We had an opportunity to hear this speaker system at our favorite mid-town home-audio store. This system is a powerhouse at a reasonable price and I ran home ready to write a review...but I found this review on Sound and Vision and decided to leave this one up to the experts. Aesthetically it's awesome looking and given its "big" performance can even fit comfortably in a Manhattan apartment. The only complaint Mr. Pohlmann had was a slight vocal distortion with the center speaker. The Treblemaker tested this system with:

• Pearl Jam - Ten
• Tracy Chapman - New Beginning
• Yo-Yo Ma - Obrigado Brazil

One cool thing about many of the home audio stores here in New York is that most of the guys actually enjoy cranking-up just about anything to shake the walls and show off. I brought along a bunch of CDs and decided to try a few songs from three really different genres. No matter what was playing out of the Marantz Reference Series SA-15S1 Stereo CD/SACD player through the Marantz Reference Series PM-15S1 Stereo integrated amplifier this speaker system held its own. Whether it was the rocking electric guitar of Pearl Jam, the classic acoustic of Chapman, or the soulful cello of Yo-Yo Ma, these speakers made everything sound great. "We like our speakers small, if not invisible", says Ken Pohlmann from Sound and Vision. "And this has driven a dramatic transformation in speakers, as designers find new ways to get big sound from small boxes." The surrounds are dual-resonating (dipole) speakers...with sound engrossing you from both sides. When all is said and done, dipoles simply deliver better sound. "Understandably, huge bass output and a small cabinet are hard to reconcile, but the Ultracube tackles the problem..."

SETUP

Plant the Cinema 330s on speaker stands . Once mounted, they will compliment any home entertainment configuration. Place the third Cinema 330 horizontally under the TV.

MUSIC PERFORMANCE

Tracy Chapman had a string of hits with New Beginning, but the stereo mix of its vocals and rustic acountic are not always crisp. According to Pohlmann the six-channel mix on the CD+DVD version (which also supports DVD-Audio) frees albums from these constraints. After listening to Seal, Pohlmann saus: "The baroque vocal arrangements and lush orchestration of "Kiss from a Rose" create a fully enveloping experience. Imaging was spot on, with a smooth transition across the soundstage." The sounds was distributed evenly and clearly - a typical stereotype of smaller speakers. 

Audio/Visual Resources

Crutchfield
Sound and Vision Magazine
Electronic House
The Absolute Sound
Stereophile
Headphone Reviews
CNET
Audio Review
eCoustics
Avrev
Audio Ideas
Audioholics
Home Theater Mag
Stereo 411

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