BA4800 and BA790 Differences?

[Salvador]

I was just over at the Boston Acoustic site and noticed that the BA790's and the BA4800's both have the same size sats. I was told (on this forum) that the BA4800's had a larger sat and therefore had a better midrange. I would believe that the 4800's would have a better midrange if the sats were in fact larger. Unless, the sats are radically different?

In fact, the only main difference that I see is that the BA4800's use a 61/2" sub instead of the BA790's 51/4" sub and the BA4800's have two extra sats. The extra sub can create deeper bass, but will also be slower and could muddy up the sound a bit.

What I'm trying to pin down when someone says that the BA4800's have a better midrange than the 790's is what's better about it?

Was everyone basing this comparison on midrange because the 4800's have two extra sats? Sure.. If you put 4 sats on your desk, you're going to get more sound.

Now.. I really want to know the differences because I have the 790's and I'm tempted to return them and buy the 4800's because everyone is saying how much better they are than the 790's. I'm going to keep the extra 2 sats boxed anyway, so I want to know if I'd be making a mistake by buying the 4800's for about $50 more.

Thanks,

Sal

 

[Jeff H]

Sal, AFAIK the sats are the same. The sub on the 4800 is larger, thus being able to put out more sound (max SPL of 4800 is 106dB, vs. 101dB for BA790). Cross over freq. is same. BA790 has digital input, while 4800 does not.

I had the predecessor to the 790's, the MicroMedia, and really liked them. I decided to go w/ the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's, and haven't looked back. I just built a system for my neighbor, and he picked up th 4800's. They sound nice, but if you want volume, and clean volume at that, up to literally ear shattering levels, neither of the BA products are going to get you there.

 

[Salvador]

I'm not looking for pure volume. I'm looking for the best sound quality. I listen the sub at 11 O'clock or less most of the time anyway. I don't need more midbass. The 61/2" sub may go lower with the BA4800, even though BA says that both sets are rated at 50 hz.

Are the 790's newer than the BA4800's? This might account for the digital connection and why I can't find the BA4800's anymore. The BB deal recently sounded like a blowout price. Maybe BA is planning a replacement for the BA4800 shortly?

The reason why I'm against the Klipsche is because everyone is saying that they are brighter than the BA and I don't find the BA's all that smooth on the top end. At least the 790's anyway.

Sal

 

[Noriaki]

The 790 sats are 2.5"? I was sure they are 2.0"....hmmmm....

The weaker sub will have an effect on lower-midrange. But mostly the mid range is the sattelites and if they are the same then the midrange should be even.

Also beyond just the drivers the amp comes into effect as well.
Perhaps the BA790 amp is not as good as the BA4800 amp.

I've never heard the BA790s, I was sure they had smaller drivers, if they do in fact have the same 2.5" cones, then I can't offer any concrete reason that they would be worse midrange.

But keep in mind that having the same cones does not mean they have the same quality.

The best thing to do at this point is try and have a listen to the 4800s and see if they sound better to you.

 

[Salvador]

It sort of stands to reason that they would use the same parts for both of their speakers if the drivers are the same size. This is a big money saver if they can reuse something. It also cuts down on their replacement parts stock.

Do you know for sure if the BA4800's use a larger amp? It might be a larger amp because of the two extra sats it has to power? That might make the bass tighter if the sub had more power. I can't see the midrange being any different if the crossover point is the same (180 hz). That's pretty high for a sub anyway. Much higher than I like to see because the sub is handling a lot of the music. I typically like to crossover the sub much lower, but I guess you can't with such small sats.

If anything, the larger sub would be boomier and muddy the midrange more if turned up. I would think that the 61/2" sub would go deeper, but BA says that both the 790 and 4800's are rated down to 50 hz.

Is there a pc speaker set up out there with an adjustable crossover on the sub? Klipsche?

Sal

 

[Noriaki]

Hehehe the BA4800 sub doesn't muddy anything.
It's the tightest sounding highest quality Multimedia sub I've ever heard.

But you are correct, the BA4800 does have a more powerful amps for the 2 extra sats and bigger sub. I do not know if the front channels are adjusted differently than the BA790s though.

If you are happy with the 790s don't return them, seems simple enough
hehehe no seriously though, I've never used the 790s so I can't comment on them, I'd try and see if you can set up a listen-test of the 4800s and see if you find the mid range to be any better.
I somehow doubt it will be if the 790s use the same sats.

 

[Salvador]

That's my problem. I don't know of a place that has the BA4800's to listen to. If I get a good deal, I basically don't have the luxery of returning them if I didn't think that they were enough better than the 790's to justify the price. I guess I could pay $199 for them from BA, but I know that they aren't worth $120 more than the 790's.

Thanks,

Sal

 

[Mixxen]

<< Is there a pc speaker set up out there with an adjustable crossover on the sub? Klipsche? >>


Go to radio shack and pick up a car audio electronic crossover. Then buy an AC to DC adapter, strip the wire to power the electronic crossover. Then set the crossover point to 40hz