Boston Acoustics is shipping its new Vista line of speakers price...

in the marketplace,” said Senior Vice President Eli Harary. “It’s an expression of what Boston Acoustics is about” and has been for 30 years -- the “best sound at the best price,” he said. Durable polyethylene-based black lacquer cabinets are among the line’s signature features, Harary said. Unlike rivals’ black lacquer finishes, which he said are done on the cheap, Vista speakers’ finish can’t be harmed by sharp objects, he said. Harary said he asked the company’s supplier for cutaway samples of Vista cabinets to use at trade shows and other demonstrations but was told that illustrating the material’s toughness would require a saw that would overheat. Still, the company won’t offer a lifetime guarantee on the finish, Harary said to our query. The speakers use “super wide bandwidth” one-inch tweeters with coupled dual-concentric diaphragms to beat phasing problems common to more conventional tweeter designs, the company said. A new organic composite cone material for Vista woofers and midrange drivers resembles paper but is made of a mix of natural fibers to reduce resonance and improve sonic accuracy, the company said. As he did a year ago (CED Aug 13 p2), Harary shrugged off media queries on whether using the name “Vista” would land Boston Acoustics in legal hot water with Microsoft. Approved uses of “Vista” exceed 700 in consumer electronics alone, Harary said. Boston Acoustics plans to distribute Vista through only about 40 custom installers and specialty retailers able to demonstrate the line in showrooms, said Phil Cohn, senior vice president of sales and marketing.