Definitive Technology D11 High Performance Demand Series Bookshelf Speakers, New and Unique Tweeter Design, Acoustically Transparent Magnetic Grille, Pair, Premium Piano Black

I have been researching off and on a pair of bookshelf speakers for my dedicated "listening room" in the basement - literally a couch facing a mirrored wall - no TV! I finally decided to splurge and go with the D11 set from DT over the D9, and am driving these speakers from a 2018 Sonos Amp.Upon first listen I was blown away by the soundstage. I do not have any treatment on the walls but the clarity this configuration delivers right out of the box is unbelievable for the size of the speakers. The top radiating vents for the bass truly add a huge dimension to the sound, but the upper range is just so crystal clear. I'm streaming FLAC files ripped straight from CD through my Sonos system, as well as high quality Spotify tracks, and every song I throw at it I hear something new that I've not heard before. I think the pairing with the Sonos Amp is also a huge win - it delivers 125 watts per channel and, even though I also did try a bi-amping arrangement with an older model Amp that I have in storage, I decided it wasn't worth the trouble to wire up both Amp devices - the levels are hard to get right and changing volume will impact the balance of the highs and lows. So for me, it's single wire with the bridge kept locked in on the speakers.Overall I am very pleased with these speakers - we have owned a set of floor standing DT speakers (that have built-in powered subs in each) for almost 20 years now, so I know DT's reputation for quality workmanship. Very glad that the D11's have so far lived up to all that I read about them!

Amazing speakers!!!…I am blown away how detailed these speakers sound!!!…I’ve never owned a pair of bookshelf speakers that could even touch these!!…Very well built high quality construction!!!..Bi-Amp capable 5 way gold post ...Very efficient speakers!!…Amazing imaging!!! ..Mindblowing Soundstage!!!..Very full sounding speakers!!!..Warm natural non fatiguing and precise Treble ..Really Surprising Deep Bass!!…The top passive radiator really allows these to reach down deep and punch way above their weight class!!!... If I close my eyes I would swear these were a set of their floor standing models, not such compact bookshelf speakers? ..Very Attractive!!….Really sharp looking speakers!!.. Piano black gloss finish..Aluminum front baffle with magnetic removable grills..Very handsome!!! ..Very happy with this purchase!!!...A joy to listen too!!…If you are in the market for some Audiophile level bookshelf speakers ...Do yourself a favor and audition these speakers!!! ..I think you might be very impressed!! 😀

If you enjoying genre like Jazz, Bossa Nova, Classical basically anything have instruments heavy. These are for you.I've coupled them with Parasound Halo amplifier, very neutral and a joy to listen to, none of the high notes are bright to my ears. Bass is alright, but once I turned on the SVS SB-1000 to reinforce the bottom lines and blended in well with D11. Woew! enjoy them every hour when I'm home after work. Comes highly recommended.IMO, burn-in them in for a bit. I've burned mine about 30 hours before I've started listening to these speakers.

I compared the Definitive Technology Demand 11 to 3 other Bookshelf speakers I currently have in rotation and access to. The Range is kind of broad. So this is not to suggest that a $1,000 Retail speaker should sound as good as one costing upwards of $2,000. But listening to a better sounding speaker is often a way of evaluating a speaker in terms of its strengths and/or weaknesses.I compared the Demand D11 [Retail $1,000] to the following:Wharfedale Denton 85th Anniversary [Retail $1,000]Bowers & Wilkins 706 S2 [Retail 2,000], andDynaudio Special 40 [Retail 3,600]I will start with the easy part - Dynaudio's sound far far better than any speaker on this list. Of course it is debatable whether the improved sound is worth the extra $s. But it helped me to evaluate the other speakers agains what I viewed as the best among the 4 or benchmark. This is a review of the D11's - will spare you the discussion on B&W 706 S2 for now.The Dynaudio's have the the best high, mid and low. They also throw the widest soundstage of the 4 and extract the most detail. They have the ability to extract all that detail without sounding harsh or having higher than necessary treble/high. Of course I have not had a speaker better than the Dynaudio Special 40 as such while they may be my benchmark - others may have faults to find given the better speakers they may have heard.Coming back to the D-11s; on comparison and frankly even standalone assessment I noted the following:The Good:Liked the Look. They are Compact - yet not small. The White is very attractive. The Front is also very nice. The Jet Rubbery Black of the drivers is a Very Attractive Look.They do not sound fatiguing. They are not harsh by any means. And have a nice warm tone if one is into that.The instrument separation is good.The Not so Good:Unable to extract the Detail. All 3 other speakers did noticeably better than the D11s.Tonally balanced with exception of mid bass seems to be slightly elevated and interferes with the mids on vocals - but then all Tones, i.e., High, Mid and Low sound recessed. But may be an advantage in pairing with brightish Amp.Overall did not sound the Bass Lacking - but some Low Notes below a certain frequency were handled better by the other 3. Not comparing to a Sub.Not a fan of the Grill cloth on Top for the Passive Radiator. Would have preferred a Cleaner Look and frankly like to Grab the Back Port when moving around speakers. The Grill on top may not do any favors as the speakers age - over the years may show stains, loosen, rips etc.In a nut shell what am saying is that while sound is subjective - The Wharfedale Denton 85 that is at the same $1,000 retail sounds better to my ears. It sounds bigger, fuller, has more detail and not recessed. But again when paired with bright leaning amp a few may prefer the D11 over the Wharfedale.The D11 may be ideal for smaller spaces, where the listener is nearer to the source. Or even larger spaces if one is overly sensitive to Highs and prefers a warm leaning sound and does not care overly for detail retrieval. They may be good speakers for certain set ups.I recognize that this review is glaringly at Odds with almost all of the Reviews on Amazon for these speakers. To that end I tried the speakers - all 4 with a different source amplifier just to make it was not one fussy Amp. I tested with Denon PMA-A110 and Sony TA-A1ES. The Denon is very Transparent and the Sony is a little forgiving - comparatively speaking. Generally speaking a warmer speaker might do better with the Denon A110 and a brighter speaker may be happier with the Sony A1ES. The above observations are based on combined listening impressions from Both Amplifiers. Did not test with a Home Theater Receiver or for Movies. All listening impressions were 2 Channel, Music Only without a Subwoofer.

Ok. The first set I received were distorting at reference zero levels which they shouldn't, so I returned them with no hassle. The new set came and no issue with this set I'm completely happy with these speakers they have fantastic sound quality and I highly recommend them.

Great musical quality and provides a wide sound stage.

These are great, best I ever heard for their size and comparable to much larger. Beautiful sound stage, not hyper-sensitive to placement in room. Look good too, if that's a consideration. Obviously, deepest bass isn't there, but superior 'sound' otherwise.

Great sounding speakers! Very very clear! You won't be disappointed!