Definitive Technology SM55 Bookshelf Speaker - Black

So far this is a phenomenal big, little speaker. Lemme give you some background on my sound preferences and what I was looking for... I have a main home theater with M&KS150s and Atlantic Technology 2200s (another absurd value speaker but also discontinued I believe) driving by a Yamaha 3050 and Emotiva amp. So, not absurdly high end, but a bit above what you're going to find in the average home theater. Anyhoo, I wanted to get a TV and small speaker set-up for my enormous master bedroom. I was poking around trying to find a decent bookshelf speaker that wasn't going to break the bank. I've always known of Definitive Tech, and I guess have considered myself a fan (from demos and what-not), but I've never owned a set of their speakers. Mythos and Goldenear (which is from the same guy that founded Def Tech, Sandy Gross) were high on my list... and then I came across these speakers. They already seemed to be a deal at $300 a speaker and I saw them severely marked down around Black Friday (still waiting to see what the normal street price for these things is). I was thinking about only getting a stereo set-up but, at that price, I went with 5 of them.Now, I used to have Atlantic Tech speakers all around. Prior to the M&K S150s, I had the legendary (but now extremely old) Atlantic Tech 350s up front. When my 350s started to die, I went on the prowl for replacement speakers. I initially went with Klipsch towers, the RF-82s. Klipsch is known for being dynamic so I thought that'd be what I'd want. However, I felt like I was always having to change the volume up and down. At low volumes dialogue intelligibility suffered (and, frankly, they didn't sound very exciting at low volumes either) and at high volumes the sound was fatiguing and very in-your-face. The treble just seemed to have a grating, unclean but very LOUD sound; whereas my AT 350s also had a forward treble, but it was a laser precise treble that violently sliced right through the air. There was one thing however that the Klipsch towers did extremely well... DAT MIDBASS. Think bass guitar or the rumble of an engine or the sound of a shotgun blast. The Klipsch towers had a weighty midbass that felt like you could chew on it. I was very reluctant to give up that sound, but I no longer enjoyed cranking up the sound. Some people obviously like that sound, but I don't. If you think "movie theaters" are the ultimate example of good sound, Klipsch is probably your cup-o-tea. If you think home theaters should sound "better" than movie theaters, then you're probably like me.So, for my main home theater, I was looking for a bookshelf speaker, so that I could have the same speaker all the way around in my 7.2.4 atmos set-up, but a speaker that had enough grunt to give me that chewy midbass like the Klipsch towers had, be dynamic, and have a nice, clear treble. I wasn't looking for that in my bedroom system, but I think I may have accidentally found my ideal speaker. These things are mated to an entry-level, or maybe "mid-grade", receiver (Pioneer VSXLX102), so my expectations weren't all that high. However, I am finding the sound to be very addictive. I can have the volume low and they still have a very clear, engaging, dynamic sound. I can turn them up a bit and the character doesn't change that much. They have enough bass where I'm not feeling like I'm missing out by not having a subwoofer and they also have that midbass character I was looking for. The treble is clean and detailed enough for me. It's a very exciting, but very easy to listen to, sound. They sound like towers but in a very compact package.Now, one thing I haven't done is really pushed them to extremely high volumes. Frankly, I just don't think that'd be a fair evaluation since they're being powered by a rather dinky receiver. Due to the design of the tweeter and my listening sessions so far, I think they are very sensitive to placement. Another curious aspect of their design is that there are no pre-drilled holes for mounting bolts, either on the back or underside.Suffice to say, I am thoroughly impressed with these thus far.

I purchased these speakers to use in a stereo setup in my living room, these speakers were meant to replace  Polk Audio TSi100 Bookshelf Speakers . I've had the Polk speakers for a few years now and they are an absolute value for money. Very nice and full midrange with good extension into the highs. They don't have the kind of air in the high frequency range that you will experience with higher quality speakers, but the listening experience from them is very non-fatiguing. My main reason for upgrade was to get speakers with good bass extension so that I could do without my subwoofer.The SM55 speakers are pretty big and heavy, but still suitably sized for bookshelf placement or placement on speaker stands and they won't be too imposing. I actually like their design choice of a bass radiator as opposed to a port, this does make a huge difference in sound, especially mid-bass and bass. The fit and finish are good, but not excellent. I could actually see some glue remnants on the bass radiator on the top, doesn't say much about the finish. Also, with the grill off, the speaker with the mushroom head looks really odd, so from an aesthetic point of view, I wouldn't rate these speakers very highly.Coming to the sound, the biggest selling point of these speakers definitely is the bass and yes, it's unbelievably good for its size. But the fact that the bass radiator which produces most of the bass is on top of the speakers produces issues with speaker placement. You definitely need sufficient clearance around the speaker to let it perform at it's full potential. Another advantage of the bass radiator seems to be that the bass is still good at lower volumes as well, which is a big plus. However, the one aspect that bothered me most was the midrange and high frequency sound. These speakers sounded a little too bright, even when compared to my Polk speakers which I consider bright as well. The treble seemed a little too tizzy and lacked detail at times. Female voices sounded a touch hollow and not as full as I'd have expected. I listened to some Norah Jones & Sade and neither sounded right on these speakers.Eventually, after a week of listening, I decided to return these speakers as they just didn't work well for me. It's probably a matter of taste, but if you're someone that prefers warmer sounding speakers with full bodied midrange and vocals, you may find these speakers a little lacking. However, if you listen to any kind of music which requires a good amount of emphasis on bass, these speakers would be great.

Soy audiofilo con presupuesto limitado. El agudo de estas bocinas y en general de las Definitive Technology es de calidad hi end. 100% recomendables. todo lo que dice el anuncio de la marca es cierto. increible calidad, todo...de lo mejor en bafles