OTHER TECH

Step on up to towers, bigger subwoofers, and more $2,500 to $4,999

Allocating a bit more to your budget will take you to speakers offering next-level performance. While weight doesn't tell the whole story, a speaker's heft can indicate a lot about how well it's made. Speakers in this price range often have cabinets constructed of finer materials with heavy internal bracing and may come in a wide variety of finishes. They can also include large rare-earth magnets and more elaborate driver arrays designed to produce a more accurate and detailed audio image. Having a little more money to work with will also allow you to consider adding back surround speakers for a more enveloping surround experience.

Nothing fills a room with sound like a full-size speaker, and the new Beta series from Infinity (infinitysystems.com) won't break the bank. Two Model 50 towers in front, a C360 center speaker, and the versatile ES250 surrounds - which can be set for monopole, bipole, or dipole operation, or to simultaneously produce two discrete channels - should produce cinematic volume levels in all but the largest rooms. The powerful 10-inch, 650-watt CSW-10 sub uses Infinity's exclusive Room Adaptive Bass Optimization System (R.A.B.O.S.) to help you get the bass dialed in. This $3,094 package is available in black, beech, and cherry woodgrain finishes. Well aware that a connoisseur is a discerning judge of the best, Energy (energy-speakers.com) offers up the Connoisseur series. The flagship is the C-9 tower speaker, which is said to produce solid bass down to 31 Hz. Combine a pair with a C-C3 center speaker, C-R3 surrounds, and a 12-inch, 150-watt e:XL-S12 subwoofer, and you'll have a $3,200 system that will make any plasma proud.

The M&K Designer Series system with CS-35 Column Surrounds ($3,896), reviewed in May 2003.

Recording studios and mix rooms around the world have long used powered monitors from M&K Sound (mksound.com) for critical playback. To experience this kind of performance at home, consider M&K's Designer Series (reviewed in May 2003). The front LCR-850/851 speakers, the Center-850/851, and the 12-inch, 125-watt V-850/851 sub are available finished in light maple or medium cherry wood veneer, gloss black, white, or titanium silver, while the tripolar CS-35 Column Surround comes in black or white. For $3,896, you can have a system that puts you on par with the pros. The Paradigm Reference Studio 40 v. 3 system ($4,720), reviewed in February/March 2004.

If you want the sound of a large speaker without the large speaker, the Paradigm Reference (paradigm.com) Studio 40 v.3 might be the perfect fit (click to read the February/March 2004 review). It packs the same driver complement as the floor-standing Studio 60 into a smaller cabinet, which comes finished in sycamore, cherry, rosenut, or black ash. Mate it with the CC-570 v.3 center speaker, the dipolar ADP-470 v.3 surrounds, and the 12-inch, 1,200-watt Seismic subwoofer for a $4,720 system that can do justice to any DVD.

Just because a speaker is designed to be "plasma friendly" doesn't mean it can't sound good. Consider the Mythos series from Definitive Technology (definitivetech.com). Sitting on their ultra-cool glass bases, the Mythos One Towers, mated with the wall-mounted Mythos Three center speaker and Mythos Two surrounds (all finished in polished aluminum or gloss black), do much more than just look pretty. The mighty SuperCube 1 sub hitches a 1,500-watt amp to a 10-inch woofer and two 10-inch passive radiators to round out a $4,294 package that puts you in the middle of the action. (Click to read the January 2004 review, "Speaker, Speaker on the Wall.")

When there's just no room for a traditional speaker, custom installers have long turned to Triad (triadspeakers.com) to provide high-quality sound in out-of-the-ordinary places. In the Bronze series, the InRoom LCR can sit on a shelf or stand, the InWall 4 LCR tucks into a standard wall cavity, the OnWall LCR can be mounted next to a flat-panel TV, and the InCeiling 8 LCR has drivers on an angled baffle behind a flush grille. Triad offers an extensive array of paint or veneer finishes to blend into your décor and will custom-paint the grilles for you. Add a 10-inch, 250-watt PowerSub (available as a typical in-room model or in three in-wall depths) and the Bronze Surrounds for a $3,400 to $4,500 system, depending on the configuration.

Hailing from the Great White North, PSB Speakers (psbspeakers.com) has retooled its Image line for 2004, offering a softer, more stylized look available finished in maple or black ash. Pairing T65 towers with a C60 center speaker up front and adding the bipolar S50 surrounds and the 12-inch, 225-watt SubSonic 61 subwoofer will result in a $2,996 system that will have you saying "G'day, eh!" every day.