Definitive Technology SV1106 manual Must-hear, This is a marvelously, High-value system

testreports

Daniel Kumin

Definitive Technology

ProCinema 800 Speaker System

the treble. Proper adjustment of the subwoofer level and crossover also proved absolutely critical. After initial meter balancing, the system sounded a bit dis- appointing: heavy in the mid-bass and not particular- ly impressive down low. What a transformation was won by an hour or so of fiddling! I finished with a superb blend almost entirely free of boom or bloat,

or years, Baltimore’s Definitive FTechnology has produced phalanxes of tall, imposing, powerful floor-standing towers. Nevertheless, the eyes of the company founder Sandy Gross always

seem to take on a special twinkle when he sings the praises of his latest pint-size production, which sug- gests he gets a special buzz out of squeezing the mostest from the leastest — like the ProCinema 800 array seen here. Not pint-size, exactly (quart-and-a- half would be closer), but impressively small nonetheless, Definitive’s latest ProMonitor 800 satel- lite design employs an unusually located passive radiator firing straight up to help the bantamweight speaker produce enough low-frequency output to

“reach” and blend with a subwoofer effectively. The same technique is found in the matching center chan- nel, in doubles.

“A must-hear ...

very pleasing and surprisingly high-end sounding”

SETUP

Definitive sent a pair of their inexpensive fixed- height stands for the front speakers, which worked fine in my room. The ProCenter went on a stand below my 50-inch Samsung’s screen. It has no tilt adjustment built in, and only one rubber foot (the front edge has molded-in hard feet), but I dialed in the substantial uptilt I need using a couple of stick-on feet I had lying around. The ProMonitors for the sur- round channels went on my high shelves flanking the listening position, angled back to bounce off the rear wall as I usually do with direct-radiating surrounds.

Acoustical balancing was a bit more involved. First, I found that all three front speakers benefited greatly from a little tilt: Rocking them back on their heels several degrees made important improvements, opening and defining the upper mids and airing up

and with surprisingly deep-bass extension. But too much sub level (or too high a crossover) and the Definitives could sound “woofy” or a bit bloated (and the sub would localize); too little or too low and they could become gaunt.

Small differences of even 1 dB in sub level made very obvious changes, as did experimentation with crossover settings. I settled on 75-Hz crossover from my flexible processor, with 6-dB high-pass and 24-dB/low-pass curves — which, as it happens, is pretty much what Definitive’s own circuits yield if you use the sub’s speaker-level inputs instead of the LFE/line connection I employed. The fixed 80-Hz filters of many inexpensive receivers, which use 12- dB/24-DB per-octave filter slopes, should also work quite well.

“this is a marvelously
high-value system”
MUSIC PERFORMANCE
A brief session with the ProMonitors playing full-
range alone confirmed that they don’t produce
enough bass for satisfying sound on their own — but
that nonetheless they play amazingly loud without
obvious distress. These are strictly satellite speakers,
	-
but they do go lower and louder than I’ve had
guessed on sight.
With the system tweaked and tailored, I started as
usual with stereo listening, finding a generally neu
tral, open sound with a slightly warm cast to male
The Short Form
Snapshot
A must-hear for those who insist on a
very small, accessibly priced system.
Plus
:: Excellent overall tonality.
:: Good bass output, extension.
:: Surprising volume potential.
Minus
Price $1,099 (AS+TESTED)CORDOZATONYBYPHOTO
:: Needs careful setup. (But don’t they all?)
:: Center shifts tone at off-axis seats.