The Boston Acoustics BA 4800 – A $150 Audio Orgasm!
Written: Nov 12 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Rich, full, and realistic surround sound with very little distortion. Excellent sound quality.
Cons: No wall mounts, subwoofer assembly may get in the way.
The Bottom Line: The Boston Acoustics BA 4800 is an excellent audio system that allows you to immerse yourself in near distortion-free surround sound.
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| madtheory's Full Review: Boston Acoustics BA4800 4 Speakers |
Back in college, I knew this guy who had built his own bad a** computer that was so powerful, we used to joke that the reason that the Hubble telescope didn’t work is because he stole a few components from it. He had killer sound output as well, wiring it through a robust stereo receiver connected to two immense home stereo speakers. When at full volume, you could hear his music and sound effects clearly almost from across the quad. The overall power of the system made playing video games in his room very immersive. Doom imp attacks scratched your eardrums and shotgun “thumps” shook the room. You could lose yourself in a game for hours because the sound made you feel like you were 100% in the game.
Ever since I bought my new computer I’ve been looking for a system that can provide that completely engrossing experience. It appears that I’ve found it in the Boston Acoustics BA 4800 Audio System. OK, so the audio may not exactly give you an orgasm, but it will definitely make your PC audio experience much more stimulating and enjoyable. Besides, you probably really don’t want an audio orgasm anyway; you’ll get the keyboard all sticky.
The BA 4800 is a gray five speaker system consisting of two 2.5” front satellite speakers that usually stay on your desktop, and two 2.5” rear satellites that sit atop vertical 16-inch poles. There is also one large 6.5” subwoofer box that’s ideally positioned in the leg space beneath your desk. The knobs controlling the volume, power, and speaker levels are housed on the right front satellite speaker. For the best sound quality, make sure that you’ve got a four channel sound card installed.
Though certainly lacking the sheer orgasmic power of the aforementioned system, the BA 4800 unquestionably creates an immersive experience with high-quality surround sound and rich, full, distortion-free audio. Even with the volume cranked all the way up, the unit blasts thick, rich audio of superior quality with almost no distortion. My music sounded better than it does coming out of my car speakers, and the sound effects on my video games are always crystal clear.
Installation is so easy that even a computer novice would have little difficulty getting everything in inserted into the proper holes. The instructions are written in simple English, and the steps are broken down very well. The connectors are even color coded to further help the technically-challenged make sure that the process goes smoothly and correctly. Also, Boston Acoustics made sure to include nice, long cables for people with expansive rooms. It’s great that they included the extra cable so that consumers can really customize their “home theater” experience to help achieve climactic audio effects.
Surround sound on the BA 4800 is simply awesome. As an avid FPS (first person shooter) gamer, the audio is important to tell which direction the enemy is approaching from. After hearing the audio on this speaker system, I have absolutely no idea how I was able to detect people on those crappy PC speakers. More than a few times I felt compelled to actually turn around in my chair and make sure that there was no one behind me. Everything sounds realistic; you’ll be ducking bullet ricochets, flinching at noises, and with the volume up loud enough, you’ll be feeling the explosions. To really get deep into an aurally lush gaming experience, the BA 4800 is a must.
Unfortunately, the unit does have a few downsides to it. First, of all there are no wall mounts for the satellite speakers. They come with sturdy 16-inch stands, but I don’t exactly have unlimited space in my apartment, so an included wall mount kit would have been extremely useful. It’s really no big deal though; I’m sure I can spend around $10 - $15 at Home Depot and put together a pretty good makeshift wall mount myself. It shouldn’t be too difficult.
Also, the subwoofer box will take a significant chunk out of the leg space beneath your computer desk. The subwoofer is pretty big so before you buy it, check out the space under your computer desk and decide if you can live with having a lot less room down there. My desk is pretty big, but with my long legs, I do tend to kick the unit every once in a while. Luckily the hard plastic casing appears to be extremely durable.
All in all, I am extremely satisfied with the Boston Acoustics BA 4800. The surround sound is rich and realistic, increasing my enjoyment of my video games and music 200%. Sure, there are better systems out there, but odds are that they cost much more than $150. I honestly can’t really see myself paying more than that just for PC speakers, orgasm-inducing or not.
So if you’re ready to trash those cheap $5 speakers that came with your PC, I highly recommend taking a look at the Boston Acoustics BA 4800. With such excellent surround sound and aural quality, you’ll find it difficult to pull yourself out of the deep, enveloping audio.
Specifications:
Frequency Response: (3dB) 50-20,000Hz
Maximum Sound Pressure Level: 106dB
Subwoofer: 6½" (165mm)
Satellites: 2½" (65mm)
Crossover Frequency: 180Hz
Dimensions: (HxWxD) Sub - 11¾ x 7 x 14-5/8" (299 x 178 x 372mm) Sat -3¼ x 3¼ x 3½"
Finish: Computer Gray
Packaged Weight: 24 lbs. (11kg)
Inputs: (1) front stereo, (1) rear stereo
Surround Processor: 4-Channel Gaming
Recommended:
Yes
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madtheory
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