I'm not a big fan of small speakers or subwoofers.
They tend to sound, well, small, and most of them squash the life out of films and music.
Thing is, people like tiny speakers and subs, so lots of speaker companies make, and sell tons of iffy-sounding 5.1 systems.
The Definitive Technology ProCinema 600 system.
(Credit: Definitive Technology)But they're not all bad, I've cherry-picked three truly exceptional alternatives from Definitive Technology, Energy Speakers, and Mirage. My complete reviews are all on CNET, but I'll run down the highlights here.
The Definitive Technology ProCinema 600 System is a six-piece package with four 7-inch tall satellite speakers, one 10.5-inch wide center speaker, and a minisubwoofer. The injection-molded mineral-filled polymer cabinets have more of a high-end feel than your typical plastic or fiberboard cabinets. Can you say "rock solid?"
The subwoofer is a conventional, matte-finished medium-density-fiberboard box. It measures 13 by 10.3 by 13 inches. Its side-mounted volume control is a convenient design touch.
The satellites are two-way designs with a 1-inch aluminum-ceramic dome tweeter and a 3.25-inch midrange driver. Ah, but the midrange driver is acoustically coupled to a 3.25-inch pressure-driven planar low-frequency radiator on the top panel (so when the midrange driver moves in, the passive radiator moves out, and vice-versa).
The passive radiator effectively doubles the bass radiating area of the tiny midrange driver. The same technique is employed on the center channel speaker; it has a pair of 3.25-inch midrange drivers flanking a 1-inch tweeter--and there's a 3.25-inch radiator on each side of the speaker.
The subwoofer's 8-inch polymer cone woofer is acoustically coupled to a bottom-mounted 8-inch passive radiator. The combined radiating area of the driver and radiator is almost equivalent to a single 12-inch woofer. This little sub kicks butt!
... Read moreAs a reviewer I get to hear lots of speakers, and I immediately forget most of them.
It's not that they're bad, just unexceptional. Here's a Top 10 list and photo gallery of the very best-sounding speakers I've heard for less than $3,500 per pair. The brands may be unfamiliar, but each speaker is a stand-out winner. I will at some point do a Top 10 without price constraints. For now I want to highlight more affordable speakers that you can buy new.
How small is it?
The main front L/R satellites and rear surround speakers are awfully tiny, a mere 4.7 by 3.5 by 3.5 inches; the center is just a wee bit bigger, 3.5 by 5.9 by 3.5 inches. That's great, but little speakers usually sound awful, and not just because they don't make any bass. Most have a nasal-aggressive tonal balance, and even though the subwoofer supplies bass you usually hear a gigantic "hole" in the system's bass response. That, or it's just too darn difficult to get the sats and sub to sound good together.
(Credit:
Energy Speakers)
Incredibly enough, Energy's all-new RC-Micro 5.1 System ($999) handily avoids those pitfalls. Sure, the 240-watt, 8-inch ESW-CS8 subwoofer plays a big role in making the whole thing works so well. It's not the tiniest sub we've seen, but at 12.7 by 10.5 by 12.3 inches, it shouldn't be all that hard to squeeze into even the most cramped home theaters. The entire ensemble is finished in piano black.
You can read my complete CNET review here to get the full lowdown, but I will say this right now, the Energy's RC-Micro 5.1 is simply the best sounding mini system I've heard heard to date--and well ahead of any single speaker surround system as well.
I blogged about the Energy in early September when I heard in a preview, but the review is an in-depth evaluation of the wee system.
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