Boston Acoustics CS26B Classic Series Bookshelf Speaker (Each-Black)

by Boston Acoustics

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.2 x 12.5 inches ; 15.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 15 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B001GCN3PU
• Item model number: CS26B
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,720 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #75 in Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Stereo Components > Speakers > Bookshelf Speakers

Product Description

The CS26B is a two-way bookshelf loudspeaker using a 1-inch Kortec soft dome tweeter and a 6 ½-inch deep channel design (DCD) woofer with graphite injected polymer woofer cone. Classic Series was designed to offer Boston¿s legendary sound, classic look, exceptional quality, and value. Classic loudspeakers provide an excellent foundation for a multi-channel home theater system or a stereo-only music system.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Speakers, May 14, 2009

By 

Douglas W. Freeman "OSU 55" (Lebanon, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Boston Acoustics CS26B Classic Series Bookshelf Speaker (Each-Black) (Electronics)

Replaced my 30 yr old Polk Audio Model 10's with these. I listened to Bose 201/301, B&W 685/686, and various Polk Audio models. Nothing could touch these guys for the price Amazon had at the time ($112 each). The B&W 685's were definitely better, but at about 4x the cost. The 685's might have had an edge in vocal reproduction, but at 2x the cost. Excellent, crystal clear highs and midrange vocals, and stereo imaging. Off axis dispersion is very, very good. The bass is good for a speaker this size, but they should be accompanied by a sub for serious music play or home theater. These are great music speakers, and IMO great music speakers make great home theater speakers. You will be surprised by the sound for the $ with these. A big plus for me is the classic styling.

I have 4 CS26's with a CS225 center, driven by an Onkyo SR806 receiver and a 15" 750 watt Velodyne sub. The CS26's, driven with 130W/Ch, can keep up with the sub. I can feel like I'm at a concert, be it rock, country, jazz, classical, with this equipment. As long as you have a good sub, you don't need big speakers to make big sound. I wall mounted the CS26's, and freed up significant floor space vs. my old Polks, with a significant improvement in sound quality. Bigger isn't always better!!

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT LITTLE BOOKSHELF SPEAKER, January 10, 2009

By 

BCP "OSU Buckeyes" (SF, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Boston Acoustics CS26B Classic Series Bookshelf Speaker (Each-Black) (Electronics)

To start, I consider myself an audiophile, but not a fanatic. I do have Mark Levinson electronics in my listening room, so I do feel I have a good ear for sound. But there are certainly more skilled critics out there. I had been looking for bookshelf speakers for the corners of my bedroom above my closets, on and off, for several months. Over the holidays I was ready to run the speaker wires in the attic to those corners and did so.

Now, I had to decide on which speakers to buy. I was on the web for many hours reading user reviews and audiophile publication reviews. I took a good look at Boston Acoustics, Polk, Infinity, Bose, Energy, Klipsch, and JBL. The one stipulation I had was that the maximum height was 12 1/4 inches or it would not fit above my closet moldings.

The big challenge with bookshelf speakers is always bass reproduction, due to the small drivers that are used to fit into the cabinets. I was looking for nothing worse than 60Hz on the low end of the frequency response, which is still adequate bass for me. To make a long story short, I really ended up narrowing the choice down to Polk and Boston Acoustics, namely the RTi4 and CS26, respectively. The RTi4, a great speaker, had been around awhile and was being replaced by the RTiA model line. The CS26s were pretty new model line from BA. From what I could decipher from my research was that the two were comparable in size and sound and both Polk and BA have consistently turned out good products. The one key differentiator was that the CS26 went down close to 50Hz, whereas the RTi4 is closer to 60Hz. This is very likely due to the driver being one inch bigger on the CS26. On bass reproduction 10Hz is certainly an audible difference. Reviews for both speakers were very good, so this was the main sonic differentiator, to me. The clincher was that the CS26 sold for as high as $150 each out on the web, but Amazon had them for $71 each. The RTi4s could be found for $180 per pair. So, I was getting what I thought would be better sound for less money. The decision was made and I ordered the CS26 right away.

They came quickly and I connected them up. My iPod touch will be the main source for these speakers, almost exclusively. And, yes, MP3s are not an audiophile format at all, but it is just a system for my bedroom. However, the sound from the speakers has been quite appealing. The frequency response seems very flat with no emphasis on any part of the spectrum. And, as I had hoped, the bass response was actually better than I had expected and solid. I even get a respectable image from my bed, which sits across from the closets. I never thought I would be able to get the sound I am getting out of a $142 pair of small bookshelf speakers ($300 list price, of course), but I am. I highly recommend the CS26s to anyone looking for a pair of bookshelf speakers. And, as usual, Amazon's service is second to none.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Pair of Small Bookshelf Speakers, October 26, 2009

By 

T. G. Weaver - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Boston Acoustics CS26B Classic Series Bookshelf Speaker (Each-Black) (Electronics)

I am using these speakers to provide sound for a large flat screen TV and also to listen to FM broadcasts of classical music. They serve both purposes extremely well - fine, realistic, detailed sound and good "musical" qualities. They would do even better paired with a subwoofer (which I plan to add shortly).