oriented on either side of the same
aluminum tweeter as the ProMonitors.
Now, what would a sub/sat system be like
without a sub? Well, you’ll never know
because Definitive has included the ProSub
100, a 10-inch long-throw, front-firing
woofer in a slot loaded enclosure, powered
by a substantial 125-watt built-in amplifier.
The subwoofer also has many great
features, including line-level inputs and
speaker-level inputs and outputs (with a 6-
decibel/octave high-pass filter on the
speaker-level outputs), as well as the usual
subwoofer level and low pass-filter frequency
controls. The low-pass filter starts with a 12
dB/octave slope, then moves into a 24
dB/octave slope, a design Definitive uses to
help the sub blend better with the satellites.
The build quality of these little speakers
is pretty amazing, very much in keeping
with the rest of Definitive’s lineup. All of the
grilles snap on securely, not like some of the
flimsy manufacturing examples that often
come through our doors. The nice thing
about these speakers’ construction is that if
they are well cared for, they will be in your
will to your kids. Each speaker features
chunky gold-plated binding posts, allowing
you to wire them up in any number of ways.
In addition, each ProMonitor 100 has a cool
little stand on which you can mount the
speaker. You can also move the stand to the
back, so it forms a swiveling wall mount. Or
you can wall mount the speakers by way of
special mounting holes that are on the back-
side of each speaker.
Setting up the ProCinema system is a snap,
because all you need to do is hook up your
amp via speaker cables to the subwoofer
speaker inputs, and connect the right and
left speakers from the subwoofer speaker
outputs. The center and surround speakers
get hooked up conventionally, directly to the
amp. The bass energy below 125 Hertz goes
to the sub, and signals above that go to the
main right and left speakers, essentially
providing a full-range set of speakers.
For this evaluation, we used our TARA
Klara speaker cables terminated with
banana plugs running from our B&K
AV5000 amp. For electronics, we tried the
ProCinema system with both our Chiro C-
800 and C-5.1 duo, as well as the Philips
Multimedia Home Theater. For sources, we
used Pioneer’s CLD-99 laserdisc player,
along with JVC’s XV-1000BK DVD player.
To evaluate the ProCenter 100, we placed it
atop the Mitsubishi 50-inch RPTV reviewed
in this issue. The rear speakers sat on
stands behind our listening position, firing
at the sweet spot.
The first recording I listened to was the
Seal DTS remix of “Prayer for the Dying,”
available on the DTS demonstration and
setup disc. This song features wonderfully
lively bass, along with great panning and
musical effects that make DTS CDs so
exciting. The other nice thing about this
recording is that Seal’s voice comes only
from the center speaker, testing its ability to
blend with the rest of the performance. With
the ProCinema system, the voice was clean
and the speakers didn’t strain a bit. The
bass coming from the ProSub 100 was clean
and distinct, and made the ProMonitors
seem as though they were monster towers if
you closed your eyes. The sound that this
system put out was much bigger than the
sum of its parts, which is the holy grail for
any system, big or small.
The next recording I thought would
challenge the Definitive sub/sat system was
Jewel’s bright rerecording of “Foolish
Games,” available on the otherwise crappy
Batman and Robin
soundtrack CD.
“the entire presentation
put forth by these speakers
was absolutely first class”
“the two little ProMonitors
made for a huge sound,
eliciting all of the textures
and layers that can make
this song such a lush
listening experience”
“the tonal balance
was excellent”
“the surround effects
were highly realistic and
piqued the senses every
time they were present”
“these speakers shined.
The soundstage was
much bigger and deeper
than one could imagine
from such small,
inexpensive speakers”
Definitive Technology
ProCinema 100 Speaker System
CFG Labs measures:
Definitive Technology ProCinema system
This chart shows the frequency response of the com-
plete Definitive Technology ProCinema system (in red),
and the ProSub alone (in yellow). We measured the
ProSub at the lowest and highest settings of its low-pass
filter, and also with the knob set in the middle. With the
control dead center, we got a dip in overall system
response of about 1.5 dB centered at 95 Hz; you’d
probably get a perfect blend with the control set to just
past halfway.
The subwoofer produces its strongest response from
30 to 40 Hz; at the middle filter setting, the response was
down 3 dB at 70 Hz, and started to fall off very quickly
above 98 Hz. At 20 Hz, the response is down 9 dB from
the peak at 30 Hz.
The ProMonitor satellite’s response starts to roll off
around 165 Hz, and is down 4 dB at 105 Hz; below that,
it falls off very rapidly. Above 150 Hz, the response is flat
to plus/minus 3 dB throughout the audio range, except
for a narrow peak of about 6 dB centered at 13,235 Hz.
Except for the spike in the high treble (which could make
the ProMonitor sound slightly bright on certain material),
the response of the system as a whole is exceptionally
even for speakers at this price.
The impedance of the ProMonitor falls to a low of
3.85 ohms in a fairly narrow band centered at 263 Hz,
except between 172 and 498 Hz, and below 45 Hz
(where the ProSub’s high-pass filter will render it
inoperative, anyway) it remains above 5 ohms for its
operating range.
For more measurement info, log onto our Web site
at http://www.cfglabs.com.
2
0
29
41
5
9
85
123
176
254
365
524
763
1097
1577
2267
3258
4684
6733
9679
13913
20000
sub only
system
5 0
5 5
6 0
6 5
7 0
7 5
8 0
8 5
9 0
9 5
1 0 0
le
v
el (dB
)
frequency (Hz)
Definitive Technology ProCinema system
Definitive Technology ProCinema System
level (dB)
20
29
41
59
85
123
176
254
365
524
763
1097
1577
2267
3258
4684
6733
9679
13913
20000
frequency (Hz)
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
system
sub only
HIGHLIGHTS
• Truly awesome imaging and
soundstage
• Great bass from ProSub 100
• One of the best values we’ve
seen in a sub/sat system
• Outperforms many, many
more-expensive speakers
“this system was able
to sustain loud listening
levels and produce
wonderful sound”
