DefeTech vs. Boston Acoustics

[nightflier]

I am helping a friend spend a gift card that he received for his birthday and is considering upgrading his Infinity Primus 360 tower speakers - they have been a bit abused and now that his kids are a bit older he wants to get a nicer set. Depending on how much the towers end up costing, he also would like to add the center channel from the same make, but rear speakers are less important, right now. The problem is that the gift card is only good at Best Buy / Magnolia so that limits his options somewhat. At Magnolia, there are really two brands that are still within his price range Boston Acoustics & Definitive Technology (the Martin Logan Montage was a thought, but not anymore).

A couple of questions about these that the sales reps are not being very helpful on:

- Are the Boston Acoustics at Magnolia this brand's top-of-the line towers? If not, would they be a significant improvement over the Infinity Primus?

- The Bostons are pretty cheap looking. Does the Veneer stay on after a couple of years? This is one of the problems with the Infinitys, by the way.

- What's really inside that sock over the DefTechs? Is this decent driver technology or are they trying to pull the proverbial wool over something?

- Why would one want to use "bipolar" speakers as mains? Better imaging or just marketing hype?

- Can we get away w/o adding a sub if we settle on the DefTech BP7K series?

- The Mythos sounded a lot better than we had expected, but we that was in the showroom. Will the metal cabinets become irritating in another room?

[N. Abstentia]

There is really nothing behind the sock, I think they do it that way just so they don't have to make grilles for the front and back drivers. Just slide the sock over the whole thing...saves on finishing costs too.

As far as bi-polars and imaging..you can consider bi-polars as anti-imaging speakers. They are 'sound everywhere' and not focused on one spot like a conventional speaker.

The only thing wrong with towers that have built in subs is placement. It's impossible to get proper placement where everything sounds it's best. Most setups I've seen with them actually add a seperate subwoofer anyway.

If I was limited to only those two companies I'd probably choose DefTech.

[Woochifer]

I'm not sure, but I believe that the Magnolia Home Theater stores inside Best Buy do not carry Boston's top-of-the-line VRM series, just the VR models. I know that the standalone Magnolia stores carry the entire Boston lineup, so maybe they could do a special order if they're set on a particular Boston model. I have a pair of 19-year old Boston A40s and the veneer is still in fine condition. I would think that factors like direct sunlight, humidity changes, and general wear and tear would have more of an effect on how long the veneer lasts.

Otherwise, the Def Techs are a very different sound. To my ears, they tend to sound very aggressive and work better with specific sources like action movies and classic rock. That bipolar effect is something you either swear by or reject outright. Personally, I don't like that bipolar sound, but I also know others who love it. Also, not all Def Techs use the bipolar design.

[bacchanal]

I definitely prefer the BA's for music. The bi-polar def-techs are supposedly more for being used in surround ht environment. At least that is what a sales guy once told me...fwiw. The boston VR2s seemed pretty good for the money to me and I was considering buying them a couple years ago before I found my Studio 40s. I actually liked the VR2s better than B&W 600 series, but the show room I was listening in was a little weird (wider than it was long). No clue on longevity of the VRs though.

[N. Abstentia]

Boston was recently bought out by Denon, so they might have some blowouts going on right now also.

[nightflier]

Would the BA VR-2 or 3 actually be an improvement over the Primus 360's?

[Woochifer]

Boston was recently bought out by Denon, so they might have some blowouts going on right now also.

Boston Acoustics was acquired by D&M Holdings which is an investment group that originally acquired and merged Denon with Marantz, and more recently added McIntosh, ReplayTV, Escient, and Snell to its stable of companies. Aside from consolidating some manufacturing operations, the companies that D&M owns have operated independently, similar how harman/kardon, JBL, Infinity, Lexicon, Mark Levinson, and Revel operate under Harman International. When Denon and Marantz first merged, I don't recall any immediate changes to the product lines and update schedules.

[N. Abstentia]

I notice that all Boston Acoustics amps, preamps, and receivers were discontinued already. I took advantage and scored their 7 channel amp for cheeep :)

[paul_pci]

I notice that all Boston Acoustics amps, preamps, and receivers were discontinued already. I took advantage and scored their 7 channel amp for cheeep :)

Damn! How many amps do you have now?

[N. Abstentia]

Just the one 7 channel now. I was going to eventually get an Outlaw 7 channel but went with the Boston when they got marked down to $750. I'm pretty sure both are made by ATI (I know the Outlaw is) so they are very similar. I couldn't pass the Boston amp up at that price...I sold my Carver and Rotel amps for enough to pay for it :)

[nightflier]

Yes, I saw that AA was also blowing these out. I was a little skeptical, though, as I don't like to get stuck with discontinued stuff.

Back to the speakers, we went back again this weekend. Unfortunately, we couldn't make up our minds and went home empty-handed. The DefTechs really didn't sound right. Maybe we're just used to the standard-speaker sound, but the DefTechs sounded diffused and the bass was also not impressive - certainly not enough to forgo a sub. Unfortunately the BA speakers were no standouts either. They just sounded average. We were comparing them to the Sonus and Vienna stuff, which really isn't fair, I know, but we needed a point of reference. The higher-end stuff really does sound a lot better, tighter, more controlled and smoother. So we still haven't bought anything...

[stymie]

I have never heard any Boston Acoustics speakers so to that I can't speak. I like Def Techs for HT but have never been impressed with their 2 channel performance. I agree with nightflier, in that the many Def Techs I have heard had they seem kinda muddy. The ones I listened to never did sound right to me.