So you should avoid any subwoofers that are so muted the sound comes out as a mush, devoid of any acoustic detail. Medium frequencies must be quite discernible, not muffled, and the low ones deep and percussive. In the final analysis, we'd give the nod to the Newton Theater MC155 for its smoother overall sound and because we felt its sats and sub were better matched to each other than the ProCinema 600's.The quality of high, medium and low frequencies : The high frequencies must be crystal clear and, above all, not saturated, even at the highest volume. It rendered pitches of bass instruments with greater clarity. The Def Tech's subwoofer was no match for the Cambridge's in terms of low bass power, but the Def Tech's bass was "faster" and more detailed. That system is brighter and punchier than the Newton Theater MC155, but the Def Tech speakers might strike some listeners as too bright. That said, that smooth quality made it easy to listen to the Newton Theater MC155 at louder volumes than we could with the Definitive Technology ProCinema 600 speaker system. For example, the Newton Theater MC155 took the gritty edge off our old Rolling Stones CDs. The treble might be lacking in detail for some listeners, so the speakers can seem a little "polite" on rock music. Rock, jazz, and even classical music didn't sound like they were coming out of small speakers, and while it's not always the case with sat/sub systems, the Newton Theater MC155 worked equally well in stereo or surround. The little sub went plenty deep so the drums and percussion instruments, especially the big-bass drums, felt realistic. The Blue Man Group DVD also showed off the Newton Theater MC155 subwoofer's power. That level of surround placement flexibility is rare in 5.1-speaker systems in the Newton Theater MC155's price class. We liked the sound in both locations so chances are you'll be able to get spacious surround sound in your room. So sure, the sound seemed to come more from the rear of the room. To check out their sound in bipole mode we moved the surround speakers farther back into the room, but still on the sidewalls. The audience claps and cheers were spread across the sidewalls of the CNET listening room. When we switched to dipole mode when we had the surround speakers placed directly to the sides of the couch, they nearly disappeared as sound sources (that's good). We used the audience ambiance sounds on the Blue Man Group's new concert DVD, How To Be A Megastar Live!, to evaluate the Newton Theater MC155's bipole/dipole surround speakers. The few scenes with dialogue sounded fine the small center speaker avoided the closed-in quality we hear from many small speakers. The sounds of birds and insects buzzing over the surround channels created a sense of dread and uneasiness. Will Smith driving through deserted Manhattan streets in a red Mustang demonstrated the subwoofer's potency, and the satellites revealed the more subtle reverberations of the engine's roar bouncing off the buildings. Starting with the I Am Legend DVD, the Newton Theater MC155 sounded rich and beautifully balanced. The sub is also available separately for $399. The "-3 dB" button switches between "25 Hz" and "35 Hz," the lower number produces deeper bass, and the higher setting allows the sub to play louder without distorting. The P205 subwoofer's 10-inch ultra-long throw polymer woofer is identical to the one used in Cambridge's best sub, the P1000 (the P1000 uses two woofers, while this sub uses one.) The woofer is powered by a 200-watt digital amplifier connectivity runs to stereo RCA inputs and stereo speaker level inputs. (The surrounds are also sold separately as the Newton Series II S205s for $199 per pair). The speaker is a two-way, woofer/tweeter design driver sizes aren't specified. Dipole radiation projects sound to the sides and very little straight ahead use dipole when the surround speakers are placed directly to the sides of the prime listening position (or directly behind the listeners). Bipole projects sound forward and to the sides of the surround speaker it's best used when the surround speakers are placed slightly behind the listening position on the sidewalls. The "MultiPole" surround speaker has a bipole/dipole switch on its bottom panel to control the speaker's radiation pattern. We'd prefer five-way binding posts, like the ones on the surround speakers, because those connectors also work with banana plugs. The heavy-duty push connectors on the LCR speakers look pretty robust, but they only accept bare wire or pin connectors.
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