Away from its high-end setups, we
offer budget multichannel packages where styling appears to be an afterthought.
The Viton 51 looks very much made for times
of austerity. The price is low and the appearance is commensurate with the
price. Design-wise, they go back to the Ark, or the early 80s at least. The
four chunky black bookshelf speakers and center are solidly hewn from
no-nonsense MDF with edges as blunt as Gene Hunt.
Driver technology isn’t particularly exotic
either. The VT11 two-way bass reflex satellites have a 5in paper cone midrange
driver and a 1in fabric tweeter. The center uses two of the mics as a well as a
tweeter… each speaker has a removable cloth grille, and gold-plated terminals.
The terminals, like the overall build, are solid and reassuring.
Teufel
Viton 51
The bizarrely named US 5110/1 SW sub has a
more contemporary air. It has a bass reflex port on the front and fires
downwards, with its 10in woofer powered by a 125W amp. Visual status is
provided by an LED-lit glow around the on/off button. This switches from
arrange to blue when the sub receives a signal. In standby mode (which is
claimed to only use 0.35W) the high level of brightness is like having a
traffic light in your room.
In
standby mode (which is claimed to only use 0.35W) the high level of brightness
is like having a traffic light in your room
With the crossover set remotely by your AV
receiver, volume tweaked and phase switched if necessary, the sub can be left
to switch itself on and off as required, courtesy of its auto-level dial with
adjustable sensitivity.
A spin of The Wire’s Dolby Digital DVD
soundtrack shows the VT12 center has excellent proficiency with dialogue, doing
a fine job with the almost impenetrable Baltimore drawl of Omar and Prop Joe.
And the center laps up the haunting richness of Richard Burton’s War of The
Worlds DSD commentary on SACD, effortlessly blending it with the instrumental
whirring and whining of the revealing of first Martian.
Cranking things up a notch or two with
Chapter 22 of Avater’s DTS-HD MA soundtrack, and the monstrous three, the Viton
51 package proves adept at dealing with multi-layered big movie soundtracks.
The satellites and sub immerse you with the arrival of the helicopters and
gunship, whilst the VT 12 keeps Colonel Quaritch’s commands audible. At the
scene’s most intense moments, though, with the big tree tottering and falling,
the Teufels start to feel a little loose.
If the musically overwhelming Avatar pushes
the Viton to its limits a score-free scarp from Band of Brothers (Blu-ray) is
well within its capabilities – tank shells, sniper bullets and automatic
weapons are remorselessly dispensed with a level of clarity that I wasn’t
expecting from this budget array.
With
the crossover set remotely by your AV receiver, volume tweaked and phase
switched if necessary
The system goes reasonably loud, too, and
is adequate for uncritical music sessions, with the woofer keeping the rhythm
section tight on my Talking Heads Blu-ray and David Byrne’s lyrics having
tremendous presence.
Overall this is a decent system for the
money. Gene Hunt might not agree but looks aren’t everything
The verdict
Highs: Dedicated center pays dividends with
dialogue; good sub/sat integration; powerful, articulate sound
Lows: Bland, uninspiring-looking
satellites; awkward to mount; ugly subwoofer
·
Performance: 4/5
·
Design: 3.5/5
·
Features: 3/5
·
Overall: 3.5/5
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Specifications
·
Viton 51 price: $675 Approx
VT11
·
Drive units: 1 x4in paper cone mid/bass
driver; 1 x 1in fabric tweeter
·
Enclosure: Rear-ported
·
Frequency response: 80Hz-20kHz
·
Sensitivity: 85dB
·
Power handling: 80W
·
Dimensions: 156(w) x 260(h) x 200(d)mm
·
Weight: 2.8kg
VT 12
·
Drive units: 2 x 4in paper cone mid/bass
driver; 1 x 1in fabric tweeter
·
Enclosure: Rear-ported
·
Frequency response: N/A
·
Sensitivity: N/A
·
Power handling: 140W
·
Dimensions: 435(w) x 155(h) x 200(d) mm
·
Weight: 5 kg
US 5110/1 SW
·
Drive units: 10in cellulose woofer
·
Enclosure: Front-ported
·
Frequency response: Down to 34Hz
·
On board power: 100W
·
Dimensions: 240(w) x 420(h) x 365(d) mm
·
Weight: 12.8kg
·
Connections: Phono line-level input
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