Superb sound is the icing on the home
cinema cake and if your speaker’s kook stunning too, you’ve got a real winner…
In test
B & W MT-50
Stunning Award winner
Canton Movie 1050
A great-looking system
Monitor Audio MASS
Small, powerful, impressive
Q Acoustics Q7000i 5.1
Refined, elegant and focused
Who wouldn’t want their very own cinema a
in their home? The luxury of not having to queue for tickets, enjoying your own
food instead of overpriced snacks and most importantly, enjoying and
blockbuster film from the comfort of your own sofa.
You may have the perfect television set
picked and your room prepared, but what about that final, all-important
element? Yes, we’re talking about the sound. Any film’s soundtrack deserves a
great speaker package, and you want the most enveloping and thrilling
performance to place you right in the middle of the film’s action.
Over the next few pages, you’ll find four
fantastic-looking and equally attractively priced style speaker packages from B
& W, Monitor Audio, Canton and Q Acoustics. We reckon it’s going to be an
exciting test, so turn the page to see which system won us over…
Bowers & Wilkins MT-50
Price: $1,700
Bowers
& Wilkins MT-50
If you picked up our Awards 2012 issue last
month (and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?) you’ll have been us rave
about the excellent Bowers & Wilkins MT-50 speaker package.
It’s certain one of the more immediately
impressive speaker packages we’ve tested at this price. From the build quality
and finish of the M-1 satellites to the overall performance, this is a speaker
package that feels and sounds as if it might cost much more.
Effects are pretty special
With its multiple superheroes clashing on
personalities and superpowers, a Blu-ray of Marvel Avengers Assemble is a
promising way to start this test. The film’s 7.1 DTS Master HD soundtrack hosts
plenty of explosive action scenes peppered with Joss Whedon’s signature witty
dialogue; it’s a daunting test for any system, and the MT-50 handles it with
admirable deftness. Surround effects are steered across the room with
effortless ease: when Thor’s hammer makes that momentous contact with Captain
America’s shield, the resulting sonic reverberations spread across the room in
near-tangible ripples.
The level of detail and openness of the
MT-50 is splendid. The system is able to relay the depth of distances and
changes in atmosphere with startling accuracy. Along with a deft touch with
quieter scenes, there’s no lacking in confidence when delivering large-scale
dynamic shifts. In fact, the Monitor Audio MASS is the only other system in
this test that gets close to the level of power and scale on display here. But
even compared with that talented rival, the MT-50 delivers an extra layer of
subtlety and insight that keeps you captivated by the film you’re watching.
The five identical and flexible M-1
satellite speakers astound with their crisply attacking and clear sound. That’s
great for films but it also means they are superb with dialogue and vocals in
stereo music as well. These satellites have been upgraded to incorporate
technology taken from B&W’s high-end speakers (the Nautilus and the PM1).
The ASW608 subwoofer can’t compete with the superb B&W PV1 (not much can),
but it does a fine job and integrates nicely with the satellites.
This is a svelte-looking package as well
with the compact, curved cabinets making them easy to position close to the
walls, and the high-quality finish of the speakers is complemented by a very
sturdy build.
At $1,700 the MT-50 is the priciest system
in this test, but we definitely think it’s worth every rupee of its asking
price. This is a stunning speaker package.
Sub’s size belies its power
The ASW608 subwoofer rounds up the MT-50
package and is a surprisingly diminutive box compared with the others in this
test (26 x 26 x 33cm). But don’t be fooled – this is a nimble, precise unit
that’s fast enough to keep up with the talented satellites. It also has two EQ
settings movies and music. We do wish it could go a little bit deeper, but it
packs a powerful punch and is great if space is limited.
The
ASW608 subwoofer rounds up the MT-50 package
Rating: 5 stars
For: Great integration; superb detail;
crisp and insightful sound; agile sub; good with stereo music; sturdy,
attractive build
Against: Compact sub trades depth for
agility
Verdict: Wraps up all-round sonic
excellence with good looks in a value-for-money package
Specifications
Bowers & Wilkins MT-50
·
Price: $1,700
·
Rating: 5 stars
Satellites
·
Sensitivity: 85db/w/m
·
Power handling: 100W
·
Dimensions (hwd): F/R 25 x 11 x 16cm, Center: 11
x 25 x 16cm
Subwoofer
·
Power: 200W
·
Driver: 20cm
·
Type: sealed
·
Inputs: 2
·
Dimensions (hwd): 26 x 26 x 33cm
Canton Movie 1050
Price: $1,365
Canton
Movie 1050
Of these four style speaker packages, this
Canton Movie 1050 is the only one we haven’t heard before. We’ve always excited
when we pit new products against old favorites, and straight out of the box the
Canton’s first impression is favorable.
While all-the-speaker packages in this test
can be described as compact, the German loudspeaker company has pushed the
design brief the furthest of all, with rear standmounters and a center-channel
speaker that are positively tiny. It’s also the only maker here offering floorstanders
at the front very sleek and slender ones at that. The whole thing looks stylish
in either of the black or white finishes available.
A constant tonal balance
Each speaker contains a 15mm aluminum
tweeter and an 8cm aluminum mid/bass driver, with the front floor standers
using no fewer than four of the larger units, two each side of the tweeter. The
floor standers come with their own circular plinth, and if you want dedicated
stands for the rears (the LS 90.2), they cost extra.
Play J J Abrams’ Star Trek and the Canton
package has a lot to sing about. It good at handling the challenging dynamics,
and delivers and powerful sound proportionate to its size, despite such
disparity in the size and arrangement of the five speakers, there’s a
consistent tonal balance. The midrange shines with dialogue that’s direct and
easy to hear, but the floor standers have a slightly shorty quality to their
sound that draws a disproportionate amount of attention and gives an
overemphasis on foreground noise. As a result, there’s a lack of cohesion to
the sound, and the rear speakers struggle to communicate background and
surround noises effectively.
The top end of the 5.1 soundtrack shimmers
brilliantly, but it’s at the expense of conviction and depth at the middle to low
frequencies, the biggest weakness of the Canton package is the forward-firing
20cm-driver active subwoofer. While it certainly rumbles deep, it’s fairly
unwieldy bass lines lack the agility to drive the rest of the system with
enthusiasm.
Against the cheaper Monitor Audio and Q
Acoustics systems in this test, the Canton isn’t quite as adept at conveying
the great expanses of outer space surrounding the starships in Star Trek. The
sound field ends up feeling rather congested.
Play some Pet Shop Boys and you’ll find the
sound is dynamic, although individual instruments can get lost in the whole.
The Canton Movie 1050 is a mixed bag. We
like the look of it but it doesn’t quite hold up next to its more talented
rivals.
Take time to tweak
The Canton subwoofer is no slouch, but its
limitations become clear alongside the other subs in this test. What’s more, it
needs a fair bit of tweaking before it performs at its best. Play around with
the crossover and volume level controls on the rear panel to get the right
balance and integration with the rest of the system. It’s quite tricky and
might take a while, but get the fine-tuning right and you’ll hear a marked
improvement.
The
Canton subwoofer is no slouch
Rating: 3 stars
For: Sleek and slim build; stylish looks;
good dynamics; good tonal balance
Against: Not the most refined; lack of
cohesion; imprecise subwoofer
Verdict: A great-looking system, but it
doesn’t really impress in outright performance
Specifications
Canon Movie 1050
·
Price: $1,365
·
Rating: 3 stars
Satellites
·
Sensitivity: 84db/w/m
·
Power: 100/120W (front)
·
Dimensions (hwd): front 103 x 9 x 10cm, center
and rear: 9 x 22 x 10cm
Subwoofer (ported)
·
Power: 120W
·
Driver: 20cm
·
Inputs: 2
·
Dimensions: 41 x 24 x 42cm
