Boston Acoustics flew to the CEDIA Expo with more than 30 new custom-oriented speakers along with a new value-oriented in-room speaker series, additions to its in-room speaker lines and the brand’s first iPod-docking speaker system.
In the new Classic, step-up Horizon and flagship Vista series of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, the company is launching more than 25 SKUs. The Horizon and Vista series feature bezels whose visible width has been reduced by 70 percent over their predecessors to blend in more seamlessly with walls and ceilings and appeal to the design-conscious. The Horizon and Vista models are also Boston’s first custom speakers with magnetic grilles for easier installation, the company said.
Horizon prices range from $85 each to $600 each at retail. Two- and three-way models are included with bass drivers ranging from 5.25 inches to 8 inches in diameter. Vista prices range from $290 to $2,100. Both series ship in January. Classic prices range from $125 to $200 suggested retail, with shipment slated for November.
The Horizon and Vista custom series also include Boston’s first high-humidity in-ceiling speakers for spas, bathrooms and pool areas. The Horizon model is a 6-inch single-speaker stereo model with dual tweeters flanking a woofer.
In the top-end Vista custom series, the company is launching 13 SKUs to phase out the VRi custom series through the end of the year. They also feature reduced-size bezels, magnetic grilles and a high-humidity in-ceiling single-speaker stereo model. Retail prices range from $300 to $1,200 each with woofer sizes ranging from 6 to 8 inches and Boston added that the series includes two- and three-way models.
The Horizon speakers come in four-color packaging and ship in November through January as part of a staggered phase-out of the DSi custom series.
In the new value-oriented Classic custom series, Boston plans October shipments of two in-wall and two in-ceiling speakers. They come in two-color packaging with four-color labels and are targeted exclusively for retail sales floors.
In in-room speakers, Boston is launching the Classic series, marking a return to a price range that the company dropped more than two years ago, said Phil Cohn, sales and marketing senior VP. The new vinyl-clad Classic speakers, targeted to the value- and performance-oriented, top out at $249 suggested retail for a single 6.5-inch two-way tower. Target customers are similar to those who purchased value-oriented CR and VR series products in the past, but the new models feature a more finished and elegant look to “reach some customers not reached with VR and CR,” Cohn said.
To its Horizon series of molded-cabinet speakers and tabletop radios, all with interchangeable color grilles, Boston is adding the i-DS2 iPod-docking tabletop speaker system at $179 suggested retail. It’s Boston’s first dedicated iPod speaker system, joining an iPod-docking tabletop radio. The one-piece molded-cabinet systemfeatures 2×15-watt amp, 3.5-inch full-range speakers, remote and cabinets in a choice of high-gloss black or gloss white with matching perforated metal grilles. Interchangeable metal grilles in different colors are also available. The device carries Apple’s “Compatible With iPhone” designation and features composite-video output.
For its P400 three-channel passive sound bar for flat-panel TVs, the company is offering a gloss-piano-black version to complement the existing silver version. It shipped in late August at $899 retail.
