By Bryan Southard
July 2004
Introduction
As much as you love speakers and all the lust-worthy toys that
go along with them, one thing you are glad you don’t do for a living
is running a start-up speaker company. With names like Infinity,
Bose and Boston Acoustics gracing the interiors of some of the
finer automobiles and taking out many big-dollar ads in magazines
and newspapers, the task of competing in the loudspeaker market
has become nearly impossible—actually, it has been that way for
more than 20 years. I say “nearly” impossible because one man,
Sandy Gross, has been at the head of launching two speaker
companies—Polk and Definitive Technology – that have not only
made it but prospered. Definitive Technology, Gross’ current
company, makes some of the sleekest, most powerful speakers
designed for home theater systems. Have they sold their souls to
the Devil to be able to rock
Axis: Bold as Love
in your living room
in ways that make you think that you are sitting in Electric
Ladyland Studio listening to archived master tape?
The speakers that I have been going gaga to review are the
Definitive Technology 7002 Bipolar Super Towers, which are
floor-standing speakers that employ Definitive’s world-class
SuperCube subwoofer technology, retail for $2,200 per pair
and are available with black cloth finish and your choice of
either piano black or golden cherry end-caps. The 7002s
measure seven-and-one-quarter inches wide, 16 inches deep,
46-and-one-quarter inches in height, with a stated frequency
response of a remarkably low 15Hz to 30kHz….
At the heart of this floorstanding loudspeaker is Definitive’s
12-inch SuperCube subwoofer technology, along with their
internal 300-watt digital amplifier. This allows the 7002 to dive
down to an earth-rumbling 15Hz. The 7002s have a bipolar
design with matching dual five-and-one-quarter inch cast basket
mid-bass drivers on the upper front and rear of the speaker, along
with an aluminum dome tweeter on both sides of the speaker.
The bipolar design emits information that is in phase from both
the front and rear. This allows for a much more airy and open
sound when implemented correctly. Keep in mind that any bipolar
design means that careful placement is necessary to assure best
performance. Along with a grand new crossover network designed
to seamlessly blend the extreme low frequency with the upper
range drivers, this speaker is positioned in Definitive’s line to
Definitive Technology 7002 Bipolar SuperTowers
“a really special speaker ... the 7002s
did a remarkable job ... Definitive has
hit the nail on the head”
“top end quality ... The Definitive
Technology 7002s captured something
that few achieve in any price class, an
emotional connection”
audio video
REVOLUTION
Definitive Technology’s BP7002, BP7004, BP7006
Bipolar SuperTower Loudspeakers
“Definitive Technology, Sandy Gross’
current company, makes some of the
sleekest, most powerful speakers designed
for home theater systems”
E
QUIPMENT
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EVIEWS
