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

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.

I bought 4 of these to use as my dolby atmos speakers in a 7.2.4 set-up (I've mounted them on the ceiling and angled them toward the listener). For the first few days, I hooked them up to my Harman Kardon 5.1 receiver that I've used in my living room for almost a decade, just letting music play non-stop to break them in. My Harmon Kardon is only 30wpc, but it's been a great receiver. Ultimately, these will be hooked up to my new Denon AVR-X4300H, which is 125wpc. I have to say, even on my HK receiver, these speakers are fantastic. I had originally purchased the SVS Elevation Speakers for the same purpose, but was not happy with the sound, even after days of break-in time. And trust me, I hate to say anything bad against SVS. Their customer service is second-to-none and I've owned several SVS bookshelf speakers in addition to their subs, and they've all been fantastic -- just not the elevation speakers, for me anyway. In addition, these Def Tech 800s are only $108 per speaker, compared to $249 per speaker for the SVS elevations. Perhaps its just a matter of preference, but for my ears, these speakers are an absolute steal for the price. I'm no audiophile, but it seems these sound great regardless of your receiver's power. I highly recommend these, whether it's for front speakers, rear surrounds, or dolby height speakers. They have definitely made a Def Tech fan out of me.

This is a fantastic little speaker! I bought the 800s first to try out as mains. They sound very clear and have surprising base with the help of the passive radiator on top. They do need the added help of a sub though to fill out the lows though. That I expected based on the size. Only thing I docked it on was the finish. It was not perfect. There was a spot on each speaker where it had a raised ripple along the edge that was not smooth like the rest. Different location on each. With the piano black finish it was noticeable, but only up close, so I didn't return. Otherwise, as a first time Def Tech buyer, I'm very satisfied with the sound. Will be buying the 1000s in the near future and moving these to the surrounds though. Just think for my room size of 12x14 that would make the best setup.

I have owned Definitive Technology speakers since 1999. I purchased a complete BP2002 5.1 system for my family room and was blown away by the sound quality. It still amazes me to this day. I purchased a 42" plasma TV for the living room and had been using the tiny TV speakers but got tired of cranking it up to try to understand dialogue so I decided to put together a small 3.0 system. I purchased a pair of the Def Tech ProMonitor 800's as well as a ProCenter 1000 center channel, and a Pioneer VSX-521 receiver to drive them. The sound quality is excellent, especially considering how small these speakers are. The clarity is especially noticeable, and I've heard things on these speakers that I had no idea were there. They have very respectable upper bass but should be paired with a powered subwoofer if you want true deep bass performance. In my case though, I don't need a sub and am perfectly satisfied with the audio as it is. One day I will buy another pair for the rear surround channels so I can enjoy complete surround sound effects. Definitive Technology has a customer for life. Their speakers are high quality and a great value. If you're looking at Bose speakers, do yourself a favor and listen to any Def Tech speakers before you make the mistake of buying Bose. You won't regret it.

I recently sold my house and included my Bose Acoustimass 10 speaker system with the media room. I researched for many days and even considered buying another Bose set. After looking at CNET reviews (Bose was not listed in the top 10), I decided to buy the Pro Cinema 800 set. But instead of the 8" subwoofer I bought the 10" subwoofer. I bought all the speakers seperately (no cost savings buying the package) including my 10" Definitive subwoofer. The satellites are a lot bigger than the Bose satellites and this helps them reproduce a fuller spectrum of sound. The sound coming from the Pro 800 are more rich and full. On the top is a passive radiator that works in tandem with the woofer to help radiate lower frequencies (these speakers are acoustically suspended). The stand on the bottom is removable and there is an included plug to cover the mounting hole if you are mounting them on wall mounts (each speaker weighs about 4 pounds). The back has binding post connectors with banana conntor receptacle (female). These speakers definitely out perform my old Bose Acoustimass 10 speaker set and cost about the same. For the money, you can't go wrong with this set. Pros: - High gloss finish - Quality construction - Passive radiator - Rich crisp sound - Included stand Cons: - Would be nice in documentation to add recommend cross over frequency with sub woofer

Worked as should just as the original

These speakers did not perform as I had hoped for my particular application. In this case, that means placed in a near-field set up about 6 feet apart at ear level. In this setting, I could not place the speakers either very far from walls or from corners created by furniture. In short: a pretty typical near-field set up. These are beautiful to behold. The finish is really slick, and the enclosure has a nice solid feel. I listened for many hours to different types of music ranging from classical, to rock, jazz, instrumental, and singer/songwriter. I ran a number of my 96k/24bit tracks through them. In general I found they offer god detail in the upper ranges, but I just could not get vocals to sound right. What I found is that no matter what angle I used, or how far apart I placed the speakers, the midrange just sounded flabby and "boxy" if I sat at my desk. If I stepped back about six or seven feet, that mostly went away, and they sounded like a typical set of small monitors that REALLY wanted a subwoofer. But, I have to work at my disk, not six feet from it. Go figure. I don't know if this is an off-axis phasing issue, or interaction between the pasive radiators and my walls etc. Whatever. The issue was noticeable enough to persistently bug me in listening. I was motivated by this result to go research the tweeters that had mysteriously died a couple of years ago on my old M&K b1600's (not a small effort, and the replacements I found were not identical). However, after screwing in the replacements, I swapped the B1600's in where the PM 800's had been and that was that. The PM 800's went right back in the box and straight back to Amazon. Every aspect of the audio sounded better from my actual listening position with the B1600's. I acknowledge this was an unfair contest. In their day, the b1600's retailed for close to $1000/pr., and their woofers are considerably bigger (as are the enclosures). It was a relevant comparison for me due to the equipment I happened to have. But, the B1600's were basically developed as a studio monitor, and thus for situations not unlike mine. You have to consider, too, that once you work in the price of a decent subwoofer (not just a big boom-boomer), you pretty quickly find yourself dropping the same kind of money in aggregate as you would for a very able pair of bookshelf speakers that don't necessarily scream out for a subwoofer. And, yes, these speakers are wonderfully small, but a decent subwoofer is not small and is pretty much a requirement with these. So, it all boils down to application. In my particular space these just didn't work particularly well. At least they got me to finally figure out the repair on my old speakers and to free up some space in the attic. Given all the positive reviews, I have no doubts that with a good sub and better placement options, these would be an excellent option. I did not test that application. Three stars - not necessarily good for all applications where small monitors might be considered useful.

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.

Terrific performance from this bookshelf speaker. All right, I'll admit I'm a little bias as I've been fan of Definitive Technology speakers for decades now. But these are the perfect speaker for rear or height channels in Atmos set up. Make sure you set the crossover frequency correctly.

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

Speakers look great and are a smaller size which is less obtrusive. A subwoofer is a necessity with these little guys as the low end response, as should be expected by their size, is non existent.