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Boston Acoustics A40 = Wow!

Yankee Dog

Yankee Dog

Well-Known Member
Boston Acousticc a-40 version II.

They sound better than they should based on appearance. The enclosure looks cheap, thin particle board with vinyl alomost like a contact paper, and the terminals are crap...

But the sound is awesome! :banana::music:

I just got around to refoaming a goodwill pair I picked up for about ten bucks last year. Talk about sound! Talk about imagrey!

They go great with my Large advents circa 1975 (recapped), and my recapped Marantz 2275. They all go together really well in my unfinished basement man cave.

Now to recap them, and maybe even build new boxes for them...

Just thought I would share. I have read here that they sounded good, just did not expect them to sound this good! YD
 
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I have some A60 Series II and I agree, they sound much better than they should. Enjoy :)
 
I have the A40s and also agree- great speakers! I never thought they looked that cheap other than the vinyl vs real wood veneer issue. Last Sunday I found a pair of A60s- I almost walked right by them 'cause they looked so cheap! Even though the finish was identical to the A40s, it was the cabinet dimensions that made me think of cheapo speakers. They are wider and taller but don't look any deeper than the A40s. Fortunately I caught a glimpse of the Boston Acoustics logo as I was walking by.

I'll look forward to refoaming and hearing the A60s.

And I told the ladies at the Rancho Cucamonga Goodwill that since it was my first real audio score at that store I'd tell all my friends where I got them.
 
I remember buying the A40's as a freshman in college for my dorm. I drove them with a Yamaha receiver and a JVC CD player. They sounded great to me back then and later upgraded to the the A70's.
 
Looking at the caps in the crossover, I see one electrolytic (3.3uf), but another cap that is (I think) a 1.3uf. Tha 1.3 looks like some type of an axial film cap?

They also have some poly insulation in them. I might play around with stuffing more fiberglass in them to see if it does anything. I'll see if I can get a pic later today. Sure enjoy listening to them. YD
 
I have two pair of these and agree wholeheartedly how nice they sound. I was using three of them for my front L/C/R mains in my hometheater for a while and they handled the job admirably. I also have the A70's and really enjoy them- it seems the general concensus around here is Boston Acoustics hit a home-run with the whole A series speakers.
 
I have a pair in my woodshop (with an old Hitachi reciver) that have been refoamed and I dig'em the most. I got them new as a gift around 25 years ago, and gave a few pairs as gifts thereafter.
 
tiga said:
it seems the general concensus around here is Boston Acoustics hit a home-run with the whole A series speakers.
Click to expand...

:yes: now you have the bug you will need to move up in the "A" chain...wait until you hear the A200's

has anyone here hooked up numerous sets of the smaller A's in series, like the old stacked Advents?
I have 2 pairs of 70's, 100's and 150's and have been wondering about it.
 
Looking for some recommendations.

I have a chance to pick up a pair of newly refoamed A-40's. Any good recommendations for a receiver or amp to go with them?

I'm trying to build a system on a shoestring for a birthday present. I have the CDP and turntable already. I was looking at maybe a Pioneer SX-450 which is 15 watts per channel and I think these are 50 watt speakers. I'm wondering if this might be a fine combo.

Am I right that low powered amps should be paired with speakers of either equal or higher wattage but not too much higher? I'm learning about efficiency being a factor when matching components, and from what I understand good efficiency means speakers that don't require lots of power to get them going. Just wouldn't want to match them up to something all wrong for them. These would be used in a normal sized bedroom and would be listened to at reasonable volume

Not sure about the capacitors on the local Bostons but being from the mid 80's I'd guess it would be about time. I've heard that caps should be replaced after about 20-25 years.
 
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my boy was using a 450 and 40's in his office and thought it was just fine. he couldn't turn it up though.
You will get a bunch of suggestions but mine is find a lower-end vintage receiver like the 450, be it from any of the manufactures, and be happy.
My personal fave would be an Onkyo TX 2500 Mk II....rated at 40 WPC and puts out more, built like a tank, and can be had for about $50. A Yamaha CR 600, 620, 800 or 820 would be another killer combo
 
Great, thanks for the insight, Billy. Love your avatar btw, love the Chameleons.

Wow, your son had the exact same idea huh? I guess he couldn't turn it up too loud cos the 450 is so low powered? That would be ok, can't think of a reason why it would ever need to be cranked. I guess a higher powered amp would give you more beef, but I think for this room and person it would be going to, it's not necessary

I'm sure I'd get a bunch of suggestions like you say :) Just wanted to make sure my idea wasn't a bad one for the pairing. I'll check out that vintage Onkyo too

Thanks again
 
I think what Grillebilly meant was that he couldn't play the system too loud due to being in an office, not that it wasn't capable of playing louder.

The A40s are 88db/w/m, not exactly high sensitivity, but they aren't the kind of speakers that are going to blow your windows out anyway. I tend to think that most smaller speakers such as these shine best at low to moderate volume anyway. I have a pair on my workbench hooked up to an Optonica SA-5201 (45wpc) receiver and the volume knob never gets turned much past 9 or 10 o'clock. These speakers are indeed as wonderful as everyone says. I think you can match them with just about any decent vintage receiver and get great results.
 
Grillebilly is spot on w/ the Yamaha and BA synergy. My brother-in-law runs a Merrylander CR-800 w/ some BA-40s that I refoamed and it is a nice pairing.
 
grillebilly said:
:
has anyone here hooked up numerous sets of the smaller A's in series, like the old stacked Advents?
I have 2 pairs of 70's, 100's and 150's and have been wondering about it.
Click to expand...

DO IT! ...and report back! :D

I need another tweeter for one of my A40's or I'd try it tonight. Unfortunately I only have one pair of the A70's. (sigh)
 
Thanks for the reply, Andy, I thought he may have meant being in an office prevented him from cranking it.

Question - A-40's are 50 watts, is it a no-no to pair them with an amp or receiver that is beyond 50 watts? I always thought you wanted to get a receiver or amp that was at or below the wattage of your speakers for a good match
 
No you can go with a higher wattage amp/receiver, just don't crank em. Thats when life gets hard for the speakers and you go shopping for new pair. YD
 
Yankee Dog said:
Looking at the caps in the crossover, I see one electrolytic (3.3uf), but another cap that is (I think) a 1.3uf. Tha 1.3 looks like some type of an axial film cap?

They also have some poly insulation in them. I might play around with stuffing more fiberglass in them to see if it does anything. I'll see if I can get a pic later today. Sure enjoy listening to them. YD
Click to expand...

Replace them both, any decent speakers deserves to be freed from their old capacitors :) I have had wonderful results swapping electrolytes for film caps in most of my old speakers, including some Volvo original speakers from the eighties :)
 
Yep, picked-up some GoodWill A-40s for $10, perfect, except for foam. After refoam, was pleasantly surprised. Gave away many other small speakers but not these. They do well for how small they are....and when coupled to the wall correctly.

Congrats on your project and enjoy!
 
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