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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.