Boston Acoustics is promoting a variety of speaker solutions designed to tap into consumers’ attachment to their personal music devices and expand that listening experience outward. The brand, an arm of D+M, which also counts the Marantz and Denon brands as members of its group, is additionally fielding a seven-model line in the traditional form-factor speaker category upon which it built its reputation.
“Our selling points are great sound, ease of use and value for the money,”
Mitchell Nollman, Boston Acoustics vice president and general manager, said as he demo’ed the video-enhancing capabilities of the new Bluetooth wireless-streaming $499.99 SoundWare XS Digital Cinema System. The Dolby Digital, three-element, small-footprint system consists of an 8-inch, 100-watt powered subwoofer and two SoundWave cube satellite speakers that can either be wall-mounted or positioned at different angles while placed in front of a TV without obstructing the image on the screen. Boston is providing dealers with a modular, countertop-mounted self-demo point-of-purchase display that allows customers to press a button and receive a pre-packaged demo, or press a Bluetooth button and use their own smartphone content to run their own.
The company has also just deployed at retail its first Apple AirPlay-enabled speaker system: the MC200Air ($399.99), available in gloss black or gloss white to match Apple devices. It uses Boston’s BassTrac bass-enhancing technology and has a frequency range of 70Hz to 20kHz. Its USB port permits device charging and is compatible with both Apple’s original 30-pin connector as well as with the new Lightning connector.
In soundbars, a category that Boston has inhabited for several years, the TVee 26 soundbar/Bluetooth wireless sub system ($349.99) and TVee10 standalone soundbar ($199.99) are new. The 150-watt TVee 26 includes a mini stereo AUX input to connect with mobile devices, and it has remote learning capability. The TVee 10, featuring a built-in 30-watt amp, is aimed at the entry-level large-screen flat-panel buyer looking for an affordable way to compensate for poor built-in panel sound.
The seven-model M Series boasts a new tower speaker aesthetic for the company. The high-gloss-finish series consists of three floorstanding speakers, ranging from the flagship $2,499/pair M350. The Model M340 three-way tower ($1,999/pair), which was on demo for the press, is outfitted with six drivers including four woofers that share lower-frequency-handling. That is followed in the line by the M250 ($1,499/pair). A two-way bookshelf model, M25 ($799/pair), the MCenter center channel ($599), the MSurround satellite ($748/pair) and MSubwoofer ($1,199) round out the line.
