Superb Boston Acoustics VR965 / VR 965 Powered Speakers

Superb Condition Boston Acoustics Pair of Lynnfield VR-965 Floor Standing 3-Way Loudspeakers with Flawless All–Original Drivers and Built-In Powered Woofers Originally Retailing for $1,000 MSRP!

Boston Acoustics hit the big time with their VR series speakers and their wonderful sounding and acclaimed Lynnfield Tweeters. There are a lot of owner reviews at Audioreview.com as well as pro reviews, and they are overwhelmingly positive on the attributes of this exceptionally well designed set of speakers.

What separates these Boston speakers from other "built in subwoofer speakers" such as Infinity, Energy, Definitive Technology, etc. is the sweetness of the Lynnfield tweeter. Incredible highs, excellent dispersion, but with a sweet sound that has none of the fatiguing shrill sound so common with speakers in this price range. This is a superb speaker, and a bargain at this price!

Functionally the speakers perform perfectly, and the drivers are immaculate, having been protected by the grill cloths which cover the entire speaker except for the cap and base. The cloths themselves are in excellent condition, however there are some microscopic blemishes. There is one pair of pinholes on the front about two feet from the top, as well as 5-6 very tiny frays / pinholes that are on the front and side. On the other cabinet there are also a few very tiny pinholes / frays. The small pair of holes on the first cabinet (shown in the close up photo) is barely visible from a few feet away, and the rest are not, requiring strong harsh lighting and close inspection to see them. Overall the condition is excellent. The MDF caps have plastic covers which have shrunk ever so slightly, and one corner is split as it makes the turn. This shrinkage happens to every one of the speakers in this (940, 950, 960, 965, etc.) model line from Boston, and is in no way a detriment, and hard to notice unless you were looking for it. This is an AC powered speaker, and they come with their detachable IEC AC power cords. When powered, the subwoofers can use either the same speaker connection feed that you are already using for your tweeters and midranges, or you can opt for a second independent feed (RCA input) from your LFE output which allows you to control the input from your Home Theater receiver. The integral amplifiers work great and are quality made – none of the humming or buzzing that plague many of the other powered speaker versions from other companies. In large part because of their phenomenal Lynnfield Tweeters, these Boston VR-965 speakers are not only excellent home theater speakers but also are superb music speakers that can handle the much more demanding task of rendering accurate, high fidelity 2-channel music with all of the richness, diversity and delicate nuances that music playback requires.

Here is the Boston Acoustics Company Info about this speaker:

Integrating the subwoofer within the floor standing VR965, accomplishes two feats. One, it saves space over using a separate sub. And two, it created a system that lets you better control the overall sound. The VR965 features a side-firing 8-inch (200mm) DCD bass unit, a 4-1 / 2-inch (115mm) copolymer midrange driver and the much touted and highly accurate 1-inch (25mm) VR aluminum tweeter with AMD. The VR965 features a line-level subwoofer input for use with Dolby Digital systems, and the exclusive BassTrac for distortion-free bass at any listening level. Inside is a crossover with audiophile-grade bypass capacitors for a clean, articulate signal. The subwoofer amplifier provides up to 80 watts RMS of power. Cabinets are made of MDF, for near-zero resonance. Outside, a sleek cloth sock grille conveys the speakers' sound, as well as a sense of style.

Here are some pertinent facts on this speaker system:

* 3-way, powered floorstanding loudspeaker with system-specific crossovers
* 80-watt integrated amplifier
* Side-firing woofer design conserves floor space in home theater applications
* BassTrac® circuitry eliminates distortion
* Tight, point-source driver alignment for precise imaging and wider dispersion
* Slim enclosure and cloth grille create a clean visual profile
* MagnaGuard® magnetic shielding prevents video interference
* Internally braced cabinets eliminate unwanted resonance
* Reference-quality Boston Sound™

SPECIFICATIONS:

* DRIVERS:

… 1.0" VR Lynnfield tweeter w/anodized aluminum dome, AMD & extruded aluminum heat sink
… 4.5” midrange copolymer driver

… 8.0" powered subwoofer with DCD polymer driver offers extended excursion

* FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 29Hz-20kHz (+-) 3dB

* CROSSOVER FREQUENCY: 150Hz, 2600Hz

* POWER HANDLING: Recommended Amplifier Power 15-200 watts

* NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 8 ohms

* DIMENSIONS:

… Height: 42.5”

… Width: 9.8”

… Depth: 14.0”

* WEIGHT: 50 lbs. each unpackaged

Here is the specification page on the Boston Acoustics web site for more information on these excellent loudspeakers:

http://www.bostonacoustics.com/VR965-P317.aspx

These speakers are universally praised, and a quick read of the www.Audioreview.com forum will tell you what owners think of this amazing loudspeaker set. The VR965 gets a whopping 4.62 rating out of a possible 5.0 – very high marks from a public ratings forum. Here’s the link:

http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/boston-acoustics/vr965/prd_123865_1594crx.aspx

These Boston Acoustics VR-965 speakers sold for $1,000 when new beginning in 2000 when they were released, were discontinued just a few years ago and are extremely popular on the used market. The AudiogoN Bluebook shows a used average of $530 regardless of condition. Here is a great opportunity to buy a pair in exceptional condition that have no issues and play like new. Please note that I am not packing these for shipment. I am listing these for local sale only. I am happy to deliver to you for free if you are local to me in San Francisco, Berkeley or Marin County.

Note: As a reference, I have also posted a Boston Acoustics factory photo showing one speaker with the grill cloth on, and the other with the grill cloth removed showing the components that are normally not seen underneath the all-encompassing grill cloth. The rest of the images are my own.