Definitive Technologies Floorstanding Speakers

[Yamahog12]

Can anyone tell me if the Definitive Technologies BP series of speakers are worth driving over an hour to check out? I don't want to use a separate subwoofer and these have a powered subwoofer built into the speakers. BP-8060ST | Definitive Technology® It sounds a little gimmicky but I thought I'd ask if anyone knows anything about them. I am interested in music listening and not so much the TV audio thing. Thanks.

[Mr Peabody]

The Def Tech are decent. What will you be driving them with? You might want to also look at Golden Ear, Sandy Gross who used to work for Def Tech and Polk prior to that, he designed the Golden Ear, if they come close to the hype and reviews, might be the thing for you. I heard the GE in a system I wasn't really familiar with but the sound was really good. They do put out the bass, I assumed that could be adjusted to the user's liking. Golden Ear uses built in amps for the bass as well on most models.

[Yamahog12]

My amp is an old Yamaha AX-570 stereo with 100 wpc. I just cleaned it up and I keep kicking around the idea of upgrading my speakers. Yesterday I discovered that one of them isn't working right so now's the time to finally do it. I will look up the Golder Ears you mentioned. I'm not "audiophile enough" so that there's no limit to what I will spend. But I'm willing to fork over up to $2K for a really nice pair of speakers. I just can't go higher than that because I have way too many hobbies besides listening to music. Thank you.

[Mr Peabody]

You have a good budget, what speakers were you using? The amplified speakers are good with some of the vintage amps or lower powered amps to give a larger sound and fuller bottom end. With your budget you might also take a look at the JBL Studio series, they are not amplified but are not bass shy and I would think a good match with your amp.

Maybe more than a hassle driving a distance but some online retailers will allow you 30 days to return product if not happy.

[Yamahog12]

My old speakers are Infinity SM-100s. I bought them about 23 years ago and at the time they were a major step up from the Lafayettes (Radio Shack, I think) I had. I think I'd rather drive a distance instead of having to possibly box up and ship something back. My room is 21x21 so it isn't huge but not tiny, either. Most of the stuff I listen to these days is acoustical and I want to hear crisp clear vocals. But if something calls for some tight bass, I want it to sound good, of course. I probably just described 95% of everyone who is speaker shopping!

[Yamahog12]

The Golder Ear Triton 3's are just within my budget and are interesting. I would be unable to position the speakers more than a couple feet from a wall (behind them). Would that make the bass too "boomy" in your estimation? They would probably stand only about 7 feet apart. If I go wider, it would have to go to about 15 feet apart. Everything I read about the Tritons is great. And my problem is that there are so many options out there, and I'm prone to research stuff until I can't make a decision. Then other stuff comes up (like riding my motorcycle, etc.) and I end up not getting anything. Then a year later I'm starting over again! Anyway, are you able to opine on the speaker placement I mentioned? Thanks.

[blackraven]

I can't speak about your specific model of BP's but my brother bought a pair of BP towers in the early to mid 1990's and they sound OK. Treble is rolled off a little. I can't speak about their newer models.


If you are interested, the NHT classic 4 speaker uses the same kind of set up and they are very nice speakers that I auditioned a couple of times.

Read the Sensible sound review in the first link below-

Reviews | High End Audio | Home Theater Speakers

NHT Classic 4 Tower Speakers - Audiophile Audition

Here are a few other speakers to consider that I am familiar with but there are many options in your price range-

SongTower Images

The Salks above are a great speaker that is custom built to order. They are a lot of bang for the buck speaker. Read about them on the AC forum-
Salk Signature Sound

World Premier! Salk Signature Sound SongTower QWT Loudspeaker An out of the park home run! Review By Nels Ferre

The PSB Imagine T speakers-

PSB B-Stock Sale

The PSB's have a very smooth sound with a very nice midrange with good tone and timber. Treble is not harsh or glaring.

Wharfedale Diamond 10.7's- Music direct sells wharfedales at big discounts.

WHARFEDALE at Music Direct

Other options are to go with a Magnepan MG12 for around $1100 and a nice sealed sub. Or even a pair of 1.7's ($2100) or a used pair of the 1.6's. If you like crisp vocals, then Magnepans are the way to go. Your 21x21 room is more than enough to handle a pair of Maggies. My room is 17x17x9. Think outside the box. These speakers have a live sound to the music, very revealing. They hold their own with speakers costing $1K-3K more.

MG 12 - Magnepan, Inc.

[Yamahog12]

Thanks, Blackraven. I will look at these when I get the chance. There are so many out there it gets kinda overwhelming. Thanks, again.

[harley .guy07]

I will second the recommendation for the Golden Ear speakers. Mr. P had it right that they are designed by some of the same people that make the Def Tech speakers and from what I understand they would be an upgrade from the Def Tech in sound. As far as the bass being too much since they will be closer to the wall I believe they have powered bass sections so they most likely have a level control for the power amp in them so that you can control the amount of bass if they have is too much when you place them near the wall. I think that Golden Ear takes the same idea as Def Tech and just expands it and takes it to the next level.

[Yamahog12]

I like the idea of the Def Tech's or GEs. I have to figure out how to power them so I don't have cords laying around in the open in my living room!

[Mr Peabody]

If your seat is fairly close to the speakers 7 feet wouldn't be so bad, if you sit toward the back of the room, your alternative placement may be better. And, as Harleyguy mentioned you should be able to adjust the bass on either the Def Tech or Golden Ear.

People loved the SM series, I personally liked the RS series much more. I think either the DT or GE would be a nice improvement for you.

For the cable issue you might get a power strip and place it centrally behind your gear. Probably wouldn't hide it all but could help. You'd want to get a heavy duty one.

[Yamahog12]

Thank you, again. What is the SM and RS series you are referring to?

[Mr Peabody]

Infinity, "SM" Studio Monitor, "RS" Reference series. You said you had the SM100's, 10" 2-way.

Thank you, again. What is the SM and RS series you are referring to?

[Yamahog12]

Follow Up- I bought the Golden Ear Triton-3 speakers. They're nice, but so far I'm not sure I made the right choice. The powered subwoofers do not have the impact I expected, and I think I could have been as happy with a standard speaker costing less. The power requirement meant I had to spend a weekend figuring a way to add 2 outlets, on a different circuit, to my living room. The power cords are also quite unsightly and it would be nice if they could have been made to retract the excess into the base of the speaker.

It is possible the limitations of my amp don't allow me to enjoy the full benefits of the Triton-3s. Not sure. In any event, they do sound nice, and maybe, after a break-in period and playing with speaker placement, they will get better. I actually wonder sometimes if the subwoofer is working, as I feel no air movement coming from the bottom portion where the woofers are. I think I will call the company and ask them about this. Oh well. If I get buyer's remorse too badly, I'll put them up for sale I guess.

[Mr Peabody]

Definitely review the manual for hook up and check with Golden, bass should not be a problem based on what I heard. Speakers, especially quality ones, do require a break in, usually lengthy. Are the bass drivers moving? When checking for movement or "air" be sure you are looking at the active drivers opposed to the passive radiator. No insult, but in case, a passive radiator is like the speaker cone with no magnet or other structure behind it, the air from the active, or powered, drivers cause the radiator to move, but they movement usually isn't nearly as much as with the active driver.

Also, be sure the music you are listening to actually has bass content, better speakers reproduce bass more accurately which will give more detail which in some cases can seem like less bass due to less distortion and smearing. In other words you should better hear the kick drum separated from the bass guitar or synth rhyths etc.

I suspect though your situation has a resolution, I've seen no one complain about shy bass on the Golden Ear, except until now . Good luck and keep us posted. I can certainly empathize when a purchase don't meet your expectations.

[Feanor]

...
Other options are to go with a Magnepan MG12 for around $1100 and a nice sealed sub. Or even a pair of 1.7's ($2100) or a used pair of the 1.6's. If you like crisp vocals, then Magnepans are the way to go. Your 21x21 room is more than enough to handle a pair of Maggies. My room is 17x17x9. Think outside the box. These speakers have a live sound to the music, very revealing. They hold their own with speakers costing $1K-3K more.

MG 12 - Magnepan, Inc.

I'd be the first to recommend Magneplanars however Yamahog has stated that he can't place them more than a couple of feet from the wall behind. Magneplanars definitely prefer at least 3', although absorption/diffusion wall panels can permit 2' placement.

[Mr Peabody]

In addition, a 100 watt Yamaha amp is not the optimum amp to drive Maggies.

I'd be the first to recommend Magneplanars however Yamahog has stated that he can't place them more than a couple of feet from the wall behind. Magneplanars definitely prefer at least 3', although absorption/diffusion wall panels can permit 2' placement.

[Yamahog12]

Are the bass drivers moving? When checking for movement or "air" be sure you are looking at the active drivers opposed to the passive radiator. No insult, but in case, a passive radiator is like the speaker cone with no magnet or other structure behind it, the air from the active, or powered, drivers cause the radiator to move, but they movement usually isn't nearly as much as with the active driver.

Also, be sure the music you are listening to actually has bass content, better speakers reproduce bass more accurately which will give more detail which in some cases can seem like less bass due to less distortion and smearing. In other words you should better hear the kick drum separated from the bass guitar or synth rhyths etc.

Don't be concerned about spelling out facts many would assume to be common knowledge. I admit I am no audiophile (maybe a wannabe, though). Maybe I was paying attention to the wrong part of the speaker. I don't mean to say they don't sound good. I just thought I'd be more "bowled over" with the bass. And I admit that I just don't have the time to drive all over auditioning speakers so I did pretty much take a shot. I wish I had thought more about how the power cords would look lying on our new carpet, and so does my wife!
I'm sure these will be fine. There's a local dealer who sells Paradigm speakers and I now wonder if I would have been just as satisfied had I spent half as much and went that way (and not had these damn cords lying around). I genuinely appreciate your input.

[Mr Peabody]

Is there any way to use a quality power strip to route the cables in a way as to be more concealed? I like Paradigm but the only time I've heard them give strong bass is with a high power/high current amp. The place you bought from don't have a return policy? Almost every retailer, especially online offers a return time frame if not happy. If you do decide to return them, you should look at the JBL Studio series, I think your amp should be able to drive them and they do good bass unless your room has some abnormality . If Crutchfield carry them they definitely have a good return policy. Nothing else I can think of for your cable issue but the GE should be delivering strong bass, make some contacts to see what might be up.

[Yamahog12]

Is there any way to use a quality power strip to route the cables in a way as to be more concealed?

No, I installed 2 new outlets to minimize the distance already. I spent quite a bit of time listening to music yesterday and frankly, I think the speakers sound great. My uneasiness is wondering if I could have attained the same satisfaction without getting powered speakers and possibly spending less money. I think the exposed power cords bother me more than the possibility I could maybe have spent a little less. Again, if I invested more time into auditioning speakers maybe I'd be happier. I chose not to do that so it's on me no matter how you look at it! But my music sounds great through the speakers. And, as a bonus, we watched a movie last night and the movie sound was excellent too (but not the movie itself!). I was mistaken about the bass. It does very well in that area, and it was made very evident in the movie. Sorry this is all one paragraph. For some reason I'm not able to break it up as I type!

[harley .guy07]

I am just overall wondering why the bass seems to be so weak. I have read several reviews and all say that both the 2's and 3's of GE's floorstanding tritons are bass heavy and should satisfy all but the most hardcore bass head with their output. I understand the cord thing as they do take away from the appearance having plug in outlet cords coming from each speaker and also the speaker cables. I do understand that you think they sound great and you just wonder if they were worth the extra. my next question would be how many hours of music play do you have on these speakers? because I know there are quite a few brands of speakers out there that will take a couple to a few hundred hours before sounding "the way they should" and it seems like bass is one of the predominant areas where most speakers open up after breaking in. If you already have a few hundred hours on them without change then I doubt that is it but if you have only 50 or so hours of playing time I would suggest leaving your tunes playing during times when you are at work or when your gone away from the house to allow this break in time to speed up and you never know, maybe one day you will come home and they will knock your socks off.

[Yamahog12]

harley guy- I no longer have an issue with the bass. I listened a lot to them yesterday and they sound great, and seem to have ample bass. I only have an estimated 15 hours on them so not even close to being broken in. I do like them a lot. Not so much aesthetically, though, because of the aforementioned power cords. Like I said, I should have thought about that before I bought them! Additionally, some of the CDs I listened to were not good recordings. First song was Gimme Back My Bullets on a Lynyrd Skynyrd CD that was in the player becuase my 4 year-old grandson likes it. That is about the worst sounding recording I've heard and when I play some better recordings these speakers sound great.

[Mr Peabody]

If you believe all the glowing reviews on the GE you couldn't buy a better speaker for the price you paid . The Yamaha driving passive speakers I don't think would come close to the bass you will get with the GE.

Harley has a good point about break in, if the system wouldn't bother any one during the day and you have a tuner, just let the system play to log some hours on them.

[Yamahog12]

Yeah, I'm just gonna shut up and enjoy the music. I'll learn to live with the power cords! Thanks guys!