ThriftyAudiophile

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
2.00 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $7.00 from Value Center, Vallej

Summary:
Ok, I don't know if anyone will read this, but I just bought these speakers a couple days ago from a thrift store for seven whole dollars. All four 8 inch drivers have deterioriated foam, but the tweeter and midrange on both look great. The grills are intact, and the housng I would rate 8 out of 10. I plan to buy replacement foam off of ebay to fix them. That is if they still play at a low volume.

Strengths:
Excellent build quailty. Nice solid heavy speaker. Inputs on bottom of speaker so you can hide the wires and walk around the speaker.

Weaknesses:
Foam is deterioriated, but if good it would not have cost seven bucks!

Similar Products Used:
Klipsch Legacy Rear surrounds speakers, mid line Klipsch center, low line Klipsch bookshelf. 10 inch KLH Subwoofer, Infinity Satellite System. AR 70 Watt powered Speakers.

Mark of Cenla

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Alterman Audio, New

Summary:
I have had T1000's since the mid-80s, and I have used them with a Hafler preamp and power amp the whole time. They have seen many sources come and go, but they continue to satisfy. I will be quite sad when they finally die because they have served me well in many living situations and rooms, playing rock, jazz, fusion, country, and movies. Loud, soft... it's all there. There are speakers with better low bass.

Strengths:
They are very well balanced and reproduce the whole spectrum.

Weaknesses:
Slightly weak in the lowest bass (nothing a tone control can't fix)

Similar Products Used:
JBL L86

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Sound Hounds Victoria

Summary:
Faced with the choice in 1987 of choosing between a number of full range speakers, which, at the time, came down to the Boston T1000, the Mission 780 (I believe), the Vandersteen 2, and the B&W Matrix 3, I settled on the Bostons. Admittedly, I couldn't really afford the B&W's, and the Vandersteens were equally out of my price range, so the choice was a simple one.

Since that time, I've never been disappointed with the speakers. Driven first with a NAD 55wpc reciever, and next with a Carver C-1, M1.0t combination, the Bostons have performed reliably, and have looked good doing so for a number of years. There's a lot to be said for real walnut wood veneer over black plastic 'wood-grain' vinyl covering. Even in a 'well-decorated' abode, these Bostons won't look out of place.

Getting to specifics rather than history, the best overall aspect of these speakers is that they have the right tonal balance and smoothness to make listening to just about any kind of music enjoyable. Hence, as another reviewer said below, they're easy to live with. They don't have any significant faults that interfere with the enjoyment of most sources (CD or turntable). If I'm getting picky, I'd say that they don't have quite the level of transparent and transient detail of some newer speakers, and that's ultimately why I'll eventually replace them. Also, the bass could be a bit 'tighter', but that's a minor quibble.

While I'm looking forward to replacing my amplification (for my Rega Planar 3 and my CAL DX2), I'll meet the replacement of my speakers with ambivalence. Although I know I'll likely be getting a more detailed and transparent speaker in something like a Linn Ninka, I'll also be losing what feels to be like a good friend. Decent equipment should be like that.

Strengths:
Good tonal balance, reasonably smooth highs, easy to live with

Weaknesses:
Not as transparent as some newer speakers

Summary:
I've lived with these loudspeakers for a good ten(!) years and they have made it hard for me to pony up the cash for an upgrade. Though I will likely go for a pair of Paradigm Studio 80-mk IIs later this year, I have to say that Boston really offered the best value at the time when I bought this pair for about $1050. I remember the enthusiastic review that Audio gave them, as it prompted me to go check them out myself.It appears that they made the right compromises in the design, as they still sound great and operate perfectly. They can play loud and soft with aplomb and are well suited for most music types and do double duty as mains in home theater very well too. Allison Kraus, Sarah Vaughan, Diana Krall and Stan Getz sound fabulous over them.

BTW, if anyone is looking for a pair of these in excellent shape, make me a reasonable offer (be realistic, I'm not going to give them away). I could use the cash towards the Paradigms.

Strengths:
Natural timbre and pretty decent soundstaging. Beautiful matched walnut cabinets.

Weaknesses:
Deep bass from two 8-inch drivers, but some cabinet resonance (due to build quality) colors it.

Similar Products Used:
T1030s, T830s

Summary:
I owned these speakers from 1987 to 1998, and played them probably 12 hours a day. They were always excellent with all kinds of music. A very satisfying full-range speaker. In light oak real wood veneer, I also thought they were great to look at. I ended up giving them to my Dad when I bought a 5-channel system with small speakers. I still think the T-1000s are equal to many speakers even today, and I think a used pair in good condition is worth about $400 - $500.