Q acoustics i2050 vs Boston A360

[samudavid]

Hi everyone,

First of all I would like to thank you all for all the help that I'm getting from the forum.

I´m trying to buy a decent system for not too much money (1000- 1800€). I auditioned a pair of Q2050 which sounds great and at good price (~500€). In another shop they gave me a very good discount in a pair of Boston Acoustics A360 which now cost 700€ and use to cost 850€.

The question is, are Boston Acoustics a better pair of speakers or are the Qacoustics?

The system is composed of a Marantz PM6500 and a CD6005

Thanks a lot!

 

[matthewpiano]

The 'better' pair of speakers is the one that makes you enjoy the music the most. Have you auditioned the Bostons as well as the Qs? Did you audition them both with the Marantz amp and CD?

 

[samudavid]

Thank you for your advice.

I've only auditioned the q2050 and Boston A250 and both sounded great to me. However, as they were in different shops I can't really compare them. The shop assistant told me that A360 were quit better than A250 and because of the discount it was worthy to buy them but I didn't audition the A360.

I'm not sure even if both brands are similar in terms of quality or not. For me it's not a problem to spend a little more in a thing that will last many years but I have to ensure that what I'm purchasing is at least better than the cheaper option.

One point for Boston is 3 ways vs 2 and that A360 have been fine tuned by a famous engineer from Marantz.

Any suggestions are welcome!

 

[matthewpiano]

Don't just take the shop guy's word for it. If they are better ask him to demonstrate it. Also don't let the fine tuning by Ken Ishiwata sway you.

I would say these two brands are on a similar level quality-wise. Might be worth trying the Dali Zensor 5s and the MA BX5s as well as people seem to find they work well with Marantz kit.

 

[davedotco]

All of the speakers mentioned have comparible qualities though they all present the sound in a slightly different way.

You can attempt to listen to all the options in, as far as possible, similar systems and similar rooms and make a decision but I would suggest a different approach.

Go to whichever dealer you prefer, preferably the one who took the trouble to make the best sound, and get him to play you a few systems at your budget and see what he has too offer. Sometimes the system you really get on with is not the one with the obvious products, be prepared to try something different.

 

[matthewpiano]

Agree 100%.

 

[drummerman]

Indeed.

Going off the beaten track with regards to products can have the added advantage of taking upgrade pressure off. There are less comparison reviews plus the life cycle of products in that category are often longer.

Having written this I'd quite like to hear a Belcanto or Hegel system with Guru speakers ...

regards

 

[samudavid]

Thanks a lot for all those useful answer!

I'm realizing that buying speakers is not easy at all :roll: . I think I'm going to record a CD with all these songs that I have listened to many times, and try different systems looking for "my best sound". Thanks a lot for the speakers you suggested and I didn't know.

Now I know that in terms of quality there are no big differences.

It's going to take me a few days, but I'll let you know whatever conclusion I reach.

Regards.

 

[Blackdawn]

Hi. If you do go for the Boston Acoustics A360, I'd be interested to know what you think? I have the A26 and really like them a lot. Never harsh or fatiguing during long listening, with very good bass and excellent punch as well. Downsides, not quite as exciting as my Dali speakers, midrange probably not as good as the Dali's and also need quite a bit of power to get the best from them. I couldn't say whether the Boston Acoustics A360's would be a better buy than the Q acoustics 2050i.

 

[Crystalarts]

Hi there,

good luck with whatever you go for, but can i just make a suggestion...

I listened to those speakers when i was shopping around. I didnt like either of them to be honest, but then thats because i was also testing out the Focal 726's. These were double the price where i live (Qatar). The focals were awesome! outstanding. beautiful things! I didnt take them though because they came out with a new model and my shop didnt have them in and i didnt want to pay full price for old models

I ended up buying B&W 683's but I feel that I would have done better with the Focal's.

However... I believe in UK for example you can pick them up for 600 pounds (this is because the new model of 726 has been released and they are clearing stock so you are getting a speaker worth much more than the price!). Please go out your way to test them out. I think they would be great with your system too.

 

[Crystalarts]

so, just to clarify,

in Qatar I was looking at B&W 683 and Focal 726 (both cost 1000 pounds)

I listened to the Bostons and the QAcoustics (for about 500 pounds) and could hear the big difference in price so i immediately dismissed them and went back to B&W and Focal.

Focal was the best choice in the end but i didnt take them.

If you can get Focal where you live for the same price that i can get Bostons or Qacoustics here in Qatar i will be sooooo jealous!

 

[samudavid]

:wall: At first I was hesitating about 2 speakers, now about at least 4! It's amazing how many good speakers are on the market, I hope that finally I'll choose a good ones, the ones I don't want to change in 2 years...

B&W seems to be a bit expensive for me (~1000€ here in Spain). It doesn't seem that Focal are being sold in the shops I've visited.

But Dali and Monitor maybe two goods options. I'm going to try to listen as many speakers as possible.

In other terms, I'm pretty sure of buying Marantz PM6005 + CD6005 but any suggestions are very wellcome.

Thanks again.