[xXDaedalusXx]

Originally Posted by Kaboomatron

@ Ebz
I got the Sony STRDH810 AV RECIEVER from richer sounds last week on their vip offer which was then £249 (an absolute steal) Just had a look and it's gone up to £269 which is still the best price around(Richer Sounds - The UK's Hi-Fi, Home Cinema & Flat Panel TV Specialists!) just quote vip and the price when you go in.

I paired the receiver with the Canton movie 80-cx (currently £249) and whilst this is sounding good I have a feeling that the boston acoustics would be worth the extra £50 so i might go and exchange next week. I was going to get the Q Acoustics 1010i 5.1 package for £249 but they had none in stock and due to it being the end of the line they won't be getting anymore in. I would love to get the Q Acoustics 2000 5.1 package but can't justify the extra £244.

Has anyone got the Sony STRDH810 AV RECIEVER and Q ACOUSTICS 2000 5.1 that can provide a good review???

I have posted this in another thread but thought it might help you a bit. One of the guys in Superfi was telling me how he prefers the Canton's to the Boston Acoustics and says in his opinion they are better so if i were you i wouldnt bother changing them for the Boston's.

[mr gadget2010]

Originally Posted by The Darkness

Just thought I'd add to this thread with my experiences to date. Apologies if its the wrong place, as you can see I'm new here...

I'm running the bostons through a sony 810. To my inexperienced ears it sounds wonderful. I have the speakers in a 5m x 5m room, and it is easily loud enough.

But I have a recurring problem with the sub. The first died about a day after running the autocalibration speaker test. The replacement arrived today and died after about 20 minutes of use. Both times the power light will not come on.

I'm guessing its the fuse in the unit, but something is causing the fuse to trip so the shop are going to test a third unit before sending it out.

Just a word of warning...one other guy on these forums has also experienced this fault. I hope it was simply a bad batch.

Cheers

Hi
Another newbie so hope this works. Had same problem with subwoofers in a brand new white set. As the white version only came back into stock a week or so back all must be a new batch. I've lost 3 in a week. My subwoofers lasted a little longer than yours.. nearly all of nemo on one... all of nemo on the next.. and nearly all of madagasgar with the third - all in one week (for my son!)

I wonder if the new white stock has been set for the wrong voltage. Richer sounds have been very patient. Will try a black one tomorrow! Its from an older stock Was your failed one white too? AMP was new Onkyo - there was no distortion before they failed - power light also went. Oh and tried new power and subwoofer cable for the last of the 3!

[thewillski]

I have just received my speakers today. Got two speakers setup along with the sub. Was sounding really great and then guess what? The sub died!! No power light either..... Its a white set as well.... powered by an Onko 578.

Again no distortion or drama with the death of the sub. Just cut out. Tried another cable from the amp but there was no power light on the amp.

I have emailed the supplier and will have to wait and see. Has anyone had a resolution to the problem?

[mr gadget2010]

Originally Posted by thewillski

I have just received my speakers today. Got two speakers setup along with the sub. Was sounding really great and then guess what? The sub died!! No power light either..... Its a white set as well.... powered by an Onko 578.

Again no distortion or drama with the death of the sub. Just cut out. Tried another cable from the amp but there was no power light on the amp.

I have emailed the supplier and will have to wait and see. Has anyone had a resolution to the problem?

Since my last post I have some more information. I'll split it into good news and bad news.

The bad
There is a bad batch of white subwoofers that came into the shops with new stock probably around the 20th October 2010 or just before. You will know if you have one of these because within (probably well within!) 3 hrs your power light will go out and the sub will go dead.

One of my 3 failed ones was checked afterwards and it was the power supply that was going wrong. It was not a fuse. I dont know if all the current white stock has this problem but there is certainly a significant batch. I suspect that this batch of subs marked for UK voltage were actually set up for US 110v. There is no switch to alter this.

It was bad enough taking these back across richmond park 3 times but I would be wary of white stock being delivered from afar at the moment as it could be a real pain to return and if they give you another white sub it will probably fail too!

I swapped power cables and sub cables and this was not the problem.

The good news
Richer sounds were very good about swapping them all over and in the end identified the fault. They finally allowed me to swap for a black sub - which i preferred anyway. There is more older black stock because only the white stock had run out previously.. My black sub works fine. If you can, get old black stock, but the new ones may be fine.

If you are thinking about new white bostons - until this is sorted I would choose a good supplier and ideally see if they can attach the sub to their demo amp and leave it running for at least 3 hrs. If it still works then it should be fine when you take it home.

Also in the good column - not had a 5.1 setup before but to me they sound great.. finally!

Hope this helps.

[RichB14]

Picked up a set of these earlier from Richer Sounds in Black.
Can't wait to start the install, What kind of speaker cable would you recommend the these ?

[kenthekiwi]

Was going to pop into RS this morning to buy a white set

Will still try, and check out how old the stock is. Will be pushing for that VIP price on a DH810 too. Fingers crossed I will be allowed out of the house.

[The Darkness]

Just an update. My third white sub was tested by retailer before sending out, and has been fine since it arrived. They said they knew now what the fault was and were confident this one would be ok. So far so good. I used Creative Audio and their service has been first rate.

[kovo]

Hi

Been considering all in ones (Sony BDV 870 / Panny Bt755) or the Onkyo 3305, but after reading the What Hifi awards 2010 and posts here, thought what the heck, time to get my first proper set up. So down to my local RS and picked up a black set of these speakers and paired it with another What Hifi recommendation the Sony DH810.

Looking to set it all up tomorrow and will feed back my first impressions (although I am no expert!). One quick question, as the supplied brackets allow the sat speakers to be angled and tilt downward my intention is to place them in the top corners of my living room (rectangular in shape 12 ft x 20 ft with TV central on one of the 12ft walls) The centre speaker either also high up or could possibly locate in front of telly. Any opinions if this would sound OK or should they really be situated more at ear level height?

Cheers

[walmo]

Hi all,

This will be my first venture into a surround sound system so feeling a bit un-knowledgeable about everything. Sorry if this is a really stupid question but do I have to buy a amp/receiver to get these to work or can I just connect them straight to my bluray player/xbox etc? Please don't laugh at me!

[Ninjafoot]

Originally Posted by walmo

Hi all,

This will be my first venture into a surround sound system so feeling a bit un-knowledgeable about everything. Sorry if this is a really stupid question but do I have to buy a amp/receiver to get these to work or can I just connect them straight to my bluray player/xbox etc? Please don't laugh at me!

you will need to buy an amp to connect the speakers and subwoofer to.

[walmo]

Originally Posted by markiedee

you will need to buy an amp to connect the speakers and subwoofer to.

Damn it! Thanks for the response though. This is bad news as the girlfriend will only let me get a system if it is small and mostly hidden. Can you get really small amps or do they all tend to be the size of dvd players?

[Dunkwho]

Originally Posted by kovo

One quick question, as the supplied brackets allow the sat speakers to be angled and tilt downward my intention is to place them in the top corners of my living room (rectangular in shape 12 ft x 20 ft with TV central on one of the 12ft walls) The centre speaker either also high up or could possibly locate in front of telly. Any opinions if this would sound OK or should they really be situated more at ear level height?

I think most people would agree that ear level height would be best if you can achieve it. I have my rears up at ceiling height and it doesn't both me at all, I don't notice that they're up there. My fronts have always been at ear height so I couldn't say if I'd be less happy with them up at ceiling level, its possible given that they're generally the main source of audio.

I think the only real thing to do is to mock them up as best you can and try it for yourself, its what I did (see my 1 screw and a blob of blu-tack comment earlier on in this thread!).

[asprint]

Do these speakers come with any speaker cables for the speakers or the subwoofer?

Are they supplied with mounting brackets for wall corner mounting?

[Dunkwho]

no speaker or sub cables.
2 different types of brackets are included for the 5 sats (10 brackets in total) - both corner style brackets and flat wall brackets. in addition there are rubber stick on feet if you want to sit the speakers on a shelf. google around for images of the brackets.

[moony1234]

Hi,


Thinking of getting these.

Would the Onkyo 308 be a good amp to go with it? I can afford up to the Onkyo 608 but wondering if that is overkill?


Thanks,

Aaron

[majorstare]

I have just purchased an Onkyo 308 for the BA's, which i collect Thursday..... im sure it will be fine

[majorstare]

I am getting the BA's on Thursday and just realised, i have speaker cable but not a Sub to Receiver cable.... what do i need?

[alfie786]

you just need a single phono to phone lead!! feebay, maplins have them make sure you get the right length!! 3m what i got from maplins does the job !£7.99

[alfie786]

anyone else got these BA would like to know would they go stands easy and what are they like compared to say the SFX tannoy's

[Chop21]

Think i am going to get these today - Richer Sounds are selling at £269 now

I too have the 5.1 Bostons in my extension (6M x 4M) connected to an Onkyo 308. I used Symphony 400 Cable from Richer Sounds (probably over-specced, and over priced, but since I chased all the cables in the wall, I thought it was worth the investment).

I use the system mainly for Watching Movies and Playing Xbox 360. The sub does a great job of making up for the inevitable lack of mid-range from such small speakers, giving a great overall sound, with I'm generally pleased. In my case, small, discrete speakers were a must. It was nothing to do with the wife, as even though I do appreciate good sound quality, there was no way I was having my newly built extension dominated by speakers. I've been there too many times before, and ended up putting them in the loft ! - I even found the Kef Eggs to be unacceptably large. If my setup only sounded half as good as speakers that were twice the size yet half the price, I would still chose the Bostons, as they're just so discrete. I too have positioned them in the corners at ceiling height (actually secured to the ceiling). To make the setup flexible, and to allow for multiple room configurations, I have chased 2 sets of speaker cables into the walls/ceiling, and fixed a 5.1 Connection plate to both of the shortest opposing walls. That way, we're able to change the room layout and still keep the setup.

[ahodgekins]

I bought a set of these from Richer Sounds yesterday and I am very impressed. Have the front 3 sitting on the same 6ft bench as the TV and the rears mounted on the wall behind the sofa. Room is 21ft x 11ft and have them set up to cover about half this space. Sound is excellent and I haven't even set them up properly with my receiver.

At the same price point I auditioned them against the KEF 1005.2s and the Harman Kardon HKTS 9s that Currys currently have on sale for £269 (same price as the Bostons, though the HKs come with cable). Wasn't able to audition the BAs vs the HKs due to nowhere stocking both, so had to compare both to the KEF 1005.2s and the larger 2005.3s (as a benchmark). Both the HKs and the BAs walked all over the KEF 1005.2s in my view and came close enough to the 2005.3s, which were that bit too large and expensive for me. Final choice came down to the BA satellites being smaller, and them sounding a little more controlled. The HKs had a stronger centre (dual driver), nicer looking sub and possibly a bit more mid-range, but sounded that bit harsher. The BA satellites seem to handle the power better. I was concered whether a 2.5inch driver and 0.5inch tweeter would be enough for a centre speaker, but they seem to work just fine. I guess the sub is helping out more than I realise.

Some advice for anyone buying these - the cable routing channel and spring connectors on the satellites are incredibly tight, so be careful what cable you buy. The cheap stuff in Richer Sounds isn't great as it has a very thick clear plastic covering that seems to magnify the amount of copper in it (which isn't that much, although probably fair at the price of 99p/metre). A better option would be something like the QED micro. I'm using Maplin's 'hifi' speaker cable which is decently thick at 79 strands with thin casing, but is probably just a bit too thick - for the rears at least.

[Azazel]

Just invested in these speakers and a Sony dn1010 receiver, very happy so far. Am trying to mount the rears on my stands using the rear screw hole, but can't find info on the screw said suitable for that thread. Cant see any specs online and with no provided screws with the speakers does anyone know what size I am going to need? Cheers in advance

[Chop21]

Originally Posted by Azazel

Just invested in these speakers and a Sony dn1010 receiver, very happy so far. Am trying to mount the rears on my stands using the rear screw hole, but can't find info on the screw said suitable for that thread. Cant see any specs online and with no provided screws with the speakers does anyone know what size I am going to need? Cheers in advance

I had this problem too. Any ideas

[markcrobinson]

I bought a set of Alphason Sona HCS-4G stands from Tesco Direct for £30.

The thing to watch out for is that the Boston soundware satellite speakers are American and the thread in the back is 1/4 inch rather than M5 or M6. You'll need to buy a pack of screws from your local DIY store and enlarge the holes in the plastic bracket slightly :-)
As the base is glass you will be able to see the speaker wire, but I don;t think that's a big issue.

Pic attached!

[markcrobinson]

Forgot to say - I am using the Cambridge Audio Ultra Micro cable (from Richer sounds). It's a little tricky to get into the cable management channel on the back of the satellites, but it does fit. Once I got them on the Sona stands I didn't bother with running it through the "chicane"

[ahodgekins]

They look great on those stands - shame I don't have any room to the right of my sofa to squeeze something like that in. If I can't channel my wires, might use some stainless steel tubing to cover them.

I'm also thinking of painting the wall plate part of the brackets as they look ugly in black.

Originally Posted by ahodgekins

Some advice for anyone buying these - the cable routing channel and spring connectors on the satellites are incredibly tight, so be careful what cable you buy. The cheap stuff in Richer Sounds isn't great as it has a very thick clear plastic covering that seems to magnify the amount of copper in it (which isn't that much, although probably fair at the price of 99p/metre). A better option would be something like the QED micro. I'm using Maplin's 'hifi' speaker cable which is decently thick at 79 strands with thin casing, but is probably just a bit too thick - for the rears at least.

Yeah, good point, I forgot about this as it's a few months since I connected them up.

I used the Symphony 400 From Richer sounds, and it took several attempts to get all of the strands in the terminals.

[Azazel]

Originally Posted by markcrobinson

I bought a set of Alphason Sona HCS-4G stands from Tesco Direct for £30.

The thing to watch out for is that the Boston soundware satellite speakers are American and the thread in the back is 1/4 inch rather than M5 or M6. You'll need to buy a pack of screws from your local DIY store and enlarge the holes in the plastic bracket slightly :-)
As the base is glass you will be able to see the speaker wire, but I don;t think that's a big issue.

Pic attached!

Many thanks for the spec info on the threads, I grabbed some quarter inch and found they only go in a short distance, I wonder if the thread is unc or unf, seems weird to only get a screw in that short distance, am just worried it won't support the speaker which will come a crashing one night. Anyone else had any luck mounting on stands? Cheers

[beatlegirl63]

Originally Posted by Azazel

Anyone else had any luck mounting on stands? Cheers

I set these up with my onkyo 607 yesterday and my two fronts are on these stands:

VIVANCO WMF110SS STAND (pair) [WMF110SS] - £19.00 : Total Digital - The Home of Audio Visual Entertainment

Look great and the speaker witre is discreetly hidden through the inner tubing. i think they look good with the bostons They come with all manner of attachment options but you only need to screw the bostons directly on.