Definitive Technology SuperTower BP7001SC Equipment Report page 2

"More than once I found myself silently thanking
Definitive's designers for building a speaker that
offered such seemingly telepathic connection to
musicians' thoughts and intentions."
the BP7001 s simply reared back and nailed
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those horn outbursts without even breaking a
sweat.
Second, the Definitives offered excellent res-
olution from the upper-bass region and
beyond, displaying the openness and trans-
parency most audiophiles crave, and doing
so—once optimally positioned—with a good
measure of smoothness (though there
remained a narrow upper-midrange band
where traces of edginess and sibilance occa-
sionally peeked through).At an industry event
long ago, Linn's Ivor Tiefenbrun told me you
could tell a product offered musically meaning-
ful resolution if it enabled you to read a female
vocalist's emotions from the sound of her
voice.The BP7001 s passed that test with fly-
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ing colors. On the Horse I Used To Ride from
Sara K's No Cover [Chesky], they revealed Sara's
voice balanced on the knife-edge between the
frustration and sadness of dreams lost, and long-
ing for recovery of past possibilities. More than
once I found myself silently thanking Definitive's
designers for building a speaker that offered such
seemingly telepathic connection to musicians'
thoughts and intentions.
Third,the BP7001 s offered all the low-bass
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extension and wallop any sane audiophile
could want, showing how much of the bottom
octave-and-a-half of the music typically goes
missing (or is only partially reproduced) with
lesser speakers. I've often enjoyed, for instance,
the bridge section in the Gaia track from
James Taylor's Hourglass SACD [Sony], which
is punctuated by a series of vigorous and
impressive mid-bass drum whacks that pan
across the soundstage from right to left.
However, the Definitives demonstrated there
were even lower frequencies underlying the
mid-bass drum sounds—frequencies that added
a certain dark power and mystery to the track.
Be advised that the speaker's subwoofer level
controls provide very wide (perhaps too wide)
range of adjustment; you can set accurate bass
levels if you exercise care and restraint, but it's
easy to twist the knob too far and get more bass
than you need (fun,perhaps,if you want to dab-
ble with thunderous bass for a time, but not so
fun if you're looking to fine-tune the speaker for
maximum low-frequency realism).
Finally, the BP7001 s offered unusually real-
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istic imaging and spacious soundstaging.Unlike
conventional direct radiators (whose imaging
can sound surgically precise but perhaps also
surgically sterile), bipolar speakers present
precisely defined imaging and soundstaging
cues against a backdrop of reflected sound that
suggests both the natural hall ambience heard
in live music and the elusive sound of air sur-
rounding individual instruments and voices.
The Definitives drew out the underlying three-
dimensionality in many of my records, and at
times created an ever-so-convincing illusion of
real musicians performing in real spaces. A
good example would be the beautifully record-
ed Not While I'm Around track from Christy
Baron's Take This Journey [Chesky], where
the BP7001 s captured with breathtaking
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realism the sound of Baron and her small jazz
ensemble performing within the warm
acoustics of a church.
Good though the BP7001
have a few shortcomings (or characteristics
that demand extra care in setup) that I should
mention.First,as a set-up consideration,keep in
mind that the Definitives (like all bipolar speak-
ers) will bounce a lot of sound off the back wall
of your listening room, and in ways that may
not interact pleasantly with your room's
acoustics (in my room,reflected output initially
sounded too bright). Second, the BP7001
have, as mentioned above, a narrow upper-
midrange band where you may hear occasional
edginess and sibilance. Third, the Definitives
have mid-bass that at times sounds forward and
under-damped (though by no means boomy),
at least in comparison to the speaker's better-
balanced and more defined upper and lower
bass. My practical experience was that all three
issues could either be mitigated or resolved
through judicious use of acoustic room treat-
ments, proper speaker placement, and very
cautious adjustment of the subwoofer level
controls. Two set-up hints would be to pull
the speakers farther out from the walls than
Definitive's manual suggests, and to use lower
subwoofer-level settings than the manual
recommends. Please understand that the short-
comings outlined here were noticeable primar-
ily in reference to the extraordinarily high
performance goals set for the BP7001
(where Definitive invites us to compare these
speakers with other top tier models, regard-
less of price).
The BP7001 is an overachiever of major
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proportions, one that reaches—in many
respects successfully—toward the attributes of
far more costly high-end speakers. I found their
dynamic expressiveness, high resolution, spa-
ciousness, and full-range sound always intrigu-
ing, and often enchanting. I'd say these aptly
named SuperTowers completely lay to rest the
absurd notion that a large manufacturer can't
build legitimate high-end speakers. But don't
take my word for it;just listen to the Definitives
with an open mind, and see what you think
(and try not to look too surprised at how much
they do well, for so little).
SPECIFICATIONS
Driver complement: four 6.5" bass/mid
drivers, two 1" tweeters, one 10"
subwoofer, two 10" passive radiators
Frequency response: 13Hz–30kHz
Sensitivity: 92dB
Impedance: 8 ohms nominal
Recommended amplifier power:
20–600 watts
s are, they do
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Dimensions: 8.4" x 48" x 15"
Weight: 132 lbs. each (shipping weight)
ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT
Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300 integrated
amplifier and Tri-Vista SACD/CD player;
Sony DVP-S9000ES DVD/SACD/CD play-
er; Magnepan MG1.6/QR, Meadowlark
Kestrel2 and Von Schweikert VR-2 loud-
s
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speakers; RGPC 1200S power
Conditioner; Audio Magic Excalibur II
and Audioquest Jaguar interconnects;
Audioquest CV-6 speaker cables; Mark
Genfan acoustic treatment panels.
M A N U FA C T U R E R I N F O R M AT I O N
DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY
11433 Cronridge Drive
Owings Mills, Maryland 21117
(410) 363-7148
www.definitivetech.com
Price: $3500/pair
s
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11433 Cronridge Dr. • Owings Mills, MD 21117 • (410)363-7148
Excerpted from The Absolute Sound magazine, Feb./Mar. 2004.
Visit us at www.definitivetech.com