Definitive Technology ProCinema 800 user reviews (black)

4.0 stars

"Great sound in a small package" on May 16, 2008 by Paul Wooferwitz

Pros: Flexibility

Cons: Not much bass without subwoofer

Summary: Professional reviewers have raved plenty about this system's sound, so my comments will mostly concern its great flexibility.

My sound system is first for classical music, second for movies. For music, I'm not willing to accept any compromise not compelled by budget and available listening space. That still adds up to a lot of compromise, and these speakers are what the doctor ordered for both conditions.

Actually, this isn't a review of the ProCinema 800 collection, since that would include the associated subwoofer and horizontally configured center channel speaker, but of five ProMonitor 800 speakers plus my own subwoofer. Because each speaker in this collection is individually packaged, you can either buy them all at once or start out with a couple of ProMonitor 800s and add more as your budget allows, and that's what I did.

I bought the first pair to replace the bulkier speakers I was using as surrounds in a space too small for them. You can hang the 800s from a single screw on the wall, a big plus in my cramped space. But I didn't hang them in back before giving them a good listen as front speakers on stands with enough space around them to get a taste of their wonderful imaging ability, and deciding that (apart from my subwoofer) I'd love to have my whole system consist of them.

One pro reviewer noted that the horizontal ProCenter 1000 loses highs from a listening seat more than about 30 degrees off-axis. It also costs more than the 800. So to round out my system with a center channel I simply raised the TV 4 inches higher so the fifth ProMonitor 800 stands in front of it without blocking the screen, providing a center speaker not just similar but identical to the others.

As for their sound -- well, these have replaced a pair of Phase Tech PC60s I've loved for 23 years and that I'd long wanted to complement with more of the equivalent speakers from Phase Tech's current line, but those are just too expensive now. The ProMonitor 800s fill the bill wonderfully while taking up a lot less physical space.