Definitive Technology BP-10 Speaker System/Pair

Definitive Technology’s first product is an unusual loudspeaker that offers exceptional performance for its size and price. The BP 10 is a slender columnar speaker measuring 42 inches high, 9 inches wide, and 11-1/2 inches deep and weighing about 60 pounds. Its exterior is completely black, and the four sides are covered by a fabric sleeve that fits snugly around the enclosure. The wood base and top plate have a glossy lacquer finish. The top cap is also available in solid oak. The gold-plated, multiway terminals, which accept dual banana plugs, are under the base, with a slot for the connecting cable.

There is no visible indication of the number, size, or configuration of the drivers. Actually, the BP 10 is a bipolar system (hence the “BP” designation) containing a pair of identical two-way speakers. One faces forward conventionally, and the other is on the rear panel, facing backward. Each consists of a 6-1/2-inch woofer and a 1-inch dome tweeter, with the woofer located at the top of the cabinet and the tweeter just below it.

Since the front and rear halves of the system radiate in phase over their full frequency range, their bass outputs augment each other. In this respect, the BP 10 is unlike dipole radiators such as large electrostatic speakers or similar planar systems in which the front and rear surfaces radiate out of phase and tend to cancel each other at low frequencies. Another result of the BP 10’s bipolar design is that it operates best placed about 8 to 12 inches out from a wall—unlike planar systems, which must normally be placed several feet away from a wall.

• The BP 10 has a rated frequency response of 20 to 28,000 Hz, a nominal impedance of 6 ohms, and a sensitivity specification of 89 dB. It is recommended for use with amplifiers rated between 20 and 300 watts per channel (Subwoofer Optional): Price: $1,100 a pair.