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Boston Acoustics Horizon MM220 Multimedia Speaker System (Midnight) |  | Brand: Boston Acoustics
Category: CE
List Price: $99.99
Buy Used: $23.98
as of 3/18/2010 04:45 CDT details
You Save: $76.01 (76%)
Used (1) Refurbished (1) from $23.98
Seller: adgtron
Rating:  42 reviews
Sales Rank: 11130
Color: Midnight
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 8.3
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
MPN: Horizon MM220
Model: Horizon MM220
UPC: 690283474492
EAN: 0890552626533
ASIN: B0013BVADG
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Powerful two-piece 80-watt system with compact slim contoured design for great sound and great style | | • | Second stereo input ideal for use with any iPod or other portable media player | | • | BassTrac audio processing for rich clean bass at any volume | | • | Dual 2-inch high-output, high excursion drivers with single passive radiator | | • | Midnight color with onyx grill |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Upgrade the sound of your desktop or laptop computer and take video games to a level of realism! The MM 220 system features advanced technologies and a high-style, slim-profile design that adds a dimension of excitement to any multimedia content. With dual high-output drivers and a single passive radiator for exceptional bass performance, the MM 220 will improve the sound of any media!
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 42
 Tremendous value, Incredible sound May 10, 2009
ultrabike (Irvine, CA)
19 out of 21 found this review helpful
I needed a set of stereo speakers that would fit and look good in my bedroom. Sub-woofer was not an option because of space and wife acceptance factor considerations. The need was to upgrade the poor sounding system that came with my value 37" Vizio LCD TV.
I considered Audioengine 5's or 2's, but their size and price was not acceptable. My third runner up was M-Audio Studiophile AV40's but was a little too big still. My second runner up was the Creative T-40s. Then I found these (Boston Acoustics MM220) for an astonishing $38 (now $33)!
I went to the local Fry's store and saw the T40's. They are larger than the MM220s (probably because the T40's have the transformer inside). I liked both the T-40's and the MM220's, but my wife unfortunately did not think much of the T-40's. Furthermore, the T-40's online and in the store were 4X pricier then the MM220s (online).
THE TRANSFORMER: Contrary to what some reviewers say, I find the "brick" transformer highly desirable. It is a rule of thumb in audio amplifiers that the larger and heavier the transformer, the better the sound (specially class A/B ones). So the size and weight of the transformer was a good indication. Furthermore, the transformer is MUCH SMALLER than a decent sub-woofer. I had no problems hiding the transformer under my bedroom's furniture (commode). Obviously having the transformer outside the speaker, allows for a smaller design. And in fact, the MM220's occupy less square footage than the competition. Therefore I picked the MM220's.
SOUND: At $33-$38 (even at $99) you will find a hard time finding a better 2.0 stand alone system if you want the smallest form factor and decent sound. As a reference I have in my living room a Yamaha HTR-6160 (aka RX-V663) powering a 5.1 Mirage nanosat system. I have also auditioned Martin Logans, all sorts of Klipsch speakers, B&W systems, Polks, Infinity, Definitive, Energy, higher end Mirage (OMD-15s, OmniSats, Prestiges) ... you named it. These MM220 will not be superior to my 5.1 system nor any of the above mentioned systems. But for a small bedroom, the MM220 @ the price range, will give any of the above a run for their money. I also auditioned low end computer speakers from Logitec and Insignia (Best Buy), and they definitively sounded low end (really boxy and lacking mid-range, i.e. probably an upgrade to laptop speakers that cut off at 300 Hz, but most TV speakers would likely sound better)
As far as the MM220 is concerned, the sound is not fatiguing nor does it distort at high volumes. They obviously cannot be as loud as some the above systems, but they can be loud enough so my wife hears my music clearly all the way to the kitchen. The bass is good enough to cover well most of the audible range (including percussion and bass instruments clearly and distinctivley). Note that very similar products by Philips (MMS 321 and 322) claim a lower cut off at 50 Hz, which I believe this system can achieve. However, I doubt this and similar systems will give you powerful response bellow 60Hz (Audioengine 5 is an exception, but @ $325 and given their size, they are really not in the same class). What this means is that while audio will be great and clear, it will not necessarily shake your living room as any system with an active sub-woofer going bellow 40-50Hz would. Again, audible sound is decently covered though. Sound detail is good, and unlike monitors, these set is well suited for MP3s (not too revealing). They do reveal really poor quality recordings (as they say garbage in, garbage out).
WIRELESS INTERFERENCE: I have my wireless networked XBOX 360 next to these speaker and I have no problems picking up interference. I also have a wireless phone in the room. Again no problems.
I highly recommend this system for applications where real state, decent audio performance, budget, and WAF (wife acceptance factor) are important.
Bottom Line: For a few bucks you will notice an upgrade in regular TV (or computer) audio, and you will enjoy decent music playback (better than most iPod systems out there). If you paid $30 something bucks, consider that this is about what you will spend filling up your gas tank.
*****UPDATE Feb 26, 2010*****
This set may (may not) be discontinued and recently has gone up in price to ~$90. At ~$90, the system is still fairly good IMHO, but their awesomeness/price factor goes down compared to when they were $30 something bucks.
The nice things about this system is that you get a decent size speaker (not too big, not too small for an over the bedroom commode application), come with a decent amplifier already, are two way (tweeter + 2x small woofers + passive radiator) and most importantly: sound great. However, for $90 there are other options from reputable companies in this class of audio system:
1) The Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II 2.0 Multimedia Speaker System with BasXPort Technolgy PROS: good sound, CONS: still a little more expensive and larger in size.
2) JBL Duet Speaker System for Portable Music and PC - White (Pair) PROS: are cheaper, CONS: deficient in bass extension.
3) Altec Lansing FX3022 Expressionist BASS 2-Way Speaker for PC and MP3 (Black) PROS: have more bass extension (reportedly down to 40 Hz), CONS: high frequency response cuts off at 18kHz, and are not as accurate in the midrange as the MM220s (better for movies than music). However, I wouldn't worry too much about the 18kHz cutoff. If you are over 20 years old I would be surprised if you can hear past 18kHz anyway. I also like the presentation of the MM220s more, but for $50 vs $90, I would definitively give these ones a serious audition.
4) Klipsch Groove PM20 2.0 Speaker System (Black) PROS: well regarded quality speakers. CONS: larger size and price (getting close now though)
All of the above are 2.0 systems for space sensitive applications.
Very hard to beat for the price. June 6, 2009
R J (Pittsburgh, PA United States)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I was seriously considering the Bose Companion speakers for about $90 - $100. The Companions are attractive speakers, however, they only have a single driver per enclosure. The M220's have 4 drivers per speaker and offer a truly wide range that includes substantial bass (especially considering there is no separate subwoofer). I have these set up with my 23" Samsung TV that has fairly unimpressive sound. These speakers provide simply awesome sound (given their limited size) for television applications. I simply connected them to my Samsung's headphone jack (included) and am able to adjust the volume right from the television remote.
Those of you considering these speakers, let me tell you that it is hard not to be impressed (again, given their limited size). I agree with another reviewer that stated the weight of the remote amplifier is not a negative... in general, heavier amps tend to contain better quality internal components. These amplified speakers provide clear and fairly powerful sound that is more than enough to fill any average size room.
In closing, these speakers are excellent in their own right... but given the very low price, I rated them with 5 stars. Price is a factor in speakers, and if these were priced at a thousand dollars, then I wouldn't give them 5 stars. At under forty bucks, I'd give them 6 stars if it was an option.
Brilliantly designed speakers! June 24, 2009
A. Young
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Very impressive sound from these little speakers. Great bass for their size. Everything seems perfectly balanced. I have a wireless router about a foot from them and I am receiving absolutely no interference. The best part of these is the "giant brick transformer" that everyone is crying about. Does everyone not understand that this is the amplifier! Most computer speakers incorporate the amp into one of the speakers which adds to the size and weight of the speakers and takes up room inside the speaker that could be better used for improved bass. Boston was smart for leaving it out. Doing so allowed them to jump it up to 80 total watts, which is way better than any speaker I have found in this price range. The separate amp also stays cooler which is important. I would have paid twice the price for these wonderful speakers.
For the price, 5 stars! August 17, 2009
T. Genden (Hartford, CT)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I paid 29 bucks plus shipping for these speakers. The sound quality is quite good actually, being 2.0 speakers you do miss the lower frequencies however that's one of the tradeoffs of a 2.0 system. My college room is 8*10 and they perform the job of filling my room with good music admirably. They are great for movies as well as music. They might not have the low lying thump of subwoofers but they do have decent bass thanks to special bass radiators.
Onto the buzzing noise problem my speakers seem to have gotten better with time. The first few days I'd hear the intermittent buzzing, however after about a week of constant use I find that the buzzing noise has completely disappeared! This is not a guarantee that the buzzing noise will go away in all speakers but it did on mine.
All in all I really like the form factor, sound quality and the price! of these bA babies. They're definitely a keeper!!
Great Speakers! June 3, 2009
Samuel Crick (Brooklyn, NY)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm not an audiophile, I'm just an amateur who was trying to replace his shoddy old speakers. That being said, a little research on speakers pointed me to these and I am very pleased with them. They have a full sound and don't seem to be lacking in any range of frequencies. They do have a bulky electric adapter of some kind, but it hides under my desk easily enough, and these speakers get louder than my old ones ever got and still manage to maintain a good quality of sound. This is great for when I want to play music while I'm doing the dishes (my computer is on the other side of my apartment). The base of each speaker is actually soft rubber, which reduces sound quality loss caused by vibration through your countertop. I was also surprised with the level of bass on these, even without a subwoofer. I originally wanted the set with a subwoofer but demurred because of the price. Having bought these, I'm glad I didn't spend the extra money on the subwoofer, as this is all I need. To be fair, my old speakers were pretty bad, so anything would've been an upgrade. If you're coming to these from an already decent pair of speakers (or even a bad subwoofer) then they might not have all the bass you want. For everyone else, though, they're great.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 42
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