The sound is amazing and the bass is well balanced and powerful. I recommend these speakers 100%

None at this price The speaker connector seems to break often

The sound is amazing and the bass is well balanced and powerful. I recommend these speakers 100%

None at this price The speaker connector seems to break often

The sound is amazing and the bass is well balanced and powerful. I recommend these speakers 100%

None at this price The speaker connector seems to break often

I just picked up a pair of these off e-Bay for $200 shipped. A lot of people have compared them to Def Tech’s various Super Tower lines of speakers and it should be noted they’re owned by the same company and the VR 950/960/975/975 share the exact same midrange driver, tweeter and more than likely crossover materials. Clearly these don’t benefit from the a bi-polar configuration but I’m actually coming from a Mirage OMD based 5.2.4 system and while I absolutely LOVE Mirage speakers (even after Klipsch ruined essentially every single company that was part of API) I’ve since been able to acquire a ridiculous collection of the made in Canada Mirage speakers (Starting at the M1’s, M3’s, M7’s, an MCsI center channel, all of the OM series from the OM-5 to the OM-12’s, the entire Mirage Omni series from the original Omnisats to the Omni 50’s, 60’s, 250’s, 260’s & CC, skipped the Omnisat V2 FS series and associated speakers as they were the first made in China Mirages under Klipsch’s doomed rule) but I did acquire pairs of the Omni 350’s & 550’s with the Omni 150 CC and finally 4 pairs of the Mirage OMD-28’s, 2 pairs of the OMD-15’s, 2 pairs of the OMD-5’s and one OMD C1 as well as a brand new old stock C2. I am a persistent bargain hunter and so far, the Mirages I’ve purchased second hand could easily exceed the $20k mark as we’re talking about over 25 pairs of speakers but I’ve spent exactly $6,250 on ALL of them. I also have two pairs of Definitive Technology BP2002’s with the CLR-2500 and BP10’s for surrounds which I managed to snag for $500 (I’ve seen single pairs of BP2002’s sell for almost $500 if you include shipping), this is just what I’ve tracked down in the last 18 months or so. I do have some B&W 802’s that I’m having the crossovers replaced as well as a pair of the Sonus Faber Concertino towers, although I suspect the tweeters in both speakers needs to be replaced. Regardless my point is that I consider myself a well informed consumer and home theater enthusiast. I don’t claim to know everything and I am of the camp as far as speaker wire goes that even if a $1,200 speaker wire has a minute measurable performance increase but the increase is so minuscule it isn’t audible that you’ve wasted $1,200 on something you literally can’t hear the difference with. The VR965’s use the same sock as 99% of Definitive Technology towers, and the same midrange and tweeter as my BP2002’s. The 8”

As with any smaller bass drivers with moderate amplification things can get muddy and boomy as you hear the maximum volume level for the LFE level using the knob on the speaker but that’s to be expected. The midrange is smooth but nothing that will blow you away and the highs are about the same. Note I do have basic room treatments and a Schroeder Frequency of 175hz in my particular room.

very good value! Would probably buy again...after shopping of course! They are good for all music genres...but only excel 80% of the time. (I think that is very good!)

Good for all music genres...but only excel 80% of the time.

That $1500 is Canadian funds and was when the $ was about .65¢ :(

I've been using these VR965 for over 5 years now, and they still sound the same (I think) as they did the first day! I was impressed by the great 'hidden' subs design. They have withstood loud parties more than once, I'd say they are very robust. I have found the 'one way' direction of the subs to be problematic at times, you have to watch how/where your speakers are in relation with walls & furniture. Awesome for movies and anywhere from very good to awesome for music. Since I listen to ALL kinds of music, I find satisfaction in these VRs most of the time. Bass is very good, but not excellent when 'pushed', I think it may be because of sub/wall/furniture relation in my living room. I thought they were the best bang for the buck...and still do!
I'm in the process of building a dedicated home theatre in my basement and the VRs are here to stay, even with their age!

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Bose that dry up...although play pretty well when new.

Bass weight, clarity, speed that belies their 8" size adjustable subwoofers slim attractive profile great for home theater use

Recessed midrange on all music Treble not smooth or detailed-fatiguing lacks sufficient soundstage & detail

I purchased the 965's about 2 years ago and recently "upgraded" to a pair of Triangle Antals. I still use the 965's for home theatre and am pleased with them for that purpose. The 8" integrated subs are the best feature. Bass is tight, articulate & punchy never becoming muddy. I primarily used these speakers in a two channel system the majority of the time I've had them. Although very satisfied with bass performance, the midrange and treble leave some to be desired. The mids seem a little recessed on most recordings causing me to lower the output of the integrated subs but that didn't help. The high were too high even with tone controls defeated. I attempted many tweaks and listening positions but the treble was still fatiguing. I'm not certain of how much soundstage can be expected from speakers of this price range but I've heard better for less money. Compared to my reference Antals the 965's fall very short in most comparisons except bass output. The Antals have more accurate bass and the 965's just have much more bass. Doing a side-by-side comparison of the two using identical amplification it became very apparent where the 965's couldn't compete and that would be the 965's recessed mids, etched, sometimes harsh highs, soundstage, detail(especially low-level)and speed of transient detail. I think the comparison is a little unfair as the 965's certainly fill their niche in home theatre settings, though for two channel listening one can buy better at similar prices.The "sock" that surrounds the 965's are a pain as they collect dust and make the speaker difficult to move. I do like the 965's slim profile and small footprint. In summary these are great speakers for home theater and if you listen to primarily rock or rap they may just fit your bill.

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Triangle Antals PSB Stratus Mini Polk large towers

Great all around sound. Small footprint. Built in subs make a separate sub an option, not a necessity.

An outlet for every speaker. Sock collects dust.

I have had these speakers for a while now. I work in the electronics retail business so I get to constantly listen to all the new stuff that comes out, and with the great discounts I am always ready to upgrade. The thing is that I haven't found anythigng for the money that bests these speakers. Compared with Klipsch these speakers sound more natural to me, the Klipsch horns are a bit too high strung, they hurt the ears. The comparable Def Tech speakers sound great for movies, but fall short on the music listening experiance. The Kef and Paradigms that I have compared them to might sound a bit better, but I don't think it is worth the cost upgrade. For a "budget" home theater I think these cover all the bases better than anything (that I have heard) out there. Mitsubishi WS42311 HDTV Denon AVR3801 Reciever Denon DVD-2200 Player Boston VR-965 (fronts and surrounds) Boston CR-85 (surround back) Boston VR-12 Center Channel Def Tech PS-100TLBL Sub (Best sub under 1000)

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I work in an electronics store, so I get to demo many things for long periods of time.

Great tight bass. Great detail. Built-in subs are awesome. Nice clean slender look. Wife approved. Very easy to drive. Great value.

Fabric cloth covering.

I have had the 965s for about 2 months now. So far I have been very impressed. I initially auditioned about 8 to 10 different speaker models. I listened to Polk, Klipsch, Mirage, Paradigm, Phase Tech, Vandersteen, B&W, and Energy. Out of all of these and a few others, I narrowed it down to the Energy C9 Towers and the Boston VR965. I really liked to Vandersteens, but I felt they were weak in the HT department. Amazing in music though. It finally came down to price. I got a hell of a deal through my company’s discount program with a west coast authorized dealer. I saved about 45% on the Bostons. I got the VR965s, VR910 center, and Bravo rears for about the same price as the Energy C9s. I have a set of Polk speakers as well and the Bostons blow these away. The Polks are now in the bedroom. I must say that the VR965s sounded better to me than higher priced speakers from Paradigm, B&W and Klipsch. The Paradigms and the Klipsch had much brighter highs and somewhat muddy mids compared to the VR965s. The VR965s were much more “laid back” and detailed. I listen to everything from Classical to Heavy Metal. The VR965s seem to handle it all. Nora Jones’ new CD is quite impressive on these speakers. It’s like a brand new CD when listening to it on the VR965s compared to my older Polks. I am also very impressed with the tight bass produced by these speakers. I have the subs connected direct to the sub out on the receiver via a y-connector. This seems to produce the most pleasing bass for music and movies. I thought that I may have to add a separate sub at a later date, but I have been more than pleased with the built in subs and see no need to add more bass. HT is unbelievable on these speakers. I am currently running the speakers on a older Onkyo high end A/V received with Dolby Prologic only. Not the best for HT, but truly amazing for music which I mainly listen to over HT. I just parted with a new Onkyo SR600. I sold it to a friend to help finance my next purchase of separates. I can’t wait the here the Bostons with some good quality amps and processors. Anyway, if you are looking for some great speakers that can handle HT and music equally, I highly recommend the VR965s. They are truly amazing and compare to many more expensive speakers. Go listen and you will see.

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Polk, Sony, Onkyo.

*Built-in powered subwoofers *Great sound across the spectrum *Design

*The special cloth grill attracts a lot of dust

In case you want a casual listener's opinion for a change, here it is. I have been looking to build a surround sound environment in my living room, but I had a very small budget. The answer was the VR-965. Not only were they the best sounding speakers in 4 major electronic chain stores (regardless of price), they also came with a built-in 80 watt subwoofer in each tower (money saver). Have you ever killed 3 birds with one stone? I did with the VR-965's. They sound awesome (truly awesome), there's no need to buy a separate powered subwoofer, and they take up barely any space due to their ingenious design. If you come across these speakers, listen to them and take them home! If you're a Bose fan, welcome to the world of Boston Acoustics. These babies are engineered and made in the USA. Bose are made in Mexico.

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Bose 301

The soundstage is incredible for a speaker in this price range. The openness and ability to produce a believable image was close to truley high end speakers. Vocals seem to jump out of thin air and Pink Floyd seems to envelope the entire front of the room. They are right at home being driven by a modest Receiver or a very nice seperate amplifier. You can expect to get much of the benefit of a really nice amp and CD player with these speakers.

The bass is a little thick in the 50-75 Hz region and a little thin beneath that. Compared to much more expensive speakers their depth of soundstage is not as good as I would like but one must consider I'm comparing these to speakers 10X their cost.

I sold my last audio system a few years back and bought a house with the proceeds(Krell,B&W 801 Matrix,etc) So when I decided to once again put a pair of speakers in my living room I decided this time I would keep to a very modest budget and live with the best sound I could find for the money. I listened to the Mirage bipolars,Sonus Fabers(far too expensive for floor models)Kef's,Magnepans,etc. After coming close to giving up I decided to give the Boston Acoutics a listen. I only had to listen for a few moments before I realized that I had found something that is really very special. Here was a pair of speakers that retailed at @1000 pair and presented an image that was similar to the 801's that I had years earlier. I was in shock! No, they weren't as detailed as the Matrix nor did they have the reach on the bottom end even with the powered sub but they are also $9000 cheaper than the 801's now in the Nautilus brand.(Yes I listened to them too for kicks but could not justify the expense with kids and all!)I tried them with various amplifiers and various types of music and could not find any reason not to buy them immediately!

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None