatisfied.

 

[amirm]

Found some typos etc:


@amirm, if you ever need someone to proofread, I've always been quite good at this stuff...

Thanks. Corrected. Yes, please point them out in the thread or privately and I will fix. I am especially interested in fixing the ones that change the meaning of the sentence. Often times I forget the word "not" which is not good!

 

[hardisj]

Often times I forget the word "not" which is good!

Fixed that for you.