magnolia

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
1) Great product overall.
2) AMAZING value.
3) Although great at both, suggested much more for theater applications than music.

Strengths:
PERFORMANCE FOR THE $!!!

-With Definitive, I'd say 90% of your money goes toward practical, performance-enhancing research, design, and materials. The rest goes to overhead, advertising, and aesthetics. This is oppposed to the seemingly 50-50 split you you get with many other manufacturers today. The fact that so much emphasis is placed on performance instead of looks makes this speaker a GREAT buy for a dedicated media or theater room.

-The biggest sound I've ever heard from such a small set of footprints, by far. (I have yet to hear the 7000SC's.) VERY powerful. These speakers mean business. The stereo, SuperCube 1 amps and subs really produce that deep, theater-level sound from movies, and are able to accuratley reveal that big upright bass in the left rear of the orchestra. (...13Hz!)

-The active crossovers work very well. The midrange drivers and subs coexist seemlessly.
(I don't recommend using an LFE pre-out for the amps. Just plug in your wire, open up the frequency range on your amp(s) or receiver, and let the crossovers do what they are designed to do.)

-Placement is not as critical with these speakers as it is with many others. The bipolar driver arrangement allows them to present a decent soundstage in virtually any space.

-Surface materials are also not a huge deal with these speakers. They'll do about as well as a speaker can with tile floors, big windows, open floorplans, ect.

-NO cabinet resonance. Well built, sturdy cabinets that should withstand a lifetime of moves.

Weaknesses:
Aside from the fact that a true audiophile and music enthusiast won't really dig the bipolar thing:

-They, as any Def Tech speaker I've heard, seem to lack a bit of openness and dynamics in the midrange. (ie: the separation of the individual striking of toms on a drum set during a quick fill)

-I also find the aluminum tweeters, although surrounded by silk, a little bit harsh and slightly distorted at very high volumes.

-The built-in amps are geared to stress the lowest of the low frequencies, at the expense of a bit of "punchiness." For example, with the standard supplied controls, (gain, phase, & crossover points) it's hard to dial in on that tight punch of a kick drum without over exaggerating the low notes on a bass guitar.

-Once you've taken a breather from the arduous task of getting these speakers home, it is not easy to make them fit in to the decor of an existing living space. They have a noticeable presence in any room, and are usually not something that the "boss" of the household finds particularly attractive.

-If you have a cat that isn't declawed, I suggest you look to other manufacturers. If you can't tell by the above picture, between the wooden plates on the top and bottom of these speakers, they are surrounded by a cloth sock that could render them scratching posts. (This is true of all Definitive towers.)

Similar Products Used:
Nothing with built-in, powered subs. I personally tend to relate the performance of these speakers to that of 2.1 set-ups from other brands in the same price range. Boston, Vienna Accoustics, B&W, Focal, Martin-Logan, ect.

Price Paid:  $1699.00 from I sell them.

Summary:
Great product overall. Great value for the money. Better for movies than music.

Strengths:
PERFORMANCE FOR THE $!!!
-With Definitive, I'd say 90% of your money goes toward practical, performance-enhancing research, design, and materials. The rest goes to overhead, advertising, and aesthetics. This is opposed to the seemingly 60-40 split you get with many other manufacturers today. The fact that so much emphasis is placed on performance instead of looks makes this speaker a GREAT buy for a dedicated media or theater room.
-The biggest sound I've ever heard from such a small set of footprints by far. (I haven't heard the 7000SC's yet.) VERY powerful. These speakers mean business. The stereo, SuperCube I amps and subs really produce that deep, theater-level sound we all want for our movies. (...13Hz!)
-The active crossovers work very well. The midrange drivers and subs compliment each other quite nicely. (I don't recommend using an LFE pre-out for the amps. Just plug in your wire, open up the frequency range coming from your amp, and let the crossovers do what they are designed to do.)
-When placed properly, the bipolar configuration produces a fairly descent soundstage.
-NO cabinet resonance. Well built, sturdy cabinets that should easily last through a lifetime of moves.

Weaknesses:
Aside from the fact that a true audiophile and music enthusiast won't really dig the bipolar thing:
-They, as any DefTech speaker, seem to lack a bit of openness and dynamics in the midrange (ie: the separation of the individual striking of toms on a drum set during a quick fill).
-I also find the aluminum tweeters, although surrounded by silk, a little bit harsh and slightly distorted at high volumes.
-The subs are geared to stress the lowest of the low frequencies, at the expense of a bit of "punchiness," and can be a bit hard to tame when it comes to many types of music. This is definitely a theater speaker.
-It is not easy to work a pair of these in to a normal living space. They have a noticeable presence in any room, and are usually not something that the "boss" of the house finds particularly attractive.

Similar Products Used:
Nothing with built-in, powered subs. I personally relate the performance of these speakers to that of 2.1 set-ups from other brands in the same price range (Boston, Vienna Acoustics, Focal, Martin-Logan, ect.).