Full range sound High Power Handling High Sensitivity

Bass Rolls Off Quickly Below 50Hz

I am back and i recently purchased another ProMonitor 200 for use as a center channel. The reason for purchasing another one is quite simple, I wanted to have a seamless sound across the front soundstage, and i wanted high powerhandling and especially full range frequency response. So foar i have listened to is music. Using my Yamaha RX-V1300 receiver with the ProLogic II Music and a Harman Kardon FL8380 HDCD player and a Monster Cable Digital Coax I started off by listening to Josh Groban because his voice is beautiful and deep this would be a serious test of the low octaves that the Pro200 could do well. Next I put on Elton John's and Tim Rice's AIDA and wow what timbre matching the voices sound exactly the same no matter which channel they came from be it Left,Center, or Right speakers. The truest test i always and will always be The General's Daughter HDCD this is the most underated soundtrack I have heard. It is truly dynamic, with one of the largest soundstages I have come across. and these speakers did a better job than any other speakers for the money I have tried.

Similar Products Used:

Polk, Optimus

Superb sound Great value Great looking Plenty of bass without separate subwoofer Delivers wide soundstage with excellent imaging Accurate vocals! Will play very, very loud with quality amplification

Placement challenges in some rooms Difficult to stabilize properly Needs high-end eletronics to really shine

Since I didn’t want a freestanding subwoofer, I sound shopped for “powered towers” only. That restricted my search to DefTech, Klipsch, AR, NHT, Polk and Infinity, plus a few others. The 04s won easily against all but the NHTs. The NHTs, however, cost three times more than the 04s. Set-up was easy with the simple hook-up although stabilizing the heavy towers was a hassle: It took myself and a neighbor to safely affix the spikes and stabilizer feet. Speaker placement is far more critical than DefTech indicates. I placed the 04s in several different configurations, settling on ten inches from back wall, slight toe-in, tilted back with supplied spikes in front and supplied stabilizing feet in back and the built-in subs facing outward. Break-in took a long time, but worth it! The sound is simply awesome. Highs are light and accurate. I hear Tool’s drum cymbals more distinctly and Miles Davis’ trumpet is clearer, cleaner, and more intimate than on my soft dome ADS 1090s. Mids are right on the money with exceptional vocals. Sting, Norah, Maynard, Sade…whoever; they all sound great. Bass is great (music) to exceptional (HT), but please keep in mind that I’m not a bass freak. HT bass (I use the LFE hook-up) is fantastic: Full but not overwhelming. I have a few friends (total-destruction-of-home-interior bass fiends) that suggest my HT setup would benefit from an additional, dedicated subwoofer. I disagree. The 04s provide plenty of deep, accurate HT bass. Music bass, on the other hand, is merely great. It goes low, but how low does an electric or stand-up bass go? 40 Hz? It seemed to me the 04s pump out bass frequencies that shouldn’t be there. And music bass didn’t seem as “tight” as the dual seven-inch woofers in my ADS 1090s. The same friends that suggested a sub for HT can’t get enough of the 04s in music. I solved the problem by dialing back the bass level on the ’04s to eight o’clock for music, with HT at ten to eleven o’clock. The “lighter” bass setting on music tightened up bass considerably, making me happy and the bass fiends still gobble it up. I cannot imagine why a listener would want more bass than the 04s can deliver in music listening, with the possible exception of rap and/or electronic dance fans. The only negative is the frequent resetting of bass from music to HT and back. Imaging is as good or better than non-bipolar speakers I’ve listened to in the same price range. Vocals are dead center front and drums seem behind the wall. Soundstage is very, very wide considering the excellent imaging. However, the ‘04s that I listened to at Marvin’s sounded more open and airy. The soundstage seemed to extend from sidewall to sidewall to the ceiling. Although I think placing them with no toe-in would open them up more without sacrificing imaging too much, I’m pleased enough with the sound not adjust placement further. In the end, the 04s in HT simply ROCK in their current set-up playing 70% HT to 30% stereo, although music listening will probably increase as my kids age. Finally, I really love the 04’s “look”. Tall, slender cabinets with easy to clean “sock” and caps. The all-black look fits with our décor perfectly so even my wife is pleased. The small footprint allows for a normal arrangement of furniture, TV, etc… Again, my wife is happy. For the curious, my HT speaker set-up is all DefTech: 2004s at L/R main, ProCenter C2, ProMonitor 100s in L/R rear driven by a Yamaha A-V1105 receiver. I will soon upgrade my receiver and later on I plan to upgrade to a C/L/R 2000 at center and upgrade to ProMonitor 200s in the rear. Thus I can set my center and rears to “large” and feed them full range sound.

Similar Products Used:

ADS 1090 Listened to AR, NHT, Polk, Klipsch, Infinity and others

Absolutely amazing sound, high quality, easily placed, low price.

Looks. And I excuse the looks because of the great sound. If Def Tech stuck this enclosure in a nice looking box they might sell more, and they would have more of a snooty appeal.

I can't believe these things. These are obviously the best speakers I have heard under $500. They easily rival some of the small 2 way speakers that are currently in vogue in the $1,500 to $2,500 range. They have very good imaging, an open sound which is not brash, and limit bass as they should (because of drivers and enclosure) to about 60hz (my guess). Placement is easy, and they like corners. You can even put them on the floor and angle them up, though it looks odd because of their size. The single characteristic which is most amazing is that they maintain the aforementioned qualities at relatively high volume and they sound BIG. I've never encountered these qualities to such an extent in a small speaker. All I can say is give them a listen at home side by side with other speakers you are considering (just return the speaker that loses, most stores will let you). Those of you that can remember the really small Brauns of the early 70s or the Linnaems of the early 80s might remember the surprise of the great sound from the small box. The 200 Monitors will startle you.

Similar Products Used:

Lots and lots of speakers in general and many small speakers including the current Polks (which Stereophile mag loved but I think sound like they play through cardboard tubes though I generally like P

Gold posts, price/value, great sound, ported enclosier

none

I have used these speakers for 4 months now and absolutly love them. Right now I am using them without a sub and they have really impressed me with their bass output, especially for a speaker of their size. Within the next year I plan on pairing my Pro 200's with either a MK V-75 MKII or a Klipsch KSW 12. I would recomend these speakers to anyone looking for a bookshelp speaker with a lot of kick, especially if they can find them for the price I paid for them. I got them for $350, which is a much better price than many people on this page got them for.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Phantoms, MK Bookshelf 75

Big full accurate sound in a little package; Remarkable value for the dollar

Will expose any weaknesses in poorly mastered recordings

I got turned on to these little guys by reviewing this site. I was strongly considering the JBL S38s, but was essentially auditioning anything I could find in a bookshelf sized unit that had great full spectrum sound. The S38s were at the top of the list in spite of their rather massive size for a "bookshelf" (tongue firmly in cheek) speaker. Knocking around this site, I came across the ProMonitor series. Having heard the Deftech Bi-Polar Big Brothers at Myer-Emco (A BP200x 5.1 set up) and swooned, I went back to check out what their little brothers could accomplish.

Unfortunately, all they had on display to audition was a pair of 100s with the matching center and ProSub 100TL. Didn't matter. I was still blown away by the sound. So without listening to the 200s, I bought the last pair they had in the chain (for some reason Myer-Emco is no longer carrying the 200s?!) for only $10.00 more than the 100s listed for.

I think what inpresses me most about the speakers was how LIVE they sound. You can hear the fingers sliding on acoustic guitar recordings; female vocalists are there in front of you. Orchestral String sections: beautiful. Great mid-range too, for a two-way. In the store, there was no question that the 100s needed the low end that the ProSub provides. And while the Low-end is thin on these 200s (sadly, I have yet to scrape enough change together for the ProSub, which the 200s still need regardless of their larger size), I actually give the DefTech claimed 28hz rating more credence than I thought possible. So I'm not suffering greatly living without the sub in the short term. Which is pretty remarkable, given these speakers' accuracy through the mid to high frequencies.

OK, I've raved on long enough. To make a long story short: The DefTech ProMonitor 200 is a phenomenal speaker, especially in this price range, and an absolute steal at the price I paid!

P.S.: The ProMonitor 80s I bought for surrounds are excellent also (and available in White to keep the wife-to-be happy). Apparently, their physical size belies their auditory presence across the whole line ProMonitor line!

Similar Products Used:

Nothing similar, but have owned Advent 10" 2-ways (ANCIENT, from my college bass-head days) and JBL ported 5.25" 2-way bookshelves. But my Dad's a recording engineer, so I've been exposed to lots of high end stuff in this lifetime. I just can't afford it (yet!).

Good mids, highs and sensitivity.

Stands are free but do they have to be so flimsy?

I have recently been upgrading my hometheater system to provide better sound and video. I dedided to give Def-Tech a try based on excellent reviews and good word of mouth recommendations from some friends.

I first purchased a Def-Tech PF15TL+ sub and C/L/R 2300 powered center to give my audio a major boost after listening to them at Audio Video Now. [Did it ever]! The next phase consisted of aquiring left and right mains.

I had to compromise somewhat on the mains since I also recently purchased a new 53" widescreen HDTV [Pioneer] and a progressive scan, DVD audio capable player [Panasonic RP91K].

I listened to the PM100 and thought that they sounded pretty good. I decided to buy a pair for the surrounds. I made the assumption that the 100s would not cut it for the front mains though. Unfortunately, the dealer did not have the 200s for demo or in stock. By faith I ordered a pair of 200s and took the 100s home for surround duty. I connected the 100s temporarily in the front crossed over to the Def-Tech PF15TL 500w sub until the 200s arrived. The 100s were okay [slightly better than the AM15 array], but wouldn't crossover cleanly with the powerful sub. The 100s were not dynamic or mighty enough. I knew that they were more than adequate for surrounds though.

I picked up the 200s and they took the place of the 100s in the front crossed over to the PF15TL. Badabing! Excellent match with the sub. First thing I noticed was that they played considerably louder than the 100s with the same volume settings. I looked at the specs and confirmed the higher sensitivity [91db] - which is excellent. The mids were definitely there.

The second thing I noticed was that I was now getting full range sound. I thought the sub module was off or something because it didn't appear overpowering like it did with the 100s. I got the sense that the sub module was not coming into play anymore. I verified that the sub was indeed working, I then realized that the crossover was now seamless and the 200s were an EXCELLENT pairing with the hi-end Def-Tech sub [low-pass crossover at 60-70 hz]. So I threw on a couple of movies like Saving Private Ryan to test the 200s with my new center [C/L/R 2300]. What a surprise, the 200s made a sweet combination with the the 2300 as well. I have spent many an hour listing to my system with both music and pictures. I strongly recommend the 200s especially for the front mains. I suspect that spending more money on the front mains will produce diminishing returns. It even matches a hi-end sub like the Def-Tech PF15TL+ and a quality powered center for excellent integration.

Please note that dealers are not too likely to carry them in stock or demo them either. I suspect that the profit margin is not quite as wide as with the PM80s and 100s. The size and sound of the 200s give testimony to its build quality.

The 200s were not a compromise at all after listening to them with both music and theater.

Similar Products Used:

Bose AM15, Aiwa, DefTech PM100

sound quality, imaging, gold binding posts.

the flimsy stands

These little speakers kick butt!!! they have a great natural sound, excellent imaging, and work great for music or HT. the only down side is the stands that can't hold the speaker straight, Luckily they can be removed very easily, so that is not a big problem. 5 Stars.

Similar Products Used:

JBL J-350As, Def tech BP1X, Def Tech pro-center C2,

Auditioned in the store the PM 100's which sounded incredible, so to seal the coffin shut, I purchased 4 200's

The probablity of getting evicted out of my apartment when I get this system (Oh well!)

Well gentlemen, thanks to your reviews and my own audition of course, I am eagerly awaiting my shipment of 4 Pro Monitor 200's, a huge but inexpensive upgrade to the PF 15TL Subwoofer (499) with 500 watt amp, and a Yamaha
RX-V800 Dolby Digital/DTS Receiver. I heard the 100's in the store on the "Gladiator" and the "Matrix" bank scene and I was awestruck. I can not sit still as I try to patiently wait day by day for my order to arrive. I had a Bose Lifestyle Series II system for a day and returned it the next. Wish I new about this site sooner. Don't even waste your time with Bose, there is absolutely no comparison whatsoever. This is my very first home theatre system so I'm pretty stoked. I have a few questions to you gents out there. What is the "proper" way to break in the speakers? What kind of stands do you have them on? (I ordered the ProStand 200's) Can you place the adjusting swivel stand that comes with it on top of a floor stand securely? Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide. I'll post a follow up review once I get it up and running.

Similar Products Used:

Bose Lifestyle System (Do not buy Bose!)

Clear, neutral sound

Stands

Purchased as part of a package
ProMonitor 200 - front
ProCenter C2 - center
ProSub 200TL - subwoofer
BP 2X - surround

I'm very pleased with this package. The ProMonitors have a very clear and natural sound that doesn't pump up the treble like my prior JBL,Genesis or Bose speakers. The sound is excellent for both music and DVDs.

The stands could be improved, but this is a very minor point.

Overall, the Definitive Technology system has been every bit as good as the magazine reviews and the comments here indicate.

Similar Products Used:

Various JBL, Genesis, Bose

Absolutely amazing sound. Incredible bass response for such small woofers. The bases provide a wide range of staging for abnormal settings like an apartment.

None

If you want high end without paying thousands of dollars, definitive is the way to go. These speakers sound great. I can't wait to get a sub to complete the my system. Simply an amazing speaker and a reliable company.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch