Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!!

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.

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).

I have started from RM6750. But I returned within one week because of noise from subwoofer.
So I have decided to buy individual speakers, instead of package.

I mainly checked Polk Audio and auditioned at Fry's.
- Tsi 100: not bad
- Tsi 200: sound was muddy
- RTi A1: good crisp, but not bright

One day, I found BA CS26B and auditioned. Wow, It's great!
Clear, bright, rich! I completely satisfied.
I checked local Fry's, but Amazon has good deal.

Don't hesitate to buy this!

Set-up new bookshelf system in my bedroom,onkoyo CSV-720 receiver and wanted better speakers then what came with it. Did alot of reaseach on the net and settled on the BA Ca-26cs. Wow are these speakers great,have them coupled with Yamaha sub and onkyo receiver.The sound in the bed room is now fantastic. Unbelivable clear highs and good base,they sound clear and smooth. I have been listening to music since the 60s and this set-up is great for a small bedroom,coupled with the XM radio the music is wonderful.
If your looking for a small speaker for stero system you can:t go wrong with this speaker.

I listened to these Boston Acoustics bookshelf speakers recently and thought they were excellent for their size. They offered great mid-bass and signature Boston sound. They were a joy to listen to and took the power of a Denon AVR-2310ci with aplomb and class. Rich highs made David Sanborn's sax from "Pearls" sing, with a depth hard to find in a bookshelf, let alone one under $70 each (Electronics Expo's coupon did the trick with WS901X3807, after the Amazon checkout I am told). Give them a listen!

These are some awesome speakers for the money and appear very solidly built. I got to hear them while helping a friend set up his home theater, and I was quite impressed. They are crystal clear and sound great and very powerful with about 100W peak (non-clipping) going in. Be aware of pricing variations though: you may get these speakers for less if you shop around. My friend got 4 of these on 1 order for $55 each (he asked for a discount) by buying locally. YMMV.

Purchased 4 of the CS26B bookshelf speakers with the Boston Acoustic SC225C center channel speaaker to upgrade our home theater system. They sound absolutely awesome! We cannot believe how great they sound for the price. Crystal clear vocals and they sound great for music as well as movies, something that was really lacking in our old speakers. They blow the doors off the JBL satalites they replaced and sound just as good if not better than any of the Bose we listened to at a fraction of the price.

I purchased a set of these to replace a set of floor standing speakers to free up some floor space in the living room, increased separation and make things look a little cleaner. With these, I also purchased the CS225CB center channel. I wanted to make sure the entire front set matched both ascetically and sound quality. When we first received them, we hooked them up and just let the tv play for an hour or two through them. Then we watched a THX movie. When the movie began, the voices were tinny, like they were talking in a can. By the end of the movie they started warming up a little. We have had the set a little over a week and have watched both tv and about 3-4 movies. I am happy with the set up. They are what I expected from a set of BA at this price range.

We have not listened to music on them yet so I can't speak to that at this time. But for fronts on a surround set up, they do a good job. I expect them to mellow a little more over time. I am not a certified audiophile but I have a decent ear. I am happy with my purchase.

First of all, I am not a high-end audiophile, but I like good sound. I also live in a small townhome and the speakers are used in a small room - about 300 square feet. I am using them for stereo, not surround sound.

Having said that, these speakers sound great, go far louder than I care to run them without noticiable distortion, and take up not much space.

They were exactly what I expected for the price.