still perfectly made up. Since the voices of Ryan and
Tom Hanks are among the most common in movies,
and since I’ve heard them dozens of times, they test-
ed the vocal mettle of the system, which passed the
test with utter faithfulness. Throughout the audition,
the 2006TL system excelled in vocal accuracy with
both videos and CDs. Two other small sounds in
You’ve Got Mail gave the system a chance to strut
its stuff with transients: Greg Kinnear’s typewriter,
which sounded like it was in the room, and the little
bell attached to the door of the bookshop, which was
equally realistic.
The CLR 2300 delivered dialogue at a consis-
tently well-balanced level, always clearly under-
standable above whatever special effects or music
blossomed in the soundtrack. At the same time, it
never sounded abnormally present or prominent.
DVDs of the Monterey Jazz Festival (Warner
Home Video) and Sessions at West 54th (Columbia
Music Video) further confirmed the system’s
naturalness and fullness on vocals as well as its
smooth balance across the musical spectrum. The
2006TL system fully exposed the differences in
recording quality of the many offscreen voices in
the Monterey video.
The 2006TL system sounded equally at home
with music-only recordings (both two-channel and
Starting with a bang, I let Will Smith (as James
West) and Kevin Kline (as Artemus Gordon) shoot
and explode their way through post-Civil War
America in Wild Wild West. Sure, any speaker worth
its aluminum-dome tweeter can handle gunshots,
but steam engines and humongous steam powered
mechanical spiders — which combine low bass
with hissing highs and clanging metal — are anoth-
er story. The 2006TL system steamed along very
nicely. The footsteps of the spider, for example,
thundered convincingly, while the sounds of its
moving parts were clearly articulated. Although the
speakers lacked very low, sinus-compressing bass,
they delivered plenty of punch in the gut. I detected
a slight midbass peak — perhaps deliberately
included in the design to create the illusion of
greater bass — but it was below the vocal range,
leaving voices uncolored.
Moving on to something kinder and gentler, I let
the 2006TL system bring a few tears to my eyes
with You’ve Got Mail. No special effects here —
unless you count Meg Ryan waking in the morning
multichannel). My favorite stereo CDs, mostly
vocal, sounded like I expected — which is the high-
est praise any speaker system can garner. The radio-
studio recording of Stacey Earle (Steve’s sister)
sounded very close to the way she sounded live. The
2006TL towers created such a solid stereo image
that more than once I had to check to be sure the
center speaker was off.
Definitive Technology superbly matched the
timbres of this quintet of speakers, which blended
seamlessly. Sound from the bipolar surrounds never
drew attention to the speakers themselves.
Bipolar designs often provoke controversy
because they sound different from conventional
direct-radiating speakers. However, the Def Tech
bipoles worked well in my home theater, which is
designed to THX specifications. Having two pairs of
bipolar speakers created a spacious but not diffuse
sound and a desirable sonic depth.
My minor complaints about the 2006TL system
concern a subtle midbass boost, which called atten-
tion to such things as foot tapping and percussive
consonants. At the other end of the spectrum, the
treble was convincing, though it could have used a
bit more air.
Having auditioned systems built around both
of Definitive Technology’s larger bipolar speakers,
the BP 2002 (which is about twice the price of the
BP 2006TL) and the BP 2004, I find the 2006TL
system an amazing sequel — definitely Academy
Award material.
“the 2006TL system excelled in vocal
accuracy with both videos and CDs”
HIGH POINTS
Superb timbre matching.
Accurate, natural vocal reproduction.
Excellent stereo imaging and depth.
Smooth, wide frequency range.
Compact and easy to position.
LOW POINTS
Slight midbass peak.
Mild lack of high-end ambience.
Lowest half-octave of bass missing.
“the 2006TL system created such a
solid stereo image that I had to
check more than once to be sure
the center speaker was off”
Though it took Jim West (Will Smith) by
surprise, the thundering giant spider in
Wild Wild West
didn’t startle Definitive
Technology’s speakers.
11433 Cronridge Dr. • Owings Mills, MD 21117 • (410)363-7148
www.definitivetech.com
“DVDs of the Monterey Jazz
Festival and Sessions at West 54th
further confirmed the system’s
naturalness and fullness on
vocals as well as its smooth balance
across the musical spectrum”
“the 2006TL system sounded
equally at home with music only
recordings (both two-channel
and multi-channel)”
“the highest praise any speaker
system can garner”
fast facts
BP 2006TL CLR 2300 BP 2X
(L/R front) (center) (surround)
TWEETER two 1-inch metal domes 1-inch metal dome two 1-inch metal domes
MIDRANGE two 41/2-inch cones two 41/2-inch cones two 51/4-inch cones
SUBWOOFER 8-inch cone 8-inch cone —
ENCLOSURE tweeter and midrange, same as vented
sealed; subwoofer, BP 2006TL
transmission-line
POWER 250 watts 150 watts —
DIMENSIONS 61/4x 38 x 111/2191/2x 61/4x 12 91/4x 15 x 6
(WxHxD) inches inches inches
WEIGHT 46 pounds 31 pounds 12 pounds
FINISH black knit sleeves; black knit sleeves; matte black or
gloss black end caps gloss black end caps white
PRICE $599 each $599 $500 a pair
Total: $2,297
MANUFACTURER Definitive Technology, Dept. S&V, 11433 Cronridge Dr., Owings Mills, MD
21117; phone, 410-363-7148; Web, www.definitivetech.com
“the 2006TL fully exposed the
differences in recording quality”
“thundered convincingly”
Reprinted from the July/August 2000 issue of STEREO
REVIEW’S SOUND & VISION magazine. Copyright © 2000
by Hachette Filipacchi Magazine Inc. All Rights Reserved.
“they delivered plenty of
punch in the gut”
