These speakers were fairly nuetral, not too bright, boomy, or nasally. Presented a fairly strong image.

Light in the bottom, but they are a bookshelf speaker, not a floor-standing speaker.

Of the five speakers I auditioned, the CR-7s sounded overall the best. The did all sound very similar, and quite a bit better than I expected for this price range. The Energy was my least favorite, being quite subdued in the high-end. The Polk's were a little too midrangey - making the vocals a little nasally or as if they were coming from a horn or a tunnel. The CR-7s use the lesser-priced tweeter than the CR-8s, but I found the CR-8s a little bright. Of all of these though, the CR-8s presented the widest soundstage, with the CR-7s running a close second. This may be due to the larger cabinet and woofer of the CR-8s (overall greater bass response). However, I am planning to use these speakers in a set of four in a workout room with a powered subwoofer, so I am not too worried about the bass response. As long as the mids and the upper bass are well represented, the sub will take care of the rest. Therefore, the smaller and less bright CR-7s won out over the CR-8s. Also saved about $100 a pair.

Similar Products Used:

Polk RT25, RT35, Energy eX16, Boston CR-8

Great sound, even on a AINCENT receiver
All different kinds of music sound great on it

The grills are horrible

These are the first pair of speakers I've ever purchased. I had 20+ year old Zenith hand-me-downs for my old receiver in my room, and I replaced them with these. They sound great. Everything from Outkast to Miles Davis to Tool sound wonderful on them. Out of my collection of over 150 CD's, the only track I've found that they cannot take at above-average volume levels is "We're in this Together Now" by Nine Inch Nails, and that song drives H-A-R-D!

When I went to go listen to speakers, the salesperson tried to sell me the newer model and, listening to "Jammin" by Bob Marley, I found the older C7 model had a little more bass in them. Go figure

My only gripe is the grills. You can take them off, but once you do, you'll have lots of trouble getting them back on. The newer model takes care of this, but in my humble opinion, you can sacrifice sound for that.

I can't be more happier with these speakers. They will be a part of my home theater (once it finally is completed) for years to come!

Thanks Boston Accoustics!

Tonally balanced, excellent sounding speaker. Sounds great in theater and in Stereo mode

I use these speakers for my rear surrounds in my 7.1 theater configuration. I also use them for 7 channel stereo. I am very happy with these speakers for the application. Music is very balanced with a clear match between the highs, mids and low frequencies. Even though the tweeter does not match the VR 950's and the VR 10, I can hear very little difference in the high frequencies and thre is a very clean compliment. For 7.1 (aka THX EX or DTS ES) theater applications, you know when these babies are get information sent to them and they play very clean and loud.

Boston has replaced these speakers with the CR 75's but I recommend the the CR 7's over them replacements. They are cheeper, they are US made, unlike the replacements, they look better and I think they sound better.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 4800
Denon POA 5200
Boston VR 950's
Boston VR 10
Boston VRS Pro Surrounds
Boston PV 800

I bought a pair of these CR7's. They're not a bad speaker, but to my ear, they would be a very good choice for someone that listens to jazz or classical. Over all, the speaker is very well made. One thing we all have to remember is that we all like different music and we all hear things differently. So take the speakers home and try them. Who knows? They just might be the speaker for you.

Beautiful Highs, Smooth Mids, Great Bass Punch

None so far!

I compared these speakers with the above mentioned speakers and the Klipsch speakers are an in your face speaker. The B&W's have no bass punch, but sound very nice. A close second. Phase Technology while being very smooth and flat on response sound boxed in. I use these in my office and they seem to sound better all the time. I listen to Rock, Country, Jazz, Classical, Pop, & Blues. This is definitely a very versatile speaker, because it sounds good with everything. Give these a listen. They out perform some speakers at twice their price and size including the Boston CR-8 IMHO. Enjoy!

Similar Products Used:

Phase Technology PC-1.1 B&W 601S2, Klipsh

clear sound, good reproduction of a wide variety of tones. Small, rugged.

too much localization of the sound. I can close my eyes and tell where the speakers are.

I've found these speakers to be great. They were perfect for college. One of the big plusses for me was their EM shielding. For several years I had them right next to my computer monitor, so the shielding was essential. They are still my primary speakers, but I'm a little less satisfied than I used to be, mostly for the aforementioned reason.

Similar Products Used:

James B. Lansing loudspeakers, very old, can't remember model number

I bought the CR7's 6 months ago and are quite impressed. They provide good sound, especially in the highs. Though not quite as good as some marginally more expensive speakers.

The CR-7 speakers were my purchase as beginner front speakers on my very first higher-end home audio system. I am a college student (in music) on a very limited budget, and was enthralled with their quality sound in the listening room of my local HiFi Buys. I was first considering their bigger brothers, but had seen some of these on an open box buy that was just too much of a bargain to pass up at $170 for the pair. Classical and Jazz listeners should definitely check this little speaker out. I am happy with the build quality. The cabinets are solid and quite heavy, considering the size of the speaker. Boomy-Bass hungry people would most likely overdrive this speaker and be displeased with it, but if you like quality sound that isn't imposing or overly priced then you should give the CR-7s a listen. Don't misunderstand me; the sound dynamic and clean bass that this little cabinet can emit are breathtaking (but not bone jarring). One thing that I have found, is that they tend to produce a better soundstage when given some space around them. Mine are placed seven or so feet apart, and are about a foot and a half from the wall behind them. I have to say that for the money, I don't think I could have beaten my purchase. (They are being fed modest Yamaha power, from a home theater receiver) If you are in the market for a good sounding bookshelf speaker, and get a chance to buy a pair for a reasonable price, I don't think you can go wrong with them! Happy Listening!

I have had the CR7 for about 3 years now. I originally bought thespeakers because of a good review in "Video" magazine. When I first
saw them I was turned off by there small size. However, believe me
the sound is big. If you were to close your eyes and had to do a blind
test of what size the speaker and what kind, you would guess a large
speaker. It has great bass for its size. It is really good on movies.
It does have its limitations though. While it would probably rate better
than most three way speakers, the better(more) three way speakers are by far
superb. Overall Boston Acoustics did quite well for a entry level
home theater speaker.

Great lows for its size, clarity,

None for its price

I got these for my casual, living room listening environment (CDs, radio) and I was quite impressed with what they offered for the price. I thought they had decent bass and great mids and highs for their size (about 12" high). I listen to some rock, jazz and a mix of everything else and don't think there's much else that can touch it for the price.

I listened to the Klipsch in this price range (I own their towers for my home theater) and they had zero bass. In fact the cabinets shook when I listened to the same piece of music vs. the Mirage and the Bostons. The Mirage speakers sounded good as well, but for the price, just not quite as good for the money.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsh, Mirage bookshelfs