6. On The Graph And To The Ear

The Ultra had no problem providing balanced response, but with an audible hollow in the upper part of the spectrum. The bass showed a gradual attenuation starting at approximately 100 Hz, but the slope was gentle and reproduction extended fairly far down for speakers of this type. The maximum possible output was fairly high, but at the price of a good deal of distortion. Still, the use of two loudspeakers for the bottom end, providing a relatively large total cone surface, does give the Ultra a higher capacity for total volume than the T20.

Good response, but with a hollow in the treble - this is more or less pronounced depending on the position of the test mike.

Rather than cutting off the bass suddenly, the Ultra gradually attenuated it. Response extended relatively low.

Maximum level: 100.5 dB SPL

On listening, we found the Ultra had a slightly "nasal" quality and a top end that easily became a little insistent, lacking the softness of the T20. That's not surprising, given the difference in technology. On the other hand, the lower end in general was a lot more convincing; it approached the performance of bigger speaker systems. To avoid distortion, you'll need to keep the volume within reasonable limits if your music is heavy on the bass. When playing music with a lot of transients, on the other hand, the Ultra can sound quite impressive for its size! Still, let's keep things in perspective: a system with a subwoofer, even a moderately-priced one, will do better.

In the Plus Column

Fairly high maximum volume level Fairly good reproduction of the lower end of the audio spectrum

In the Minus Column

External power supply Not really free of coloration