Definitive Technology ProCinema 800

Critics say the Definitive Technology ProCinema 800 easily outperforms anything in its price class and challenges systems costing twice as much. Performance is terrific with movies and music, and it can handle anything from a whisper to earth-shattering special effects with equal ease. You can buy the speakers as a system in black, or as individual speakers -- the Definitive Technology ProMonitor 800 bookshelf speakers (*Est. $145 each), the Definitive Technology ProCenter 100 center-channel speaker (*Est. $220) and the Definitive Technology ProSub 800 subwoofer (*Est. $400) -- in black or white. While not massive, some may want speakers that do a better job disappearing in a room. The Mirage MX 5.1 (*Est. $1,200) uses extremely small speakers that are heard but not seen. The major drawback of those home-theater speakers is a less well-defined surround-sound stage.

We found a trio of good professional reviews. CNET reviews more home theater speaker systems than anyone else, and they offer a nicely detailed report on the Definitive Technology ProCinema 800. AVGuide.com also has a great review. Sound & Vision magazine's write-up is easily the most technical of the three and includes the results of bench testing. Due to the way the system is sold -- each speaker must be bought separately -- we've not seen any user feedback on the ProCinema 800, though the individual speakers have gotten mostly favorable comments.