Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 27
 Great Stereo Sound at This Price Point October 11, 2008
M. JEFFREY MCMAHON (Torrance, CA USA)
29 out of 29 found this review helpful
I already own two Boston Acoustic Horizon Solos, which I bought on Amazon for about $85. One is in the bedroom and the other is in the workout room. My friend urged me to get the two-speaker Duo, so I finally capitulated and use it in the kitchen. My review will be based on my comparison between the $85 Solo and the $115 Duo.
Speaker Sound: The Duo wins. While I love the Solo's full high-fidelity sound, the Duo speakers really fill the kitchen with ease.
AM Reception: I'd have to give a slight nod to the Duo. In the kitchen I had to rotate the Solo to fine-tune 570AM. I don't have to touch the Duo. This is fortunate because the size and shape of it make it impractical for rotating the radio to maximize AM reception from its internal ferrite antenna.
FM Reception: The Solo wins. Probably they get equal FM, but the stereo speakers on the Duo highlight background static more easily. This is only a problem once in a while when I listen to 89.3 KPCC. I'd still give the Duo an A minus grade on FM.
Remote: The Duo has one and the Solo does not.
Ease of use: The remote on the Duo allows you to bypass the toggle mode switch on the radio. Some people don't like changing the mode by hand. But on the Solo you toggle your presets, whether they're AM or FM, in the same preset mode, so you don't really miss the remote.
Conclusion: These are both great radios for their price point. For a bedside radio, I'd go with the Solo because it takes up less space and you can rotate it easier to optimize AM reception. The Solo is loud enough for big rooms as well and its speaker isn't as prone to static as much as the Duo's. So on balance I think most people will be better served getting the $85 Solo, which I give an A grade. The $115 Duo gets an A minus because of occasional FM static on weak stations.
UPDATE: JULY 14, 2009:
I own two Duos, one bought in September of 2008 and one bought in March of 2009. Both had to be returned because the AM stopped working. This may be due to the intense heat generated by these radios even when the radios are turned off. The replacement radios (I had to pay $20 for shipping) generate the same heat and I fear their AM will fizzle out as well. This is a real shame. While this is the best sounding radio I've ever owned, its heat and AM problem compels me to tell consumers to stay away from the Duo.
In contrast, the smaller version, the BA Horizon Solo is great. I own two and in the last year and a half I've had no problems. Get the cheaper Solo. Great mono speaker sound and better reliability than the Duo.
Boston Acoustics Horizon Duo, an excellent product. May 29, 2008
Vernal E. Richardson
21 out of 22 found this review helpful
I hesitated to order this radio because of the one negative rating available at the time. I received the radio today, and I am delighted with it. Since it is new, perhaps the other reviewer just happened to receive a "lemon".
I am a professional musician, accustomed to very high quality sound equipment in recording studios where I have worked. I also have a sound system at home which cost thousands of dollars.
I expected a clock radio which would function in that capacity, and which my wife and I could hear for news and weather, etc. Instead, I received a very fine sounding radio which we will enjoy for hours when we can sleep in. It is not better than our sound system, but it is enjoyable to hear with the expensive system as a comparison.
It pulls in very distant FM stations very clearly with only the included antenna, it has just enough features to make operation convenient, it produces a balanced tone throughout the frequency range, the bass is really spectacular in such a small appliance, and the remote works perfectly. I would grade Boston Acoustics A+ for this effort!
HOME RUN! Exactly what I've wanted in bedside audio July 12, 2008
Bruce Donley (Memphis, TN United States)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
I've had this product for two days, and I've had a super out-of-box experience so far. Great build quality, and just the right amount of features, solidly presented. Knob control is great and menu is intuitive.
FM reception is excellent- 4-foot whip antenna is included (I'm on the second floor--BUT there's a set of high-tension cables 100 feet away from the building, which often causes signal interference). Display dims or brightens automatically by default, but this is also controllable from the menu manually if you like.
And the SOUND is AMAZING for such a small unit! Bass is rich and assertive, and treble is detailed and crystalline (both can be adjusted +5 to -5 on the menu). Even the alarm does well- tone, radio, or both- and the gradual step-up in volume wakes one in a civilized manner. Snooze period is adjustable, and the ENTIRE FRONT GRILL EDGE is the snoozebar! Groggy can't miss that-- Unit will apparently hold presets in case of power outage for 24 hours or so without batteries- flash memory?
Get a good 1/8" male/male audio patch cable (not included) to plug in your external tune source through AUX A jack, in bottom front of the unit next to the 1/8" headphone out- the back also has an AUX B input with two RCA stereo female jacks as an alternative.
AND a REMOTE, that controls all from a distance- and even has a MAGNET on the back of it so you can securely store it on a metal surface. This runs on one CR2025 Li watch battery (included).
The iPod port integral version of the Duo runs about $50 more, but I've discovered that the iPod port is also available as an add-on for the basic Duo for around $40. So that's upgradable too!
BA engineers really thought about the design here, about how people have struggled with crappy clock-radios every morning. It's like sleeping on a terrible cheap mattress, really--why torture yourself?
A one-year warranty. Be sure you purchase from an Authorized Boston dealer though- I understand there may be warranty issues if you don't.
In my opinion, for the relatively low cost and complete feature set, this product whips the behind of Bose, and even Cambridge/Tivoli. FINALLY I have found the bedside audio clock I've always wanted! GREAT product, Boston Acoustics!
Boston Acoustics Radio - FANTASTIC! September 14, 2008
Arlene Love (Greenville, SC)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Fantastic product. I am a retired Musician/Public School Music teacher witha lot of high end audio and electronic equipment. For a table radio this can't be beat. The sound quality is excellent and placing the volumn high to reach other rooms does not change that. I think this is far better sounding than the BOSE I almost purchased. A visiting friend was so impressed with this product, that he ordered one the next day!
BA Rocks February 9, 2009
Carl (Perry, GA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
We first set out to purchase a replacement unit for an old mobile cassette, CD, radio that died a few months ago. AS we began our search, we quickly realized that we wanted a compact unit with quality sound, and not another boom box. We looked at many models from the different manufactures, and quickly down selected to this and the Sony. After reading the different opinions on both units, we decided to go with BA. This unit rocks... Great sound quality, in a small space. We highly recommend this unit.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 27
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