Killer Values: High-Performance Speaker Systems Seen at CEDIA, Part 1

Posted by: Chris Martens at 5:05 pm, October 12th, 2010

The flagship model in the range is the new BP-8080ST ($2998/pair), whose front array features a 1-inch tweeter and two 5 ¼-inch BDSS midrange drivers, whose rear array features a 1-inch tweeter and one 5 ¼-inch BDSS midrange driver, and whose bass section features a 12-inch woofer and two 12 ½-inch passive radiators driven by a built-in 400-watt DSP-controlled class D amplifier. There’s tremendous value for money on offer here, which will make the 8080ST (and its smaller, less costly siblings) a leading contender in its class.

www.definitivetech.com   

Energy Veritas-Series

Several years back the famous Canadian speaker manufacturer Energy was acquired by Klipsch Group, and among the first tasks on the Klipsch Group engineering team’s “to do” lists were A) to spend time learning Energy’s engineering driven culture, and then B) to begin work on a redesign of Energy’s flagship Veritas speaker line.

I spent some time with Klipsch Vice President of Product Development Mark Casavant and he mentioned four elements that distinguish and define Energy’s top-of-line models: 1) use of a signature CSM (convergent source module) that places high-performance tweeters and midrange drivers in very close physical proximity to help give the speakers a clear, coherent voice, 2) accurate, wide-range frequency response with low coloration, 3) wide dispersion, and 4) low distortion/resonance.

Keeping these goals in mind, Casavant’s team set out to re-design Energy’s Veritas line and with the two new floorstanders I saw at CEDIA—the V-6.3 ($3000/pair) and V-6.2 ($2200/pair)—they have achieved something very special. The new V-6.3 preserves (and expands upon) the clean, clear, well-defined sound for which Energy’s top speakers have been known in the past, while arguably enhancing overall musicality and rolling back price points to more accessible levels.

www.energy-speakers.com