Definitive Technology BP2000 Special Test Report page 3

ambiguous, since there is an unavoidable
interaction with the room boundaries.
Our composite response curve for the BP
2000, combining the close-miked sub-
woofer response and the room response,
had a 6-dB peak-to-peak variation
between 100 and 200 Hz, which would
certainly be different (but probably pre-
sent to some degree) in any other room.
"The main-system drivers had
no difficulty handling all the
power our test amplifier could
muster...."
The BP 2000's horizontal dispersion
was typical of speakers with drivers of
similar size. The output plots on-axis and
45 degrees off-axis remained close up to
about 10 kHz, and then the curves
diverged by about 5 dB at 13 kHz and 15
dB at 20 kHz.
The system's impedance ranged from 4
ohms between 3 and 20 kHz to 16 ohms
at 20 kHz. There were peaks of 14 ohms
at 100 Hz and 10 ohms at 1.4 kHz. The
speaker's specifications state only that its
impedance is compatible with amplifiers
designed to drive 4- to 8-ohm loads,
which is consistent with our measure-
ments. There was no clear indication of
the crossover frequency between the
tweeters and midrange drivers in any-
thing we measured or heard, which is
actually as it should be.
"The BP 2000 can be driven to
truly room-shaking levels...."
The preliminary specifications for the
BP 2000 include a 90-dB sensitivity rat-
ing, a bandwidth of 15 Hz to 30 kHz (!),
and a recommendation for use with main
system amplifiers rated between 30 and
300 watts per channel (which encompass-
es virtually every high-fidelity amplifier
on the market).
We measured the system sensitivity at
1 meter with a 2.83-volt input of noise
(equivalent to 1 watt into 8 ohms) as 92
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PECIAL EST
dB sound-pressure level (SPL), slightly
higher than rated. That suggests (and we
verified) that the BP 2000 can be driven
to lease-breaking levels by just about any
receiver or amplifier, with a wide margin
of reserve power. The main-system dri-
vers had no difficulty handling all the
power our test amplifier could muster in
single-cycle tone bursts—860 watts at 1
kHz into the woofers and 1,280 watts at
10 kHz into the tweeters.
We measured the subwoofer distortion
with a steady-state 2.25-volt input to
the system (equivalent to a 90-dB SPL
system output). The distortion (largely
third-harmonic) was, to our surprise, not
spectacularly low, ranging from 6 percent
at 30 Hz to about 2 percent at 100 Hz and
higher. It climbed steeply at lower
frequencies, to about 18 percent at 20 Hz.
That is not significantly different from
what we have measured from some good
conventional speakers that are smaller
and less expensive than the BP 2000. On
the other hand, the BP 2000 can be dri-
ven to truly room-shaking levels in the
low bass without much audible evidence
of subwoofer (or any other) distortion.
We measured average room levels (with
musical program material) of close to
105 dB in some of our listening tests.
"I doubt that you can get a
better-sounding system for less
than several times the price
of the BP 2000."
As with any speaker, the ultimate proof
of performance is in the listening.
the years I have heard a few (very few!)
speakers, usually at industry shows, that
overwhelmed me and were clearly supe-
rior to almost anything else I had heard
prior to that time. Without exception,
those speakers were far more expensive
(by a factor of many times), and usually
much larger, than the BP 2000.
had the opportunity to live with those
speakers and listen to them at length with
material of my own choosing, and the
specific program material plays an enor-
mous role in one's listening impressions.
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EPORT
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familiar surroundings that has given me
that special thrill that usually costs ten or
more times its price to obtain. When I
heard it demonstrated at the 1995 Winter
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las
Vegas, I knew it was something special,
and the more I listen to it now the more
that feeling is confirmed.
For one thing, driven by even a mod-
estly powered amplifier, it can play loud-
er than I can imagine anyone would nor-
mally want to listen, yet without audible
distortion. This speaker is just loafing
along at any level one would reasonably
use in a home. The bipole configuration
generates a pleasingly natural stereo
stage, and the subwoofers provide a foun-
dation that you can feel as much as hear.
"The BP 2000 is...a remarkable
value."
Frankly, if circumstances allowed, I
would choose these speakers for myself.
Alas, space and decor considerations
make that impractical. And I hate to pass
up a bargain like this one! Consider what
you get...two first-rate bipolar speakers,
two 15-inch subwoofers, and two 300-
watt amplifiers, all packaged in two
attractively styled columns that occupy
one square foot each of floor space.
I doubt that you can get a better-sound-
ing system for less than several times the
price of the BP 2000. And one more
thing: You don't need exotic equipment
to get high-caliber sound from a pair of
Over BP 2000's. The speaker was demonstrat-
ed at CES with very high-end cables and
amplifiers. I used a 75-watt receiver and
14-gauge Radio Shack speaker wire, and
I doubt that an additional $20,000 spent
on that end of the system would have
made any appreciable improvement. The
BP 2000 is, price notwithstanding, a
I never remarkable value.
11433 Cronridge Dr., Owings Mills, MD 21117
(410) 363-7148
he Definitive Technology BP
2000 is the first speaker I have
been able to audition in my own