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reflection will cause negative interaction. My opinion is that
all speaker designs have inherent pros and cons and it is the
implementation or execution that is of utmost importance.
"The BP3000
's bipolar design was
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implemented very well, providing a
stage with profound depth and width ...
thus delivering a greater dispersion and
overall sense of spaciousness ..."
The powered subwoofer is equally unique to high-
performance sound reproduction. Due to speaker efficiency
and necessary amplification, most loudspeakers fall short of
providing the lowest frequencies needed in a kick-ass
theater system. An integrated subwoofer represents a
compelling philosophy that, if carried out properly, can
deliver soul-shaking low-end reinforcement in a convenient,
space-efficient package. Sandy Gross of Definitive
Technology argues that this speaker is "not a loudspeaker
with a powered subwoofer, but a full-range speaker assisted
by a low-frequency driver and internal amplifier."
"An integrated subwoofer represents a
compelling philosophy ..."
Setup
Since the BP3000
s have side-firing bass drivers, you
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can either position the drivers facing the inside or the
outside of the speaker. I played with both configurations and
found my preference for my listening environment was to
place the drivers facing inwards. This served to minimize
sidewall reflections and cancellation from reflective standing
waves. I recommend that purchasers of this speaker play
with both configurations to find what works best in a
particular room. Definitive suggests a placement that is
close to the front wall (behind the speakers). In playing with
location, I preferred a position that was approximately four
feet from the front wall. Although this may not be practical
in many environments, it provided the best and smoothest
response in my room. The BP3000
connection options. For speaker connections, there is tri-
wiring capability. This means that you can have three sets of
speaker wires, one set connected to the sub, one to the
bass/midrange drivers, and one to the high-frequency
drivers. There are few people who dispute the advantages of
having separate runs of wires to your speakers. Whether it
makes more sense to have a single run of high-quality wire,
or three independent runs of considerably less expensive
wire, is a personal call that you will need to make. In my
setup, I have a single run of very expensive Transparent
Reference speaker cable and have utilized the bridging
straps provided with the BP3000
sets of terminals.
"extraordinarily revealing ... The
BP3000
s demonstrated a keen
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ability to separate this information
due to their separate bass drivers and
built-in amplifiers."
There are two additional ways to connect to the subwoofer
on the BP3000
s. You have the option of connecting to a
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full-range low-level input either from the subwoofer output,
from the preamplifier output of your A/V preamp processor
or receiver, or to connect via the optional LFE input on the
BP3000
s.
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The subwoofers on the BP3000
adjustment, as the crossover frequency has been preset to
blend with the rest of the drivers. I used an inexpensive
SPL meter from Radio Shack to set the volume to the
appropriate level, something that I would suggest as a
minimum to assure proper setup and balanced bass
response.
The Music
Once connected, I spent several days optimizing the
placement of the speakers in my room until I felt that they
were performing at their very best. After I was satisfied with
the placement, I installed spikes to assure that the bass
performance was as solid as it could be. I have slab flooring
beneath the speakers, which helps to assure a proper
grounding of the cabinet.
In the song "Ground On Down" from Ben Harper's Fight
for Your Mind (Virgin Records), I was particularly
interested in the BP3000
bass information and to delineate guitar lines at the same
time. The bass was very deep and abundant in this track. I
typically do not run subwoofers in my audio system
because I have never been able to properly blend subs to
my satisfaction. With a slight adjustment of the bass level
on the rear of the speakers, the lowest frequency
Definitive Technology's Bipolar Power Tower Group
s provide a variety of
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s to connect the three
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s have only a volume
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s' ability to handle the heavy
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