mous debut CD (A&M CD5283), the sense of
air and space was superb, the electric piano’s
tine attack was fully natural, and hand percus-
sion sounded in-the-room real. Midrange tonal
color was almost dead-on. MaHarry’s voice
seemed just a bit narrow compared with the
sound from my everyday (far more expensive)
speakers, but the two were close enough that
which one was “right” is a subjective call.
Tilting the towers back a little further than Def
Tech recommends opened up the “air” quotient
a bit and boosted top-octave energy.
The ProTower 400’s bass performance was
remarkable. The lows sounded unimpeded right
down to 30 Hz, and even at loud volumes the
bass was punchy, clean, and defined. “Muddy
Water” from Keb’ Mo’s Slow Down CD
(Okeh/550) has an almost excessively rich bass
track that demands strong reproduction down to
a low C (on a five-string bass)—around 32 Hz.
On the ProTower 400s, it sounded sumptuously
solid and appropriately gooey even when played
loud. At very high volumes, however, a bit of
chuffing from the slot-loaded ports induced a
touch of “fur” on certain bass notes, but this was
never a problem at sane listening levels. And the
ProTowers could play ridiculously loud with
clarity and terrific bass power, literally shaking
things from the walls—of course, this is partly a
benefit of any system with a good powered sub-
woofer since the main amp or receiver need
only drive the midrange and tweeter.
The ProTowers produced good ultra-deep
bass for cinematic purposes, too. For example,
the buffalo-hunt sequence from Dances with
Wolves on DVD (Dolby Digital version) con-
tains more or less steady rumbles covering the
full deep-bass range. The sound was very solid
test report
other drivers get the midbass on up. A knob
adjacent to the binding posts adjusts the sub-
woofer’s bass output. Each ProTower 400 also
accepts a line-level. LFE-only input, so you
can set an independent level for “super-bass”
LFE content—a bit of flexibility that many
home theater fans will appreciate.
Interchangeable feet and carpet spikes permit
some height adjustment, and the manufacturer
recommends tilting the diminutive ProTower
400 backward a few degrees to aim it toward a
seated listener’s ears. The ProCenter C2 can
also be aimed thanks to its adjustable rear foot,
and the ProMonitor 200 has an adjustable base
for shelf-mounting as well as wall-mounting
slots on its rear edge. The ProMonitor 200 has
the same footprint as the ProTower 400, though
it’s only about 14 inches tall. All three models
are finished in a finely pebbled, very dark
gray—white is also available—and are fitted
with full-length black-knit grilles. The speak-
ers’ distinctive shapes and simple finish make
for a very handsome, quietly sexy installation.
I placed them in pretty much the same loca-
tions as my everyday reference speakers: each
ProTower about 2 feet to the side of my rear-
projection set, with the C2 on top if it. I began
with the ProMonitor 200s in my usual sur-
round-speaker spots, on high side-wall shelves
roughly even with the listening position. But
since these are direct-radiating speakers rather
than my everyday dipole surrounds, the sound
was better integrated when I placed the 200s
on some high stands about 6 feet behind and on
either side of the listening area, but aimed
slightly away from it.
With stereo material, the ProTowers sound-
ed outstanding. Tonality was just a tick on the
warm side, yet the treble was clear, extended,
and had excellent definition and detail. On “All
That I’ve Got” from Wendy MaHarry’s epony-
but just shy of the gut-churning roar you hear
from the kind of systems that have two or more
big subwoofers—and mid-four-figure price
tags. Connecting my stand-alone 200-watt/12-
inch subwoofer to the system just for the LFE
channel did the trick: Yeah!
Bass performance on surround-encoded
music was very good as well. I began with my
usual range of 5.1-channel music test tracks,
including the Delos Dolby Digital recording of
Strauss’s Thus Spake Zarathustra on DVD. The
deep organ pedals closing the second section
were satisfyingly full, and in full-orchestra pas-
sages I didn’t hear any overt port noise, even at
concert-hall levels. On the tone poem’s biggest
crescendos, the ProTowers’ deepest-octave
dynamic limits exposed themselves by way of a
bit less chest-thumping in the attacks—Def
Tech’s dynamics-control circuitry appeared to
work quite transparently. Had I not heard these
attacks many times on much bigger subwoofers,
I doubt I would have noted anything amiss.
The system was similarly capable with movie
soundtracks. The ProCenter C2’s tonal match
with the ProTowers was good but not perfect. In
direct comparison, the center speaker sounded
slightly cupped on some male voices, a nearly
universal trait of horizontal center speakers, in
this case exacerbated by reflections from a big
screen surface below it. Despite this slight tonal
shift, the front-stage imaging was very good. I
never got the sense of three distinct speakers
during ambient, broadly spread scenes such as
the opening crowd sequence from the Dolby
Digital DVD of The Mask of Zorro. Front-stage
pans were generally smooth and seamless.
The ProMonitor 200 surround is a very
capable two-way speaker, with plenty of
dynamic oomph for hard-hitting multichannel
music or movie soundtracks and nice tonal bal-
ance. They were easier to localize than the
dipole surrounds I’m used to, but that’s a mat-
ter of taste. Some listeners prefer direct-radiat-
ing surround speakers like the ProMonitor 200,
especially for DTS-encoded music.
Definitive Technology’s ProCinema 400 is a
very impressive speaker system. Excellent
sound, good dynamic range, accurate, natural
balance, and remarkable bass extension com-
bine with genuine good looks and a surprising-
ly affordable price. And if you’re interested
only in a stereo setup, you owe it to yourself to
give a pair of ProTower 400s an extended lis-
ten—especially if concerns about space- or
cost-efficiency loom large.
S&V
The deep-bass rumbles in the buffalo-
hunting sequences of
Dances with
Wolves were very solidly reproduced
by Def Tech’s power towers.
Reprinted from the May 1999 issue of STEREO REVIEW’S
SOUND & VISION magazine. Copyright © 1999 by Hachette
Filipacchi Magazine Inc. All Rights Reserved.
“excellent octave-to-octave
balance… ”
“the sense of air and space was
superb…”
“accurate natural tonal balance…”
“excellent definition and detail… ”
HIGH POINTS
Accurate, natural tonal balance.
Extended, powerful deep bass.
Sleek looks.
Noteworthy value.
LOW POINTS
Front trio’s tonal match is not perfect.
Surround speakers more localizable
than dipoles.
Slight bass warmth in some rooms.
“The ProTowers can play
ridiculously loud with clarity and
terrific bass power, literally shaking
things from the walls…”
“a very impressive speaker… and a
surprisingly affordable price. ”
