Definitive Tech speakers ... your thoughts?  

I listened to them at United Audio Centers and to tell you the truth they didn't impress me that much...But as I understand it they are very touchy when setting them up due to their bipolar nature...Thats for what its worth

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Stop Dfast DVI, and all that ****

Bipolar speakers are love'em or hate'em proposition.
The claim to fame of this design is enormous soundstage and
a very large sweet spot. The drawback is very weak imaging.
However it is not important for HT. Main benefits are ripped of by listeners in not 'ideal' position - they are no longer 'second-class citizens'.

I own DefTech (various models) for 4 years, and I like them a lot (for the money). I did not liked 2002 or 2004 speakers that much (with integrated subs) - I think DT subs quite weak. Unpowered DTs (BP-10B, BP-30) all sounded beter IMHO.

The other option with very similar design is Mirage. Again, some people prefer DT to Mirage, some quite an opposite. Listen for yourself.

I have the 2000's for mains, 3000 for center and 2004's for the rears--just got them 3 weeks ago. Still breaking them in. I have read that they are difficult to set up--I have received very good advice from this forum and others and as a result I'm extremely satisfied with my set up. The sound is outstanding for music and HT. Marantz SR 18 driving them and a Toshiba 9200 DVD player.
I couldn't be happier--great price and great sound.
Good luck.

I have Def tech. 2002's for mains, and just added 2004's for surrounds (not the TL versions), replacing some Klipsch's that didn't match well as surrounds. I think that the most important thing is having matching speakers for all 5 or 7 speakers. This makes a huge difference, and I can't emphasize this enough.
I also added Pro monitor 100 speakers for the DSP effects speakers run by my Yamaha 2095. After setup using a radio shack sound monitor and Avia, and carefull positioning for equal distances, the sound is fantastic. I am happy with music as well, and I prefer the Yamaha DSP effects for two channel material. This system is awsome for movies. However, if you are mainly a music lover and want to hear exactly what is on the original source with pinpoint imaging, than most people seem to prefer direct radiating speakers. Good luck with your system. Horton

I've heard serveral Def. Tech. setups before, and I always come away thinking the speakers with the powered subs sound too boomy... I've never been a fan of built-in powered sub design to begin with... However, I do own a pair of Def. Tech. PL15+ subwoofers and have them matched to B&W 600 S2 speakers. I think they match up well, and am very satisfied with the sound for HT uses. In my opinion, the PL15+ subwoofers offer a great value...

I ran my pair of Definitive BP8s for two channel music for 7+ years, and recently added a second pair of BP8s for side surround and C1B center (which I'll swap for an original C1 this week).

Mostly, I bought the Definitives because I usually lack the patience to sit in the narrow sweet spot of direct radiators, and was therefore willing to trade excellent imaging I'd rarely experience for an acceptable sound stage that would always be there. In theory, this is not relevant for home theater. In practice, it means I can turn off my center speaker thus moving the voices down to the middle of the screen instead of 6" from the top and still have them anchored halfway between my mains regardless of where I sit on my couch (this gets rid of slight voicing differences too, although I'm hoping those go away once I have the older C1 with a soft dome tweeter that matches my mains).

The midrange is somewhat colored, and top end a bit forward (so if I could live with the imaging, I'd probably have bought a pair of NHTs). Placed right (they're sensitive to placement), bass response doesn't match Definitive's optimistic 30Hz spec, although it's tight and flat (apart from room resonance) to a measured 40Hz (moving closer to the wall gains bass but hurts the midrange and imaging).

One other caveat is that they are less receiver friendly than other speakers (minimum impedance is 3.2 ohms).

Finally, I'd be surprised if you could place the ones with built-in powered subwoofers to get decent (in terms of extension and quality) bass, midrange, and imaging.

Just my $ .02
I purchased the bp2002tl,clr2500,bpx surround combination.
I chose them over the B&W,PSB,and NHT in the same price ranges. Speakers are subject to placement AND ADJUSTMENT issues and many people crank the base on the powered units and overdrive them. When they are adjusted properly they can shake the walls with accurate and beautiful sound. Pinpoint imaging is NOT what they were designed for. If you are going to sit still, in one position, and listen to only two speakers, the DefTech's are probably not the best choice.

If you want 5ch music (or more) and HT, you cant beat them (IMO)

Listen to them in a properly set up system and you will understand.

Good Luck

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Gerry

I own an all Def Tech top of the line 5.1 system. See my web site (not finished yet) http://www.vew.net/ht for more info. I enjoy my speakers and could recommend my setup to anyone with the room and willingness to do lots and lots of speaker placement tests. Drives my poor wife nuts every time I want "nudge" a 150 lb BP 3000TL 2.5 inches.

I am going to have to disagree with the folks who detracted from the powered subs. Sure they are more of a pain to setup and tweak but the rewards are there for the taking. Also go ahead and spring for a Sunfire True Subwoofer Signature instead of the Def Tech subs. Properly integrated with say the BP 3000TLs and you will have some awe inspiring bass. Think about adding another electrical circuit or two. 5150 watts of powered subs plus amp and components in one room is going to blow the breaker.

Sounds like a lot of "work" but its a labor of love and a tweaker's dream. Take the plunge!



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--Howard, Dallas