bookshelf speaker with an AC power cord, an
LFE input, and a volume control for the
woofer? That’s right. In addition to a 1-inch
aluminum dome tweeter and a 5.25-inch cast-
basket upper-bass/midrange driver, Def Tech
has surreptitiously slipped an 8-inch sub-
woofer and 250-watt amplifier beneath that soft
sock. In other words, what you expect to be a
standard, run-of-the-mill two-way bookshelf
speaker is actually a dynamic three-way pow-
erhouse that’s liable to get you kicked out of
your apartment or cited by your local home-
owner’s association for disturbing the peace.
Yo u ’re just not supposed to be able to get
this much bass out of a speaker this size. I was
impressed by the PM700 prototype that I
heard at the Consumer Electronics Show in
January, but listening to the real thing in my
own room with familiar demo material was
really electrifying. After being amazed by the
way the PM700s convincingly breezed through
Jennifer Warnes’ “Way Down Deep” (
The
Hunter
), I dug out other discs with demanding
bass passages, like Peter Gabriel’s
“Sledgehammer” (
So), Loreena McKennit’s
“All Souls Night” (
The Visit), and—I couldn’t
resist—the Red Elvises’ “Rocketman” (
I
Wanna See You Bellydance
). I know it sounds
cliché, and I hate to say it—but damn, these
speakers rock!
The PM700s handled the pressure so well,
I moved on to Jim Keltner’s “Drum Improvis-
ation” from Sheffield Lab’s
Drum & Track Disc
for a final test of the PM700s’ courage under
fire. I hate being repetitive, so I’ll say this:
Damn, these speakers roll! The drums pound-
ed, and the PowerMonitors came charging
through, ready to tackle the next task.
Obviously, I found the PM700s to be quite a
phenomenal pair of bookshelf speakers, but
that’s not to say you won’t benefit from a good
subwoofer if you have the room for one. The
PF15
TL
+
that Def Tech sent along blended
perfectly with the PM700s whenever I added
the sub during music listening. It turned what
was an impressively fulfilling experience into a
near-ecstatic one. That’s doubly true for the
Keltner drum piece, which went from being an
enjoyable piece of bass artistry to being an all-
out frontal attack on the senses.
Exceptional bass response
isn’t all these speakers have
going for them, either. If it
were, it’d be like putting a
Ferrari engine into a Yugo—
all muscle and no finesse.
Happily, the detail and preci-
sion of the PM700s’ mids and
highs offer an elegant counter-
point to the majestic low-end
power. Classical music and
jazz are just as impressive
through these speakers as rock
and rap.
Whether they’re bookshelf
or floorstanding models, speak-
ers aren’t just for music any-
more; so, along with the
PF15
TL
+
came a C/L/R 2500
center-channel speaker and a
pair of BP2X surround speakers
to use in a 5.1-channel system
with the PM700s. After I set it all
up, I listened to the system with-
out the sub, using only the pow-
ered woofers in the PM700s and
the C/L/R 2500 to provide the
bass response in my listening
room. The system’s performance on movies
like
Apollo 13 and Gladiator was very good—
leagues better, in fact, than anything you’ll get
from other speaker systems this size (unless
you have the benefit of a separate subwoofer).
It’s simply amazing that the three front speak-
ers can generate as much soundtrack bass as
they did.
Still, I refrained from making my final
judgement until I’d run the system through the
U-571 depth-charge torture test. I’ve heard
systems that have absolutely pounded me dur-
ing these scenes. I’ve also heard systems (nice,
expensive ones) that have pulled up lame with
blown woofers as a result of this submariners’
vision of hell. I can’t say that the PM700s
pounded me as hard as I’ve ever felt—that
would take these speakers out of the arena of
rare and into the realm of total fantasy—but
they sure gave these scenes a hell of a run for
their money. I was tremendously impressed,
and I can’t think of a small, subless system
that even comes close to this one in terms of
its bass performance. I did miss the excitement
that a setup with bipolar speakers in the front
can produce, such as Def Tech’s BP2006
TL
system (November 2000). Still for movies, I
can’t imagine a better bookshelf-only package
than the PM700 system.
As was the case with music, adding in the
PF15
TL
+
subwoofer gave the system that last
bit of depth and dimension that took it from
the level of simply outstanding to the “got to
have it” category. Watching
movies without the subwoofer
was like awakening on a cool,
crisp morning in the mountains,
with your sense fully alive. You
feel energized and fully in touch
with the world after a wonderful-
ly restful night’s sleep. Hearing
those same scenes with the addi-
tion of the PF15
TL
+
is like drop-
ping acid on that same morning
and suddenly having your con-
sciousness expand to take in a
whole extra dimension. (Not that
I’m advocating psychedelic
drugs—home theater gear is def-
initely a more-legal way to
expand your mind.)
What it boils down to is this: If
you need small speakers and can’t
or don’t want to fit a subwoofer into
your life, you must consider the
PowerMonitor 700s for both two-
channel and 5.1-channel systems.
For an overall balance of sound,
there is nothing else in this size
range that performs as well. The
PM700’s adjustable bass-volume
control lets you easily integrate this speaker
into your room on a stand, on a wall-mount
bracket (although it’s kind of big for that), on a
shelf, or in a cabinet. I’m not a big fan of
putting speakers in cabinets, but lots of people
do it (it pains me greatly that they don’t take
my feelings into account, but I’ll get over it). If
you’re going to hide this speaker in a piece of
furniture, the bass-level control offers enough
flexibility to get the most out of such an instal-
lation. If you decide to add a subwoofer like
the PF15
TL
+
later on, the volume control will
make the task of integrating the speakers easi-
er. Or, if you just do the right thing and add
the subwoofer at the start, you’ll simply have
one kick-butt system to begin with—with
enough bass to let your less-fortunate acquain-
tances come over for therapy sessions.
Definitive Technology seems to thrive on
shaking up the speaker world, literally and
figuratively. This time is no different. With the
PowerMonitor 700 speaker, they’ve once again
turned on the “Fasten Your Seat Belt” sign.
“I was tremendously
impressed ...
there is
nothing else in this
size range that
performs as well
”
“a dynamic three-way
powerhouse ...
this speak-
er works on a shelf, in a
cabinet, [or] on a stand
”
“
one kick-butt system ...
leagues better, in fact,
than anything you’ll get
from other speaker systems
this size”
E. No, your eyes do not
deceive you. The
PowerMonitor 700’s
back panel features an
LFE input, an AC power
cord, and a volume con-
trol for the speaker’s
internal subwoofer.
“Fasten your seatbelts ...
these speakers rock”
11433 Cronridge Dr. • Owings Mills, MD 21117 • (410)363-7148
www.definitivetech.com
Excerpted from the December 2001 issue of HOME THEATER. Copyright © 2001 by PRIMEDIA. All Rights Reserved.
E
HIGHLIGHTS
• Built-in amplified woofers slam like
those of much bigger speakers
• Eminently entertaining
• This is not supposed to be possible
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