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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.
Tw o 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
200
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