Definitive Technology Speakers - ARE THEY THAT GOOD?

[Sheep]

I use direct mode. My integrated does not have eq (nor would I want it to, as this is a purist music system.) If I did use the tone control, it would only effect part of the bass spectrum (and not necessarily the part that my room needs.)

I thought tone controls were Shelving filters (starting at roughly 100hz in general)?

Seriously, Joe, where are you getting these lines? I hear Jerry is back in the market.

SheepStar

 

[Seth=L]

Sure, that makes perfect sense to think that Cambridge would tell you they made their speakers/amplifier/cd player "synergize" together, that way you buy it all from them. I would go ahead and ask them how well their interconnects "synergize" with their components vs. another manufacturer's interconnects.

I'm not saying you were taken, I'm sure it's a very nice sounding/performing system. It is however completely bogus that they compliment each other in such a way as the speakers would perform better with Cambridge than with anything else.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

I thought tone controls were Shelving filters (starting at roughly 100hz in general)?

Seriously, Joe, where are you getting these lines? I hear Jerry is back in the market.

SheepStar

Tone controls are a brute force measure, without the flexibility of an equalizer.
Who is Jerry?
FYI, I do still enjoy listening to my BP8s in the stereo sometimes (less bass than the BP10s makes them better in that room.) They need to be far away from walls, though.

 

[GlocksRock]

I am using my BP8s in the bedroom now, and they sound so much better there than they did when using them as mains in my living room setup. The room is smaller and I have more room for speaker placement. Even when running them full range off the RX-V663 they sounded great and I was surprised at how much bass they do have for being so small.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Tone controls are a brute force measure, without the flexibility of an equalizer.
Who is Jerry?
FYI, I do still enjoy listening to my BP8s in the stereo sometimes (less bass than the BP10s makes them better in that room.) They need to be far away from walls, though.

I am using my BP8s in the bedroom now, and they sound so much better there than they did when using them as mains in my living room setup. The room is smaller and I have more room for speaker placement. Even when running them full range off the RX-V663 they sounded great and I was surprised at how much bass they do have for being so small.

To say that proper placement of these BPs is crucial is an understatement.

Just yesterday, I placed a big box next to the 14" radiator side of the BP7000SC. It was casual listening while doing laundry. But I immediately noticed how badly it affected the sound! It sounded compressed. When I removed the box, it was great again.

 

[Midcow2]

That is why I don't do Laundry

To say that proper placement of these BPs is crucial is an understatement.

Just yesterday, I placed a big box next to the 14" radiator side of the BP7000SC. It was casual listening while doing laundry. But I immediately noticed how badly it affected the sound! It sounded compressed. When I removed the box, it was great again.

See that proves you shouldn't do laundry

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

See that proves you shouldn't do laundry

Say, if I can prove that doing laundry, taking out the trash and washing the dishes distort the speaker sound, do you think I can get away with not doing it altogether?

 

[GlocksRock]

No, but it means you need to get more speakers to test your theory to see if it happens with the other speakers as well

 

[Sheep]

To say that proper placement of these BPs is crucial is an understatement.

Just yesterday, I placed a big box next to the 14" radiator side of the BP7000SC. It was casual listening while doing laundry. But I immediately noticed how badly it affected the sound! It sounded compressed. When I removed the box, it was great again.

Could you go further into what you mean by "compressed"? It has a fairly loose meaning in the audio world.

SheepStar

 

[corey]

Wow, 11 pages in 2 weeks. That's not necessarily a lot, but Sheep gave the OP a very good answer in the second post of the thread.

 

[mouettus]

To say that proper placement of these BPs is crucial is an understatement.

Just yesterday, I placed a big box next to the 14" radiator side of the BP7000SC. It was casual listening while doing laundry. But I immediately noticed how badly it affected the sound! It sounded compressed. When I removed the box, it was great again.

Were you doing laundry in front of your system? Because you reallly sound like an audiophile. I mean... one that crossed the sane border lol.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Were you doing laundry in front of your system? Because you reallly sound like an audiophile. I mean... one that crossed the sane border lol.

Well, I was folding clothes in my HT room.
I do it ALL the time.

A lot of times I just turn on my system even when I'm not in the HT room. That way I can hear the music in every room.

Busy, busy, busy with 2 little daughters (5 & 6 yrs old). Of course, I have to do equal house work and all.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

No, but it means you need to get more speakers to test your theory to see if it happens with the other speakers as well

You and your 7.1 speakers!!!

I know what you are thinking!!!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Could you go further into what you mean by "compressed"? It has a fairly loose meaning in the audio world.

SheepStar

Well, it sounded "muffled", or "muddy", or "unclear", or "congested". Something like that. It just did not sound as good as when the box was not in the way of the speakers.

I just have to say that the PMA2000IVRs sound exactly like the Acurus/Emotiva in just about every way. I have this compilation CD that I listen to all the time, and every song sounds the same with both systems.

...Even when the music is NOT PLAYING!

If I place my ear right next to the tweeter (CD in STOP mode), I can hear a tiny hissing sound when I had the Acurus. Well, I hear the same sound with the PMA2000IVR.

Oops. Sorry. Way off topic.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

As much as I love my CAs, the BP8Bs are back in my stereo system, possibly to stay this time. The bass is neither too much (like the BP10Bs) nor missing the very lowest frequencies (like the CAs), but just right. Placed well away from all walls, the imaging is tight and I really like the overall sound. (The CAs do still have the edge in detail and natural tone color, though.)

 

[GlocksRock]

Do you think the ca's edge in detail is due to the bipolar design of the BP8s?

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Do you think the ca's edge in detail is due to the bipolar design of the BP8s?

That would imply that the bipolar design somehow reduces detail, which I doubt is the case. There are other possibilities. One is simply that the CAs have better components, though I doubt this also. More likely is that the much smaller cabinets are easier to build with minimal resonance and/or that the minimal baffle area largely eliminates diffraction.

 

[Midcow2]

Some people buy the Bi-Polar and don't realize ...

That would imply that the bipolar design somehow reduces detail, which I doubt is the case. There are other possibilities. One is simply that the CAs have better components, though I doubt this also. More likely is that the much smaller cabinets are easier to build with minimal resonance and/or that the minimal baffle area largely eliminates diffraction.

...that the speakers really are bipolar with the subwoofer a third direction out the side.

Speaker placement is crucial and the distance between other objects and their density ( i.e. laundry seems to heavily attentuate the signal) has a lot to do with the brightness and the edge. In my case i adjust the speakers and the elvels and the mutlitude of curio collections

"Others reflection of a man , er bipole, is his/her/its greatest asset"

 

[GlocksRock]

That would imply that the bipolar design somehow reduces detail, which I doubt is the case. There are other possibilities. One is simply that the CAs have better components, though I doubt this also. More likely is that the much smaller cabinets are easier to build with minimal resonance and/or that the minimal baffle area largely eliminates diffraction.

Not implying that the bipolar design reduces detail, but that it's smeared a bit becuase of the delay in reflection from the speakers on the backside of the cabinet. I love having the BP8s in my bedroom, I can be in the master bathroom and still get good sound even though the speakers are not facing me.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

...i.e. laundry seems to heavily attentuate the signal...

Oh, give it up with the laundry business already!

But, seriously, we all know how important speaker placement is with these DefTechs. I think most of us, including myself, don't even have the IDEAL speaker placement due to our room sizes.

If I had a bigger room, I would place them 5 feet from the back and 5 feet from the sides!