Definitive Technology ProMonitor 800-2-Way Satellite or Bookshelf Speaker for Home Theater Speaker System | Easy Mounting (Single, Black)

DT excellent speaker clarity sound unexpected .

Surprised that the speakers were delivered the day after I ordered. The seller could have added some stuffing in the box to prevent the four speaker boxes from moving. No damages though and speakers sound great. The shape looks a bit more presentable than the typical box shaped bookshelf speakers. Despite the compactness , these speakers are still relatively heavy.

In the past few days I have been searching an upgrade for bookshelf speakers and I finally settled on a pair of these Definitive Technology ProMonitor 800. Even those these are considered to be "satellites" for their ProCinema800 line in home theater use, these work just as well for bookshelf speakers as indicated in Amazon's title description. I have these in black and both are paired to my Onkyo CR-325 receiver with Polk PSW10 subwoofer for solely listening to music. Needless to say, I have these in an exclusive 2.1 setup. The aesthetics and quality of this speaker are truly superb. The top reason why I got these speakers in the first place after so much research was their relatively small size but excellent audio performing capabilities. Each is a good 4lbs and have a good solid feeling to them. They are finished in an uber classy shiny buffed piano black and come standard with a three-prong foot stand pre-installed. They look even more impressive with the speaker grill off, but I left mine on for dust protection. There are three components as shown in pictures, the tweeter, midrange driver, and passive radiator on top. The sound from these ProMonitor800s are simply sublime! I bought these as an upgrade to the Bose Acoustimass 3 that came with my Onkyo receiver, and wow there really is NO comparison. To even mention these speakers in the same class as the Bose that I had would be an insult. I knew instantly what a worthy upgrade (and necessary, since I missed out so much on midrange detail from the Bose) this was once the music started playing. My music sound so much fuller across the spectrum coming from these ProMonitor800s. The trebles are sparkly, the midrange is smooth, bold, and present, with the mid bass ready to perform. Vocals sound so real, with instruments distinctively crisp it's like you're there. As far as soundstage goes, I have these speakers setup at least 8-10 feet part, and the imaging is just superb. The stereo imaging is excellent, and you can definitely hear the distinctions between vocals, instruments, and other ambient details in the music. This is just to describe the performance of these speakers within 9 hours of breaking them in. They are bound to sound even better after 40 hours of breaking them in according to the manual, allowing them to open up even further and sound more cohesive. If you are thinking about these speakers and they fit in your budget, rest assured that you will be getting superb audio performance, and purchase these without hesitation. I was initially hesitant, but now am completely satisfied and am so glad I purchased these. I'm no audiophile by any means (or have the budget to be), but I do enjoy and know where quality audio acoustics exist, and can definitely recommend these without skipping a heartbeat.

For anyone in a hurry, I'll begin at the end: I think the DefTech 800s are an excellent value. And great little speakers regardless of price. I bought a pair for a 2.1 music setup, which doubles as a simple HT system. Coupled with a low-end Velodyne sub (VX-10) and 100-watt per channel amp (JVC RX-5060), the 800s' sound is so pure and musical that I find myself working through my CD collection just to hear how good most things sound, especially the acoustic stuff. Always a good sign. I've been a musician for 30 years and needed to go small to fit into a tastefully furnished living room. I read a lot, listened a lot, and found myself wanting DefTech 1000s (the next level up) but not able to handle their larger physical size. I tried a slightly smaller model from another prominent manufacturer but wasn't happy with the small sound. I finally took a gamble on the tiny 800s after reading every review I could find, nearly all glowing. But how good could a slim 8"-tall speaker sound? Well, damn good it turns out. Add the matching stands, and the visuals kick it, too. I listen at reasonable volumes yet loud enough to demand attention, and the sound is surprisingly smooth and clear, at least reminiscent of higher-end bookshelf models. To compare them to my pricier music studio rig, the 800s are pretty respectable, overall, although the mids lack the openness of my monitors. In short, the 800s sound smaller. They also become a bit splashy if pushed too hard, at least with a low-end amp. Still, they sound impressive with most audio sources even if music is the real test for me; for that, these DefTechs are a wonderful find at a very modest price. To be frank, I think the larger 1000 model is a significantly better choice in key ways (more efficient and noticeably fuller sound)... but if you really need very small speakers, you'll have a hard time finding anything better than these little gems. Just don't forget the sub, preferably a decent one. ******************* A few afterthoughts, six months later... If you do pull the trigger, I'd suggest spending plenty of time setting up the sub. I initially took a few weeks to break in the 800s, and their sound improved nicely as the speakers loosened up. I then dedicated some enjoyable hours, spread over a week, to find the sweet spots for sub location, balance, and crossover setting. (Settled on 100Hz as best for my room in a 2.1 rig, but then took a long time tweaking the sub level and overall EQ.) As I'd read, such small speakers can sound noticeably different with even miniscule tweaks. Once I dialed things in, the 800s really came alive. I do suspect that these speakers, in particular, would excel with a high-quality amp and small room, at least if used in a 2.1 music setup. (They're 8"-tall satellites after all.) But overall, seven months in, even with a cheap AV receiver and fairly large room, these little DefTechs still make me grin. Good luck to you, whichever way you head.

Compact in size but with amazing sound. It does what it says.