Atlantic Technology System T70.

Manufacturer: Atlantic Technology, 343 Vanderbilt Avenue, Norwood, MA 02062; 781/762-6300

Price: Full package, $999; Five satellite speakers alone, $675; Subwoofer alone, $375

Source: Manufacturer loan

Reviewer: Howard Ferstler

I am a notoriously cheap person, and I continue to search for components, particularly speaker systems, that can deliver the goods for a minimum of cost. The T70 home-theater speaker package may not deliver all the large-playback-room goods a serious audio buff on a big budget might want, but it certainly can do yeoman service in a moderately sized room with both home theater and musical program material. I suppose I could now end this report right here, but let's just see why the T70 package is so nice, and see whether its strengths and limitations will matter all that much to certain enthusiasts.

As some of you might recall, I reviewed a larger Atlantic Technology home-theater package in Issue 75 (June/July, 1999). That was the company's $2,400 System 270 (which has been replaced by the Syetem 270 THX Select at $2,796), and in that report I concluded that it "would satisfy most music lovers and home-theater enthusiasts who were shopping for something in this price category."

I should remind people here that the current System 270 is THX Select-certified (this rating is less rigorous than the THX Ultra certification, which is the same thing as what the original THX program began with), and it is also a tad different from the version I reviewed. In particular, the center-channel speaker has a smaller tweeter mounting plate that is more closely flanked by the midrange drivers, which should result in somewhat better horizontal dispersion. I will also note that the T70 system I am reviewing here is not so certified.