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The Century SeriesThe CenturySeries,which replacesour popularPSBSeries, is a completere-dressin physicalappearance,accompaniedby significantacousticupdatesthat in somecases includenewdrivers.As you go up the linefrom the Century300ito theCentury1000i, you will experienceincrementalgains in lowest bass response,maximumsoundoutput, and high-frequencypower-handling.All of the modelswiththe "i" suffix are updates,with improvementssuch as newradiusedgrilles (whichminimizediffractioneffects at highfrequencies),newcabinetfinishes(ina choice ofblack ash or dark cherry),newradiusedport tubes (for still lowerturbulenceat highsoundlevels),newgold-platedconnectors(includingdualsets of bindingposts onthe towers to allowbi-ampingand bi-wiring),andfinishedbacks.The newgrilles andfinishesmakethe newCenturiessleekerand slimmerto fit more easilyinto livingspaces.

Bookshelf Systems

The Century 300i

Thesoundof the300i is very much like that of our amazingAlpha,but with deeperbass responsefrom its largercabinet(whichalso housesa new6-lj2-inch woofer)andwith slightly morehigh-frequencypower-handlingfrom'its larger-dome(3/4-inch)tweeter,which is also a bit smoother.Likethe more expensivesystems in theseries, it nowhasgold-platedbindingposts.

The Century 400iThe400i is specificallydesignedfor those whowantthe range usuallyassociatedwith a big speakerin onethat fits on a bookshelf.Withan effective low-frequencycut-off of 38 Hz, it competesnicely in low-endresponsewith manyfar largersystems. (Thetrade-offis some efficiency;its sensitivityfor typical listeningroomsis 89 dB, as opposedto 91 dB in the 300i and 92 dB in the far larger-and moreexpensive-Century 1000i.) Thesystem'shigh-frequencyresponsebenefitsfrom a3/4-inch textile dome tweeter (alsoused in the 500i) with smooth responseandexcellentdispersion.

The Century 500iThisis thelargestsingle-wooferCentury,anditssimpletwo-waydesignusingan8-inchwooferis a classicthatmanylistenersfavorindouble-blindtests.Its largerwooferandinternalvolumegiveit a low-frequencycut-offpointof 32 ~z, anditspower-handlingis enhancedbya newvoice-coilmaterialandhigher-temperatureadhesives.Aswiththe400ia new3/4-inch textile dome tweeter produces silky,extended highs and fine dispersion,

nTower Systems

The Century 600iThesmallestandleastexpensiveof ourtwo-woofersystems,the600i, is alsothefirst of thethreeCenturytowersystems.Itstwo6-lj2-inchwoofers,withinjectionmoldedcones,providethesame32 Hzbasscut-offasthe500i,butwithgreaterpower-handling.Combinedwiththehigh-frequencypowercapabilitiesof a new1-inchtextiledometweeter,theyhelpthe600isupplythegreatestdynamicrangepercubicinchof allourspeakers.Anaddedmaximum-performancefeatureis theoptionof bi-ampingor bi-wiringviathedouble,gold-platedterminalsontherearpanel.

The Century 800iWithtwo new8-inchwoofers that employnewvoice coil materialsand higher-temperatureadhesivesfor increasedpower-handling,the 800ican stir a lot of airin motionat symphonicor rock listeninglevelsin big livingrooms-with a low-frequencycut-offof 30 Hz. It usesthe same newI-inch textile dome tweeter asthe 600i and 1000i, and hasthe samewell-dispersedtop-endresponse.It is hardto makethis also-biampablespeakersoundat all stressed in evena large livingroom.

The Century 1000iOur newadditionto the top of the Centuryseries,this is a slim, elegantspeakerwith an appearancemuch like our Stratus Silver.It employstwo 6-lj2-inchwoofers in a "two-and-a-half-way"designthat essentiallyuses both of the woofersin subwooferterritory whileallowingone to operateat mid-rangefrequenciesaswell. The result, in combinationwith the system'ssilk-textiledome tweeter, isextremelysmoothoverall sound.(Ina recent reviewof the system in StereoReview,JulianHirschreportedthat its on-axisfrequencyresponsewas thesmoothesthe hasever measured.)

Specialized Speakers for Home TheaterAllof theCenturyspeakersdescribedaboveareexcellentsystemsfor HomeTheateruseaswellasmusiclistening.TocompletetheirHomeTheaterperformance,weoffertwocenter-channelspeakers,theCenturylOOC;andtheCentury200C;,whichdeliveroutstandingclarityanddefinition,andtwosubwoofers,theSubsonicII andSubsonicIII,whichprovidegut-levelreproductionof thedeepestsubsonicfrequenciesfoundinHomeTheatermaterials.Thedifferencebetweenthemodelsineachof thetwopairsis inpower-handling,and,inthesubwoofers,inthelowestfrequencycovered

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(25HzintheSubSonicIIand21 HzintheSubsonicIII).The100CiandtheSubsonicIIareanespeciallylogicalmatchwithanyof thebookshelfCenturys,whilethe200CiandSubsonicIIIjoinparticularlywellwiththeCenturytowersystems.

The performanceof an all-CenturyHomeTheatersystemis far beyondwhatmost peoplehaveheard,or evensuspect is possible,in a home listeningroom. All of our speakersare so close to eachother in musical,timbralbalancethat they mix andmatch perfectly for HomeTheater,with no source-shift or other unwantedeffects. (Centurysystemsup front also mix beautifullywith our smallerAlphaor Ambientdipolesurroundspeakersas surroundunits.)

HEAR for YOURSELF: We urge you to listen to the Centurys to gaugethem by your most critical expectations and decide which ones areright for your needs and taste. Bring musical material you knowwell to a listening session, and judge performance both on complexmaterial and by the simple but demanding standard of the humanvoice. Whichever Centurys you choose, we think you will beenthusiastic not just with the way they sound and the amoun't ofperformance they supply for your investment, but with the way theyfit into your life.

Crossover

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