Definitive Technology’s latest in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, the CI Series aims to give integrators supreme whole-home and home theatre audio solutions. Mat Daley explores the range.

I’ll be honest here and say upfront that Definitive Technology as a brand is something I have only recently become aware of. Perhaps from under-representation here in Australia in the past or simply due to me primarily being involved in the custom install market, I’m not sure. However, in digging into the brand’s history, I was surprised and reassured to learn that they have been building speakers for over 30 years.

Since 1990 they have been building and refining their speaker offering and now have an impressive lineup across the hi-fi, home cinema and now, custom install categories.

Here, we are focusing on and comparing Definitive Technology’s two custom install lines, the Dymension CI MAX and Dymension CI PRO.

Starting with the CI MAX range which is the higher performing of the two series and a well-rounded lineup in itself that is tailored more to home cinema installations you have:

LCR

For LCR, you have the choice of a dual 5.25” woofer or a dual 6.5” woofer in-wall. Both with a pivoting 1” aluminium oxide dome tweeter and an accompanying three-position attenuation switch on the front of the speaker for flat, 2dB boost or 2dB cut settings.

Essentially these are the same speaker design with the expected performance increase as you step up to the larger LCR-650 MAX. Both share identical stated specs of sensitivity: 89dB (2.83V/1m), power handling: >100W and impedance: 4Ω, but differ in their frequency response. LCR-525 MAX puts out 51Hz-25kHz (-3dB) with the big boy, the LCR-650 MAX pushing a little lower at 46Hz-25kHz (-3dB).

Obviously, a subwoofer or two would be required for any self-respecting cinema install but they also have you covered with their “Descend” subwoofer range which will get you down to 20Hz (-3dB) with their 15” active DN15. I didn’t get one of these to try out though sadly, my neighbours would no doubt have loved it.

In-wall

Again, two models to choose from here. The DW-45 MAX with a 4.5” woofer and the DW-65 MAX with a 6.5” woofer, each run at 6Ω, not 4Ω like the LCRs. Both have an identical tweeter and attenuation switch to the LCRs for timbral continuity throughout the room. In terms of woofer technology, all the speakers in the range use Definitive Technologies “Mineral-Filled BDSS Woofer with Linear Response Waveguide”, something there seems to be very little information on other than it is patented, revolutionary and some general claims not out of place in any speaker technology description but also not overly helpful in understanding the speaker.

In their words: “Dymension CI MAX’s light, stiff, mineral-filled woofers feature Definitive Technology’s revolutionary Balanced Double Surround System (BDSS), which improves driver excursion and output, delivering superior punchiness and detail and a more even midrange throughout the room. Our patented Linear Response Waveguide extends both on-axis and off-axis frequency dispersion for more natural midrange and precise imaging and an open, airy sound.”

Make of that what you will. A heads up for my Queensland brethren too, these are 93mm deep so watch those shallow 70mm stud walls.

In-ceiling

The in-ceiling lineup consists of three models. The primary two are your usual suspects, being 6.5” and 8” woofer models, the DC-65 MAX and DC-80 MAX. These are both 6Ω speakers with slightly different frequency responses as is to be expected. DC-65 MAX states 49Hz-25kHz (-3dB) and the larger DC-80 MAX comes in at 43Hz-25kHz (-3dB).

The defining feature of these in-ceiling models is their pivoting woofer and tweeter allowing you to aim them directly toward the listening area. Something that becomes key when designing rooms with the new CEDIA RP22 Immersive Audio Design Recommended Practice. There is also a third and interesting in-ceiling model specifically for use as a surround speaker, I’ll touch on this in the next section.

Surround

To round out this lineup, Definitive Technology also gives us two speakers in their “Surround” category. These are slight deviations from the other models in that these are an in-wall, the DW MAX SUR and the above-mentioned in-ceiling, the DC-80 MAX SUR. Definitive Technology refers to these as dedicated surround speakers.

These are interesting in that the in-wall is a traditional bipole speaker which is something we are seeing less and less of in the era of object-based audio, RP22 and immersive audio in general. I do still see a use case for it.

With its dual-axis (bipolar) array featuring two pairs of 6.5” woofers and tweeters angled left and right, this speaker and bipoles in general spread sound wide to create a diffuse sound that feels like it’s coming from a broad area rather than a specific point. To my way of thinking, this diffuse characteristic means that these speakers are not as suitable in today’s object-based audio cinemas where focus is key as audio objects move throughout the room with precision.

We also now tend to just use more speakers to create a wider sound field but with the added advantage of a more defined sound stage and pan resolution. Still, I can see a place for these speakers in smaller rooms where a traditional 5.1 surround configuration is all the room calls or allows for. In this scenario, these can open up the surround stage and make a smaller room feel bigger and more immersive. I would personally steer clear of using these in an object-based system though. In terms of specs for the in-ceiling DC-80 MAX SUR, this is just a single pivoting woofer 8” woofer with two offset 1” tweeters attached to give the same type of diffuse dispersion pattern. These are aimable in that they are fixed to the woofer but not able to pivot independently. The in-wall DW MAX SUR runs at 4Ω with a stated frequency response of 52Hz-25kHz (-3dB) and the DC-80 MAX SUR runs at 6Ω with a frequency response of 43Hz-25kHz (-3dB).

Moving on to the CI Pro range of speakers, this range has a few less available options and I would say is more designed for your everyday multi-room audio installations. The lineup simply consists of a 6.5” and 8” in-ceiling (DC 65 PRO & DC 80 PRO), a 6.5” and 8” in-wall (DW 65 PRO & DW 80 PRO) and a great little dual input/dual tweeter 6.5” single stereo speaker (DC-65 PRO SI). These are all 6Ω speakers with stated frequency responses of:

DC 65 PRO 6.5” in-ceiling – 53Hz-25kHz (-3dB)

DC 80 PRO 8” in-ceiling – 42Hz-25kHz (-3dB)

DC-65 PRO SI Stereo in-ceiling – 36Hz-25kHz (-3dB)

DW 65 PRO 6.5” in-wall – 35Hz-25kHz (-3dB)

DW 80 PRO 8” in-wall – 46Hz-25kHz (-3dB)

I’d consider these just to be a great everyday install speaker given their lower cost and still reasonable spec. They are also all IP55-rated these would also be suitable for an outdoor installation or even for use in high-humidity rooms like a bathroom or steam room.

Aesthetics and install

All in all, these speakers are well made and have all the features you would expect to make them a worthy consideration for your custom installs. The paintable, magnetic grilles have a super-slim bezel finished with a barely noticeable “D” logo.

Installation is tool-less and made fast and simple by removing the speaker assembly from its surrounding frame with a screwdriver (not considered a tool I guess?), fastening your frame first to the speaker cutout and clamping it in place with the rubber-tipped dog ears. You then just place your speaker back in the frame and push the fastener heads to lock in place. There is also a range of pre-construction brackets available which is another big tick.

Usage

Given that Definitive Technology has given solutions for both cinema and multi-room audio this line-up would be a great way to give a consistent and familiar sound quality throughout an entire house and into the cinema.

The IP55 rating across the lineup also makes them suitable for outdoor installations. They even have an outdoor-rated LCR soundbar, The Mythos, to complete the offering which is a unique product and how I first learned of Definitive Technology.

These aren’t overly powerful speakers so aren’t going to suit a large cinema or satisfy a client chasing a high SPL room, but they will certainly perform well in the smaller cinemas they were designed for.

While they haven’t broken any new ground and I’m sure that wasn’t the goal, Definitive Technology has delivered a well-rounded lineup here to add to and complement their already strong range of speakers utilising consistent technologies across the range for a uniform tonality throughout your entire home if you so wish.