old school Boston Acoustics THX speakers? (1 Viewer)

[Chris Shelly]

About 10 years ago I put together an old school home THX system. I have a Kenwood KC-X1 and KM-X1 6ch amplifier. For speakers I have the Boston Acoustics speaker package with 3 large front speakers and 2 dipole surrounds and 2 12 inch unpowered subs.

The amplifier and controller have long been forgotten because they are big and clunky and don't even offer digital sound. Back in the day it was pretty good stuff.

The speakers are currently sitting in my basement tucked away in the corner but recently I have been giving them a second thought. Anyone care to guess how these speakers might stack up against what is available today?

I mothballed them because they were big and clunky when I purchased my Dolby Digital/DTS receiver. I replaced them with a NSP1/PB12 speaker package and thought the JBL's sounded pretty darn good for the size. Lately though I have been wondering how they might sound with my new receiver.

The THX spec back then was strict compared to what it is now. They had to use certain principles in design that supposedly made them sound better but was also considered controversial as well.

Mains 555X
Surrounds 575X
Subwoofers 595X (I think)

Since I work in the film industry I can pick up a QSC amp at cost. This is industrial amp that can be bridged to deliver over 1000W into my 2 12 inch subs. Might be overkill for what I need but I can get this amp for cheaper then what a consumer grade would be.

Right now it is just a thought because i have been looking to upgrade my NSP1/PB12 speakers with something better. However I might just have something better already.

I know it is kind of a stupid and odd post but I am just thinking with my fingers.

Chris

 

[ColinM]

Go for it. I'll bet they'll smoke the JBL's, but then again, they should.

If your rec has pre-outs, try the Kenwoods, too!

 

[LanceJ]

I'll bet for movies the Boston THX speakers will blow away the JBLs. The THX spec for speakers really does make a difference.

Personally, I think speaker design reached a point of diminishing returns in the mid-to-late 80's (especially because laser interferometry became widespread around that time). Nowadays it's just a matter of fixing nit-picky & tiny sonic aberrations that only show up on test equipment. There are improvements, especially in the area of the price-to-performance ratio, but they are appearing at a much slower pace nowadays.

This is why I think the "hi-end" brands are so outrageously priced--it costs big $$$ to squeeze those last remaining drops of improvements out of today's available technology.

LJ

 

[Chris Shelly]

If your rec has pre-outs, try the Kenwoods, too!

Hey,

Thats an idea. I could use the old Kenwood 6Ch. Amplifier as the amplification and forget about the internal amps in the receiver. That old Kenwood amp is a tank. It weighs about 80 pounds and puts out 125 real world watts per channel. You can hook up the subwoofers in parallel and get 250 watts into the 2 subs.

Only thing I don't like about this set up is the 3 front channel speakers. Back then the THX spec required that all the front channels be the same exact speaker. Each front speaker is 18 inches tall and 11 inches wide. Each one weighs about 25 to 30 pounds and must be positioned vertically. I feel nervous putting that much weight on top of my RPTV. In fact about 5 years ago we had a freak accident with the center speaker. My window was open in my home theater room and outside we had a microburst. The second that happened I heard a boom in my room. The center speaker fell on the floor. The speaker suffered some cosmetic damage but still worked the same as before.

Chris

 

[ColinM]

Lay down a piece of MDF the same size as the top of your TV for extra rigidity, and add some tacky putty to the corners of the speaker.

It's what, 5 feet off the ground? Yikes!

I think the JBL's will be on ebay soon...Let me know if you don't want the Bostons...

 

[Chris Shelly]

ColinM,

I might try what you suggest for the center speaker. At the time the speaker fell it was sitting on top of a 46" Sony RPTV. I would say it fell about 5 feet on the top right corner denting it slightly. I tried to order a replacement from Boston Acoustics but it was no longer in production. Since the speaker sounded just fine I learned to live with it.

I got a pretty good deal on these. MSRP was $3,000 for the set but I got them on close out for $1,499. Those were the days.

Interestingly I am having a hard time finding any information on these speakers on the net. I searched the several home theater web sites and found nothing about them.

I found the spec sheets and they are not very efficient speakers. The mains are 88db and the surrounds and subs are 85db. The are sealed enclosures so that's part of it and they are designed for a high powered high current THX certified amplifier.

One thing I just noticed has me a little concerned. The mains roll off all frequencies below 80Hz and the subs roll off everything above 80Hz as per THX spec. My new receiver has 3 options but non of them are 80 Hz. I have the options of 100 Hz, 150 Hz or 200 Hz. I am thinking I will be good if I go large on the fronts and just let the internal speaker crossovers roll off everything.

Chris

 

[ColinM]

100 should work Ok...They'll blend in well I'm sure.

Let us know how it compares!