Boston Acoustics announces Reflection Series

Speaker makers Boston Acoustics has introduced its newest line of satellites, the Reflection Series. The new series includes 6 models ranging from compact bookshelf to floorstanding tower models, all of which us fiber-ceramic woofer cones that Boston Acoustics claims produces a consistent response across its entire frequency ranges.

The series consists of the RS 230 compact bookshelf satellite, the RS 260 bookshelf speaker, the RS 223 LCR satellite, and RS 244C center-channel, the RS 334 floorstanding tower, and the RS 1000 subwoofer. The bookshelf models respectively feature 3.5- and 6.5-inch woofers, while the LCR offers dual 3.5-inch woofers, and the center channel and tower speakers each feature quadruple 4-inch woofers. The subwoofer boasts a 10-inch driver with dual 8-inch passive radiators, and is powered by a 500-watt (1000-watt peak) amp. The RS 260, RS 244C, and RS 334 also feature dual sets of binding posts for bi-wiring/bi-amping.

Wall of Sound defines iPod overkill

Sometimes a cigar is just of cigar, and sometimes a "Wall of Sound" is just a... wall of sound. At over 3 feet wide by 4 feet tall, the Brothers Wall of Sound is one of the largest iPod docks on the market, and at almost $4,500, it's certainly one of the most expensive.

This massive slab of speaker boasts 28 different drivers producing a range of 40 Hz to 20 KHz, powered by a built-in 125-watt tube amplifier. Each Wall of Sound is hand-crafted, which contributes to the speaker's hefty price tag.

How Small Is Too Small A Room For Surround Speakers?

Question: My home theater is located in a 12 x 12- foot spare bedroom. A local A/V dealer told me this room is too small to install back surround speakers for 7.1. Is this true? If so, is there a speaker that can function as both surround and rear speakers so both channels can be hooked up to the same pair of surround speakers (thereby getting a 7.1 from a 5.1 speaker system)? STEVE TEMPLE / VIA E-MAIL

Speakers Are A Lot Like Dinosaurs

No doubt about it — speakers have come a long way, and continue to get even better. The range of speaker options is staggering: You can choose anything from diminutive satellites to mighty towers, skinny soundbars to rotund subwoofers. If you can’t find the speaker that exactly fits your needs, tastes, and budget, then you just haven’t looked hard enough. But — and I take a deep breath here — speakers are a lot like dinosaurs.

The Best Demo Material To Test Your Speakers

A system is only as good as the recording or movie that’s played through it. Here is some suggested demo material:

CDS

 

Eric Clapton Unplugged (Reprise)

A clear, wideband, detailed, all-around superb recording featuring mainly acoustic instruments, so you can quickly get a good handle on whether your speakers sound “right” — or otherwise.

Observe Correct Speaker Polarity

 

This is not optional! When hooking up speakers, make sure the corresponding red (+) and black (–) terminals go from the receiver to the respective speakers. If you don’t connect red to red and black to black, bass and imaging will suffer. Speaker cable will either be colorcoded, or one side will be smooth and the other will be ridged to aid you in proper wiring.

For more information on speaker setup check out our Speaker 101 feature by Frank Doris here.

Yamaha shows off ultra-thin cloth speaker

The signs in the photo above aren't just signs. They're actually Yamaha speakers, made from a millimeter-thick layer of cloth. The company showed them off at CEATAC JAPAN 2009, demonstrating the prototypes as part of its booth.

There aren't many details about commercialization of the cloth speakers, but Engadget shot an interesting video of the prototypes in action at Yamaha's CEATAC booth (the source of the picture). We can't know how effective these speakers might be for very discreet home theater installations, but the technological potential is at least there. Maybe in a few years, we'll have posters of speakers that actually work like speakers, and utterly confound our friends.

— Will Greenwald

7 Ways To Test If You Have Good Speakers

What do good speakers sound like? Here’s what to listen for. Make sure to bring your own demo material so you’ll have a known reference.

A Natural Tonal Balance

Acoustic instruments and vocals should sound realistic, not muddy or bright. An instrument with a wide frequency range, like a piano, shouldn’t change character between its low, middle, and high registers.

5 Things To Consider Before Buying Speakers

Deciding what speakers are best for you depends on your room size, budget, and listening requirements.

Consider the following:

Room Size

Are you in a small apartment or room, or are you building a large-scale custom home theater? For the former, a compact satellite/subwoofer system will do the job (and these systems can play surprisingly loud); for the latter, you’ll need larger speakers and perhaps multiple subwoofers. Make sure the speakers will fi t into your installation or entertainment cabinet.

Specimen Little Horns are actually big horns

It's hard to say much about custom audio gear makers Specimen's Little Horn speakers, other than that they're big horns. Each speaker consists of a 36-inch-tall fiberglass horn mounted on an 8-inch plywood cube. Almost four feet tall isn't exactly 'little' by any definition.

For big stereo speakers, the Little Horns are scant power nibblers, and can pump out sound while consuming only 10 watts each. The horns themselves are just very large resonators, and the actual speaker drivers are built into the cube-shaped base. Since they're custom speakers, the Little Horns are available with a variety of Fostex full-range drivers.