Bookshelf Speaker Reviews

Setup
Setup would seem straightforward, though Def Tech offers two options here. The recommend method requires two extra speaker cables, because the subwoofer has an extra set of terminals to facilitate this specific hook-up. The front speakers are connected directly to the subwoofer, and cables from the subwoofer are connected to the L/R terminals on the A/V receiver. The second method is more conventional—all speakers connected directly to the AVR.

For the second setup, you connect an analog coax cable between the AVR's subwoofer output and the LFE input on the sub. For Def Tech's recommended method, this step is optional, depending on how you set up your AVR's speaker configuration.

Starting with the more common setup option, I used the Audyssey room correction in the Onkyo TX-NR609 AVR to auto-calibrate the speakers and apply room equalization, and I found the mid-bass was not as present or defined as I would like, even with the BDSS technology. I played with the equalization manually, specifically boosting the mids at 650kHz and 1000kHz (among other tweaks) and made some slight changes to the positioning of the speakers. I ended up re-calibrating manually as well.

I decided to try Def Tech's recommended connections, which resulted in a bit more punch and definition in the mid-bass. It wasn't a tremendous difference, and I still needed to do some manual tweaking of the settings to get the sound to my liking.

Performance
Once I got the sound exactly the way I wanted it, I started to really enjoy the ProCinema 600. These speakers are impressive, especially for their size. When I was immersed in a Blu-ray movie or kicking back listening to some tunes, I quickly forgot this is a sat/sub system.

I didn't detect any gaps in the blending between the sats, center, and sub. The 360-degree soundfield was smooth and coherent, creating a sort of near-field effect. Perhaps it's the size of my demo room or just the nature of the speakers. Often, it seemed almost like wearing headphones, and the effect was like being dropped right in the middle of the action. For some really crazy immersion, try gaming in 3D. (For increased realism, use games designed for 3D as opposed to converting older games.) Fortunately, your eyes tend to get tired fairly quickly or it could be really addicting.

While the system lacked the depth, punch, and full-bodied sound I've come to expect in my other reference system (equipped with a complete PSB Image speaker system), these little guys did a really credible job. The highs were well-defined and natural. Dialog was intelligible and realistic. Bass was clean and precise, though be careful not to turn it up to much and lose the balance with the rest of the system, because there is plenty of bass volume available.

If you try to really crank it, you can make the system distort. However, the volumes at which I experienced this are not appropriate listening levels for this size and type of system anyway.

The ProCinema 600 system is not going to produce the sound of a higher-end speaker system that costs 3-4 times the price. However, I believe that most folks would be pleased with the overall frequency response and tonality of the Def Techs when used as they were intended. For under $1000, you'll be hard pressed to find another sat/sub system that sounds and looks this good.