Definitive Technology ProSub 60 User manual

hen Clint asked for volun-
teers on this Editor’s Pick
review, I jumped at the
chance to participate. The
single most common question I get from
friends and family is this: “I want to buy
a new (insert component here), so which
one should I buy?” Much to the frustra-
tion of said friends and family members,
my answer is invariably the same: “How
much do you want to spend?” This is the
only logical response to such a question
because there are many great options for
every conceivable budget. If you’re read-
ing this article, then I presume you have
roughly $5,000 to spend on hardware.
Excellent. That’s our endpoint and we’ll
work backwards from there.
The following is the section of
the article which reviews the
Definitive Technology BP6B
Home Theater Speaker System:
Speakers
There are three things I look for in a good
loudspeaker: performance, price and
polish. How good a speaker sounds for
the money is, of course, my first
requirement. There are throngs of speak-
er makers out there, but very few of them
deliver quality, well-built products at an
affordable price. Finally, there is polish.
(As in fit and finish. I do not require that
my speakers be made in Poland.) Most
home theaters have a subwoofer as well
as five main speakers scattered around
the room. With so many speakers to look
at day in and day out, it would be nice if,
in addition to sounding good, they also
looked halfway decent.
DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY BP6B SPEAKER SYSTEM
EDITOR’S PICK
▲Definitive Technology’s BP6B, ProCenter 100,
ProMonitor 80 and ProSub 60.
“BP6Bs’ bipolar design
gave tremendous depth
to the front soundstage
creating some truly
three-dimensional sound”
“Def Tech is consistently
raising the bar when
it comes to the all-
important price versus
performance ratio”
W
a unique mix-and-match
system that delivers
excellent sound from
a minimal investment
“
”

Bearing in mind that 75 percent
of the average movie soundtrack
emanates from the front three speakers,
I recommend spending the bulk of your
speaker budget there. Next, buy the
biggest subwoofer you can afford and
use the remainder for your surrounds.
Surround speakers play a less critical
role in the average soundtrack, and it
doesn’t take a huge speaker to create the
atmospheric sounds they’re typically
used for. Also, unless you’re a hardcore
SACD and DVD-Audio nut, most of the
music you will be listening to will be
2-channel stereo.
Definitive Technology BP6B,
ProCenter100, ProMonitor 80
and ProSub 60
Definitive Technology is one company I
never hesitate to recommend. Over the
years, I have listened to a number of Def
Tech systems and they never fail to
impress. Also, Def Tech is consistently
raising the bar when it comes to the
all-important price versus performance
ratio. Consequently, when I spoke with
Sandy Gross, president of Definitive
Technology, I was not surprised to
discover we share the same priorities
regarding speaker buying. In short, focus
on the front soundstage.
After giving him my budget, Sandy
put together a unique mix-and-match
system that delivers excellent sound for
a minimal investment. With a budget of
$1,300, most worthwhile speaker mak-
ers can only sell you glorified sub-
woofer/satellite systems. That is, every
speaker (except the sub) will fit in the
palm of your hand. Well, for some things,
size still matters. Here we used close to
half of our speaker budget and started
with a pair of BP6B bipolar towers.
Sporting a classy black piano gloss fin-
ish, the BP6Bs look as good as they
sound. Placing them 12 inches from my
front wall, the BP6Bs’ bipolar design
gave tremendous depth to the front
soundstage, creating some truly three-
dimensional sound.
The ProCenter 100 and ProMonitor
80 have their roots in Def Tech’s
ProCinema sub/sat systems, but don’t let
that fool you. Watching The Core, the
ProCenter 100 did an excellent job at
delivering crisp, well-placed ... dialogue,
and never did it sound out of place
between the BP6Bs. Having the BP6Bs
on either side really rounded out the
front soundstage and completely masked
any shortcomings the smaller ProCenter
100 might have suffered. The ProMonitor
80 surrounds were the smallest speak-
ers in the bunch, but they certainly got
the job done. I recommend bumping
your crossover up to 100Hz with these
speakers and let your subwoofer take the
brunt of their low frequency information.
The ProSub 60 is a small subwoofer. I
must admit that a chuckle or two
escaped me while unwrapping it. Even
with its diminutive form factor and sole
eight-inch driver, this subwoofer packs a
solid punch. Watching the realistic light-
ning storms and the melting of the
Golden Gate Bridge during The Core, I
was amazed at the low-end grunt this
subwoofer provided. When combined
with the BP6B towers, the ProSub 60 has
more than enough bass to fill a small to
medium-sized room. If your room is
slightly larger, spend a few extra dollars
and opt for the ProSub 80 for some
added oomph.
—By Greg Robinson
“Definitive Technology
is one company I never
hesitate to recommend ...
they never fail to impress”
<EDITOR’S PICK >
“I was amazed”
“the ProCenter 100 did an
excellent job”
“this subwoofer packs a
solid punch”
From DVD ETC.July/August 2004 issue.
Definitive Technology BP6B
Dimensions: 35"H x 7"W x 11"D
Frequency Response: 25Hz – 30kHz
Nominal Impedance: 4 – 8 ohms
Rec. Amplification: 20 – 175 watts/channel
Drivers: (2) 25mm pure aluminum dome tweeters;
(2) 14cm mineral-filled homopolymer-coned
bass/midranges
Efficiency: 91dB
Warranty: 5 years
MSRP: $598/pair
Definitive Technology ProCenter 100
Dimensions: 51/4"H x 143/4"W x 53/4"D
Frequency Response: 50Hz – 30kHz
Nominal Impedance: 4 – 8 ohms
Rec. Amplification: 10 – 175 watts
Drivers: (2) 41/2" cast-basket bass midrange drivers;
1" pure aluminum dome tweeter
Efficiency: 90dB
Warranty: 5 years
MSRP: $199/each
Definitive Technology ProMonitor 80
Dimensions: 73/4"H x 45/8"W x 51/8"D
Frequency Response: 60Hz – 30kHz
Nominal Impedance: 4 – 8 ohms
Rec. Amplification: 10 – 150 watts
Drivers: 41/2" cast-basket bass midrange driver;
1" pure aluminum dome tweeter
Efficiency: 89dB
Warranty: 5 years
MSRP: $225/pair
Definitive Technology ProSub 60
Dimensions: 121/2"H x 91/2"W x 131/4"D
Frequency Response: 23Hz – 150Hz
Built-in Amplifier: 150 watts
Drivers: (1) high-definition 8" driver
Adjustable Low-Pass Crossover: 40 – 150Hz
Warranty: 3 years
MSRP: $279/each
Definitive Technology
[phone]
www.definitivetech.com