Boston A400 first impressions

R

RossW

Addicted Member
I finally got around to refoaming the A400s I picked up a couple months ago from a fellow AK'er. I was curious how they'd compare to my A150s and finally I got my chance. Here's some first impressions:

Highs:
The 400s have the same crisp but non-fatiguing highs that made the A150s keepers for so long. It's not much of a surprise, they have pretty much the same tweeter. They seemed a touch bright at first but now that the surrounds on the other drivers have loosened up a bit and I have the grills installed they're just right.

Mids:
Definitely a big improvement over the A150s. The smaller midrange in the 150s has a bit of trouble keeping up with the other drivers. There does seem to be a bit of a dip in the upper mid/lower treble but I'll bet that will go away as the mid surrounds break in (and maybe some new caps).

Lows:
Another improvement over the 150s. Don't get me wrong, the 150s give an honest try but there are definitely times when you can tell they're trying as hard as they can and not quite getting there. The 400s deliver without getting sloppy. The bass doesn't hit you in the chest but it's definitely there. My neighbors are going to love me...

Overall:
These are going to be keepers for a long time. They do everything the A150s did right and then some. I may recap at some point but they sound pretty solid as-is right now.
 
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Some consider the A400 one of the best 10 under $1,000 speakers ever manufactured. Would like to hear a pair one day.
 
The issue is that there's 400uF of caps in each speaker. I have decisions to make regarding what the keep electrolytic and what to replace with film.
 
I remember when we used to sell the A400's. One of my favorite speakers of all time. (In the "reasonable-price" class.)

Enjoy! :thmbsp:
 
Great speakers! They just don't seem to fetch the money they should. Likely cause of the unmodern, wide footprint!
 
I think they're great speakers to and I'm listening to mine right now. There's been quite a few speakers that have came and left here but somehow my ba400's have been with me for almost 10 years now.

They aren't cheap to recap if you plan using films for the lower crossover. In hindsight I wish I had only used the films on the mid and tweeter crossover when I did mine. I don't think the films added much if anything on the bottom.
 
The A400 is on my list of possible upgrades from my W60E's (or at least something slightly-different to try). I've heard nothing but great things...

The only thing I wonder about is the bass. My Wharfs can slam pretty-hard with some volume if the music calls for it, and I worry that the Boston's might seem too-subdued for me (I likes ma' bass). I'm also looking at similar ADS models. I like ample, yet smooth bass, full, natural-sounding mids that aren't biting or fatiguing in any way, and a vibrant-yet smooth top-end. It doesn't sound like much, but there doesn't seem to be a ton of speakers out there that can do that AND work well in a smaller room (Mine is 14'x14'), but the A400 seems like it could be worth trying.
 
The thing that makes the A-series work really well for me is that they're meant to be put flat against a wall. In my apartment I have no room for speakers that need to be away from things. I have heard some ADS speakers (L980s?) and find them to be similarly enjoyable.
 
I love my A-400s. :yes: I don't think you need to worry about them lacking in the low end. The first time I listened to "Overture/Cotton Avenue" by Joni Mitchell on my A-400s, Jaco Pastorius' bass about made me jump out of my seat. I'd never heard bass that low from a pair of speakers before.
 
Yup, great speakers. I have stopped looking to upgrade once I got these. And the bass, is insane really. The water pipes in my walls start to rattle with the volume set at 10 o'clock. I do love these things :)
 
Thanks for the review and it only reinforces what I was suspecting sound wise from the 400's. They and the 200's are on my short list of must have speakers.
 
I ordered up some caps last night, I went with poly for everything except the 2x 160uF caps which I kept as bipolar electrolytic. One of the big caps is just a shunt from the woofers, the other is in line with the midrange so I'll have to see how it sounds. Eventually I might have to suck it up and get some big film caps.
 
The ability to place them against the wall makes a big difference. They are best in a wide room against the wide wall. I have two pairs of A200's and really don't have an appropriate space for them. The first time I heard them was at the in laws house with the speakers against the walls. Very nice speakers. And I love the look.
 
Isotonic said:
The ability to place them against the wall makes a big difference. They are best in a wide room against the wide wall. I have two pairs of A200's and really don't have an appropriate space for them. The first time I heard them was at the in laws house with the speakers against the walls. Very nice speakers. And I love the look.
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I'm saving my pair of A-200s for the day when I can't have a room (or a house) for either my Klipschorns or my Cornwalls (i.e., retirement-assisted living-detention-camp-house-arrest). The most space-efficient quality speaker I have come across.
 
RossW said:
I ordered up some caps last night, I went with poly for everything except the 2x 160uF caps which I kept as bipolar electrolytic. One of the big caps is just a shunt from the woofers, the other is in line with the midrange so I'll have to see how it sounds. Eventually I might have to suck it up and get some big film caps.
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Ross,
What brand and type of caps did you end up ordering, and what was the outcome?

I too, have refoamed A400s, and am trying to decide just how much money to throw at recapping them.

Steve
 
I ended up buying a combo of Axon and Dayton poly film caps for everything except the 160uF monsters for which I bought Parts Express generic NPE caps. I haven't actually gotten around to installing them yet, I'm enjoying the speakers too much as-is. Maybe after Easter I'll bit the bullet and recap.
 
Gang-Twanger said:
The A400 is on my list of possible upgrades from my W60E's (or at least something slightly-different to try). I've heard nothing but great things...

The only thing I wonder about is the bass. My Wharfs can slam pretty-hard with some volume if the music calls for it, and I worry that the Boston's might seem too-subdued for me (I likes ma' bass). I'm also looking at similar ADS models. I like ample, yet smooth bass, full, natural-sounding mids that aren't biting or fatiguing in any way, and a vibrant-yet smooth top-end. It doesn't sound like much, but there doesn't seem to be a ton of speakers out there that can do that AND work well in a smaller room (Mine is 14'x14'), but the A400 seems like it could be worth trying.
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I own 2 sets of Wharfedale W60 II's. I also owned some A100 and own some A150's and have heard 200's. IMHO the Bostons beat the Wharfies in bass but maybe not quality of bass. The Wharfies are not really bass monsters but do it right and are very musical. I like the mids from the Wharfies better and the top and is kind of a push. The BA's seem brighter and the Wharfies more balanced. The Wharfies are smooth and balanced and the BS's are more modern sounding and a little more flexible on type of music they sound good on.
 
Bigerik said:
Great speakers! They just don't seem to fetch the money they should. Likely cause of the unmodern, wide footprint!
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I agree. I went to a co-worker's place when they were current models and was immediately impressed. Although his electronics were marginal, the speakers did quite well in the room they were in. Fortunately placement was pretty good in the scheme of things.

I remember standing there with a beer in hand, thinking "nice speakers".
 
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