What is your take on Def Tech XTR60's?

Snakebitten,

The Marantz won't be all that different from the Denon. Though they both have their fans they generally occupy the same slot so far as quality goes. If you want to gain some advantages consider adding a power amp to your current receiver, which I assume as pre-outs. Later on you can look into a HT processor or even a separate pre-amp for dedicated two channel music.

A good example might be to order a good 3 channel power amp at this stage, then upgrade to a good pre-processor later. My inexpensive Emotiva UMC-1 partnered with an Emotiva, Rotel, Odyssey or Parasound amp (new or used) will sound better than any receiver and add to your enjoyment.

Robert

I've heard them and I own the older floor standing BP7004's with the built in powered subs. There is a lot of ignorance about speakers of this type and here's why:

1) Most people only hear them at a "Best Buy" type store with a receiver in a poor setup.
2) Many people expect mass produced speakers of this type to be automatically undeserving of serious auditions.

My "high end" audio system is Merlin TSM-MXr speakers powered by a Manley Stingray II tube amp along with a Rega DAC and Cardas cables. The Def Tech system is part of my large dedicated theater room.

As an experiment I connected my Manley Stingray II amp to the Def Tech speakers and guess what? They sounded pretty darn good. No, they could not match the Merlins, but the Def Techs were lively, engaging and presented a full range sound that was very pleasing. The expensive tube amp reined in the metal tweeters and the sound was quite "high end."
I've heard other Def Tech speakers pull this off and I generally think they're underrated. You do give up a certain degree of resolution, continuousness and tonality, but the gain is major impact and scale.

As for your speakers, they don't have the power of the big floorstanders, but they do well with scale. Mated with good amps and sources they can sound much better than many golden eared audiophiles would care to admit! They play loud and are capable of great dynamics. Todays speaker technology is pretty good with good sound found in systems and price points previously experienced only among the more elite designers. A lot of good speaker technology has trickled down to your Def Techs to be sure.

With a good Denon or Marantz HT reciever you can get "good" sound from your Def Techs, but a serious two channel amp will easily elevate them to a higher level. Don't worry too much about it an enjoy the music and movies!

Cheers,

Robert

The UMC-1 is a great processor, but it was plagued by firmware issues for quite a while. I bought mine after that all died down and it replaced a Onkyo processor that cost 3 times more.

The UMC-1 matched the Onkyo for HT duties and sounded better in two channel mode for music, so I find it to be a homerun. Emotiva is about to release a much more expensive unit in about 1-2 months.

Adding an amp to your reciever will give you more power and perhaps some perceptable sonic improvements, especially for dynamics. But the pre-amp section of your reciever will still control much of the sonic character. Having owned several good recievers from Marantz, Outlaw, and Denon my experience is that they run out of steam easily.

Robert

The Emotiva stuff is pretty good, but audiophiles have usually considered it better suited for home theater usage. With that said I have on many occasion used the Emotiva amps and UMC-1 for 2 channel music and I think it does a very nice job, certainly better than any receiver I've owned.

It does not compete with my Merlin/Manley system, but that cost over 15K on it's own.

Robert

Snakebitten,

Don't put much into what you read here. Few of the folks on these boards have heard Def Techs with correct gear. As I said, when powered by higher end stuff, especially tubes, it's a whole new ball game.
Naturally most folks power them with lower end amps and this only exposes more problems. I've played my Def Techs with the Manley amp and flat-out shocked my audiophile friends. It proves how important good amp & pre amp stuff really is. Cables, source and the room they're in will play a BIG part in the sound as well. Are Def Techs bright? Yup! Can this be tamed and can they yield good sound? Absolutely. They will also be insanely dynamic and loud for HT use and that's something my high end Merlin speakers can't manage. You pick the right tools for the job, right?

Robert

Snakebitten,

Notice something here? The people making the comments aren't mentioning the associated gear or even the exact speakers. It's less than likely that these folks tried the Def Techs with better amps and a Denon receiver is AT BEST a mediocre way to listen to music. Virtually any receiver is going to be a very weak link.
As I've only powered the Def Techs (and not your exact model) with a small group of amps I could advise you, but the Emotiva stuff is not a bad start. You might also look into some used stuff from Parasound and Rogue. Rogue gear does quite well taming the highs of the Def Techs like the Manley.
With all of that I find that the Def Techs can sound pretty good with my Emotiva stuff and be fun to listen to. Audio snobs need not apply, but music lovers will be fine. It's great fun to crank up the Def Techs. Yes, for "serious" listening my Merlins and tubes are warmed up, but I don't always want to be serious!

It's about the music and what you have is just fine for a start.

Cheers,

Rob

Audiofreak, those Pro 2000's do not sound like XTR60's or my BP2004's for that matter.

So far as I know they were designed to be a low end model from Def tech. But if you haven't powered them properly I don't see why you are even commenting. To evaluate a speaker, from the cheapest to best, you need to learn to match gear.

In that direction I also own a pair of Martin Logan Motion 4's with a Dynamo sub. Cheap stuff for my upstairs TV and music. With a Denon receiver the sound is fair at best and not very musical. But switch over to the little Jolida tube amp and the system sings.

Robert