DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY DEMAND D15 SPEAKER SYSTEM

 DEMAND D15 SPEAKER SYSTEM from DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY  are certainly in fashion, and it’s hard to imagine many slimmer than Definitive Technology’s new Demand Series D15 towers.

Despite housing three 5.25-inch drivers (two carbon fiber woofers and a polypropylene mid-range), a 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter, and not one but two 8-inch side-firing passive radiators, the D15 measures just 6.5 inches wide and thus indeed requires its bolt-on aluminum boom plinth to achieve stability. Def Tech has always balanced serious value with serious performance, and the Demand series clearly maintains the tradition. But while the firm’s top-range calling card has from inception been bipolar designs, with both forward and rearward-radiating drivers and on-board powered “subwoofer” bass sections, the Demand series breaks rank, placing conventional, monopole , fully passive designs at the top, price wise at least, of Def Tech’s offerings for the first time.

The D15 is the second of two Demand series tower designs; the slightly larger and costlier D17 employs 6.5-inch drivers and 10-inch passive radiators yet specifies bass extension only a few Hertz lower with a modest 2 dB gain in sensitivity. To fill out our test system, the company included the Demand D5 C center-channel unit and a pair of D9s, the middle of three bookshelf speaker offerings, for the surround channels, all in the gloss-white lacquer that is one of two finish options (piano black’s the other).   With their gray fine-knit magnetic grilles in place and exposed, white-coned side radiators (there are no grilles for these), the D15s were stunners.

 The towers, thanks to the offset tweeter placement in over sized wave guide bezels that makes them look distinctly googly-eyed with grilles off, are “handed,” and marked thus Le and Right. 

D15 TOWER : 5.25-in carbon fiber cone woofers (2), 8-in passive radiators (2, sides), 5.25-in polypropylene cone bass-mid range with wave guide, 1-in aluminum-dome tweeter; vented enclosure; 9x40.8x12.9 in (WxHxD); 52 lb.

DC5 CENTER : 2x5.25-inch cone bass-mid-ranges with wave guides, 1-inch aluminum-dome tweeter; sealed enclosure; 19x6.5x11.2 in (WxHxD); 24 lb.

 D9 BOOKSHELF  : 5.25-inch cone bass-mid-range with wave guide, 5x9-inch up-firing passive radiator, 1-inch aluminum-dome tweeter; vented enclosure; 6.5x11.7x11.9 in (WxHxD); 17 lb.