very good definition and accuracy high effeciency great low end for an 8 inch sub

Narrow sound field, probably due to small frontal diameter and only two front facing drivers. May want to suppliment with a second set (or rear channel) speakers of same effeciency. (ex Definitive BP-10B's)

These are great primary speakers for a multi-channel system. However, the sound gield may be a bit narrow if they are the only speakers used in a fairly large room on a convetional 2 ch. stereo. They are my second pair of Boston Acoustics speakers!. The sound is more natual and open than most Bose, Polk and Definitive products.

Similar Products Used:

Bose 901's Boston Acoustics Sub stat 7 Definitive BP-10B

Near-perfect definition and imaging in 2-channel music and very respectable sub-bass in movies for mid-size room. Attractive appearance.

Single pair posts prevent bi-wiring or bi-amping.

All my life I have been a discerning music and movie buff with taste for live anything from reggae to 70's progressive to classical and opera in music...the whole gamut in movies. I like my music to sound as much like the concert as possible. The 965s are the first serious speakers I've ever owned, replacing very nice Mirage M290i and Polk rs35i bookshelf speakers. At $472/pair slightly used they were a steal. My Lynnfields are connected via gold banana plugs on 12g cable to a Yamaha VX995 5X100w receiver and RCA cables to the LFE/sub inputs. My first listening test was mixed. I was blown away by an audio test disc that sent pure uncompressed CD signal to the speakers. Female vocals were almost eerie in the lifelike presence. Close your eyes and honestly you'd think the singer was in the room. Sibilants are clear as crystal. Piano notes are vibrant and bass well-defined on most tracks, but I thought a tad mushy on others. I replayed dozens of old favorite CDs like Neil Young Harvest, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway-Genesis and Tull and Strawbs on vinyl. Quality of sound varied. I'm a little perplexed so I visit a dealer and quiz the sales guy who suggests better source material. So I play several tracks from my new SACD player and ZOWIE!! The problem was never the Bostons. These speakers are phenomenal and they will acurately reflect any source you send them. Bad news is they will also reveal the mediocrity of poorly produced CDs from the 70's and 80's. Welcome to the audiophile zone, my friends. Get ready to start replacing old CDs with SACD and DVD audio because you will enter a whole new world of musical appreciation when you hear what these Lynnfields can do with high-quality source material. My skeptical wife who hates anything with a flashing red light on it (translation:ALL consumer electronics) was mesmerized by the compelling sonic quality from guitar picking where you can hear every fret squeek and definition that sounds like the music is live in your living room. Movies? Not bad for L-R Front performance but when MASSIVE base is required I'd recommend another sub or two. Mind you, I have a gi-normous rec room with high ceilings and about 8,000 cu.ft. to fill so blaming two 8" 80 watt subs is hardly fair. Even so, these subs will rattle dishes in my kitchen upstairs and wake the kids up on the top floor if they're cranked so a normal den or apartment would be insane to go any bigger. I see no reason to touch these speakers for years and will put my extra dough into better music, more sub power, line doubler, front projector...

Amazing sound reproduction, clear, the best speaker after 5 months of searching

Sock-covering. Since it doesn’t influence the music, it was not a problem.

Equipment: Onix P3000 preamp and A2150 amp, NAD C541 CD player, said speakers, and combination of DIY, locally produced cables. First off, sound quality from best to worst: Boston Acoustic, KEF RDM3, Epos M15, Ruark Epilogue II and Etude, Tannoy Mercury line, B&Ws DM602-5-S3, Sonus Fabers, NHT VT 2.4, Paradigm, Sony/JBL/Yamaha, etc. It took me 2 months to find a CD player, 3 months to find an amp/preamp, and about 5 months to get these speakers. I spent 5 months (incidentally putting over 400 miles on my car by scouring my metropolis) testing every imaginable make/model/configuration of speakers. My search finally landed me in conceivably the worst place to look for a speaker (Tweeter). Luckily, I had a very astute young salesman do what nearly every private dealer failed to accomplish. Sell me a speaker based on a sound vs. price comparison. I heard virtually every conceivable gimmick (the tweeter pod on a B&W, glued-on-face-plate-reduces-box-interference (Epos), and the leather-bound glory of Sonus Fabers). My speakers will never be a part of a 5.1 system. I designed my system to be a neutral 2-channel setup. My BA-VR965s do a great job producing a clear neutral sound. Interestingly enough, I did not like the VR975s. They did not sound as sharp as the 965s. Surprisingly, I went under my budget (I had originally intended to go for a $1800 pair of KEFs). These Boston Acoustics are as clear as Epos speakers and have as much bass and midrange extension as KEFs. KEF was almost as good as Boston Acoustic, but cost more. Epos was exceptionally clear and was well paired with a Creek integrated. It was, however, expensive and had a very gimmicky/potentially expensive flaw (its glued-on face plate, blow 1 speaker component, replace all components on a speaker). Ruark were nice, but expensive ($900 for a pair of bookshelf speakers). Tannoys suffered from the same problems as Raurk. B&W probably would have scored much better, but they were expensive and connected to possible the worst/underpowered Rotel amp ever produced. The sound was lifeless and tinny. Sonus Fabers were nice, but had a creamy sound. A Coldplay CD sounded as if it were submerged. It did not handle precise jazz or classical music well. Heavy metal or bass heavy dance music would kill this speaker. NHT had a similar design to the VR965, but was clearly geared for a more home theater setup. Its sub-woofer unit was much more active (and muddled music) than the VR965. Everything else had glaring flaws in sound reproduction (too much bass, too much treble, etc.). In the final analysis, this is great speaker for music. It has great range and control. I would suggest that consumers go for the VR975 if the main use for the speaker is home theater. Otherwise, nothing competes with it in its price range.

Similar Products Used:

KEF, B&W, Dynaudio, NHT, Ruark, Epos, Sonus Fabers, Viennas, Paradigm, Tannoy, Sony, JBL, Yamaha, Klipsch, Wharfdale

Great bass - clear trebal and mid range. Warm and life-like sound. Beautiful exterior design.

Nothing

Got these for 399 per pair. Must say that they are amazing speakers - performance definitely surpass their price range (even at 1000 dollars a pair). I have tested many many pairs of tower speakers, and these turn out to be the most live-like, dynamic, clear, and filling speakers. Infinitis are okay, Definitive Bi-Polar are good, but lack precise imaging. Polk Audios are nice and clear but lack deep bass that the built-in subs on the Boston Acoustics offer. All in all, these are awesome speakers for both movies and music, and should be able to satisfy all demand levels, whether beginning or true audiophile. Great value for money for mid-range, semi hi-end products.

Similar Products Used:

Infiniti, B&W, Polk Audio

Transparent sound

none

Boston Acoustics is an affordable speaker with a high-end built quality. The musics is almost transparent and the bass is very deep and low. They are replaced my old JBL. When it matched with other VR / VRM/X series. Highly recommend. Current Theater Setup Integra Hometheater DTR 7.2 Boston VR 920 Boston VR /X Surround Boston VR /EX Back Surround Boston VR 965 Definitive Tech SPTL 15+ Pioneer Elite DV 47

Similar Products Used:

Klispch,Energy,...etc

Clarity of sound with a tight bass.

none

My 15" sub-woofer died, and I decided to upgrade the VR950's I had on the sides with the 965's. With the built-in sub's they filled in for the 15" sub. I was surprised to notice a significant increase in detail over the 950's. I am running 975's front 950's sides VR-MX rears VR920 front Denon 4800 with POA 5200 amp for 7.1 Pioneer Elite DV-37 DVD Sony 35" TV. Very impressed with the Boston sound. I am actually thinking of returning the 965's for another pair of 975's.

Similar Products Used:

950's, Wharfdale, Klipsch, JBL, etc.

Good clarity, excellent bass w/o distortion, great all round speakers.

Minor weaknesses. Depends on the person''s ear, and their likings.

My knowledge on all the technical aspects of audio equipment is not the highest. I did some research and went into Best Buy, and Circuit City to listen to the equipment they had. More or less Best Buys top brands we''re JBL''s and Bose. For the price the JBL''s Northridge floorstanding speakers sounded pretty good. Some of the polk audio at Circuit City we''re good. Then I went into Ultimate Electronics. By far the equipment these guys carried blew away Best Buy and Circuit City. I spent about 3 to 4 hours with a sales associate and listened to just about everything. I thought the upper Infinity line we''re fantastic. I wasn''t willing to spend that kind of money. I had a tough time deciding between the Boston, and Definitive. For the quality and price, I thought these two brands blew had an advantage. I listened to the Klipsh model also. The Klipsh are louder then the other two brands. The cone tweeters got annoying. It felt as though someone was screaming, and singing as loud as they could right in your ear. I felt that you lost some of the true sounds with the Klipsch line. It was almost a cone toss, but I chose the Boston''s. I wanted a multi purpose speakers that had good sounding quality from both aspects of music and home theatre. Majority of the time one brand will have a slight advantage. I haven''t been dissappointed with the Boston''s performance so far. The bass from these speakers are surprising. Especially when watching a DVD. I would definitely recommend these speakers to anyone who is looking to pay around the $900 to a $1000 dollar range!

Similar Products Used:

Definitive, Klipsch, Infinity, Polk

Everything. Run to your local Audio Hi End and purchase this marvel.

None. Absolutely none. For the price, this speaker cannot be beat.

Simply the best speaker I have ever heard. Thanks, BA!!

Similar Products Used:

Polk Audio LS90, RT2000i

sound quality, imaging

none

Very nice speakers for music and HT. Some reviewer mentioned that these speakers have weak midrange. I listen to country music like Kenny Rogers and Don Williams and haven''t found that to be true. The first song that I listened to when I got these speakers is "i''m just a country boy" by Don Williams. I was amazed by the clarity and the imaging. The phantom center channel created in stereo mode almost made me believe that the singer was right there at the center. I also got the Boston VR910 center and listened to music in PLII mode. I think they sound better in PLII, but that is a matter of taste. Initially I wanted to get the DefTechs BP 2006. But the bipolar speakers diffused the sound a little than I would have liked resulting in loss of image specificity. Overall, the VR965s are a great pair of speakers.

Similar Products Used:

haven''t owned any but have listened to DefTech, Energy, Polk, JBL etc.

Bass,Construction and looks

For a long time, I've been looking for replacements for my 20 year old infinity speakers that I had since high school and loved very much. When I finally had the budget to purchase a replacement system, I had to find good quality audio speakers, that could be used with surrounds and a center channel for watching movies. My ear was very much used to the RSa's and I couldn't find speakers that matched them, until I heard the Boston VR965. Without a dought, I had no hesitation. Solid bass, accurate mids, and clear highs. They're design is elegant, and materials used is top quality. I finally layed to rest my beloved Infinity RSa.

Similar Products Used:

1980 model Infinity RSa