i'm curious what you think of the bi-polar speakers from def-tech that have built in 10, 12 or even 14 inch subs, that are powered, right in the tower speakers. thanks in advance.
Much depends on whether you like bi-polar speaker sound. But many people and many reviewers love quite a few of the Def Techs. Like any speaker you are better off listening to them before buying them--and with cd's you like that you bring to the dealership.
Ideally it certainly makes sense to have the self-powered subwoofer integrated in the speaker design. High end Infinity speakers do this, NHT high end, and some others.
Ideally, the speakers should be totally integrated by the manufacturer with the best amp or amps driving the woofers/mids/tweeters.
But it mostly hasn't caught on except in subwoofer sections because most people buy receivers or separates. But there is little doubt a good manufacturer can better match all amplification with the speaker models that are big enough to house them. The Paradigm Active 20's and 40's were great--but didn't sell well. They were even reviewed great, but people withn their own amplification weren't going to buy them.