Updating my previous review. Detailed highs -- no shrillness once I used them with a better receiver. Great mids. High-end sound. These were made in the late 90s, not 2013, as my previous review said, and I paid more than $50 for them. I purchased them as part of a packaged deal and the price for the speakers would be hard to determine precisely. I think they were more like $90.

With bass down to 46 Hz, these could benefit from a good subwoofer in home-theater use.

Detailed highs. Great mids. High-end sound.

With bass down to 46 Hz, these could benefit from a good subwoofer in home-theater use.

These speakers have a very detailed sound with a large soundstage and great imaging. They don't have much bass but work well with subwoofers.

With some materials, the highs can sound a bit shrill and annoying. These have the Lynnfield tweeter which is far superior to Boston's Kortec tweeter but even the Lynnfields only shine with the right music. Not exactly high-end sound but great for the money if you can still find them.

My cat clawed my Boston Acoustics VR 940 black cover "sock" and looking to replace just the sock, anyone know where I can find a replacement sock? The speakers are terrific, i just wish I had a bigger room to really enjoy them more. Thanks

I am soo sad that I sold these things...ah geez. Where do I start...?

I had these for a while in my main setup being powered by an old huge MCS 3874 integrated and oh my goodness...never have I heard such dynamics before! Seriously, I did not realize what I had until I sold them off. People - just look at the reviews - 21 reviews with an average rating of 4.5?? These speakers are all that and a bag of chips. Honestly. The imaging is not pinpoint, the instruments don't occupy a "real space" in the soundstage but by golly they produce the most enveloping and exhilarating sound that I have ever heard with the exception of a 100 k front end system at a friend's hifi store I auditioned at one point in the past. Somehow - without one particular detail or attribute of these speakers ever being pronounced enough to become the reason behind why these are so good...they manage to just draw you in like very little else out there can do.

They are a little on the bright side, definitely more forward than many other types but it seems to work to it's advantage here. I just remember putting on Jordan Sparks "No Air" the first time and the ambient cues and effects simply cohered with the whole track like I had never heard before. Somehow, the music was more exciting and fun to listen too. I'm not sure how that works. But that's what I was hearing. My wife also loved them and was sad that I ended up selling the set. I had to own up after a couple of weeks that she was right...I really should have kept them.

The interesting thing about these guys is the that small short-comings (the maybe slightly forward and bright sound, the lack of precision imaging) never becomes one of those nit-pickable things that bugs one about their setup. For whatever reason, even though I knew there were faults (there have to be at that price), the speakers just made me forget they were there while I listened to the music. It's as if they were simply getting down to the heart of the matter - the way music should make you feel. These Boston Acoustics conveyed more feeling and emotion in the music than I remember in a very very long time through any set.

I remember another reviewer on here aptly stated that even completely ignoring the price, these are just outright "good" speakers. Something about them is just so "right" that I had to write a review here. If you can find these speakers for a good price and have been considering anything more expensive which might seem comparable - just go get these. Do it. And then listen to your favorite music and you'll understand what the fuss is all about.

Tonal balance across all speakers.
Fairly wide sound stage.
Small footprint for a tower speaker.
Tweeter is at ear-level when you are seated.
Close-out price was perfect for me and my wife.
Blends well next to my Pioneer big screen.

Weak on bass response, but even a "small" subwoofer from SVSound can easily cure that deficiency.
A bit "tipsy" due to the small footprint.

I have owned these speakers for over four years (purchased August, 2002). I found this pair on a close-out sale at a recently opened Tweeter store in my neighborhood . I had read some very good reviews about Boston Acoustics, in general, and the VR940s and VR950s in particular. The speakers that I was planning to replace were a pair of JBL bookshelf speakers. I had slowly been building my home theater system. I had recently upgraded to a Pioneer 53" big screen ( rear projection CRT), a pair of Boston Acoustic VRS surrounds and an SVSubwoofer (16-46 CS+) with a 1000 watt Samson amp.

It was time to do some serious front speaker upgrade. Tweeter had a pair of VR940's and VR950's on closeout. I went home and convinced my wife to audition them with me. I was convinced I wanted the VR950's just because of the higher price. But as we listened, the 940's seemed to have a bit wider sound stage while the clarity and balance seemed virtually identical. While The 940s left a bigger hole in the bass department when the salesman used the best subwoofer in the demo room and balanced it a bit (at my request), the 940s really shined. The 950s were excellent also, but since they cost almost $150 more for the pair, I choose the 940s. Since they were physically smaller than the 950's, my wife approved on both counts.

About six months later, I replaced my JBL center with a Boston Acoustics VR910 center. Now the system is absolutely wonderful (and has remained so). The Boston Acoustics speakers tonal balance is great. I have not even been seriously looking to upgrade my speakers (although, I could probably be convinced to get a true full-range set of surrounds). I suppose that will happen when I eventually move to a 6.1 or 7.1 system.

Since I purchased my VR speakers, I purchased some Boston Acoustics three CR8's and two CR6's for my son-in-law. (Note: The CR8's and CR6's also have very good tonal balance and were easy to calibrate. They still lacked bottom end so he is using my old Audio Source SW-15 modified with the fiberglass batting.) These were the last Boston Acoustics speakers that my Tweeter were selling as they started selling Polk speakers. (Very disappointing, in my opinion.)

Customer Service

I have not had to use Boston Acoustics' customer service. (I think this is a big plus.)

Similar Products Used:

JBL bookshelf speakers (actually not very similiar and not even in the same ballpark).
B&W bookshelf speakers that I auditioned when I purchased the CR6's. (The B&W speakers did not emphasize the high frequencies as much as the Bostons, but by turning the treble down one notch, they sounded almost identical.)

Well built, smooth tweeter, very musical bass response, look good, great for $250!!!

mmmmmm...top cover scratches easily? (still looks fine)

I've been very happy with my investment in these speakers. Had them for about a year now paired up with the PV600 and an entry level Yamaha receiver. Bass response of the 940's alone is not massive, but it is always musical and exceptionally even; definitely enough to blend well with a sub. The VR tweeter is not too in your face, even with the Yamaha. I think this system is very listenable at all volume levels. I got an impressive soundstage when placed without too much toe-in.

Similar Products Used:

Tivoli Design TDM1 Floorstanding (also from Tweeter)

Sound quality, looks. Good base for a low-cost floor standing speaker. Excellent hi frequency sound.

Possibly some dropoff at a mid-range area near the crossover point.

I auditioned Infinity, Mirage, Boston Acoustics, Yamaha, JBL, and Polk speakers. The Boston Acoustics have a balanced, natural and musical sound that I think is beautiful. While I can't compare them to more expensive speakers, I think even at $500 for the pair the VR940 is an excellent choice. I got a great deal on mine at Tweeter so it was a no-brainer at $250 for both of them.

SOUND CLARITY, GREAT DYNAMIC RESPONSE,

IF YOU CALLIBRATE YOUR SYSTEM RIGHT THEY ARE GONNA SOUND GREAT, YOU MIGHT NEED SUB FOR GREATER BASS RESPONSE

i am very satysfied with boston products. i own boston 8000 micro system and i am usein vr 940 as main speakers. resoult? just run minoryty report and you know what i mean. This speakers have incredible sound and plus sub i have the bass responce is way down to 45hz( low enough to roumble the house) one more thing please calibrate your system first it is realy important( all this people who write bad reviews for vr 940 should set their system right or have etter amps) I RAN MY SYSTEM WITH DENON AND BELEVE ME ALL MY FRIENDS ARE JEAOLOUS.

Similar Products Used:

KLIPSCH, ENERGY, POLK, JBL,JAMO

Smooth defined highs. Accurate. Good bass for this size package.

None, unless you want bass to 20 Hz.

Forget terms such as "at this price". These are just excellent speakers all around. They sound very true to the material. Pianos sound exactly like pianos live, same goes for guitars, sax, etc. One important note: these guys take a long time to break in! It took me leaving the burn-in passage from a test CD running on repeat everyday when I went to work for two solid weeks to get these to sound good. I think it may have something to do with the odd shaped woofer. Now they rival my personal reference speakers (my trusty Magnepans. And, now the bass is strong and the highs are perfect. A sub is not necessary for music in my room and the footprint is smaller than most stand mounted monitors. You can spend more, but the sound from these is truly "right on".

Similar Products Used:

Boston VR-M, Energy Veritas, Paradigm Reference, B&W 600 series, Wharfedale Diamonds, Emeralds Polks, Vienna Acoustics and many others