Definitive Technology BP2X Test Report

Definitive
Technology
BP7002 Home Theater
Speaker System
ooking for a good test DVD for Definitive
Technology's BP7002 system, I settled on
the swashbuckling Master and Commander.
The commander, Jack Aubrey, portrayed by
Russell Crowe, set sail in 1805 in this
adaptation of Patrick O'Brian's historically
accurate novel, but the special effects and sound quali-
ty are definitely 21st century. Whether it's fusillades of
cannonballs or the roaring 40s blowing around Cape
Horn, the DVD can test the mettle and endurance of
any speaker system – not to mention the floor, ceiling,
and walls. If the Definitive Tech speakers did their jobs
right, I'd need a Dramamine.
The system consists of a pair of BP7002 front tow-
ers, the hefty C/L/R 2500 center speaker, and the trape-
zoidal BP2X surrounds. Unlike the front left/right
"Deep bass ... magnificent
soundfield and imaging ...
put this system at the top
of your short list"
speakers in your typical home theater systems, the
BP7002s are bipolar, as are the surrounds. Bipolar
speakers typically produce a more spacious sound by
radiating equally (and in phase) from both the front
and back.
All three front speakers have powered subwoofers
built in, eliminating the need for an external sub with
all its connection issues while relieving your receiver or
power amplifier from having to feed the power-
hungry woofers. The sub in the C/L/R 2500 center
speaker fires upward to simplify its positioning, and the
speaker is shielded to prevent its magnets from
distorting the color on direct-view tube TVs. It has the
common configuration of a tweeter flanked by a pair of
woofers, which produces better-defined sound in a
horizontal orientation than a single woofer and tweeter.
You can wire all three front speakers to your ampli-
fier or receiver with plain speaker cable, as I did, allow-
ing their crossovers to send the appropriate frequencies
to each driver, including the subwoofers. Or you can
connect the line-level subwoofer/LFE (low-frequency
effects) output of your receiver to the center sub and
use speaker connections for the left and right.
While the BP7002 system is relatively sleek, it
could overpower a small room. Fortunately, my 15 x
24-foot home theater proved to be an ideal match. And
even though the system sports 26 drivers in all, I used
a modest 90-watt-per-channel receiver to power the
whole shebang.
MOVIE PERFORMANCE.
built-in subs, with their powerful Class D amplifiers,
created a deep ocean of bass across the front. Did
someone say, "18-pound cannonball across the bow"?
Adjusting the volume so dialogue was reproduced at a
"normal" speaking level raised the effects levels to the
point where light fixtures rattled and a direct cannon-
ball hit nearly knocked the wind out of me. Good thing
my room has a concrete floor (beneath thin carpeting)
The trio of