Atlantic Technology 8200 System Manuel utilisateur

BESPOKE

SPEAKERS

WHETHER YOU FLAUNT IT OR HIDE IT, ATLANTIC

TECHNOLOGY’S 8200 SYSTEM FITS YOUR

HOME LIKE A CUSTOM-TAILORED SUIT.

BY BRENT BUTTERWORTH PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN PHILLIP

NEW REVIEWS

Ithink it is safe to

say my home is not

like yours, and

yours is not like

your neighbor’s. I think it

is also safe to say that At-

lantic Technology’s new

8200 speaker system will

look and sound wonder-

ful in all three.

Most speaker systems

force you into a certain

configuration, a certain

look, a certain sound.

Instead, the 8200 system

allows you to decide how

your speakers will present

and perform. Do you

desire an all-out audio

enthusiast-style setup,

with your speakers

on bold display

for all to

covet?

Or do you prefer a more

discreet installation, with

your speakers completely

concealed? Your installer

can tailor the 8200 to

either situation—and any

other you can imagine.

With its extensive

flexibility, the 8200 sys-

tem brings to mind an

elegant Lego set. If you

want the speakers to be

seen, order them in gor-

geous glossy black or

veneer panels that clip

firmly onto the speaker

sides. If the speakers are

to be concealed behind

fabric, as they are in

many high-end home

theaters, you can eschew

the side panels entirely.

If you demand power-

ful bass but lack the space

for a file-cabinet-sized

subwoofer, the system’s

compact PedWoofer

lets your in-

staller tuck

extra

flexible. All include three

switches that fine-tune the

system for any setting,

whether the surroundings

are surfaced in sound-re-

flecting materials, such as

wood and marble, or orna-

mented with overstuffed,

subs into nooks and cran-

nies that are too small to

accommodate the mon-

strous subwoofers that

typically accompany high-

end home theater systems.

Two PedWoofers can match

the power of nearly any

large subwoofer, and are

much easier to place dis-

creetly than one large sub.

Of course, you cannot

position a speaker just any-

where and expect it to

perform at its best. Atlantic

has taken this into consider-

ation with the 8200 system.

Placing a subwoofer in a

corner, for example, may

make the bass sound boomy

and undefined. Atlantic

solves this problem by

including powerful equaliza-

tion controls in the

subwoofer amplifiers.The

controls allow your installer

to fix such problems by

attenuating bass frequencies

reinforced by various sub-

woofer placements. A

remote control for the sub-

woofer amps lets you leave

the bass as your installer set

it, or select from four preset

bass equalization modes to

enhance the sound for

movies, music and even

late-night listening.

The front left, center and

right speakers are similarly

The SA8200 subwoofer

amplifier (top) provides

350 watts of power for

each of two PedWoofers.

The LED display in the

upper left lets you make

temporary volume adjust-

ments, then easily return

to the original level.

While I have yet to be

impressed by the special

Ultra2 modes THX has cre-

ated for surround-sound

processors, the three Ultra2-

certified speaker systems I

have tested to date rank

among the finest home the-

ater speakers I have heard. It

seems THX, in its Ultra2

form, may finally represent

the reliable mark of quality

the company heralded more

than a decade ago.

My first thought upon

hearing the 8200 system in

my home is: It’s right.With

most speakers, a certain

tone or style of sound is

NEW REVIEWS

sound-absorbing furniture

and thick draperies.

Another switch compen-

sates for the slight muffling

effect that occurs when

speakers are mounted

behind a perforated video

screen.A third switch opti-

mizes the sound for

situations in which the

speaker is mounted in a

cabinet or against a wall.

The switches combine to

produce 12 equalization

options, plenty enough for

precise tuning.

I must mention that the

8200 is one of the first few

speaker systems to earn

THX Ultra2 certification.

That means the 8200 has

passed the most stringent

quality tests devised by

THX, Ltd., a company

founded by Star Wars cre-

ator George Lucas, and is

suitable for use in rooms up

to 6,000 cubic feet. While

the merits of THX’s certifi-

cation standards have been

intensely debated, many

audio pundits, including

myself, feel that in some

cases the characteristics nec-

essary to gain THX approval

have made speakers sound

worse, not better.With the

Ultra2 program, however,

the THX certification rules

are now much wiser.

A machined aluminum

bezel (above) provides a

sturdy, stylish mount for the

tweeter used in the 8200

LR and 8200 C. The

speakers use the same driv-

ers and crossovers, and

sound almost exactly alike,

as they should.

■DESCRIPTION

Home theater speaker system includes

three front speakers, two or four surround

speakers, and two or four subwoofers

(each pair of subs driven by an included

700-watt amplifier).

■COMPONENTS

8200 LR and 8200 C: two 8-inch woofers,

two 5.25-inch midrange, one 1-inch silk-

dome tweeter.

8200 SR: two 6.5-inch woofers, two 1-inch

silk-dome tweeters.

8200 PedWoofer: one 12-inch woofer.

■CONNECTIONS

8200 LR and 8200 C: two pairs 5-way

metal binding posts (biwireable; accepts

bare wire, pins, spade lugs, banana plugs

and dual banana plugs).

8200 SR and 8200 PedWoofer: 5-way

metal binding posts.

SA8200: stereo analog line-level input and

output, 5-way binding posts for left/right

speaker input and output, 5-way binding

posts for amplifier output.

■DIMENSIONS

8200 LR: 31.7 x 9.3 x 15.6 inches (hwd).

8200 C: 16x 31.7 x 11.5 inches (hwd).

8200 SR: 19 x 14.7 x 10.4 inches (hwd).

8200 PedWoofer: 29.6 x 9.3 x 15.6 inches

(hwd).

SA8200: 5 x 19 x 14 inches (hwd).

■PRICE/CONTACT

PRICE: $10,000 to $21,000, depending

on configuration and finish

CONTACT: 781-762-6300

www.atlantictechnology.com

110 home entertainment &design september/october 2003

NEW REVIEWS

readily apparent; such individuality is,

in my opinion, a downside. As with

distinctive personalities like Cher or

Kid Rock, a brief meeting with an

idiosyncratic speaker might amuse,

but you would tire of it if it were

present every day.To my joy, the

8200 system initially reveals no char-

acter at all, which I consider the

mark of an excellent speaker. I feel

my DVDs sound almost exactly as

they did on the dubbing stage where

the soundtracks were produced.

I start with two of the PedWoofers

and promptly upgrade to four—the

number required to meet THX

Ultra2 performance standards. Two

sound good; the PedWoofer’s medi-

um-sized 12-inch speaker cone

produces a sound that is noticeably

more defined and precise than that of

the 15-inch cones found in many

large subwoofers. But moving up to

four PedWoofers, driven by two of

Atlantic Technology’s SA8200 sub-

woofer amplifiers, smoothes out the

sound and lets the system play louder.

For most of my listening, I turn

the system up to Dolby reference

level—the same level as in a com-

mercial theater, which is really too

loud for a home theater—just

because I can. Even at such an

extreme volume, the system never

strains; the sound does not turn harsh

or distorted. Rollicking soundtracks,

such as the one on the Ice Age DVD,

lend my home theater all the excite-

ment of an amusement park ride.

Experiments with the switches on

the backs of the 8200 LR left and

right speakers and the 8200 C center

speaker further refine the sound.

Prolonged listening and comparisons

with the other two Ultra2 systems I

have on hand reveal a slightly bright,

trebly sound when the switches are

set to the “standard/THX” position,

but one flip of a switch on each

speaker tunes the treble exactly to

my liking. Your installer, by the way,

will be happy to set these switches

for you—no technical expertise on

your part is required.

Although another THX Ultra2

system might be more appropriate

for your particular situation, the At-

lantic proves my favorite overall

because it sounds a little better than

the other two I have tried. It pro-

duces a pleasing, enveloping sound

with my stereo CDs—a feat few

other THX-approved speakers

achieve—and also sounds great with

surround-sound music from SACD

and DVD-Audio discs. Part of the

credit for this versatility goes to the

8200 SR surround speakers, which

can be set to produce a diffused sur-

round-sound effect for movie

soundtracks, or the more focused

sound that works best for music.

It seems too tame a statement to

say that anyone planning a large

home theater should consider this

system. Honestly, I would recom-

mend it to anyone without the

slightest hesitation. It is simply one

of the best speaker systems ever to

pass through my listening room. For

in-depth technical measurements and

data, visit www.hedmag.com.

Parametric equalizers

(right) in the SA8200 offer

controls that select the fre-

quency being adjusted, the

size of the frequency band

affected by the adjustment,

and the amount that the

equalizer boosts or cuts the

affected frequency band.

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