Strengths: very natural sound high fidelity to the recorded music handles any music style almost the same quality from 15w to 250w

Weaknesses: poor boxy design no protection grills

Got these VR975 last week at a dealer of storage building auctions. I'm not going to tell the ridiculous price I paid for them. Needed a little TLC. the binding posts were broken. Had a pair of small Boston Micro90x speakers that had posts that were almost exact fit. One cheap thing about (considering the MSRP) them is top caps are thin vac-u-form plastic over MDF boards (These were missing one of the plastic caps). Well, got them hooked up Friday and all I can say is Wow!. Deep bass rattled the walls. The sound stage was not the normal flat R to L of most speakers. The stage went from just outside the speaker to curved behind the speakers to just outside the other side. The imaging and air around the instruments is just awesome. Vocals were almost like the singer was right there with you. First lp i listened to was Diane Schuur with Count Basie Orchestra. Like being there. I doubt these speakers will be going anywhere soon. If you get a chance to nag a set, don't hesitate. Grab them and run.

Just picked up a barely used pair of BA VR975 on Craigslist for $400.
These are my best BA's yet. Have pairs of vr 30, vr 40 , vr 960, 2 pair A60's and pair of JBL 4410 monitors. Been trading out sets off and on comparing. 2 pair A60's hooked together for surrounds on a balcony bouncing of 14' cathedral ceiling. Jbl 4410s are on channel B in back of room by seating. New vr975 are on channel A in front of room. The 10" subs and 12" passive radiators in the vr975 are amazing! have the LFE's hooked up. Twice the bass of the vr960 with LFE. Can't turn dial past noon. On concrete slab and the slab vibrates. Bass guitar is now right there more than any other speakers. The double mids seem to provide a wonderful presence better than the simular vr40 and vr960. I still love all the boston towers but the vr975 are the new favorite child. If you can find them buy them. The vr30 are my second favorite and the vr40 are the red headed step child. The 4410s are in a class of their own and plays well with others. Perfect for sitting close to and filling in the back of the room. With the vr975 taking the performance at the front of the stage. Driving the setup with Sony STR- DE935.

So pleased. Great sound. Handles every genre of music. Highs and lows. Clarity. Looking for one vr975 to replace speaker that continues to blow fuses. Disappointed they discontinued line. Need replacement. Great speakers though.

Amazing clarity, depth, power, bass Attractive elegance

Cloth grill has some issues when trying to admire the drivers

I was browsing eBay's Boston Acoustics listings, as I tend to do, and saw these babies up for auction without any bids at $500. Thinking to myself "Yeah right, you'll never get 'em" I went ahead and just bid the minimum. Next thing I knew, I was the PROUD owner of these magnificent creations. I first had these hooked up to a Harman Kardon AVR 135, and was ecstatic about their movie performance. For music, I was generally very pleased indeed for every genre except rock. For whatever reason, there was just something missing when guitars were played and try as I might, I couldn't manage to make it right. I then moved these babies from my college apartment to a larger basement, and hooked them up to just a Technics receiver that I bought a couple years ago, and the difference really was amazing. It pains me to say it, but their music performance is ridiculously better, and it pains me because A) I'm a bit of a Harman/Kardon fan, and B) the dang AVR 135 is just so pretty. I'm not an audio engineer, so I can't presume to say why the sound is so much better, but it may or may not also have something to do with the size difference in the rooms. But back to the Bostons. I was intrigued by their built-in subwoofer, so naturally that was the first thing I tried out. I wasn't looking for musicality in this test, just raw power, and boy did I find it. I used to own an Athena Technologies AS-P400 sub ("400 watts") and these babies BLEW it out of the water. I kept turning up the volume thinking "Surely they can't handle going louder than this" but they continued to. And let me tell you, everything about these screams musicality. I'm a rocker, so I listen to that much. But I'm also a lover, and they get their fair share of classical, choral, and pretty much everything else (except country). They continue to impress me every time I listen to them. I just sit back and smile. On movies, they're just as spectacular. I own a hodgepodge of parts, and my center is a Wharfedale Pacific (in beautiful beach wood), and there was a point where a song in the movie was playing through the bostons as mains, and then moves into the center, and my girlfriend looks at me and asks "What did you do to the sound? It's gross." And the Wharfedale is by no means a "bad" speaker...these are just so much better. Bottom line - These are great speakers with the best of the "Boston Sound".

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustics Micro 90, 80, PV500

Compact floor space saving design. Clean tight bass. Smooth 'musical' warmth that does not sacrifice accuracy. Well-calibrated full range response. Outstanding choice for a balanced theatre & audio application.

Powered subs can de-calibrate a projection TV if placed too close - place 20" away or more. Cloth cover vulnerable to cats with claws. Off axis response could be better.

In 2001 I was looking for a pair of full-range speakers to complement my new 56" projection TV that could also double for serious music listening. I auditioned a great many brands with similar offerings in this price range (Polk, Infinity, Klipsch, AR) and finally settled on the BA VR975R for the following reasons: 1. They occupy little floor space while filling a very broad role. My TV takes up a wide swath of space and it is advisable to not place bass-producing speakers troo close for it can upset the stability of picture projection calibration. The all-in-one units avoid the need to allocate area for a space-hogging sub! 2. The side-firing powered subs really fill the room with movie bass in L&R stereo, unlike a single sub. Bass response is excellent and really gives you a theater-like experience. 3. The crossovers are sorted out for nearly flat audio response that really shows when you put well-recorded jazz through them. This really sealed it for me because most of the alternatives I tested really exhibited various sound defects when listening critically to well recorded music. I have a Rich Corpolongo jazz CD that has exceptionally well-recorded acoustic bass and piano. It takes only a minute or so to see if a speaker has the stuff to reproduce these two critical instruments well. Acoustic bass will challenge the accuracy of the low and lower mid-range response of any speaker. Unlike the other competitors I listened to, the VR975s produced a smooth detailed rendition with no artificial coloring or boominess. The subs especially were very tight and balanced with the main drivers. Bass imaging was excellent. Well recorded jazz piano is also a genuine test of mid-highs. The VR975's passed brilliantly with detailed response without any hint of harshness or tweeter crossover artifacts. Again excellent. There are surely better speakers for music listening and better ones for home theatre. But for an overall blended role I think these score very high. I have used these for four years and am even more pleased with them now than when I purchased them. If I have a complaint it is minor... Stereo imaging is pretty sensitive to how far off center you sit. Straight-on center is fabulous. But off-axis response varies and may not be as good as some other choices. But this is a minor quibble. I would not trade its other good qualities for improvement in this area.

Great sound. Good looks. Bargain.

Difficult to move around.

I have to agree that I have experienced some of the same things that other reviewers of the VR975's have written about concerning their sound. First of all I listen to all kinds of music. Mainly rock, fusion jazz, and some pop. At first I was a bit disappointed with the sound of the VR975's. I was expecting a more crisp, higher high-end. Now granted, I have only about 10-15 hours or so of listening time on them since having received them. I soon found out that they are quite sensitive to the type of music being monitored through them. I played my Dave Weckl cd and WOW! Fusion/acid jazz on these things smoke! All in all I am starting to like them more and more with every passing note. They are extremely difficult to beat for the price even if you happened to pay retail. You get two powered subs! great mid and good highs. A bargain indeed. I initially set them up in my spare room/computer room which is 10x12. I later moved them, with help ofcourse, to the living room where they will be used as part of my HT system. These things need breathing room. They sound much better in my larger 20x26 room. Just a side note, I own other BA's currently but not towers as well as Klipsch.

Similar Products Used:

none currently.

Clear crisp highs, deep thumping bass

Size: These speakers are monsterous!

I've been looking to upgrade my speakers for months. I walked into Tweeter to look at the VR950s, which were on sale for $350/pr. I decided to listen to a pair of VR965s ($500.00 sale price) and took a look at the VR975s. What a HUGE difference. After listening to BOSE 701s, Klipsch RFIIIs, and Polk RTi12s, I felt that these speakers answered the mail. They were as good, if not, better than the others (Polk/Klipsch/Bose) and cost me $550.00 with some haggling not to mention they come with a 5yr over the counter warranty thru Tweeter. I couldn't go wrong and didn't. I can play any type of music at all listening levels not to mention they saved me the cost of buying a sub for my home entertainment system. I would highly recommend them to anyone!

Similar Products Used:

Infinity and Polk

to much to list

hahahaha

Great all around speaker for music and movies. Their is nothing out their that can compete with these babys dont listen to the people that bad mouth these speakers or any other good speaker beacause they are just jealous they cant own them. Go get a pair tomorrow and get the 920 center and you will have the best setup around period. Later

Similar Products Used:

DCM,

Home Theater Capability

Slight weakness for music. Appearance is bland at best.

This is a follow-up review to my initial review posted quite some time ago. The 975's share the room with a VR-920 and a pair of VR-950's. I still enjoy listening to my 975's everyday. They get equal billing between movies and music. Recently, I began using an Outlaw pre & amp to drive these, replacing my Pioneer receiver that had served well enough for a few years. The Outlaw combo has opened the 975's up to be sure. Whether this is an overall positive, I still haven't decided. The 975's project more treble now, and on high resolution sources (SACD & DVD-A) this is a good thing. On some lesser CD's, the brighter sound is not to my liking however. Bass output has dropped off overall with the new combo and I am now running the 975's at about 1/3 (vs 1/4). This may be due to the higher wattage input they now receive (vs the similar line level input to the sub). The 975's are a FANTASTIC speaker for home theater. They are maybe just above AVERAGE for critical music listening. (I always get the feeling I'm missing a little bit with them.) They ARE noticeably different across source components. Kind of Ugly to look at. Keep the lights down. Respectable overall performance for the money. Function over form most certainly.

Similar Products Used:

Many NHT, Klipsch. VR-920, VR-950