Definitive Technology BPX Brochure

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Low frequency reproduction always comesat a price, and generally in big packages.As my colleague Robert E. Greene pointedout in “What You Should Know AboutBass” back in Issue 24, our ears are not “verysensitive to bass in terms of our threshold ofhearing.” Consequently, the reproduction of thebottom octaves requires a balance of driver sizeand excursion paired with an amplifier with dis-proportionately large power reserves. It’s only inrecent years that convincing bass extension fromsmall box speakers and small subwoofers hasbecome a reality. Definitive Technology has hadsuccess on both fronts; but never more than withthe PowerMonitor 700 multichannel system—loudspeakers that turn what once seemed like aparlor trick into a near art form.The PowerMonitor lineup consists of threecompact models—the 500, 700, and 900. All arethree-way, bass-reflex, stand (or shelf) mountedunits, incorporating an internally amplified,side-firing 8-inch or 10-inch PowerField sub-woofer—a strategy that Definitive had previous-ly popularized in their larger, floor-standingmodels. The side-mounted woofer makes for adeep but narrow cabinet; the look is modestlyelegant, with piano-black lacquer upper andlower panels and a frameless wraparound grillecloth. The back panel offers a gain setting forthe woofer, a Low-Frequency Effects (LFE)input, and a single set of gold-plated bindingposts. The lengthy 10-foot power cord is con-venient for distant AC receptacles.For the all-important center channel,Definitive uses its C/L/R 2500. The tri-wirable2500 uses the same drivers as the 700, includingthe powered woofer, but adds an additional 5.25-inch midbass driver, bracketing the tweeter in aD’Appolito arrangement. A trio of built-inadjustable footers optimizes the listening anglefor speaker placement above or below the videodisplay. Definitive’s BPX surrounds house twomatching speakersystems in eachcabinet—two pairof 5.25-inch mid-bass drivers and apair of Ferrofluid-damped, alu-minum-dometweeters. They canbe wall-mounted,but in my room rested on 26-inch stands.The unassuming SuperCube I is a new cre-ation. Though just a modest 14-inch cube, ithouses a 10-inch woofer, a pair of 10-inch sub-bass radiators, and a 1500-watt Class D ampli-fier. The back panel offers impressive connec-tivity with line-level and speaker-level inputsand outputs, LFE inputs, as well as gain, vari-able high-pass, low-pass filtering, and variablephase alignment.Two-Channel PerformanceWhen I reviewed the PowerMonitor 700 aspart of the “Small Speaker Survey II” in TheAbsolute Sound [Issue133], I characterized it as“an exceptional performer that makes no seriousmissteps.” I considered it quite an accomplish-ment and still do. It stands as a reminder thatwithout a lower-frequency foundation meredetail is unnatural, even antithetical to music,however absorbing it might seem at first listen.The character of the PowerMonitor 700remains solidly neutral throughout themidrange, though the weighty presence of itsactive woofers is immediately evident. Thespeaker is an easy listen with very good driverintegration. It is slightly forward in the presencerange, accenting upper midrange informationsomewhat, but not aggressively so. Violin sec-tions and winds [Vaughan Williams, SinfoniaAntarctica; Bakels/Bournemouth; Naxos8.550737] have greater harmonic emphasis inthe upper mids, lending a cooler overall sheen tothe sound. Vocals are energetic but a bit lessrounded and chocolatey in the lower midrangethan they are through the acclaimed SnellAcoustics K.5mk2 System (reviewed in TPVIssue 41) or my reference ATC SCM 20SLs.Mary Stalling’s “Sunday Kind of Love” [Live atthe Village Vanguard; MaxJazz MXJ112]demonstrated the PowerMonitor 700’s smoothtreble and seemingly unhyped sibilance range,but the pure bell-like openness of the uppermostoctaves of thepiano was moretightly earth-bound. In myexperience,alloy tweetershave alwaysveered towardsthe clinical,whiter end ofthe spectrum, and that is true here, as well.Such performance would be singularly excel-lent if the PowerMonitor 700 were merely aconventional two-way compact loudspeaker, butthe active woofer transforms the speaker andallows it to play in the leagues usually reservedfor floorstanders. Mid-30Hz bass extensionopens up the soundstage and adds dimensionali-ty on orchestral material, supplying the weightand reverberant energy that further define a“The Definitive TechnologyPowerMonitor 700 is one of the mostdynamic, compelling, and visceralcompact 5.1-channel loudspeakersystems I’ve ever experienced.”Definitive Technology PowerMonitor 700Loudspeaker SystemAUDIO REVIEW Neil Gader“an exceptional performer . . . singularly excellent”

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