Definitive Technology Adds Demand Series Towers And Center Channel Speakers

Definitive Technology made quite a splash back in 2017 with the introduction of the Demand Series D7, D9, and D11 bookshelf speakers. With the new Demand Series, Definitive Tech offered both improved sonics and more elegant, upscale aesthetics compared to its previous StudioMonitor line. Now, the company is finally expanding the much-lauded Demand Series by adding two high-performance towers and a matching center-channel speaker. The new Demand D15 towers, D17 towers, and D5C center-channel speaker were announced at CES 2020, where show-goers caught a glimpse of the new speakers’ sleek and modern industrial design. Like the existing Demand Series bookshelf speakers, the new models boast bead-blasted extruded aluminum front baffles. The cabinets are finished in either piano black or gloss white paint, all five layers of which are meticulously sanded and buffed to a “near mirror” finish. Of course, good looks will only get you so far, so Definitive Technology has outfitted its latest offerings with newly-designed carbon fiber woofers and annealed aluminum tweeters, which the company claims will “deliver an unrivaled room filling sound, smooth high-frequency reproduction, and precise imaging for a superior listening experience.” The combination of good looks and high performance rarely comes cheap, however, and the Demand Series pricing reflects that unfortunate truth. The D15 towers are available now for $3,398/pair, and the larger D17 towers will set you back $4,598/pair. The D5C center channel speaker sells for the somewhat more palatable price of $799 each. All are available for purchase now.

The new Demand Series speakers all utilize a 1-inch annealed aluminum dome tweeter coupled with Def Tech’s 20/20 Wave Alignment Lens. As in the Demand Series bookshelf models, the tweeters in the D15 and D17 towers are laterally offset from the other drivers, allowing for “more precise imaging by eliminating undesirable symmetric diffraction from the corners of the front baffle, resulting in a refined and balanced listening experience,” according to the company. The mineral-polymer midrange drivers and mid/woofers feature Definitive Technology’s patented Balanced Double Surround System (BDSS), which is said to promote greater excursion and deliver both punchier bass and improved midrange detail compared to competing designs. A “linear response waveguide” reportedly extends frequency response both on axis and off axis, while improving dispersion for “more natural mid-range timbre and precise imaging.” The D15 and D17 towers employ newly-developed carbon fiber bass drivers, alongside dual side-firing passive radiators. The result should be a “deep, tight, and clean bass response” with “extended low-frequency reproduction from a smaller enclosure design,” according to the company.

"Definitive Technology introduced the Demand Series in 2017 with three bookshelf speakers, which were warmly received in the market for their graceful design and highly accurate reproduction. Since then, we’ve been busy designing two new tower speakers and a center channel built on the principles of the original Demand Series bookshelf speakers. We maintained the same level of craftsmanship and material quality in designing and developing the line. Listeners will see familiar technologies, including the 20/20 Wave Alignment Lens, BDSS, and Linear Response Waveguide. However we also added newly designed dual carbon fiber bass drivers and dual side-firing passive radiators to the towers, which deliver some of the smoothest, most accurate and rich reproduction of any tower on the market in its price range. The center channel is the perfect addition to the line for home theater aficionados."

— Michael Greco, category director of Loudspeakers at Sound United

The 3-way Demand D15 towers stand almost 41” tall, and combine a single 5.25-inch BDSS midrange driver with a pair of 5.25-inch carbon fiber bass drivers and dual 8-inch passive radiators. The larger D17 is just over 43” tall, and employs a 6.5-inch midrange driver, two 6.5-inch bass drivers, and two 10-inch passive radiators. The 2-way D5C center channel speaker uses a pair of 5.25-inch mid-woofers and the same 1-inch tweeter found in the rest of the range. How will these new speakers compete with the new Polk Legend or JBL HDI series? We will have to get some in for review and let you know in the near future. In the meantime, please share your thoughts in the related forum thread below.

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