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Features
Floor standing main speakers.
Magnetically shielded centre speaker.
Bookshelf surround speakers.
6 ohms impedance.
100-180 watts power rating
2-way design throughout
Driver voice matching
Pros
Remarkable value for money.
Room filling sound is easy.
Cons
Can sound a little dull.
Ratings
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DB Dynamics Polaris II
Home theatre speaker system
Recommended retail price: $1400
(inc. GST)
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Reviewer: Richard Morgan
DB Dynamics is brought to you by one of Australia's most experienced and successful speaker companies. It's a brand conceived, designed and developed in Australia and manufactured in Asia. This arrangement has created a range of products that offers all the performance attributes you could want at a cost that seems downright remarkable.
 The people at DB Dynamics have set out to create speakers with attributes the local market demands: the result is a 'British sound which has been embellished with a stronger bass component and enhanced to be more suited to our larger rooms. The result is a speaker whose sonic quality has very wide appeal and
This wasn't done overnight, of course, it required intensive interaction with the people who sell and buy the product, just so DB Dynamics could meet market needs as closely as possible. Sounds like a lot of rhetoric, I know, but not, I assure you.
The well-received first range of DB Dynamics Polaris speakers has recently undergone redesign, upgrading and renewal in line with developments in the technology that's feeding them (DVD players and AV receivers) and in the advances in speaker technology, materials and manufacturing.
The Polaris Series II is also a complete range of home theatre speakers: there are two front or main models, a bookshelf model (that can be used as a front and/or rear models), a surround model and a dedicated centre channel design.
It's possible to build a home theatre package that'll perform really well from a measly $1000. However, the system we reviewed runs out at an equally miserly $1400 (considering what you get) and comprises the top line AC688F front speakers, the AC652B rear models and the AC052S centre speaker. The range is also supported by several subwoofer models.
Each speaker is a solid, well made product which feels like it's worth more than the asking price. The styling is very contemporary (who said speakers needed to be staid) with attractive black ash finish, sculpted and moulded front baffles and tailored, removable acoustically transparent grilles. They certainly look the part.
The speakers have been engineered to meet the needs of the home theatre market where movie soundtracks can create inordinate demands on. This means, among other things the drivers are robust and the enclosures are thoughtfully constructed. I wouldn't say bullet proof (what speaker is?), but damned close.
All floor standing models feature a full internal brace for rigidity and it's appropriately engineered into the design of the speakers, not merely tacked on as an afterthought. They are also spiked at their bases which are purpose-designed for total isolation from the floor. Plus you get good quality connectors all round- bi-wired on the floor standers.
Initial impression of the Polaris system was of a full -range reproduction sound with good presence, plenty of bass and smooth, balanced midrange (treble was good too). It sounded a bit plump in the upper bass to begin with, but this dissipated for the most part as the speakers were burned-in and the suspension systems of the drivers relaxed. All models benefited from running in, but to a lesser degree.
Under critical listening the Polaris system generates a warm sound with good extension at the extremes. It's not super fidelity but darn good nonetheless. Impressively the point source from these speakers is nowhere near as myopic in its focus as some speaker designs, and this really helps create a sound stage that easily extends past the confines of the speakers
You may like a tad more inner detail in music mode with the front speakers, but for movie soundtracks the set-up is excellent, with the centre kicking-in some excellent sonics to support the energy and impact from the fronts. It depends on your predilection.
There's a good sense of involvement with the Polaris II system, much more than we can reasonably expect from a system selling for less than $1500 (that's for five speakers). And it's controlled to, which is a good thing, because you don't want your speaker system cracking up as Arnie goes on one of his gun-totting body slamming rampages, or you give Tea Party its head and really crank it up.
I reckon DB Dynamics has a winner here, particularly for home theatre applications. I wonder how they do it for the price?
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