Ok..so...first things first...

No offence but the purpose of this review site is to rate speakers and equipment on their merit of "SOUND" not whether or not you have a blown amp or problems with customer service. Come on folks..."EVERYTHING" in life breaks down...period! Tell us about the sonic performance...relegate all the complaining to Def Techs customer service..thanks.

Now..these speakers are bar non the best sounding towers you can buy for less than $3000...maybe even more.

I used to be a def tech guy back in the day with my first pair being a set of BP20's. I inherited a full set of B&W 700 series speakers from a friend and convinced myself that they sounded better than my old Def Techs, mostly due to B&W marketing hype coupled with my buddies love of his 802's, Problem is, deep down I always felt the B&W's very forward presentation was too bright for me.

Fast forward a few years and I felt it was time for a change. So I picked up a full surround set of Def Tech including a BP2300 powered center, BP2002 powered super towers and BPX surrounds for a steal, hooked everything up and...was absolutely blown away!

HUGE, LUSH, Organic sound are superlatives that immediately came to mind. Anyone who poo poos bi-polar technology has either never heard one of these systems set up in the correct environment, or...they are just so stubbornly set in their ways that they are unable to hear.

Bottom line,,,live music which is the oldest and truest form of musical reproduction was not projected directly at your ears in a straight line while you sat, perfectly centered, perfectly on axis with the performer.It came from everywhere depending on the venue. Think about it, back in the 1700's, 1600's, 1500's, 1300's on down the line, did "electronics" exist?

No,music was conveyed organically, outside or in homes or in concert halls what have you.

So why do these so called "Audiophiles" insist on "restricting" their music to a bland, linear, 2 dimensional experience by comparison when with Def Tech and similar technologies you can have so much more realism?

the debate between 2 channel vs Multi channel music? To me it's a no brainer. Multi channel is just better! It envelopes you in sound like you would be in, say, a concert hall where notes are bouncing off of walls in every direction making you feel immersed...These speakers do this and add a 4th dimension of sound via their bi-polar arrays. The sound is everywhere...it's unbelievable.

Don;t get me wrong, the BP2002's by themselves for two channel are awesome, full rich, lush, non-fatiguing sound...but multi-channel rocks!

For music they are great, but home theater is absolutely amazing..on a different level!

I don't even go to the theater anymore. Now I have my own at home.

If you can find these speakers or an entire set like I did just buy them...and enjoy.

I own 2 pair of BP 2002's. One of them has a blown subwoofer amp while still in warranty back in 2003. Had to make a family move and put them in storage. I want to get my system up and running again now in Jan.2017, Where on earth do I get a replacement amp part? I want to repair the unit myself. Any help - thanks

The BD 2002''s sounds great. Bass is great. The only problem I have had is that the Power Supply and the built in amplifier blows out after a few months.

It has happened thrice. The customer service was awful. I could get the replacement amp, etc. after four months and many many calls to Difinitive. At present, one of the BP 2002 is dead and I am not sure if I should be throwing good money for these speakers. Any suggestions ??

Strong Bass management. Seperate Amp for Subwoofer input and LFE. Very good natural sounding. Almost Holographic.

Can tip over.

I have had these speakers for over 5 years now. I at first, was not impressed with the way it sounded with playing music. When it came to H.T is was Better at that time when Dolby Digital was just coming around. And we're talking around 1997. DTS was just a new kid on the block. I have a matched set of speakers: Defintive BP2002 Definitive C/L/R 2002 Definitive Bipolar BP2X Denon AVR 3200( Just got replaced ) Denon AVR 3805( this thing Rocks! ) All of these I have to say, produces the most natural Sound as close as real sound gets. Never sounds tingy or Bassy. Just Right... I was driving this system with a Denon AVR3200. It was not bad. Very Good sounding for Home theater. But playing music around these BP2002 left me a little lost with how my interpretation of what music should sound like... Now I can say, Its not only the speakers that make a difference. But, its the Audio source that drives the Speakers. I just upgraded to the Newest Denon AVR3805. What difference this makes. My Speakers never sounded so well as they do now. Music is a lot brighter and brouder and more bassy. Let me tell you about Home Theater. My theater don't sound like this. Great Speakers!!!! They are truly As natural sounding as you can get. I like Martin Logan speakers ,but now thay I got this new Receiver, there is no comprosing. Definitive definitely kicks butt. If you have a local dealer I suggest you give a listen. You won't be disappointed. I would like to add another comment. Most people complain about the Bass not being that great. If you properly setup the speakers for both Music and Home theater. It does make a difference. With a Seperate Sub woofer, The Sound feels and Sounds like its coming from one side of the room only. On top of that, most people don't setup the Bass right to match the rest of the Sound coming from your other 5 speakers. From what I've heard so far from seperate Subs, that give off too much rumble which kills Home Theater sound. The Subs built in these BP2002's to me is perfect. Again, if you setup the Subs to your PreAMP output and the SUB output to the LFE using a Wire Connector. Get a good one not a cheap one! The Bass is just right. Ex. Dinosaur. from Walt Disney. If you set this up right, The After affect from the Meteor crashing, is what you are looking for. The sound pressure created is phenomenal. The Bass goes right through you and you can feel the sound pressure. Again, having this new DENON AVR 3805 Makes it better. For the Digital nad DTS setup, You need to keep the LFE Level at 0 db. And set your LFE volume turned up on the BP2002's. Mine is set a litle more then a 1/4 of a turn up

I have enjoyed auditioning all kinds of speakers for some 20 years. I have owned the BP2002 for about 8 months. The longer I listen to these speakers, the more I appreciate them. Prior to this pair of speakers I owned and enjoyed the BP 8’s for several years. Yet the 2002’s are a giant improvement. I have enjoyed every moment with them. The BP 2002 may not be the best in any one aspect I’ve heard. But beyond any doubt, the 2002s greatest accomplishment is it overall balance. The 2002’s do very well in all areas. The treble is extended and well balanced. The midrange is excellent, being uncolored and very detailed. The most outstanding attribute of the speakers is it deep extended, high quality bass. With the built in volume controllable subwoofer, they can be adjusted for any room type and listening preference. Having two subs adds a balance which is hard to obtain with a single one. They excel with all types of music, everything from chamber music to head banging rock. BP 2002 has great imaging and the best soundstage I have ever heard. The more I listen to my speakers, the greater the respect I have for the imaging capability. The soundstage is wide and deep, at time giving a live, you-are-there type feeling.
As good as the 2002’s are at music, they may even be better at providing thrilling home theater sound. Movie sounds is terrific, with huge soundstage and thunderous bass. The realism spreads all the way across the front of the room, they are super-spacious. BP 2002 speaker provide the best balance for both music and home theater for the money.

Stephen doesn't know what he's talking about. There's much much more to a good speaker than volume, and this speaker delivers it all!

A great full range sound from highs to low as well as great sound field.

Sound quality is very sensitive to room placement.

LET ME GET THIS OUT FIRST. YOU EVEN LOVE OR HATE BIPOLAR SPEAKERS AND I RESPECT PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE THEM. I LOVE THEM.
These speakers are truely special. They create a sound field in the room that some take as being unnatural. After listening to these speakers over a year I have come to believe that these speakers sound more natural than conventional speakers. Many, not all, conventional speakers sound like boxes playing music not music. Bi-polars create a field in which the music is created in a space. These speakers fill the room with very high quality sound.

The very high quality sound I speaking of includes cymbals, which with the help of the backward firing tweeters, sound incredible. Pianos also sound great. The sound resonates. Not only is the sound field grea but the voice quality is great. Very smooth and natural. The singers appear to be standing between the speakers. The bass extends very low and powerful which in conjuction with the excellent highs and sound field make an excellent presentation.

However, all is not perfect. The upper bass is a little weak and the lower bass a little muddy. One of the biggest mistakes people make with the powered sub-woofers is to turn them up too loud. This makes the bass sound overpowering and unnatural. Of course the gain of your amps make a difference, but the sub-woofer volume level on my speakers are only about 1/4 the way up. Also the sound of this speaker (and most natural sounds)are very dependent on room placement. When it's good it's good and when it's off it's off. This is why I understand the bad experiences from other reviewers. I have done a lot of experimenting, including covering up the rear-firing speakers just to see how they sound and they sound like very expensive conventional speakers.
In conclusion, these speakers are absolutely excellent and a great value if you like the sound field.

I driving these speakers with:
Yamaha CDC-775 CD player
2 ONKYO M-504 power amps (Bi-amped into the mids and highs)

Note: There is no pre-amp.

Similar Products Used:

Nothing like them.

I recently purchased a pair of 2002s that were demos.
I really like them but there is a loud THUMP noise
whenever the subwoofer section detects information
and turns ON. There is also the same deep and loud
THUMP noise whenever the subwoofer turns itself OFF
approximately 30-35 minutes after turning the system
off. In the past I have hooked subwoofers the same way
as I did with these towers(via speaker cable from the
receiver to the speaker)and never experienced any sort
of problem. The THUMP is very loud and it scares the
heck out of me, my wife, and my 4 month boy. I hooked
the speaker cable to the High set of binding posts in the
speaker. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Otherwise, the speaker works and sounds fantastic.

After auditioning speakers from Polk, Infinity, Energy (they have a new bipolar series) Paradigm, and others, I found the Definitive BP2002's to be the best overall choice for my listening room/ home theater. My listening area is 19.5' x 12' x 9.75' and it absorbs high frequencies. The 2002's have the most perfect balance of sound for movies and music that I have heard. Their compact size, gorgeous construction, and sound balance are superb. Though they aren't cheap, they offer versatile placement in a room, and they truely are Dolby Digital ready.... remember, they have built-in powered subs & a LFE input for Dolby Digital.

I just purchased the BP2002 yesterday and spent most of the evening setting them up. Superb!!! I auditioned KEFs, B&Ws, Paradigms, Mirages, Polks, and Thiels. While the Definitives were not superior to all of these speakers in all respects - the bass, imaging and soundstage seemed to me best on the BP2002. I really liked the mid-range on the KEFs and the tweeter on the B&Ws. The Paradigms also had a good overall sound - but in the $1800 - $2000 range, the BP2002s seemed best and got my personal $$$.