Teufel is making a big claim for its new System 8 speaker set-up – that it's the world's smallest THX Ultra 2-approved 5.1 system.
The firm's objective was "to achieve the previously impossible – to engineer a THX Ultra 2 system that takes up significantly less space than the original Theatre 8 system, without sacrificing the latter's acoustic performance".
For example, the new S 8000 SW subwoofer is a third of the size of its predecessor, and is said to be the only sub in the world to meet the THX Ultra 2 requirements with a single bass driver in a compact 80 litre enclosure.
Meanwhile the S 800 FCR front and centre satellite speakers use a new "state-of-the-art flat diaphragm chassis" designed to reduce distortion and minimise diffraction effects – while also being 40 per cent smaller than their predecessors.
The small S 800 D dipole rear speakers use 10cm midrange drivers and 25mm tweeters to project both forwards and backwards, using reverse-polarised drivers to create an "out-of-phase" effect and deliver a more diffuse, ambient sound.
For customers who are unable to wall mount dipole speakers, Teufel will replace them with another pair of S 800 satellites as used at the front.
A Teufel System 8 Cinema 5.1 package with the dipole rears costs £2899; the Concert 5.1 system with five S 800 satellites costs £3099; and the Cinema 7.1 set-up with five S 800 satellites and two S 800 D dipoles costs £3299.
Additional pairs of dipole speakers can be purchased for £479 at a later date for those who want to upgrade their system from 5.1 to 7.1.
There's a full review of the System 8 in the July issue of What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision, on sale now.
