California-based audio company Definitive Technology has been making insanely high-performance speakers since the early ’90s, and today the company is announcing its new Dymension Series, a nine-speaker lineup that’s built around its “bipolar” driver array technology and features built-in powered subwoofers, on-wall surrounds, and Atmos-certified height modules, among other sonic treats.
You might not be immediately familiar with the Definitive Technology brand name, but it has a prestigious lineage, as one of its founders was Polk Audio founder Sandy Gross, and its sister brands include Boston Acoustics, Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, and Marantz.
Def Tech (as it’s also known) made a name for itself with its B10 “bipolar” speakers in 1991, and later with its popular BP9000 series of home theater speakers. Now, Def Tech has decided it’s time for the BP9000s to get a much-needed upgrade with the all-new Dymension Series. The new series’ offerings will range from $699 to $2,499 and consist of four models of tower speakers, three center speakers, and a Dolby Atmos-certified/DTS:X-compatible up-firing height module that can sit atop two models of the towers. Def Tech has dropped the BP9000’s two sizes of beefy surround speakers in favor of a single, sleeker pair of wall-mounted height and surround speakers.
The Dymension Series’ flagship towers, the DM80 ($2,400 each), are a monstrous set of speakers that can push out 400 watts of continuous power from its new GaN FET amplifier, promising less heat, high power efficiency, and lower distortion. This is a good thing because it’s also powering the DM80’s 12-inch, sideways-firing powered subwoofer, one in each tower, allowing you to build a sonically balanced system with subs in each room corner without having to use up the space for two big woofer cabinets. Each tower cabinet also holds dual opposing bass radiators that handle the lowest end of the subwoofer’s frequencies for bigger, low-end sound.
In the top end of the DM80’s tower cabinet is Definitive Tech’s much-ballyhooed bipolar array, which consists of six speakers in total, configured in two sets of three drivers, with one set facing the front of the cabinet, the other facing the rear. Each set is made up of a stacked line of two 5.25-inch mid/bass woofers and a newly designed 1-inch aluminum oxide tweeter that sits between them. The rear-firing array of drivers has a balanced, equal output to the front array and can use the room’s walls to enhance the sound, which Def Tech says “results in an enveloping, wide soundstage that many listeners enjoy and is more engaging.”
The balance of power from the rear bipolar array can be adjusted and fine-tuned to optimize placement and suit any room — if you need to position them closer or further from a wall, for example — and the DM80s have separate crossover controls and further customization options for the bipolar effect that the other towers in the series do not. The Dymension Series’ tower lineup includes the flagship DM80s, the DM70s with a slightly smaller 10-inch powered woofer ($1,999 each), the DM60 with an 8-inch powered woofer ($1,499 each), and the DM40s, an unpowered, passive slim tower speaker ($999 each). Additional information on these towers was not available at press time, but we can assume they all have the same bipolar array.
Further enhancing the Dymension Series’ tower speakers is the optional DM90 ($999 a pair) height module that can be connected on top of the DM80s and DM70 towers, although it’s unclear exactly how they connect. The DM90 is a Dolby Atmos-certified and DTS:X-compatible height speaker that directs sound upwards and toward walls and ceilings for immersive sound. The wall-mounted DM95 ($799 a pair) wall-height speakers can also be added to further build out a full surround system.
Definitive Technology has also announced a lineup of three center channel speakers: the powered flagship DM30 ($1,499), the smaller, slimmer, and un-powered DM20 ($799), and the smallest of the three, the unpowered DM10 ($699). The DM30 is the cream of the crop, though, with its four 5.25-inch midrange woofers, 1-inch aluminum oxide tweeter, and “3XR” architecture that combines an 8-inch powered subwoofer with two passive bass radiators for big low-end. And like the DM80s, the DM30’s midrange woofers utilize Definitive Technology’s BDSS (Balanced Dual Surround System) and LRW (Linear Response Waveguide) that the company says ensures smooth bass response, boosted output and detail in the midrange, and low distortion. Again, additional specific information was not available for the DM20 or DM10 center speakers at press time.
The Dymension Series loudspeakers can be mixed and matched to your liking and budget and will be available starting today at brick-and-mortar dealers or through the Definitive Technology website.
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