Sound-vs-small size, price, quality, 5 way binding posts

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Thank you to all who came before me. You helped a lot with my final decision. I must say I researched this purchase more than any other. This was my first real stereo purchase. I hope I can answer some of those questions that had me stumped early on.

My goal was to keep the speakers small and I had thought about buying one of those 'pre-assembled' systems (i.e. ones that come with speakers and receiver for $600). But once you listen to them, you realize you would be just throwing away the money.

Like the rest I looked at Bose. You will find that no store has the Bose side by side to the rest of the speakers. That's because they do not want you to compare them. Don't get me wrong Bose has decent sound, but you could have the same for half the price. I feel the Def Tech speakers beat Bose hands down. I also looked at Klipsish Quintets but did not like the speaker mounts.

Research lead me to a dual between the Definitive Technology ProCinema 80 and the Boston 9000(?) systems. I must admit that the sound was excellent in both. I ended up buying the Definitive Technology ProCinema 80 system ($900 at Pecars). Partly because it was $200 bucks cheaper than the Boston. And I was not too keen on the dipole rear speakers (i.e. wedge shape with sound production in 2 directions from the speaker) that came with the Boston system.

The salesman at Pecars gave me the option to upgrade to a 10" sub if I was not happy after a week of use (or even a full return). The Def Tech has ProMonitor 80 fronts and rears (150 W each), ProCenter 100 (175 W) and an incredible ProSub 80 (8" 250 W). That's right, a 250 W subwoofer. The 8" is plenty powerful. I have cathedral ceilings and a very open floor plan. The family room, dining room, kitchen and stairwell are all nearly open to each other.

I hooked these speakers to my new Onkyo TX-DS575X receiver ($350 at Hawthorne). The receiver has 70 watt continuous (i.e. minimum power) and 90 watt peak (maximum). Believe me, it is more than enough power for the entertainment end
user. I use the system every day and don't even come close to maxing out the volume. I have had it up to full volume with no distortion. Stereo/CD sound is superb, especially with 5 ch stereo. And the DVD/VCR surround sound is just
incredible.

When shopping for a set of speakers review the build quality. The heavier the speaker the better the magnet and casing. Typically the heavier the speaker the better sound output. However, sound quality is really based on the person who listens to it. Rap the speaker's casing with your knuckles, there should be no hollow sounds. This means the casing (or speaker box) is thick. Bring your own CDs. Play your favorite songs and listen for the subtle differences. Turn off the bass and listen to the speakers alone. And as always, check out the user reviews.

I feel that this surround sound system is an excellent buy for the novice and even for someone looking to upgrade. The full system cost me around $1450 with speaker stands and wiring. It is worth every penny.

Similar Products Used:

Reviewed Bose, Boston and Klipsish prior to purchase.

Musical, wide soudstage, smooth crossover, excellent system!

Break-in time, tends to be bright at times (but not overly, some prefer this)

I was looking for a sub/sat system for my new, much smaller apartment. After looking through a number of systems, I settled on the DefTech Procinema 80. All of the systems I auditions impressed me, attesting to the amazing progress these companies have made when it comes to these subsat systems. In fact, quite a few of these systems didnt perform that noticably different than similarly priced full-range speakers!
After going through a number of systems, it came down to a battle between the Boston Acoustics, the Polk, the Atlantic Tech, and the DefTech (of course!) In the end, I thought the DefTech offered the most versatility in its superior musical and theatre performance. I really liked the Atlantic Tech and the Boston, and I must say i was really impressed by the Polk. I am especially impressed with the amazingly wide soundfield of the system- and, of course, the sub!!! Highs sing, and the mids really carry- sound like a much bigger speaker. And separation really blows me away. I highly reccommend this system to anyone on the market for an amazing theatre set-up who doesn't want to sacrifice musicality.

btw- anyone have any reccomendations for stands for these beauties?

Similar Products Used:

Boston 9000, Atlantic Tech T70, Polk RM 6600, Energy, Paradigm, etc.

Well rounded 6 piece system. Excellent for movies and excellent for music.

Wish it was cheaper, but you definitely get what you pay for and then some.

I auditioned the Energy Take 5 and Energy Encores and Definitive Technology ProCinema 80 and found that they were all really great speaker packages. They all sounded great with movies, but with the prosub80, it just sounded simply awesome. But the deciding factor was with music for me. It just produced a natural even sound. I would definitely give the Definitive Technology ProCinema 80 a listen if your shopping around for speaker packages. 5 stars all the way.

Similar Products Used:

Energy Take 5 and Energy Encore

Great for both music and movies.

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The procinema 80 is a great sat/sub speaker system. I am very pleased with the balance between DVDs and CDs. The sats have a nice clean sound, and did not lack in the midrange like other satellite systems tend to do.

After sampling other sat/subs I felt that the Bose and Klipsch were lacking some midrange when listening to CDs, and that the Take 5 was pretty clean and full sounding for both movies and music for the price ($200 less than the procinema). The Boston 9000 fell into the same category as the Take 5 but was just as expensive as the Def Tech, if not a little more.

Overall, the Def Tech is great for its performance and for the price. The procinema sub is awesome for an 8 inch. It has a nice deep, full sound that blends nicely with the sat speakers. I am currently using the procinema 80 w/a Onkyo 575x receiver & Pioneer dv-434 in the living room of my apartment.