By Dick Tan
After what appears to be a hiatus of sorts Boston Acoustics is finally back and up in the forefront of what they are capable of delivering – the A Series Speaker System.
Comprising at least six models – one floorstander, one centre channel, three compact standmounts and one subwoofer, the A Series, says Boston Acoustics, is designed to match a certain affordable price point yet deliver the best performance possible.
That is very much a familiar marketing pitch that most of us have heard before but having used Boston Acoustics speakers in the past I would say give them a serious try.
Pricewise the speakers appear to be more than reasonably placed. The flagship A360 appears to offer better than average value at a listed price of RM3,300 per pair.
For your money you get a fairly large speaker measuring almost 42″ high, 14″ wide ad 11″ deep.
The enclosure appears to be solidly constructed featuring extensive vertical and horizontal internal bracing, calculated through sophisticated proprietary computer technology to reduce cabinet vibrations to the minimum.
Another indicator of its quality, though not as technologically sophisticated, is its weight which tops almost 44lbs
Drive units include two 6½” woofers, a 3½” midrange and a 1″ Kortec dome tweeter. The bass units are loaded via a reflex port located at the rear. This serves to imply that the A360 requires careful placement for optimum bass performance.
Boston Acoustics claim a low frequency response of down to 38 hertz. Other bass enhancing techniques used in the A360 and all Boston Acoustics full range speaker systems include proprietary features such as Deep Channel Design (DCD) and BassTrac.
The former allows the bass cone to travel further and more linearly for improved bass performance and the latter monitors and correct the amount of electrical signal to the woofers to prevent overload.
For those where the A360 is simply too large or perhaps beyond their financial means, the A Series also include the A26, A25 and A23 standmount speakers with enclosure height ranging from 13″ to 8″ Drive units used are 6½”, 5¼ , 3½ respectively with prices ranging from RM1,650, RM1,350 and RM1,150 per pair.
According to Boston Acoustics all its main speakers are designed first and foremost to operate optimally with music sources but to enable them to perform equally well in a multi-channel mode a centre channel, the A225c and a 10″ ASW650 active subwoofer is included. Retail price are RM1,080 and RM2,250 respectively.
Of particular interest is the ASW650 which features a direct firing bass drive unit driven by a powerful 300 watts RMS integral power amplifier. At peak level the amplifier is able to deliver up to 650 watts. Boston Acoustics claims a low frequency extension of down to 28 hertz which is very commendable performance for a 10″ active sub.
Although what is described is not the complete Boston Acoustic A Series range the local distributor, Woo Kee Hong has, for logistic reasons, decided to trim two other models off the list. They include a more compact floorstander, the A250 and a downward-firing active subwoofer, the ASW250.
