Boston's New Pro Series: Now Shipping!

We gave you a preview of the new Boston Pro SE components back during our CES coverage in January, and now, ladies and gentleman, they have arrived. To commemorate their 25th Anniversary, Boston Acoustics released a new line of components, the Pro SE (Special Edition) series. Taking cues from their highly praised SPZ line, Boston took this design one step further to ensure the absolute best sound quality. The crossover's components for the SE series have an extremely low tolerance rating (1%!), and to maximize sound quality and accuracy, Boston upgraded the tweeter from the standard Pro series to the highly regarded Neo Type M tweeter from the SPZ series. The Pro SEs will be available in both 6.5" or 5.25" versions. More pics and specs after the jump.

Get More Bang For Your Bump: Boston Passive Radiator

Passive radiators are nothing new to the world of audio, but you don't see them used often in car audio, which is kind of surprising. A passive radiator resembles a subwoofer, but there's no motor structure - it's basically a cone with a basket and spider. So what's the point? Plenty. A passive radiator has similar effects to your bass response as a port does when using a vented enclosure, adding around 3dB to your sub frequencies. The radiator shares the same air space as the subwoofer, but unlike a ported box, you don't usually have to increase the box size. So you get "double the bass" in the same amount of space!

If you want to try this audio alchemy for yourself, look no further than Boston Acoustics. Boston has offered passive radiators to match up to their G5 series subs, and now SPG-TR passive radiator is shipping, a perfect match to the SPG555 subwoofer. The SPG-TR is tunable, allowing you to select perfect response for your music type or car's design. Simply remove the dust cap (this can be done even after its installed), and select between 30Hz, 35Hz, 45Hz. And since the SPG-TR is only 3-inches deep, installation is pretty flexible. We've got full details available after the jump as well as a few more pics. 

Who Remembers Their First System?

Back before I knew what imaging was, what staging meant, or anything else, I knew I wanted realistic sound. My first system reminds me of my first car. It had moments when it was awesome, but there were some moments you wished the stupid thing would just work. But then again, as frustrating as both the first car and the first system were, you always have a soft spot for both of them.

My first "real" car was a 1985 Audi 4000, which lived for over 320k miles despite my abuses to it. And throughout it's life, it had no less than a half dozen totally different installs before finally ending up with one I was proud of. So proud, in fact, that the amps in my current Audi are the same amps from my 4000's final system! The first install took place in my parents driveway over a weekend, and with absolutely NO clue what I was doing. There's a fear in the back of mind that one day somebody will find pictures of the head unit wiring job I did in the 4000. Not a pretty sight.

Here's what I was rocking back-in-the-day.

• 2 Pyle Drivers (The Ones with the Gold Lettering...)
• 1 AutoTek Mean Machine 100. (A 100 Watt Amp!!!!)
• 1 Panasonic Head Unit
• 1 Pair of Boston Acoustic Speakers.

So what was your first system?

in the forums!

Smokey and the Bandit 2008

The guys at Boston Acoustics had one of the YearOne limited Burt Reynold's Edition Trans Am's in their booth and it was simply amazing. YearOne builds a shell that is almost identical to the original Trans Am, and then updates the car, adds the Smokey and the Bandit "look", and seriously boosts the performance. YearOne has a few different packages available for the car, but of course I'd take nothing less than the Pontiac-sourced 8.8 liter (540-inch) V8 pumping out over 650 ponies. In typical Year One tradition, they tried to keep a lot of the original character, but the updates do enhance the original design. The wheels are very similar to the originals, but a much larger diameter and better constructed. The interior is a hands-down improvement over the original, and the LED taillights and projector headlights are an awesome touch. Of course, Boston added a high-end audio system to the YearOne Ban, but kept with the theme of the car very well, keeping the install clean and stock looking - speakers in the doors, amps and subs in the back and an Alpine head unit in the dash.

This bad boy just put a big smile on my face when we crossed paths because I grew up watching the Smoky and the Bandit movies as a kid, and the black Bandit's Pontiac Trans Am has always been one of my favorite movie cars. The Bandit himself, Burt Reynolds, also autographed the dash on this for Boston.

Check out the pics after the jump. 

Boston Acoustics 2008 GT Amps: Redesigned and Sexier Than Ever

Boston took a good thing and made it even better with their new 2008 GT amplifier line-up. Last year's amps had a pretty sexy-but-simple design, but 2008 brings a host of upgrades, both inside and out. The chassis was redesigned, and now the amps sport a brushed aluminum exterior with removable black cast aluminum heat sinks that can be painted to match the theme of your install or car. The amps are cooled via thematically controlled cooling fans, allowing the amps to be safely mounted in any position—even upside down. One of the features any experienced installer will appreciate are the track-mounted feet which let you decide where to shoot your mounting screws. Boston also incorporated a very unique security feature inside of their amplifiers—a microchip with a 128-bit digitally encrypted serial number. Typically, when equipment is stolen from a vehicle, the thief will remove the serial number, but if this microchip is removed from the amp, it becomes a big expensive paperweight. The amps should start shipping in March and April. Full press release, pricing, specs, and more photos after the jump.