Pro Cinema 80 - The Best Sat-Sub Speakers Under A Grand
Written: Nov 14 '02
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Pros: Highly accurate sound fidelity at an amazingly affordable price point
Cons: As with many surround systems, set up may be daunting
The Bottom Line: This lesser-known brand will deliver construction and audio quality well beyond its price.
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| sweeper's Full Review: ProCinema 80 System |
Speaker technology may not move as quickly as that of other audio components but listening to Definitive Technology's Pro Cinema 80 speakers certainly moves those who hear them. This review contains some information in general concerning speakers in the context of "home theater" and current audio equipment trends. This reviewer hopes that audio gear cognoscenti are not put-off by the extended explanations and those new to selecting audio gear find some usefulness in this review.
My purchase of the entire Pro Cinema 80.6 speaker set is a culmination of a long period of research and a lot of trekking between sound rooms at audio retailers. The speakers were chosen based on criteria ranging from maximum size (set by my wife), a budget (set by my wife), and sound quality (I had some input here). Specifically, our need was a system capable of full Dolby Digital "5.1" output. In essence, we were looking for a low profile, Sat-Sub (SATellite, SUB-woofer) system. This means a total of six units-- left and right front speakers, a center channel, two "surround" speakers and a powered sub-woofer. We agreed that given our limited family room size, free standing tower units would not be acceptable for a variety of reasons. Therefore we would only consider wall-mounted units no larger than a loaf of bread. We agreed that one thousand dollars would be the upper limit we would spend on the set. Surprisingly, my wife wanted to accompany me on my sojourn of listening rooms around Northern California.
After weeks of reading magazines and consulting the web, I had narrowed my search to a manageable number of makes and models. We visited retailers who would demonstrate the Pro Cinemas as well as offerings from Bose Research, Boston Acoustics, Polk Audio, Cambridge Sound Works and others. Initially we were visually impressed with the Bose hand-sized cubes. In comparison however, they didn't measure up in sound quality to less expensive competition from many other manufacturers. We listened to a narrowing field of contenders in a variety of rooms. The Boston Acoustics and Polk Audio speakers were impressive with attractive prices as well. For the money, the Cambridge offerings sounded super. Cambridge has its own chain of retail outlets with listening rooms as well as a mail order service. Their products are highly tempting with their high value. Still, we continued our comparison survey. A Canadian speaker manufacturer, Energy, is a relatively new competitor in the speaker market. When we listened to their "Take 5" speakers we were highly enthusiastic and we rated it well above the rest and we were ready to make a purchase. However, we wanted to listen to one last set I had read about in "Home Theater" magazine. We're glad we did.
The Pro Cinema speakers met all our criteria easily but it was their performance that endeared us to them. As much as we liked the Energy system, we both agreed the Pro Cinemas sounded "fuller" and had more accuracy in the low end despite a smaller sub-woofer speaker. We worked a deal and brought it home where they would have to meet the challenge of a much tougher environment -- our family room.
Whereas an audio shop's sound room is optimized for ideal sound reproduction, our family room is configured with a high and sloping ceiling, tile floor, no substantial window or wall coverings, relatively little furniture and is open to the kitchen with its requisite hard surfaces. This is a very "live" as opposed to "dead" acoustic environment. This type of room along with the position of the sub-woofer in a corner can over-emphasize woofer output creating "boomy" noise that can take too long to decay. Judicious restraint on the sub-woofer output can tame this beast however. The room also taxes the high end because tweeters tend to be highly directional and their output can be overwhelmed by lower frequencies if aimed carelessly. Placement and output of speakers are critical. The Definitive Technology's speakers responded well and behaved as expected to my adjustments.
The model 80.6 is the lowest priced Sat-Sub speaker set in Definitive Technology's Pro Cinema line. The other systems include the 100 and 200 which also sound sweet. The ".6" in "80.6" refers to the number of speakers. The front left and right as well as both the surround units are identical with a four-inch bass/midrange driver and a one-inch aluminum dome tweeter. This type of tweeter, the item responsible for reproducing the high-pitched sounds, is of a construction that is found in much more costly speakers according to my research. The center channel, the speaker responsible for most of the sound reproduction during an AC-3 (Dolby Digital) surround sound encoded movie contains two five-inch bass/midrange drivers with the same single tweeter as in the other speakers. It includes an adjustable rear leg so the speaker can be aimed higher or lower respective to its appropriate placement below or above the video monitor (TV) screen. The sub-woofer has an eight-inch driver powered by a built-in 250-watt amplifier. The sub-woofer is known as a "front firing" speaker in that it faces towards the front of the unit as opposed to bottom or side. Manufacturers have differing philosophies in how to configure their subs with some manufacturers offering a variety in the ways a sub speaker faces. The sub-woofer is the ".1" of "5.1" sound reproduction in that it only reproduces a limited portion of the entire range of frequencies - the very low-pitched sounds. The other speakers, however, are considered "full spectrum" or capable of reproducing all pitches. The sub-woofer is responsible for reproducing the low-end sounds of music sources such as CD or radio. The sub participates in the special audio effects in video, DVD and other surround capable audiovisual sources. Listening to the approaching Tyrannosaurus Rex footfalls in " Jurassic Park" takes on a whole new dimension with Dolby Digital and a powered sub-woofer.
My first test was to set up the speakers in stereo mode for music reproduction. I hooked them directly to my receiver's speaker outputs. Then I hooked them up through the sub-woofer's own "cross over" circuitry. My receiver is Sony's STR-DA555ES, a 110 watt per channel unit with discrete amplification on all channels. This low distortion, high current receiver/amplifier is more than capable of driving any home-based speaker system. The "ES" designation refers to "Elevated Standard" which is Sony's top of the line." (Watch for my review!). All my interconnections are by Monster and Acoustic Research brand cabling.
My standard test sources are normally Latin jazz, Latin influenced swing, or Salsa. And I'll tell you why. Generally the music of this genre is BIG. By this I mean the bands are large with a loud and lively sound. Guitars, keyboards, and bass mix it up with woodwinds and horns and often two or more percussionists. Throw in vocalists and the result is a rich and dynamically complex blend of hot sound that challenges any audio system. My primary test CD was "Westcoast Latingroove" by the San Francisco Bay Area's "Avance". I played this as well as other music and DVDs for a few weeks to "break in" the speakers. My most recent listenings to the CD have convinced me the speakers have ripened to yield some of the best sound I have ever heard leave the voicecoil of any mini Sat-Sub speaker system.
The "sound stage", the acoustic perception of the sound's source, is remarkably real and wide. The attack of the bongos is right on. Cymbals sound like cymbals and are bright without being overbearing. Bass licks flow ever so accurately and tightly through the tunes. Bass performance can be tricky to adjust in a sub woofer for one like me who is new in adjusting "cross over" frequencies and output. But once tweaked, the results are worthwhile. Horn fidelity is so accurate, I feel I can shake hands with the trombone players. Female vocals are a challenge to any speaker. At one point with the Pro Cinemas I was imagining that Avance's Ester Godinez was going to ask me to dance during one of the tracks. In fact, all vocalists sound clear and distinct despite a background of driving melodies and compelling rhythms. When volume was turned up the sound merely got louder rather than assaulting the listener with speaker distortion. Turned down, the response remained fairly "flat." Flat is a good term when describing speakers. It means that all audible frequencies are reproduced equally rather than favoring middle frequencies over highs and lows. This is typical in lesser systems when volume is decreased to lower than normal listening levels. You don't want surprises from your speakers when you change the volume and I'm pleased to report these speakers don't sneak up on you.
The same CD driven by the same receiver on my old set of floor standing speakers sounded dull and dimensionless in comparison.
It was only during viewing of a movie that I may have found a chink in the armor of these fabulous speakers. During my viewing of the DVD version of the animated motion picture "Antz", I was impressed with the high quality of the sound.
The movie itself ain't too shabby neitha' as Jennifer Lopez might say who was the voice of one of about five million worker ants. During the passages where Sylvester Stallone voices a warrior ant, it sounded as if two persons were speaking -- a "regular" voice and a "sad Rocky" voice. The impression was oh so subtle but I was paying extra attention to sound. I believe part of Stallone's voice had fallen into a "roll off" hole. That is, Sly's inherently low voice was reproduced both in the sub-woofer and in the center channel. The range of the center channel could not reach low enough to the point where the sub-woofer could pick it up. This may have been an artifact inherent in the "DTS" version of the movie I was watching or DTS decoding bugs down the line. I may have to further tweak the cross over circuitry in my receiver or in the sub-woofer itself. At least I can. And I will.
The construction of all the speakers in this system is top-shelf. The sub-woofer is enclosed in wood finished in black stain. The other speakers reside in a "poly-stone" shell, a heavy and nearly bulletproof material. I unintentionally tested its integrity by pulling on speaker wire I thought was not connected to a speaker. The speaker fell about three feet to the tile floor without damage to the floor or speaker housing. Speaking of connections, the speakers are supplied with gold plated "five-way" binding posts. These are an all-too-rare but welcome feature on speakers in this price range. This means you can connect speaker wire that has been terminated by a banana plug, pin, spade or ring connector. You can also simply twist on a section of bare wire. The set is available in black or white.
We are more than delighted with our speaker purchase. Admittedly I have heard speaker systems that sounded better but they were huge towers and priced closer to that of a car than a bicycle. Would I bet they're worth twice what I paid? Maybe, maybe not, but I'm normally not a gambling man (set by my wife). I would recommend them to anyone looking for a complete set of speakers for less than a grand.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 850
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Member: David Burckhard
Location: San Jose, CA
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