Good speakers for the price.
Written: Mar 17 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: SPDIF Digital input. Sound decent.
Cons: Sub could be stronger.
The Bottom Line: Great if you have an SPDIF out on your soundcard. Otherwise, buy something else. Using analog input, the sound quality wasn't that good.
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| austad's Full Review: Boston Acoustics BA790 2 Speakers |
My old crusty Altec Lansing system needed replacing fairly badly, and I saw these while shopping for something else. The thing that caught my eye was the SPDIF digital input. So, I bought them figuring I could just return them if they sucked.
I first hooked them up with the analog input, and they sounded about the same as my old Altec Lansing system, but the bass distorted much easier, and wasn't nearly as loud. I contemplated returning them, but I decided to try the SPDIF input first to see how much of a difference it made. The digital input made all the difference, I'm keeping them. The highs are quite crisp and clear, and the distortion I heard in the sub at high volumes went away almost completely. The distortion was most likely coming from the distortion introduced from the soundcard's internal amp. By using the SPDIF, it bypasses the internal amp inside the sound card. I was kind of disappointed with the volume of the sub though. It has a single port on the front of it, and most people will probably aim the sub into the room. I turned it around so it fires directly at the wall (about 2.5 inches away). This technique is commonly used in expensive car audio setups to increase the bass, they build their sub boxes to fire at the rear window. It typically will increase sound output by 4 to 6 decibels. Now I'm fairly happy with the bass produced by the unit, and it's much clearer than my old Altec Lansing system.
One thing that does suck about them is the included SPDIF cable. It has RCA ends, and the outside shielding part of the plug is flared, so it doesn't fit very well into the SPDIF out on my soundcard. I'll probably have to purchase another one because it falls off easily, especially when my cats walk behind my computer. And of course, the color sucks. They are light gray which will probably match most people's systems, but I'd rather have a choice of colors. Charcoal gray or black would be much nicer looking.
If you have an SPDIF out on your machine, these are definitely worth the $80. A set of nice speakers and a separate DAC somewhere else would certainly cost you much more money. If you don't have an SPDIF out, buy something cheaper, you won't notice a difference.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
austad
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Reviews written: 4
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