The receiver/DVD player features Dolby Digital, Pro Logic II, and DTS surround processing. Its connectivity quotient is modest: three A/V inputs, one optical digital input and output, and the usual set of composite, S-Video, and progressive-scan component-video outputs. The receiver doesn't have a headphone jack. The Instant Theatre is a closed system; you can't use the receiver with other brands of speakers, and you can't use the speakers or subwoofer with any other receiver.
The Instant Theatre instantly impressed us with its ability to create a wide and very deep surround field when we played the Goldmember DVD. Synthesizing surround from fewer than five speakers has been tried with varying degrees of success before, most notably from the Niro 1.1Pro single-speaker HTIB, but the Instant Theatre's wraparound surround sound was more enveloping. We heard sound coming from way out to the sides, projected far ahead of the speakers themselves. Goldmember's thumping bass fully exercised the KEF subwoofer, which is powerful enough to fill even large rooms with bass.We next tried the Big Fish DVD and noted the believability of Instant Theatre's phantom center "speaker"--dialogue was firmly planted between the two speakers--as long as we sat near the center of our couch. Once we moved to either side, the sound veered over to the side. This fantastical film's sensual sound wowed us overall, but it wasn't as dynamic or powerful as it would be on a more conventional 5.1 speaker package mated with a decent A/V receiver. Technology has its limits after all.
We were even more aware of the Instant Theatre's limits when we played a CD from Detroit's hard-hitting duo, the White Stripes. They sounded limp and a bit boring, and the bass was lumpy and thick. We took the hint and tried Holly Cole's jazzy Tom Waits tribute CD Temptation; it sounded gorgeous, with a detailed and holographic soundstage. So the lesson learned was that acoustic and quieter music can sound wonderful, but more aggressive music won't cut it. We've noted the same weakness on the Niro 1.1Pro and with HTIBs in general; they're at their best playing DVDs. If you're more interested in music than movies, we'd recommend an audition before you buy this or any HTIB.
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