Before I get started, I’m going to tell you that reading reviews carefully is critical. Not all written reviews are created equal, as the content can create more questions than answers.
For example, many people will give a product a bad rating because it was damaged during shipping. That’s a review of the shipping, not the product rendering the review useless. A positive review with one word comments like “amazing” “awesome sound” etc, is nice but void of details as to how they use them. Or a reviewer will write how much they enjoy the speaker with zero complaints yet give the product only 3-4 out of 5 stars.
Lastly, a review from an audiophile, musician or engineer can be difficult to navigate due to the use of different verbiage, and interpretations of how they hear various audio sources. If you’re not any of those, their reviews will not be as helpful.
In my case I’m none of those so I use plain, simple language as best I can to help you figure this out.
So, read reviews using critical thinking as your guide. Create a questions list in advance before you read any review. The reviews that tackle most if not all of your questions will be the most helpful.
The Definitive Technology SR-9040 Surround Speakers are fantastic. They have a unique design in which 4 drivers point in two different directions that provide a more spacious sound field regarding the direction/reflection of all sound effects.
Placement is important and should be approximately at 36 inches from the floor, you can go a little higher as well. By “little” I mean a few inches NOT several feet which will defeat their purpose.
Also, I don’t recommend installing them way up on the high corners of your ceiling, and angling them downward to your listening position. These speakers are best either on a wall, shelf, or speaker stand with a 6x6 plate. You’ll also need to invest in some quality rubber feet (3 for each speaker due to its triangular design)
They are very well packaged and rather heavy as the design feels very solid in build. The piano gloss finish is very attractive however do not drop these on a floor. They will crack even from a fall of 3-4 feet as I found out the hard way. These speakers are not ported but instead use a sealed design.
My System Set Up :
The system I’m running is all Def-Tech. I have the BP 9040 (L & R), CS-9060 Center Channel, A-90 Atmos speaker modules, and the SR-9040 Surround with a
Yamaha RX-A1080 110 watt receiver. My Bass Calibration is set at the common 80 Hz crossover. I’m using 16 AWG Mediabridge speaker cables with the pre-installed banana plugs. The range on these speakers is an impressive 50Hz - 30,000 KHz which means the 9040’s provide some very reasonable lows with authority from their 3.5” drivers.
Firstly, the SR-9040 are NOT ideal speakers for a front (L & R) or stereo only application. That’s are not what these are designed for. These are strictly designed for a spacious surround effect regarding various sounds with one exception which I’ll get to later.
Movies : these speakers blend wonderfully with any and all movie sources whether you are streaming or playing a DVD, Blu-Ray, 4K discs, etc. glass shattering, gun fire, laser blasts, ricochet, clinking of glasses, background noise such as crowds, traffic etc, and fallling shell casings all sound and move with clear yet. seamless distinction. These speakers produce the best highs, mids, various lows that I’ve ever heard from any all movie viewing applications. Watching concerts is a brand new experience as the 9040’s provide wonderful sound movement and immersion.
Music : As mentioned these are not stand alone speakers for this source BUT...here’s that exception I mentioned earlier.
When using the SR-9040’s in a “7 channel stereo” mode on a quality/capable AV receiver, I’m immediately impressed at how seamless these speakers work with the rest, especially when listening to Jazz, Classical, R&B, and Rock genres. The highs are every crisp, clear , but not overwhelming whatsoever. These speakers produce the appropriate mids and various lows with great clarity, distinction, and blending. Studio and live recordings are interpreted with great balance and immersion on this particular mode.
Gaming: Both the Xbox One and the new Series X sound amazing as the 9040’s provide the same surround immersions just line the movie playbacks. I play a lot of World of Warships Legends, Madden 21, Forza 7, Forza Horizon 4, Call Of Duty, Assassins Creed and Doom. No matter the game sound content, the SR-9040’s produce an immersive experience for the player and/or listener.
The price for each speaker is reasonable at this level, which is mid-range, in my opinion. Definitive Technology states that these speakers will work very well with their other current speaker line ups so they are versatile within the Def-Tech product line.
Can these speakers be used with other brands. That I do not know, but I will say that question is likely subjective based on each person’s unique listening ears and preferences. In other words, you’ll get different opinions on this topic, best way to know for certain is to test them out for yourself within a reasonable window so that you can decide to keep them or return/exchange within Amazon’s policy parameters.
After having said all of that, I highly, highly recommend the SR-9040’s from Definitive Technology.
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This Item  Definitive Technology SR-9040 10” Bipolar Surround Speaker | High Performance | Premium Sound Quality | Wall or Table Placement Options | Single, Black |  | |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $54.00 | -29% $49.95 New Price: $69.99 | $49.98 | $119.99 | $319.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | — | Get it May 10 - 14 | Get it May 13 - 15 | — |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Easy to install | ||||||
| Quality of material | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Alphasonik | Amazing Dealzzz | Parts Express | Fluance Audio | Safe & Sound HQ |
| speaker size | — | 3.5 inches | 3.5 inches | 6.5 inches | 4 inches | — |
| power source | — | Corded Electric | Corded Electric | Corded Electric | Passive | — |
| connectivity tech | Coaxial | Coaxial | Coaxial | Wired | — | Wired |
| speaker type | Rear Surround | Woofer | Coaxial | Bookshelf, Woofer | Satellite | Rear Surround |
| mounting type | Keyhole Hanger | Car Mount | Car Mount,Coaxial | Shelf Mount | Wall Mount | Keyhole Hanger |
| weight | 4.29 pounds | — | — | 4.74 kilograms | 14.8 pounds | — |
| control method | — | voice | touch | — | remote | touch |
Reviews with images
Great surround speaker
I have a 5.1 Pro cinema 800 surround sound system by Definitive Technology and I brought these speakers to up date the side speakers with these surround Bi-polar speaker. And what a difference it made installing them. They surround you with sound effects throughout the room.Meant for the much larger speakers by Definitive Technology, these speaker compliments the smaller speakers very well. The speaker themselves are smaller then the Pro cinema, still the one inch tweeter, but smaller woofer, x4 per speaker, two tweeters and two woofers. Once I made the adjustment on my receiver, the sound wasn't over powering or bright on the sides. War movies will benefit from these speakers and along with natural sounds.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2020
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Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2019
I have a 5.1 Pro cinema 800 surround sound system by Definitive Technology and I brought these speakers to up date the side speakers with these surround Bi-polar speaker. And what a difference it made installing them. They surround you with sound effects throughout the room.
Meant for the much larger speakers by Definitive Technology, these speaker compliments the smaller speakers very well. The speaker themselves are smaller then the Pro cinema, still the one inch tweeter, but smaller woofer, x4 per speaker, two tweeters and two woofers. Once I made the adjustment on my receiver, the sound wasn't over powering or bright on the sides. War movies will benefit from these speakers and along with natural sounds.
Meant for the much larger speakers by Definitive Technology, these speaker compliments the smaller speakers very well. The speaker themselves are smaller then the Pro cinema, still the one inch tweeter, but smaller woofer, x4 per speaker, two tweeters and two woofers. Once I made the adjustment on my receiver, the sound wasn't over powering or bright on the sides. War movies will benefit from these speakers and along with natural sounds.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
Great speaker, great sound, great price,
Reviewed in Canada on March 31, 2018AaronT
D.T. SR9040. A Grat surround speaker.
Reviewed in Canada on February 24, 2018Marlon K.
Definitive Technology is the Boss!!!!
Reviewed in Canada on December 22, 2019