Definitive Technology BP7001sc

[MacManNM]

The wife and I strolled into ultimate craptronics yesterday to audition some speakers. They had a Yamaha RX-Z9 driving a pair of Definitive Technology BP7001sc towers. I brought some of my CD's with us so we could listen to these towers. First off, they had the bass and treble controls jacked (on the Yamaha), the entire setup was wrong. Since no one felt like coming in to assist me, I fiddled around with the receiver to try and get everything as flat as possible.

I put in one of my favorite Cd's, (Denon DVD player using digital output) Unforgettable, by Natalie Cole. The first thing I noticed was……….how bad it sounded. The bass was sloppy, the mids were muddy, and there was an annoying ringing from the tweeters. I couldn’t believe how bad these critically acclaimed speakers were.

I thought perhaps that I had some of the settings wrong on the receiver (which was awesome by the way). I double-checked and everything seemed in order. I then put in Willie nelson, A Horse Called Music. This sounded equally as bad. Now, I’m not saying they were terrible, but I expected much more from a pair of loudspeakers that cost almost $4k.

Then there is the construction; they have this cheesy slip cover with drawstrings to hold it tight. I thought it looked bad.

Overall, I was not impressed. I remember when the BP-20’s first came out, I thought those sounded good for the price. These are overpriced, IMO.

 

[Sleestack]

The wife and I strolled into ultimate craptronics yesterday to audition some speakers. They had a Yamaha RX-Z9 driving a pair of Definitive Technology BP7001sc towers. I brought some of my CD's with us so we could listen to these towers. First off, they had the bass and treble controls jacked (on the Yamaha), the entire setup was wrong. Since no one felt like coming in to assist me, I fiddled around with the receiver to try and get everything as flat as possible.

I put in one of my favorite Cd's, (Denon DVD player using digital output) Unforgettable, by Natalie Cole. The first thing I noticed was……….how bad it sounded. The bass was sloppy, the mids were muddy, and there was an annoying ringing from the tweeters. I couldn’t believe how bad these critically acclaimed speakers were.

I thought perhaps that I had some of the settings wrong on the receiver (which was awesome by the way). I double-checked and everything seemed in order. I then put in Willie nelson, A Horse Called Music. This sounded equally as bad. Now, I’m not saying they were terrible, but I expected much more from a pair of loudspeakers that cost almost $4k.

Then there is the construction; they have this cheesy slip cover with drawstrings to hold it tight. I thought it looked bad.

Overall, I was not impressed. I remember when the BP-20’s first came out, I thought those sounded good for the price. These are overpriced, IMO.

I use the 70001Scs in my home office HT (along with the CLR 3000 and BPVXs). My opinion is that they are exceptional for HT and very good for music. The characteristics you describe aren't in line with my extended experience with them, however, I would have to agree to the extent that I would not use them in a dedicated 2 channel setup b/c they are not as tight as I would like them to be. I always considered them relatively budget-oriented (I bought the 5 speakers for around $5K), so they met my expectations.

I have been very unimpressed with many of the speakers I have auditioned lately (especially the higher end Martin Logans), so until I find a pair that compels me to buy, I'm using Onix Ref. 3s in my 2 channel setup. As far as music goes, the difference between Ref. 3s and the Def. Techs is quite dramatic.

As far as construction, they are rock solid. The slip cover grill covers the whole speaker, so they have to use a drawstring for easy replacement and maintenance. It is all very neatly covered by the end caps.

 

[MacManNM]

I use the 70001Scs in my home office HT (along with the CLR 3000 and BPVXs). My opinion is that they are exceptional for HT and very good for music. The characteristics you describe aren't in line with my extended experience with them, however, I would have to agree to the extent that I would not use them in a dedicated 2 channel setup b/c they are not as tight as I would like them to be. I always considered them relatively budget-oriented (I bought the 5 speakers for around $5K), so they met my expectations.

I have been very unimpressed with many of the speakers I have auditioned lately (especially the higher end Martin Logans), so until I find a pair that compels me to buy, I'm using Onix Ref. 3s in my 2 channel setup. As far as music goes, the difference between Ref. 3s and the Def. Techs is quite dramatic.

As far as construction, they are rock solid. The slip cover grill covers the whole speaker, so they have to use a drawstring for easy replacement and maintenance. It is all very neatly covered by the end caps.

The asking price was 3800 + tax for the front towers, you call that budget-oriented? With the subs these things have in them, they should sound really good. I think the Polk RTi-12's sound better, you can get them for 1/4 the price. The imaging wasn't that great, and like you said the bass was not accurate. I expect more for that kind of $$$.

I still think the sock cover is cheezy. It looked bad.

 

[Sleestack]

The asking price was 3800 + tax for the front towers, you call that budget-oriented? With the subs these things have in them, they should sound really good. I think the Polk RTi-12's sound better, you can get them for 1/4 the price. The imaging wasn't that great, and like you said the bass was not accurate. I expect more for that kind of $$$.

I still think the sock cover is cheezy. It looked bad.

Sock cover? Are you talking about the grill or the cover that comes on them? If the caps were on, you shouldn't have seen any drawstring.


I haven't heard the Polk's so I can't really comment on the comparison. I can say that I have heard much worse at that price point. Nevertheless, when I picked the Def. Techs, I knew they would only be used in my secondary HT system so I went with a "good enough" standard. I'll be getting the Parasound C1 and A51 in next week. Until my main HT is ready, the Def. Techs. will have the benefit of being driven by the Parasound combo.

Perhaps I'm a bit skewed, but I consider any speaker under $5K to be realtively budget oriented as far as 2 channel systems go. $5K for a whole HT package seemed extremely fair to me. The only speakers that I have really liked under $5K for music have been the Ref. 3s. I'm currently trying to work with a $15K budget for speakers to replace the Ref. 3s.

 

[MacManNM]

Sock cover? Are you talking about the grill or the cover that comes on them? If the caps were on, you shouldn't have seen any drawstring.


I haven't heard the Polk's so I can't really comment on the comparison. I can say that I have heard much worse at that price point. Nevertheless, when I picked the Def. Techs, I knew they would only be used in my secondary HT system so I went with a "good enough" standard. I'll be getting the Parasound C1 and A51 in next week. Until my main HT is ready, the Def. Techs. will have the benefit of being driven by the Parasound combo.

Perhaps I'm a bit skewed, but I consider any speaker under $5K to be realtively budget oriented as far as 2 channel systems go. $5K for a whole HT package seemed extremely fair to me. The only speakers that I have really liked under $5K for music have been the Ref. 3s. I'm currently trying to work with a $15K budget for speakers to replace the Ref. 3s.

Sock cover! I think it's cheezy. My dad has an old set of RTR 600D's they look cool with that wrap around grille.


That's a nice budget to work with. I agree there are no really good 2/ch speakers out there under 5k. That's why I'm still using my McIntosh XR-16's. To be quite honest, those Dif Techs don't even come close. It is a shame, you'd think technology would sprout something!!!!!