Boston Acoustics Classic Series II Speakers Preview

One thing about Boston Acoustics is that you can count on them to serve just about every possible consumer. You want high end? They got it. You want outdoor? No problem. Surround bars, sound bars, iDevice docks? Yep, yep, and yep. But what we like to see is affordable speakers. Let's face it, not everyone understands how important audio is to their movie experience. The display? They get that. Maybe they have a different idea of what constitutes a good display (but it was so bright in the store!) or a large display (I sit 8 feet from my display, 32" should be big enough, right?), but they understand what it contributes to the experience. Speakers? Not so much.

For those people, you need to have a few recommendations for good speakers lined up. And they better be affordable because they just dropped more than they expected on their display. Boston Acoustics is usually a great place to look for affordable speakers with decent sound - especially if you are looking for products that actually look like speakers and not little cubes or bulbous, high-gloss art.

The Classic Series (CS) speakers from Boston have long been associated with quality and affordability. The CS 226, the floorstanding flagship of the line, topped out at $230 each. With the Classic Series II, Boston not only upgraded the line but lowered the price to a penny under $200 each. This is the sort of math that makes consumers in today's economy very happy.

The CSII line consists of the CS 260 II 6-1/2” 2-Way Floorstanding Loudspeaker (SRP: $199.99), CS 225C II 2-Way Dual 5-1/4” Center Channel (SRP: $199.99), CS 26 II 2-Way 6-1/2” Bookshelf (SRP: $149.99), CS23 II 2-Way 3-1/2” Compact Bookshelf (SRP: $99.99), and CS Sub10 II 100-watt 10″ Down-Firing DCD Subwoofer (SRP: $299.99). Boston is also putting together a package dubbed the CS2300 II which will have four of the CS23 II's Compact Bookshelf speakers and the CS225C II for $580. It only saves you about $20 off the price of the speakers alone but we expect to see the actual price a bit lower (or the package to include a sub).

The speakers will be available in any finish you like as long as you want Black Walnut. Like the previous CS speakers, the CSII line will feature a Kortec Soft Dome tweeter. Kortec is a polyester woven material that is treated with a special stiffening agent. All of the woofers have a Deep Channel Design (DCD) and have a graphite-injected cones (similar to Klipsch's IMG woofers). The DCD design allows that voice coil to travel farther without bottoming out. The speakers are all magnetically shielded, have acoustically tuned ports, and gold-plated five-way binding posts.

Taking a closer look at the offerings, it seems that the major change in the line comes in the form of the CS 260 II 6-1/2” 2-Way Floorstanding Loudspeaker. All the other speakers look to be the same including the CS Sub10 which has actually increased in price (from $249 to $299) from the previous iteration. The CS260 II loses a woofer from the CS226 which had dual 6.5" drivers. But, if they can cut the price by dropping a woofer and get similar performance, all the better for the customer.

Conclusion

The Classic Series II release from Boston Acoustics seems to be, on the face, more of a rename than an actual update. It is unclear, other than the CS260 II, which lost a woofer, what substantive changes Boston has made. We'll have to wait for the full specs from Boston or more information out of their camp. It is a reminder, however, that there are affordable options out there for the neophyte. With the new CS II Series speakers, you can have a 5.0 system for as low as $580 or 5.1 with floorstanding speakers and larger bookshelf speakers as the rears for $1200. That's a nice range for an entry-level speaker line, letting the consumer choose what they are comfortable paying while providing a good variety of speaker sizes.

For more information, please visit www.bostonacoustics.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.