CEDIA 2017

dARTS celebrated its recent renaming by flaunting 50 grand worth of holistically integrated surround gear in one of the show's best-sounding demos.

dARTS stands for Digital Audio Reference Theater Systems. Hatched as a line by Phase Technology/MSE, it now stands on its own as a separate brand name.

What's special about a dARTS system is that it's designed to work as a system. Amps and speakers (whether standing, in wall, or on wall) are tailored to one another's needs, serving the unified vision of the dARTS reference sound. Each driver is directly coupled to a 250-watt amp channel with dARTS crossover, time correction, and equalization in the digital domain. There are no passive components.

The system we heard included the DP2051CB L/C/R, four DCB660-SURR on-wall surrounds, two DCB 210 SUB subwoofers, two DCB 115 subwoofers, five DC 660R in-ceiling height speakers, and two DP400IA V2 multichannel amps, at a total system cost of $49,450. New tweaks included updated Audyssey custom room correction plus new power supplies, firmware, and a slightly larger tweeter with better power handling, improving the system's dynamics.

Also on hand were StormAudio's IDP 3D.16 Elite Auro-3D/Atmos/DTS:X surround processor, Sim2 Multimedia's NERO 4 UHD HDR projector, the DT Screens DT-FRNT-300 screen, and Ineva Design seats.

This was a 7.4.6 system including seven floor speakers, four subs, and six pairs of height speakers: front, center, and back. The Dolby Leaf Trailer never sounded so directionally startling in its 360-degree surround bubble. And with perfect coordination between amps and speakers, plus plenty of power, the aerial combat scene from Unbroken was powerful, dynamic, and effortlessly convincing, with a high comfort level despite the barrage of aggressive effects that rampaged throughout the bubble.