Our take on the Boston Acoustics VSi-580

by Marshall Chase

Uncluttered sound from above
Boston Acoustics' VSi-series of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers get music and movie sound right while getting out of your way. The '580 has a pivoting tweeter so you can direct the highs precisely where you want them. And Deep Channel® Design woofers wring bass efficiently from every drop of power that comes their way.

Clean finish, easy set-up
Boston Acoustics VSi is installation friendly, with a paint-ready, low-clearance bezel to make the speaker virtually invisible. Precision designed tweeters can pivot to direct sound right where you want it. And Deep Channel® Design woofers wring bass efficiently from every drop of power that comes their way. There's even a boundary compensation switch to adjust for proximity to room corners.

An in-ceiling mounting bracket is recommended for installing this speaker in a new home under construction or in a room that's undergoing major renovation. (Brackets sold as a pair.)

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Most speakers don't include any. Learn more about in-wall wiring at the Crutchfield Learning Center.
Shop our selection of in-wall speaker wire.

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Highlights:

sold individually
pivoting 1" dome tweeter
high efficiency Deep Channel® 8" woofer
handles up to 150 watts RMS
frequency response 45-22,000 Hz (±3dB)
sensitivity 89 dB
8-ohm impedance
moisture resistant for bath and kitchen applications
magnetic, paintable speaker grille
cutout dimensions: 10-7/8" diameter
mounting depth: 5"
warranty: 5 years
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Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Features and Specs


Enclosure Type Loading...	In-ceiling
Video Shielded Loading...	No
Tweeter Loading...	Dome
Midrange Size Loading...	---
Woofer Size Loading...	8
Woofer Composition Loading...	Copolymer
Woofer Surround Loading...	Rubber
Power Range (Watts) Loading...	10-150
Sensitivity Loading...	89 dB dB
Impedance (Ohms) Loading...	8
Frequency Response Loading...	45-22kHz
Connector Type Loading...	Spring Posts
Bi-Amp Inputs Loading...	No
Parts Warranty Loading...	5 Years
Labor Warranty Loading...	5 Years

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

1 Ceiling-mount speaker
1 White metal grille
3" Phillips head bit
Cardboard template
Plastic paint mask (speaker)
Wax paper paint shield (grille)
Instruction booklet (English/ Spanish/ French/ German)
Product registration card
Disposal note

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

Features
Mounting

Features

Woofer: The Boston Acoustics VSi 580 uses an 8" DCD (Deep Channel Design) copolymer woofer with a die-cast aluminum basket. The DCD woofer uses a deeply grooved pole plate that enables the voice coil to travel farther for greater output without bottoming.

Tweeter: The VSi 580 uses Boston's 1" VR aluminum dome tweeter. Compared to a soft dome, aluminum is equally light, yet more rigid. Compared to other hard dome materials, aluminum is better able to accurately track the input signal. There is a unique pivoting tweeter cup offering placement flexibility; the aluminum tweeter cup also acts as a heat sink.

Moisture Resistant: The VSi 580 is well suited for humid environments like the kitchen or bathroom. Make sure they are positioned so that moisture cannot collect inside them. They are not designed for locations where they will be submerged.

Boundary Compensation: The boundary compensation circuit shapes the sound to counteract the effect of placement too close to an adjacent wall (or ceiling, floor, or corner). The switch should be turned on if the speaker is mounted closer than 18 inches from the junction of two surfaces or closer than 24 inches from a corner.

Inputs: Spring loaded posts will accept banana plugs (single or dual) or bare wire up to 12 gauge.

Mounting

Placement: Because you can control the direction of the high frequencies with the pivoting tweeter, you can mount these in-ceiling speakers almost anywhere. For optimum results, place the speakers 8 to 12 feet apart so they form a triangle with the listening area.

Installation: After a 10-7/8" diameter cutout is made the speaker is installed into the opening and held into place with four integral plastic mounting ears. The required depth to install the speaker is 5" from the mounting surface (this includes the thickness of the drywall). Behind the opening there must be a 1" clearance around the speaker to accommodate the ears. The mounting wall material must be at least 1/4" thick for the mounting ears to work.

Magnetic Grille: The grille is magnetically mounted for easy installation.

Paintable: Both the frame and grille can be painted to match the ceiling. A plastic paint mask is included to protect the speaker from being painted as well.

Optional Bracket: The NCBR8 new-construction bracket (sold separately) can be used to simplify installation in new construction.