Our take on the Boston Acoustics HSi-470

by Marshall Chase

Boston Acoustics aims their HSi series at folks who love great sound but don't want to give up any floor space. Movie dialogue comes through clearly and both acoustic and electric instruments have a natural tone. Boston Acoustics designs all their in-wall and in-ceiling speakers for simple do-it-yourself installation. The HSi-470 mounts flush in the ceiling and comes with a magnetic grille that's paintable to blend seamlessly into your home.

Flexible placement and better sound

Some rooms present a real challenge for in-ceiling speaker placement. The HSi-470 features a 1" swiveling soft-dome tweeter. This lets you direct the sound for great results in almost any room you choose.

An NCBR6 in-ceiling 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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Highlights:

sold individually
1" pivoting soft-dome tweeter for flexible mounting
6-1/2" woofer
handles up to 100 watts
frequency response 54-20,000 Hz (±3dB)
sensitivity 89 dB
8-ohm impedance
moisture resistant for bath and kitchen applications
magnetic, paintable speaker grille
cutout dimensions: 10-5/16" diameter
mounting depth: 4-3/4"
warranty: 5 years
Our 60-day money-back guarantee

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...	6.5
Woofer Composition Loading...	Copolymer
Woofer Surround Loading...	Rubber
Power Range (Watts) Loading...	10-100
Sensitivity Loading...	89 dB
Impedance (Ohms) Loading...	8
Frequency Response Loading...	54-20kHz
Connector Type Loading...	Spring Posts
Bi-Amp Inputs Loading...	No
Parts Warranty Loading...	5 Years
Labor Warranty Loading...	5 Years

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What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

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

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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 HSi 470 uses a 6-1/2" DCD (Deep Channel Design) copolymer woofer. The DCD woofer uses a deeply grooved pole plate that enables the voice coil to travel farther for greater output without bottoming.

Tweeter: The HSi 470 uses a 1" Kortec dome tweeter. Kortec is a silky fabric saturated on the underside with a proprietary stiffening agent. Because the inside surface of the dome is ultra stiff, the tweeter tracks the signal with ease and produces an excellent transient attack. Simultaneously, the soft, self-dampening top layer eliminates unwanted resonance, so the sound is smooth and articulate.

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

Moisture Resistant: The HSi 470 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.

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 an 8-7/8" 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 4-3/4" 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 NCBR6 new-construction bracket (sold separately) can be used to simplify installation in new construction.

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