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Fishweasel's Reviews
With a 5-1/4" midrange, 5-1/4" planar low-frequency woofer and 1" pure aluminum dome tweeter cone, this Definitive Technology Pro Monitor 1000 Black bookshelf speaker provides immersive cinema sound in a small package.
Posted by: Fishweasel
from Rhode Island
I currently have 6.1 surround sound in the basement of the ProCinema 600 + one Pro-800 monitor as surround back. It's an amazing system driven by a Denon 3806 receiver. However, a couple of comments before I get to the Pro-Cinema 1000 review (as many are probably reading this are probably looking at different models#. The Pro-Cinema 600 is fantastic, great sound and plenty of power but it's in a small room - 8 x 14. The speakers are great for movies and gaming, and the surround sound effects are fantastic. The speakers are very clear and crisp. However, 2 complaints: 1# the sound could sometimes be classified as "high" or "tinny", meaning the base sometimes gets lost. However, the clarity is great and once you get the receiver settings right, it can make up for this. Movies are great! 2# the main drawback - music. If you like to listen to music through your system, these are not the speakers for you. The Denon I have listed above is a decent mid-range receiver and these speakers just can't handle it - regardless of where you set the crossover frequency ... which bring me to the Pro-1000's
Now, to the review on the Pro-1000's:
These are setup in 5.1 surround sound system in a room 14 x 18 #so much larger than the room above# and driven by a Denon 3312CI with 4xProMonitor 1000's, Pro Center 1000, Pro Sub 1000. They are setup as a surround system for the home theater but also, are used as the main system for listening to music.
These are setup in 5.1 surround sound system in a room 14 x 18 #so much larger than the room above# and driven by a Denon 3312CI with 4xProMonitor 1000's, Pro Center 1000, Pro Sub 1000. They are setup as a surround system for the home theater but also, are used as the main system for listening to music.
Setup:
I have the crossover freqency set at 90Hz for the 4 Pro-Monitor 1000's and 100 Hz for the Pro-Center 1000 #this was the chosen Audessey setting on automatic setup and it works well#. The speakers are all wired directly to the Tuner #you can wire 2 speakers directly to the Sub Woofer and set the crossover directly thru the Sub, but I chose not to do this as I wanted one point of "control"#.
I have the crossover freqency set at 90Hz for the 4 Pro-Monitor 1000's and 100 Hz for the Pro-Center 1000 #this was the chosen Audessey setting on automatic setup and it works well#. The speakers are all wired directly to the Tuner #you can wire 2 speakers directly to the Sub Woofer and set the crossover directly thru the Sub, but I chose not to do this as I wanted one point of "control"#.
The sound difference between the Pro-1000's and Pro-600's in terms of music is absolutely amazing. The sound is richer, fuller, and much more balanced. Some music entusiasts will insist on larger front "tower" speakers, which is hard to beat. However, if you are looking for a versatile system and don't want large speakers in the room, these are fantastic, even for music. All but the most critical audiophiles will not be disappointed! In fact, I had a pair of 4 Ohm 250W Cerwin Vega towers that were "monsters" in terms of speakers. I can honestly say these small speakers rival those! I play music 3 ways: thru a Denon Ipod Dock, thru the computer #networked to the receiver# and thru the Iphone thru Airplay. In each of these, the music is crisp and clear. Only to say that the speakers perform well in each case and you can't really tell a difference.
Movies are just amazing. The sound is clear and full - you won't be disappointed. The bass thru the ProSub #which you are probably also looking at with this system# is also great #and easily adjustable for those who don't want all of their furniture shaking during every explosion on the screen#.
There is a break-in period with the Pro-Monitor 1000 speakers. The manuals mention it.... The speakers sound great out of the box...... however, they definitely do get even better as you play them. I've had these for about a month now and can notice they are improving in clarity and dynamic range. I didn't think much of it as I tore through all of the packaging / manuals that mentioned this, but it really does improve after ~ 40 hours of use.
Movies are just amazing. The sound is clear and full - you won't be disappointed. The bass thru the ProSub #which you are probably also looking at with this system# is also great #and easily adjustable for those who don't want all of their furniture shaking during every explosion on the screen#.
There is a break-in period with the Pro-Monitor 1000 speakers. The manuals mention it.... The speakers sound great out of the box...... however, they definitely do get even better as you play them. I've had these for about a month now and can notice they are improving in clarity and dynamic range. I didn't think much of it as I tore through all of the packaging / manuals that mentioned this, but it really does improve after ~ 40 hours of use.
My recommendations if you are looking at this system:
1# I would probably upgrade to the ProCenter 2000 - I like the ProCenter 1000 but the Pro-Monitors are so well made / so strong that they could handle a larger Center channel. I wanted a well balanced system for movies / TV, so I went with the matched system. I like the ProCenter 1000, however, listening to the speakers, a larger center would not be a problem in terms of balance #which says how strong the ProMonitor 1000's are#.
2) Take the time to setup your receiver #whichever one you decide on#. I happen to be a huge fan of Denon - I'm on my second one now and have tried a number of different brands. I find the Denons to be solid and extremely capable in term of delivering accurate sound. However, whichever receiver you decide on, take the time to set it up properly, it does make a big difference in sound quality. I noticed when I had the Denon in "night mode" while watching a movie it sounded like the dialog was coming through a fishbowl. So, this is only to say there are alot of settings that can impact the overall setup and sound, so if you decide on this speaker and the sound isn't perfect when you "plug" them in, play with the setup on your receiver. These speakers are amazing and you won't be disappointed.
3) Buy decent cables / speaker wire. You don't need Monster cables / wire, etc., and you don't need to spend a full paycheck on accessories that are "brand names". However, as a rule of thumb: don't use 24 gauge speaker wire for these speakers. However, you don't need 12 gauge speaker wire either - I use 14 and 16 gauge and it's fine unless you are running it very long distance #longer than 20-25 feet#. Also, if you spend this much on a system, don't buy a $4.00 HDMI cable.... it's just not worth it. You might get lucky and get one that works well. Or.... your setup may not work and you won't know whether it's cheap accessories or the system itself. Just look around at review - you can get some inexpensive accessories on Amazon. I bought a number of MediaBridge products thru Amazon #HDMI 1.4 cables# and have been very happy with them.
1# I would probably upgrade to the ProCenter 2000 - I like the ProCenter 1000 but the Pro-Monitors are so well made / so strong that they could handle a larger Center channel. I wanted a well balanced system for movies / TV, so I went with the matched system. I like the ProCenter 1000, however, listening to the speakers, a larger center would not be a problem in terms of balance #which says how strong the ProMonitor 1000's are#.
2) Take the time to setup your receiver #whichever one you decide on#. I happen to be a huge fan of Denon - I'm on my second one now and have tried a number of different brands. I find the Denons to be solid and extremely capable in term of delivering accurate sound. However, whichever receiver you decide on, take the time to set it up properly, it does make a big difference in sound quality. I noticed when I had the Denon in "night mode" while watching a movie it sounded like the dialog was coming through a fishbowl. So, this is only to say there are alot of settings that can impact the overall setup and sound, so if you decide on this speaker and the sound isn't perfect when you "plug" them in, play with the setup on your receiver. These speakers are amazing and you won't be disappointed.
3) Buy decent cables / speaker wire. You don't need Monster cables / wire, etc., and you don't need to spend a full paycheck on accessories that are "brand names". However, as a rule of thumb: don't use 24 gauge speaker wire for these speakers. However, you don't need 12 gauge speaker wire either - I use 14 and 16 gauge and it's fine unless you are running it very long distance #longer than 20-25 feet#. Also, if you spend this much on a system, don't buy a $4.00 HDMI cable.... it's just not worth it. You might get lucky and get one that works well. Or.... your setup may not work and you won't know whether it's cheap accessories or the system itself. Just look around at review - you can get some inexpensive accessories on Amazon. I bought a number of MediaBridge products thru Amazon #HDMI 1.4 cables# and have been very happy with them.
Good luck with your system. You will not be disappointed with these speakers!!!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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