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Boston Acoustics HDUOMDNT Horizon Duo Speaker System (Midnight) |
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| Editorial Reviews: | | |  | | Enjoy room-filling high-fidelity sound form a space-saving system that will fit just about anywhere - anywhere - your family room, kitchen, office, or all of these and more. With dual alarms and the wrap-around snooze bar, Duo also makes a great bedside radio. With a precision AM/FM stereo tuner for noise-free reception, two full range 3.5-inch drivers and BassTrac audio processing the Horizon Duo delivers big-system performance in a stylish, compact package. | |
| Custom Reviews: | |
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| Why such poor AM reception? | |
| | Ease of use, sound and FM reception are first rate. I am generally pleased with the radio BUT the AM reception is awful. I have two $25 clock radios, a Timex and a GE. Side by side with the Horizon Duo these two radios have better AM reception. In scan mode, the Horizon locks on only one AM station in Louisville Ky, WHAS, a 50,000 watt clear channel station.
Fiddeling with location and orientation helps a little. Maybe Boston Acoustics should consider purchasing a $5 AM tuner from Timex or GE.
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| Great sound, terrible reception | |
| | After being very happy with my Boston Acoustics Receptor Radio, I confidently ordered this Horizon Duo. The sound is everything one would expect from BA: powerful, clear, and well-balanced---far better than one should be able to expect from such a reasonably priced unit.
The radio reception, on the other hand, is dismal. I can only pull in one station, poorly, in an area where my Receptor Radio pulls in dozens quite clearly. Fiddling with the antenna helps a little, but mostly allows it to go from no reception to poor reception.
I may have received a lemon, but reviews here and elsewhere suggest that at least a few others have had similar experiences.
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| Excellent product, except for the tuner | |
| | I purchased this for my bedroom for use on a shelf with a cd player and an iPod. I've lived with it for 2 months now and had the chance to use it quite a bit. The build quality seems quite good and it has all of the essential features you could want in a mini stereo system, including a neat little remote. The controls are fairly easy to use and the design is uncluttered. One minor quibble is that the top is slanted, so stacking anything on top of it can be a problem if you're tight on space.
The snooze function on the clock is very cool, though I think they could have made setting the alarm functions more intuitive.
For it's size, this is definitely one of the best sounding speaker systems I've ever heard. The bass is full and dynamic. The high frequencies are smooth and easy on the ears. It's about the size of an average boombox, only better sounding. I've owned many different small speaker systems and this definitely beats any of them. In my application though, the built-in bass & treble controls are a much needed feature, as the bass is a bit overdone with the default settings.
It has 2 aux inputs (one on the front & one on the back) and a record out which gives it great flexibility. Right now I'm using one of the inputs for an external tuner, which brings me to the one major flaw of this unit. The tuner reception is not so good. I also own the Tivoli Model One Radio, which pulls in both AM & FM stations very well. In comparison, using the same stock antenna that came with both of these units, the Boston is significantly less sensitive on FM, and terrible on AM.
After tweaking with the antenna for a while, I was able to get the FM reception acceptable on most local stations, though some are still a bit noisy. On the AM side however, this thing is pathetic. Even the strongest stations in my area sound weak. Compared with the Tivoli, the AM side is almost deaf. I tried an external AM antenna, which helped, but not alot. I would say if good AM reception is important, look elsewhere or use a small external tuner like the Sony SRF-M37v.
I've noticed that the unit gets very warm on the back, even when it's turned off. So it should probably be placed where it can breathe. So far this hasn't caused me any problems.
Overall I give the Boston 4 stars because the audio quality is hard to beat for something this size, and it does most functions well.
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| Great Stereo Sound at This Price Point | |
| | 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.
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| | Great sound for such a small unit and the reception is very good. The LCD can be dimmed to neer off so sleeping should'nt be a problem. Very easy to use and set presets and bass & treble make a big sound difference.
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