crucial and excitingpart of choosinggear is the searchfor synergy amongcomponents withinyour allotted budget. I recentlyhad the chance to auditiona system that included thePhilips DVD963SA DVD/SACDplayer, a Portal Panache inte-grated amplifier, and DefinitiveTechnology’s BP7004 loud-speakers. The system met allmy expectations and thensome, giving me everythingfrom deep satisfying bass to atonally accurate rendering ofmidrange and treble instru-ments, complete with thespine-tingling sound of air andspace around those instru-ments. In short, this systemput the fun back in listening—and at a reasonable price. Thesystem’s components hadan uncanny complementaryquality—each element playingoff the strengths of the others.The following is the sectionof the article which reviewsthe Definitive TechnologyBP7004 Bipolar SuperTower:Completing my system wasa pair of $1598 DefinitiveTechnology BP7004 loud-speakers, smaller versions of theBP7002 SuperTowers (note, though,that they are “smaller” relative to thevery big sound and value that allmembers of the SuperTower speakerfamily seem to offer). The BP7004features bipolar driver arrays (with iden-tical sets of forward- and rear-facingdrivers) incorporating two 5" bass/midrange drivers with cast-basketframes and two 1" aluminum-dometweeters.The bass section of the speak-er provides a built-in poweredsubwoofer that consists ofa 10" driver and two 10"pressure-driven “infrasonic”passive radiators, powered bya 300-watt internal amplifier.Whatever I chose to throw atthese speakers, I was alwaysable to hear something goodthat I hadn’t heard before—especially in the bottomoctaves. Can you say FUN?Couple the Def Techs withthe high-resolution Philipsplayer and the potent PortalPanache, which is more thanable to push the speakerswith oomph and clarity, andyou’ve got a perfect three-way combo.The tonal balance of theBP7004s was very impressive.Because the BP7004s arebipolar loudspeakers, musicemanates from both thefront and back, resulting, IMO,in a much more realisticimage. On Michael Jackson’sThriller [Sony], the “BillieJean” track starts with a simple kickand snare and evolves into thecomplex tapestry of an eight-note bassline accompanied by a funky guitarlick—a simple yet effective passage thatthe Definitives cleanly execute.The gui-tar had a clean tone that sounded veryS T A R T M E U P“very big sound and value”A“This speaker did it all for me ... these speakers are ‘the bomb’!”Jerry Sommers“The BP7004scombine a fantasticmiddle and highsection with a built-in subwoofer”Meeting High-End Expectations on a Modest BudgetDefinitive Technology BP7004 Bipolar SuperTowers