Engadget HD public service announcement -- the Boston Acoustics Vista speakers have nothing to do with any other products (HT-related or not) in the marketplace using the name Vista. For both of the people out there who may have been confused on that point, Boston Acoustics is renaming the entire model line "VS," to signify the speakers as "a new Vision in great Sound." The company is not making even a suggestion that Microsoft applied any pressure, which makes us even more disappointed in the new name -- the "Vista" moniker was a lot easier to remember. We hope another PSA clarifying that these speakers can do more than play a certain Pearl Jam album is not called for.

It only takes a glance to realize that Boston Acoustics' Horizon i-DS2 iPod boombox is merely a cleaned up version of the knobby Duo-i, but we must say, the new look is pretty sleek. Built to function with any dock-connecting iPod, this 60-watt speaker system includes twin 3.5-inch full-range drivers, a composite video output, USB connector and an auxiliary input for plugging in other DAPs / PMPs. The unit itself arrives in glossy white or glossy black, though users with an itch to customize can select from a variety of P.O.P. metal grilles. On paper, the unit isn't too shabby, but the $179.99 price tag is somewhat of a drag.

We don't normally associate Boston Acoustics with high-fashion design, but its new Vista speakers definitely change that opinion. There will be six speakers in the range by the end of the year, so you should be able to put together a package with the desired amount of "surroundedness." To lead things off, the company will bring out the VS 336 floorstander ($1,700 each), VS 325C center channel ($900), VS 240 bookshelf ($400 each) and the VPS 210 subwoofer ($1,700). All these models have different-sized cones to fill in the bass end of their coverage, so let's hope the crossover and voicing act to create a strong family resemblance between speakers. A pair of additional models will be added to the lineup in November at the $700 price point -- the VS 224 L/C/R and VS 260 bookshelf. Okay, so we can tick off "good-looking" and "reasonable price" -- if these check out sonically, we think Boston has all the ingredients for a successful speaker family on its hands.

[Via AudioJunkies]

Talk about needing a roster to tell the players apart! RHJ International -- which owns some 49-percent of the D&M Holdings hydra (Denon, Marantz, Boston Acoustics, Escient, MacIntosh and Snell) -- has accepted an offer from Bain Capital to the tune of ¥510 ($4.74) per share in a buyout bid. But earlier reports that pinned Kenwood as a partner to Bain in this effort have been denied by Bain. There's some goings-on here, for sure. First, we haven't seen any dealings involving the 12-percent stake that Philips has in D&M. Also, the soon-to-be JVC Kenwood Holdings states that it has not decided on whether it will invest in D&M; which corroborates pretty well with the latest Bain statement that Kenwood is not involved, and there are no ongoing talks of future involvement. Corporate squabbling and conspiracy theories aside, we just hope that the D&M brands come out unscathed.

Amidst recent news about D&M Holdings being sold off, principal shareholder RHJ International has stated that 30 layoffs at Boston Acoustics are an unrelated happenstance. It's unfortunate timing, to be sure, but RHJI spokesman Gail Petersen has stated that acquisition preparation was "absolutely not a factor," and cited a decrease in new Boston Acoustics product development this year and increases in efficiency amongst companies folded into D&M holdings as reasons for trimming rolls. Whether it's coincidence or causality (if it's coincidence, it's an awfully common one), it should all get wrapped up soon -- word is that bidding between Merrill Lynch, Best Buy, Advantage Partners, and Kenwood/Bain Capital should end soon.


Read - Boston Acoustics Cuts 30 Employees
Read - Interview with RJHI's Gail Petersen

While the roster of storied high end names is pretty long, don't think for a minute that the blue-blood part of the market has not experienced consolidation. D&M Holdings is a prime example of this: D&M's owner, RJH International, has managed to fit Denon, Marantz, McIntosh, Boston Acoustics, Snell and Escient under one umbrella over the years. And now RJH is looking to cash in on the concentrated dollop of high end, offering up 49-percent of its shares in D&M. Philips has agreed to offer its12-percent stake to a winning bidder as well. Our math tells us that's more than a controlling percentage. Harman International, apparently satisfied with its own high end roster (including Harman Kardon, Infinity, Revel and Mark Levinson), has bowed out of bidding. That leaves Bain Capital (Kenwood) and Best Buy as the most prominent bidders, both of which scare us a little. One of the things we really enjoy about the D&M brands is the individual "personalities" behind them, and that's a credit to the management overlords. There's no guarantee that this variety of flavor will survive an en masse transition to new ownership.

"What's that," you say, "another soundbar?" Not so, says Boston Acoustics. Their new TVee Two may look like competing products, but it's got something different: 1) it comes with a 6-inch woofer; and 2) it's stereo only. No need to carry signal to the woofer -- it's wireless. The "bar" part contains four 2.5-inch and two 0.5-inch drivers and is designed to go along with displays above 32-inches. In case you didn't guess from the stereo-only option, the offering of eight different colored grill cloths (available for just under $100 each) is the giveaway that this piece of gear is aimed more toward the style-conscious crowd than the HT one. We wonder what a stereo pair separated by 31-inches sounds like, but aren't willing to part with $715 to find out.

UPDATE: Now retails for $399.99, thanks Alison.