Boston Acoustics RS 230 Bookshelf Speakers and CPS 8Wi Wireless Ready Subwoofer

Listening to a new speaker is always interesting because I never know what to expect. When I review a speaker, I usually judge its overall sound quality within a few short minutes, and then refine my observations with more listening. I found myself doing a lot more listening to the Boston Acoustics RS 230 Bookshelf Speakers and the CPS 8Wi Wireless Ready Subwoofer. It was soon clear that this Boston duo could be the foundation of a great sounding stereo or home theater system.

It's probably more accurate to call the RS 230 a 'mini' bookshelf speaker, as it measures less than 8" tall and 5" wide. The high-gloss black lacquer enclosures, part of the company's Reflection Series feature a 3.5" woofer with a cone made from a combination of fiber and ceramic, a 1" extended bandwidth tweeter and gold-plated 5-way binding post speaker connections. They can be placed on speaker stands, a shelf or wall-mounted with a bracket (not included) using the threaded inserts on the back of the cabinets. The enclosures and the cool magnetic grille have excellent fit and finish. The RS 230 is also magnetically shielded for safe placement near a television.

The rear-ported RS 230 has a low frequency response down to 78 Hz (-3 db) so a subwoofer is necessary for a stereo or home theater system. If used in a stereo system, select SMALL speakers in the receiver's menu if that option is available. If not, connect the RS 230 speakers to the speaker level outputs of the subwoofer and set the crossover to filter out low frequencies below 80 Hz.

Like the RS 230 speakers, the CPS 8Wi Subwoofer is compact, small enough to be discreetly placed in a room, but its 8" woofer, backed by a 200-watt RMS amplifier (350-watts peak power) is large enough fill an average sized room with bass. Its enclosure, with a single front-facing port, feels solid and rigid. The CPS 8Wi is available in a black or cherry finish.

The CPS 8Wi is wireless ready when used with an optional ($79.99) 2.4 GHz wireless transmitter. The receiver is built into the subwoofer. A wireless sub offers many more placement options by releasing its tether to the amp or receiver – no more cables or wires stretching across the floor. My first thought about the 'optional' wireless transmitter in the Boston sub was it should be included in the price of the subwoofer rather than an option. I've reconsidered because wireless operation is not a necessity in all music systems, especially where the sub is installed near the receiver and doesn't require long cable runs.

It was 'oldies day' and I pulled out my favorite 70s and 80s discs to run the Boston system through its paces. Not just any discs, but some of the best recordings of the time. If you're going to live with a speaker for any length of time, it has to be easy to listen to and the Boston speakers easily passed this key test with Paul Simon's 'There Goes Rhymin' Simon' (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1973). It's difficult to pick the best track on this disc, but 'Kodachrome' and 'Mardi Gras' easily demonstrated the clarity the Boston's are capable of reproducing, particularly the details in the mid/high range. Both tracks have lots of percussion that comes through distinctly on the RS 230 speakers. It is here that the extended bandwidth tweeter pays off with high frequency response to 26 kHz.

Bruce Hornsby's 'The Way It Is' (CD, RCA Records, 1986), another 80s classic sounded full and balanced with seamless integration of the RS 230s with the subwoofer. The piano in this track sounded fast, quick and tight the way a percussion instrument should sound, aided by the low mass of the 3.5-inch woofer and 1-inch tweeter. Once again, clarity was exceptional and bass response was solid and deep.

There are lots of great recordings from the 80s, but perhaps none better than Steely Dan's 'Aja'. I have several discs of this recording, including a vinyl Mobile Fidelity Original Master Recording and all sound excellent, although my preference is the vinyl disc. Listening to 'Aja' on the Boston's confirmed for me that this speaker system is a great value.

It's impossible to predict the sound quality of a speaker until you hear it play music. A speaker can be judged on its construction quality or the drivers in the enclosure, but until you hear it, its value remains unknown. The Boston Acoustics RS 230 and CPS 8Wi are a great combination of sound performance, style and quality and ideal for a mid-priced stereo or home theater system.

Specifications

RS 230 Bookshelf Speakers

• Recommended Amplifier Power: 
10-150 watts
• Nominal Impedance: 
8 ohms

• Frequency Response: 78Hz-26kHz
(±3dB)

• Bass Driver: 
3-1/2" FCCM

• Tweeter: 
1" Extended Wide Bandwidth
• Crossover Frequency: 
2 kHz

• Dimensions (W x H x D): 
 4-15/16" x 7-11/16" x 5-1/4”
• Sensitivity: 87dB (1 watt, 2.83v at 1 meter)

• Price: $249.99 each

CPS 8Wi Wireless Ready Subwoofer

• Frequency Range: 
31Hz – 150Hz, +/-3dB
• Amplifier Power: 
200 watts RMS (350 watts Peak)
• Bass Driver: 
8”
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 12 3/16" x 11½" x 15 3/8” 


• Weight: 
26 lbs.
• Price: $399.99

WT-50 Wireless Transmitter

• Dimensions: 1-3/8" x 1-5/8 x 4”
• Price: $79.99

Contact: bostonacoustics.com