Boston Acoustics HD9

[Adam N.]

I just picked up a pair of Boston Acoustic HD9s on Craigslist for $40 locally. I drove to the guys house and every room was jam packed with audio gear. If my wife were not waiting in the car I could have spent some time talking to the guy. Monster receivers everywhere. I've never seen anything quite like it. Just about every square foot of space was packed and stacked with gear. When you came in the door there was a very neat hanging system for patch cables of different lengths. Narrow walkways from bed to bath to kitchen. I'd never seen a high end 8 track player until last night. Pretty intense.

The HD9s continue my general impression of Boston stuff, which is to say I really like it. This is my second HD series speaks, currently owning HD7s. I think the HD7 is a strong performer in the budget bookshelf speaker line. You can pick them up for $20 and refoam them for $20. It sounds very clean and accurate to me but down on bass. I tend to like acoustic suspension because I really don't like woofy sound. For bedroom duty the HD7s are very nice.

The HD9s are great. I think it has a different larger tweeter than the HD5 and 7 and the top end sounded great to me. It uses a 6.5 inch woofer and an 8 inch passive radiator. My wife and I love the sound and she commented on the large sound stage, saying specifically that it seemed there was a lot of room between the instruments. My wife is not a stereo nerd so this was high praise. I thought they sounded great and spent an extra long time listening to them. Very enjoyable. They were running on Dynaco MKIII monoblocks and subbing for my Snell EII.

The HD9s are too big to be bookshelf at 21 inches tall and to little as floor standers. They're kind of a funny in between size and are destined to wind up as workshop speakers connected to my Hafler DH200. They will replace my Pioneer BS22LRs. I would totally use these as "in the house" speakers, they're really nice. HD10s would be even better. The larger one inch tweeter (over the 7s and 5s) seems to be a real step up too. If I could find HD8s withe larger tweeter I'd replace my HD7s with 8s.

I also own a pair of Celestion 300 Transmission line speakers, so I am interested in alternative ways of making a smaller woofer perform better. I've got to say I like the passive radiator. Its not woofy like a port, has better extension than sealed and is way less complex than transmission line.

I think Boston Acoustics from this and other eras don't get the prestige they deserve because they have aesthetic "problems", like the vinyl veneer which looks good for vinyl but would be better in real wood. One of the big perception problems is the spring clips for attaching the wires. To audiophiles I think we look for binding posts as a shorthand for quality in initial evaluation of speakers.

Incredibly the guy I bought the HD9s from had just reformed them and did a nice job. For $40 I got a great deal. Oddly, just this morning I was offered another pair of HD9s for free. I'll probably pick them up and refoam them and pass them on to someone who'll enjoy them as a piece of good fortune. There was no connection between these two HD9 finds, and also a pair of HD9s appeared on FB marketplace for $100 with some pretty nice stands. Sudden avalanche of a strange old speaker. Huh...

I have owned Massachusetts made ADS, Cizek, Boston, Snell and Advent. It' a fun piece of local history as I am from Massachusetts. You can sometimes find classic New England speakers on CL or at tag sales. I'd like to get a Scott tube amp someday and have an all Massachusetts system!

Anyhow, the HD9s are thumbs up!

 

[goodolpg]

"I just picked up a pair of Boston Acoustic HD9s on Craigslist for $40 locally. I drove to the guys house and every room was jam packed with audio gear. If my wife were not waiting in the car I could have spent some time talking to the guy. Monster receivers everywhere. I've never seen anything quite like it. Just about every square foot of space was packed and stacked with gear. When you came in the door there was a very neat hanging system for patch cables of different lengths. Narrow walkways from bed to bath to kitchen."
#############################################################

Thank You!!
I now realize I don't have a problem with excess gear in my house.
No narrow walk ways here.
Only one floor to ceiling stack. The other piles stop well short of the ceiling.
Nope, I don't have collecting problem.
Thanks again.


EDIT--ok, there are two floor to ceiling stacks.
But evidently I still don't have a "problem"

 

[Adam N.]

EDIT--ok, there are two floor to ceiling stacks.
But evidently I still don't have a "problem"

You have a problem when you start storing stuff off site. I just lent a receiver and two sets of speakers to a friend "for the next decade or two". So, no, you do not have a problem that I know of.

 

[swechsler]

This makes me feel a lot better. I have a couple of closets full of stuff, plus a pile of speakers in the basement of a home that we rent out. Yet my wife still complains...

 

[goodolpg]

Glad you are happy with the BA's.
Wasn't it just recently announced the brand will be no longer?

 

[Adam N.]

Glad you are happy with the BA's.
Wasn't it just recently announced the brand will be no longer?

Yes, BA is done for good. Snell went a few years ago. The whole New England industry is gone. The Boston area was also a real hub (pun intended) for mountain bike design and production in the 1990s. That's all gone too. It's interesting to have been a part of both of those things and now be a kind of collector of the remains.

 

[bcbud3]

If you come across a pair of hd10's you will definitely not be disappointed..

 

[Adam N.]

If you come across a pair of hd10's you will definitely not be disappointed..

The 9s are already pretty awesome. Can't beat them for $40! I'd jump on 8s for the bedroom or 10s for the workshop.

 

[onwardjames]

I had the HD7's a great lil' speaker.

Currently, I rotate in and out my rebuilt, recapped and refoamed A150's.

 

[Adam N.]

I had the HD7's a great lil' speaker.

Currently, I rotate in and out my rebuilt, recapped and refoamed A150's.

The A line gets a lot of love. I think they pretty closely related to the HD line. Good stuff all and great for anyone that wants to keep overall system price reasonable. They're all pretty efficient too, so gets loud without clipping. There's a lot of them around too and foams are cheap and available. It nice to see someone that appreciates a modest speaker like the A and has given it the love it deserves.

Good stuff.

 

[ramzilla]

I picked up a pair of HD8s at a yard sale, that needed re-foaming. So they were my first speaker to
see if I could "repair". Shimmed voice coils and all. Did a decent job, I would say for first time.
They have been doing summertime outside duty under my deck for the past 4 years with various equipment. Currently running a Sansui 709 into a NAD 7125. See no reason to replace.
Sound much better than you would think for a newer Boston speaker.

 

[yesshows77]

I've heard good things about the HD line and I'm a big fan of the original A series (own several). I hope to find a pair of HD-10's for a reasonable price someday.

 

[Michael Hugh]

This makes me feel a lot better. I have a couple of closets full of stuff, plus a pile of speakers in the basement of a home that we rent out. Yet my wife still complains...

If she didn’t complain about that it be something else, just learn to smile and say ain’t it great babe!

 

[MCM_Fan]

Yes, BA is done for good. Snell went a few years ago. The whole New England industry is gone. The Boston area was also a real hub (pun intended) for mountain bike design and production in the 1990s. That's all gone too. It's interesting to have been a part of both of those things and now be a kind of collector of the remains.

I realize this is an old thread, but your mention of both Boston Acoustics and Snell prompted my reply.

I just refoamed the woofers from a pair of Boston Acoustics HD8s and a pair of Snell Type K/IIs (click here for details). The woofers in the Snells were made by Boston Acoustics. They had round frames, instead of the squarish frames of the HD8 woofers, and larger voice coils, but took the same foam surrounds as the HD8s. For anyone considering refoaming BA woofers, I recommend you get the foams from Rick Cobb. Rick sells the correct filleted foams in the original black color. A lot of the ones I see on eBay, that claim to be correct, are actually grey, not black.

In any case, the foams from Rick fit perfectly and were very easy to install. In fact, the HD8 woofers were THE easiest I have ever refoamed. You'd actually have to try REALLY hard to mess them up. They are the perfect refoam project for the first time DIYer. The foams from Rick fit right and look right. The entire HD line is a great bargain. They are at the age now where the foams have gone bad, which means you can pick them up for next to nothing at Goodwill and on Craigslist. Refoam those woofers and you have some very nice sounding speakers for a very minimal expense.

 

[Adam N.]

I am currently running Boston CR8s, an even newer Boston that the former product manager from Boston says was one of his favorites. I love them and a rock and roll speaker. Great performing "big bookcase".

Boston made drivers for quite a few New England speaker manufacturers. Many much more high end that Boston was perceived as. They were said to be very consistent in manufacturing with little variation.

I would say that for an affordable and easy to repair speaker the HD line is tough to beat. My experience refoaming severa pairs was the same as you. The foam melts and is very easy to remove. Everything lines right up. The cone material is easy to clean. It really couldn't be easier.

In side by side listening the tweeters can seem a bit bright but the speakers produce honest bass and mids. I don't know. I like them. Bostons really got me going with hifi. They're special to me for that.

 

[karaszkiewic]

You have a problem when you start storing stuff off site. I just lent a receiver and two sets of speakers to a friend "for the next decade or two". So, no, you do not have a problem that I know of.

I feel dilemma because every time I decide to move some of my gear I end up online or an app and in the end I've sold nothing and end up purchasing some more gear. I don't know the actual moment it went from a hobby to an obsession but it has long since crossed that line. I think AA could not just be for alcoholics but Audio Addicts...

 

[goodolpg]

Glad you are happy with the BA's.
Wasn't it just recently announced the brand will be no longer?

Replying to myself I know, anyways, just found this...

What happened to Boston Acoustics?
In March 2017, Sound United LLC acquired D+M Holdings. As of October 17, 2018 Boston Acoustics products were still available on Amazon.com and other retail sites. As inventory depleted, Sound United, which is Polk Audio and Definitive Technology combined, basically let Boston Acoustics fade away.

 

[Audiokingman]

I just picked up a pair of Boston Acoustic HD9s on Craigslist for $40 locally. I drove to the guys house and every room was jam packed with audio gear. If my wife were not waiting in the car I could have spent some time talking to the guy. Monster receivers everywhere. I've never seen anything quite like it. Just about every square foot of space was packed and stacked with gear. When you came in the door there was a very neat hanging system for patch cables of different lengths. Narrow walkways from bed to bath to kitchen. I'd never seen a high end 8 track player until last night. Pretty intense.

The HD9s continue my general impression of Boston stuff, which is to say I really like it. This is my second HD series speaks, currently owning HD7s. I think the HD7 is a strong performer in the budget bookshelf speaker line. You can pick them up for $20 and refoam them for $20. It sounds very clean and accurate to me but down on bass. I tend to like acoustic suspension because I really don't like woofy sound. For bedroom duty the HD7s are very nice.

The HD9s are great. I think it has a different larger tweeter than the HD5 and 7 and the top end sounded great to me. It uses a 6.5 inch woofer and an 8 inch passive radiator. My wife and I love the sound and she commented on the large sound stage, saying specifically that it seemed there was a lot of room between the instruments. My wife is not a stereo nerd so this was high praise. I thought they sounded great and spent an extra long time listening to them. Very enjoyable. They were running on Dynaco MKIII monoblocks and subbing for my Snell EII.

The HD9s are too big to be bookshelf at 21 inches tall and to little as floor standers. They're kind of a funny in between size and are destined to wind up as workshop speakers connected to my Hafler DH200. They will replace my Pioneer BS22LRs. I would totally use these as "in the house" speakers, they're really nice. HD10s would be even better. The larger one inch tweeter (over the 7s and 5s) seems to be a real step up too. If I could find HD8s withe larger tweeter I'd replace my HD7s with 8s.

I also own a pair of Celestion 300 Transmission line speakers, so I am interested in alternative ways of making a smaller woofer perform better. I've got to say I like the passive radiator. Its not woofy like a port, has better extension than sealed and is way less complex than transmission line.

I think Boston Acoustics from this and other eras don't get the prestige they deserve because they have aesthetic "problems", like the vinyl veneer which looks good for vinyl but would be better in real wood. One of the big perception problems is the spring clips for attaching the wires. To audiophiles I think we look for binding posts as a shorthand for quality in initial evaluation of speakers.

Incredibly the guy I bought the HD9s from had just reformed them and did a nice job. For $40 I got a great deal. Oddly, just this morning I was offered another pair of HD9s for free. I'll probably pick them up and refoam them and pass them on to someone who'll enjoy them as a piece of good fortune. There was no connection between these two HD9 finds, and also a pair of HD9s appeared on FB marketplace for $100 with some pretty nice stands. Sudden avalanche of a strange old speaker. Huh...

I have owned Massachusetts made ADS, Cizek, Boston, Snell and Advent. It' a fun piece of local history as I am from Massachusetts. You can sometimes find classic New England speakers on CL or at tag sales. I'd like to get a Scott tube amp someday and have an all Massachusetts system!

Anyhow, the HD9s are thumbs up!

Do you know if the woofers in the HD7 and HD9 are exactly the same?
I know someone who has a pair of HD9's and the woofers are blown. Looking for exact replacements.
Do you or anyone out here know of other models in the HD series that the woofers (look to be about 6.5" in size) are exactly the same as the HD9?