TEST BENCH

The 4B has elevated high-frequency response that occurs in two steps. First is a 2.5-dB elevation that starts out at 1kHz and increases to 5-dB above 2kHz. When measured as a surround channel, the overall level of this elevation is reduced by about 1 dB because the speaker has reduced high-frequency energy at wider off-axis radiating angles. He 4C center speaker has a similar characteristic, although the elevation begins 100 Hz lower. Both speakers have significant small-band irregularities above 4kHz that tend to be smoothed in appearance by our averaging techniques, along with limited low-frequency dynamics and relatively low sensitivity. The Bravus 8A subwoofer's low-frequency dynamic capability is modest, but even. For example, it will deliver a sound-pressure level of 85 dB at 25 Hz and between 94.4 and 96.6 dB at any frequency between 32 and 62 Hz. Its crossover, while only showing a small level interaction, has little effect on the bandwidth or sharpness of the low-pass filter. -Tom Nousaine