I purchased the Definitive Technology ProCinema 80 Home Theater Speaker System from Audio/Video Systems in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 10. I went to the store originality to listen to the Energy Take 5 Speaker System and, upon entering the store, was looking at a home theater system which was featuring this new speaker system. After I pitted the ProCinema 80 against the Energy Take 5 and even the Definitive ProCinema 100 and 200 systems I found, for my needs in a small apartment (12' wide x 17' long), that the 80's will do just fine for my needs or anyone else who has a small room for a home theater system or just prefer a small speaker system.
The first thing that stands out about the main speakers (L,R,C,LS,RS) is the build quality. These babies are built just as solid and heavy (comparison wise) to the ProCinema 100 or 200 speakers. The next thing I noticed was the size of the ProSub 80...compact for a subwoofer that has a 250 watt amplifier and goes way down (21 Hz to 150 Hz with a 8" woofer) but with the same solid and heavy construction as the satellites. Each cabinet is designed to minimize internal vibrations. On the back of each of these speakers are nice gold-plated binding post (standard binding post for the subwoofer) plus provisions for wall mounting for both the ProMonitor 80's and ProCenter 100. The ProCenter 100 includes an adjustable rubber foot for directing the sound of the speaker either up or down to the listening position.

Now on to what's really important about speakers...sound quality! If one were to use the ProMonitor 80 satellites by themselves without a subwoofer the sound would be very good but without a whole lot of bass energy down on the low in (60 Hz to 30 kHz for the each ProMonitor 80 and 50 Hz to 30 kHz for the ProCenter 100). The highs are just awesome (nice and clean) with just enough air to have a wide sound field and a little touch of brightness but with enough imaging for solid two-channel music reproduction. The midrange was very good for speakers this small. The ProMonitor 80's will make really good satellites speakers for music as well as home theater. I love the fact that the ProMonitors and the ProCenter 100 have a lower bottom end (60 Hz combined for L,C,R) to match up better with just about any receiver no matter what crossover points they may use. The front and rear satellites (being two pairs of ProMonitor 80's) timbre match perfectly. But the real surprise was the fact of how closely the ProCenter 100 timbre matches to the ProMonitors...I couldn't tell any difference at all during test-tone speaker level settings. Now when you match up the 5 speakers with the ProSub 80 then you get a sound that is just incredible for a system that cost $1,000.00! As a complete home theater speaker package this system sounds so good that, to me, it sounds better than packages from other manufactures that cost two times as much money (or quite a bit better than the Take 5 system for a decent difference in price). Dolby Digital, DTS, DPL soundtracks really shine with this ProCinema 80 System with crisp highs, very good midrange and thunderous low end (without any loud port noise from the sub) so therefore I'm giving this system 5 stars. I urge everyone with a small listening room or a desire for a small, out of the way system to go out and buy this very big-sounding and well-balanced speaker system in a very small package NOW!

ProSub 80 Subwoofer; construction; overall sound quality compared to similar products I listened to; great for music as well as DVD movies

none

This is truly a superior product when compared to similar offerings from Boston Acoustics, Mirage, Polk, Paradigm, Bose, and others.

We wanted a "reasonably" priced Dolby Digital surround sound speaker system that is equally suitable for music as well as DVD movies. We also wanted 4 "miniture" sized satellite speakers that we could discretely mount on the walls of our new family room. The fact that we are in the process of constructing our new family room made it really easy to run the wires within the walls.

We ultimately settled on the ProCinema 80's from Definitive Technology, and are extremely happy with our decision. We have no regrets at all. The sound produced by this speaker system is outstanding for both music and DVD movies.

We believed that similar products from Bose, Boston Acoustics, and Mirage all sounded great for movies. However, for music, these products seemed to lack the performance we desired. Polk and Paradigm were better than the others, and quite frankly, it was a real tough decision between Paradigm and Def Tech. However, in the end, we selected the Def Tech ProCinema 80's and are glad that we did.

One important note is that these speakers don't perform optimally right out-of-the-box. They need about 20 to 40 hours of "break-in" before performing at an optimum level. several other people mentioned this in their reviews--plus this is stated in the owner's manual as well. On the basis of my experience, I would say that this is true. The speakers sounded much better after about a week of extensive usage.

In terms of sound, the ProSub 80 subwoofer is really the driving force of the system (250 watts and a frequency response of 21 hz - 150 kz). The bass is awesome! I believe that the ProSub 80 is far superior to the other subwoofers from Boston Acoustics, Mirage, Bose... In addition, I beleive that the Def Tech ProCinema 80's sound great overall at all ranges (mid range, high range, etc.). Some might say that they are too bright when compared to the Paradigms, and this might be true, but I still prefer the Def Techs. It is a simple matter of preference.

In summary:
-Sound awesome
-Good price
-Highly recommended

Similar Products Used:

I listened to similar products from Bose, Boston Acoustics, Mirage, Paradigm, and Polk before buying the Def Tech 80's

Distinct sound that is enveloping with great punch

Only comes in Black and White, prefer Silver for my Wega

These are great speakers at one grand, putting to shame the rest I heard. The sub is the real steal here because it has a 250 watt power rating and it completely rocks my world every time I watch a movie. I don't listen to music much but found the music to sound more detailed than I ever heard before. I use to own my long time baby the Cambridges for 5 years and happy to retire them. No way do they compare to these exquisite speakers. The sound is detailed and never harsh and irritating to my ears. Most speakers blow out loud sound, but the best blow it out with a smoothness that can't really be explained, but only heard through your ears. Definitely (shameless plug) a grand set of speakers. I would give it 5 for Value, but I'm picky so I'll give it four because they ain't got silver Pro Cinema 80 system.

Similar Products Used:

Cambridge Soundworks, Boston Acoustics, Atlantic Tech

great sound, great size to hide away, and great build

none so far

This speaker system beats all the above on the terms of performance cost ratio. These speakers are pretty damn good for being quite small, they play loudly and have good imaging. The midrange and treble are really amazing considering the size of the speaker. The speakers are built very well and are solid. I would recommend these speakers for music very highly and movies even more. The sub which most complain is to boomy, isn't, you have to move this thing a bit to get the bass perfect. When you place this right, the bass is precise and can surprise you with it's output power. Give these a try, they are definitely worth an audition at your local audio store.

Similar Products Used:

Energy Take 5, Encore, Quintet, Axiom, etc.

Detailed/natural sound. Easy to place almost anywhere. Deep tight base. Great for music, absolutely incredible for theater.

Cant buy through the internet

Using a Pioneer Elite VSX-24TX Receiver, this speaker system produces jaw-dropping performance. I went through several music CD's, a wide range from classic to techno, and was impressed with the output of all. Just as I thought it's as good as it gets, I put on Terminator 2. I could watch the DTS and THX intro over and over and over, but the first 5 minutes of the movie will blow any audio enthusiast away. I have pals with $5000 set ups and I think the ProCinema out performs them on movies, using the same reference material, I think the procinema has a higher "resolution" for movie sound. Could it get better? I put in Gladiator, and yes, it gets better. The only words I can think of to describe the beggining of gladiator is "raw instensity".

One other thing I should mention is dialogue. Everytime I watch a movie and the dialogue kicks in, I always get a deep sense of satisfaction.

Trust me, I researched this for 4 months. I was looking at the Enregy Encore, and it was impressive as well, but $500 more and not as powerful subwoofer (and not in white) it jsut didn't stand up to the Procinema. The system value is unsurpassed. A 250 watt sub! Aluminum dome tweeters! Gold connectors! For under $1000?! I don't know how Definitive Technology did it at the price range, but they did.

Don't forget, speakers are important, but so is the receiver. Also, the Procinema 80 is best as the set of 6 speakers, not just two... If you want just two speakers, go with the Procinema 100 or even 200 if space permits.

Now go, buy the set, and be speaker happy.

EXCELLENT CLARITY, good mid-bass and treble. Best sepakers for the price I paid!

NONE

I love my pair of Definitive Surrounds and Procenter100. I was so excited when I got them going in the back, I have them mounted on the Definitive wall mounts, and they work great. They also look good on my white colored wall, so glad Definitive gives the option of white or black for no charge. I have a huge listening room, which opens up to many rooms, so these babies have to play loud, but they can easily hanlde the insane volumes that I listen at. I am using a 100w pioneer reviever, ADS tower fronts(dual 8" drivers in each, and a Velodyne CT-120 sub. The Definitive surrounds and center blend very well, and keep up with my mains easily. I wasn't expecting big base from these speakers, but they are pretty impresive for their size and especially price! When I listen to Gone in 60 Seconds ot ID4, these speakers can really go. I keep thinking there are a pair of tower speakers behind me(no sub with the rears)! For the price, and even extending into higher ranges like $2000 systems, I listened to a lot of systems, and this one killed them all!

Similar Products Used:

Polk, Klipsch, Infinity

Everything

Nothing seen yet

These speakers rock. I had the Infinity HTS-10 from Circuit City for $579. But I wasnt happy with it so I went for demos of the Take 5 and the DefTech Prco Cinema 80. The Def tech was certainly better than the Energy. I picked up the DefTech for $899, and the Inifnity is going back now.
More than worth the extra 300 bucks.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity HTS10 & Energy Take 5

Small Size, Low Price, Great Sub, Solid Build

Distortion at Higher Volume, Harsh on Loud Female Vocals

I accidentally placed my review of this item in the DefTech Pro100 category...please read it there. Suffice it to say, I am not on the ProCinema bandwagon.

Similar Products Used:

Def Tech Pro100

Based on the awesome review of the Def Tech 80 in the October edition of Home Theater Magazine I went to my local audio store to audition them myself. I was expecting good sound for the money but I was blown away by the level of detail, the large soundstage and the perfect tonal match between all the speakers. Never mind the tremendous value, these speakers are damn good!

Sound, Price, Separation, full range, subwoofer, sat speaker design (ProMonitor 100's comes with mounting bracket/stand)... everything!

Cannot purchase Definitive Technology equipment on the Web, dealers only.

AWESOME! If you are serious about your sound system and you are willing to pay a fair price, you definitely have to check out The Definitive Technology Pro Cinema Series. I first purchased the BOSE AM15 thinking this was going to be the ultimate sub/sat system but after I got the system home and hooked it up, right away I was very disappointed in them. The Bose lacked separation, fullness and range. It definitely didn't sound like the setup you hear in their showrooms (controlled, soundproofing environment), very misleading. The Bose sounded okay when watching dts movies but I also needed something that would sound equally well when just listening to music. I returned the system the following day and went onto the web to search for a new sub/sat system. I read all the reviews on Polk, Boston, Energy, and Definitive Technology and decided on the DEFINTIVE TECHNOLOGY PRO CINEMA 100's with the Pro C2 Center Channel upgrade. I chose the 100's over the 80's because I needed to fill a big room but both are made with the same technology. I'm sure there are other systems that would sound just as good if not better but this system is awesome! I know I bought a great product and a great price. Try them out you'll hear what I'm talking about.

Similar Products Used:

Bose AM15