Slickdeals is community-supported.  We may get paid by brands for deals, including promoted items.
Heads up, this deal has expired. Want to create a deal alert for this item?
expirediconian | Staff posted Dec 01, 2023 08:34 PM
expirediconian | Staff posted Dec 01, 2023 08:34 PM

Definitive Technology Demand D15 Speakers (Pair, Gloss White)

+ Free Shipping

$499

$1,399

64% off
Adorama
318 Comments 89,553 Views
Visit Adorama
Good Deal
Save
Share
Deal Details
Update: This popular deal is still available.

Adorama has Definitive Technology Demand D15 Speakers (Pair, Black or White) on sale for $499. Shipping is free (select free shipping during check out).

Thanks to Deal Editor iconian for sharing this deal.

Available Colors:
Key Details:
  • Proprietary Drivers detailed, balanced audio
  • Tweeters - Clear, Precise Highs
  • Midrange - Superior Detail & Natural Midrange
  • Woofers - Deeper, Cleaner Bass
  • Dual 8" Passive Bass Radiators for visceral bass response
  • Audiophile-Quality Crossovers for beautifully balanced audio
  • Linear Response Waveguide for natural, precise imaging

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
No Longer Available:

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Update: This popular deal is still available.

Adorama has Definitive Technology Demand D15 Speakers (Pair, Black or White) on sale for $499. Shipping is free (select free shipping during check out).

Thanks to Deal Editor iconian for sharing this deal.

Available Colors:
Key Details:
  • Proprietary Drivers detailed, balanced audio
  • Tweeters - Clear, Precise Highs
  • Midrange - Superior Detail & Natural Midrange
  • Woofers - Deeper, Cleaner Bass
  • Dual 8" Passive Bass Radiators for visceral bass response
  • Audiophile-Quality Crossovers for beautifully balanced audio
  • Linear Response Waveguide for natural, precise imaging

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
No Longer Available:

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff

Community Voting

Deal Score
+70
Good Deal
Visit Adorama

Price Intelligence

Model: Definitive Technology Demand D15 Floorstanding Speaker, Right and Left, Black

Deal History 

Sort: Most Recent
Post Date Sold By Sale Price Activity
11/24/23Adorama$599
Frontpage
34
09/15/23Adorama$699
Frontpage
29
06/19/23Adorama$799
35
05/19/23Adorama$849
Frontpage
34
04/20/23Adorama$999
Frontpage
45
Show More

Leave a Comment

Unregistered (You)

Top Comments

ROOSKIE
1226 Posts
333 Reputation
Hi, the D11 uses a 6.5" mid/woofer; these use a 5.25". These would be something like the D9 stacked on top of the dual 5.25" bass woofers.
Most of the midrange roughness in the D11 is most likely from a resonance in the passive radiator.
This is probably not present in the D15 since the design is different & the woofers which drive the passive radiators do not receive frequencies high enough to excite a resonance in the midrange.
Audioholics published very detailed, well acquired, test results for this speaker, the D15. No reason to imagine what they measure like.
https://www.audioholics.com/tower...demand-d15

'upgrading' any driver in these will require reworking the crossover. That will be more important than anything else.

You would need to be able to measure very accurately in multiple ways and understand how to design a complex, driver specific, 3-way passive crossover. This is very difficult to do well even for very advanced hobbyists. Expect to spend significant time and resources and get a lot of help from the forums & books and getting lucky to have any chance of an improvement. Really not saying this in a condescending way, sure it might sound better to you if you slap a beryllium tweeter in there and call it done but yah it really won't be.

If you follow ASR you know even long standing companies like GR research, PartsExpress, and DIY groups using expensive Purifi drivers in custom designs have failed to impress more often than not. Heck loads upon loads of companies from entry to very high end price wise have struggled to pull off an objectively good design, even when factoring in for a wide subjective preference.

Honestly, instead of butchering the D15, I'd recommend you buy some sort of 'PEQ' and learn what can and can't be done tailoring the sound with that(big learning curve but worth it) and play around with it.
Also buy a simple 2-way DIY kit that sounds good but has some notable 'upgrade' paths and spend some time putting it together and then reworking the crossover and driver swapping in that to start to lean what goes into the situation. Who knows someday you may be a designer.

Also taking the 1/4" aluminum face off the D15 to get to the drivers is not for the faint of heart. It will not come off easily. I have taken one off a D9, it was a situation.
Hoseman666
11603 Posts
3087 Reputation
It's not found, it's a promotion exclusive to SD. Lots of Adorama posts are.
TierAngst
628 Posts
244 Reputation
No amps on these. Passive radiators only.

318 Comments

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Dec 03, 2023 01:25 AM
1,702 Posts
Joined Jun 2023
LovelySparrow901Dec 03, 2023 01:25 AM
1,702 Posts
Quote from lennonst :
It's also lied to thousands of people about ads pandering as "deals" for profit. So yes, we should complain.

Go buy a timeshare if you like sales pitches instead of deals.
You should cancel your membership and demand a refund 🤣🤣🤣
You will be happier and all the people tired of hearing the complaints and appreciate saving money at ZERO COST TO THEM will be happier too 👍🏼
Last edited by LovelySparrow901 December 2, 2023 at 05:29 PM.
2
Dec 03, 2023 04:11 AM
26 Posts
Joined Dec 2019
AMLORcrdDec 03, 2023 04:11 AM
26 Posts
Some additional comments:

* In case anyone was wondering, these do have magnetic grilles (not show in the Adorama listing).

* In my opinion, these will perform more neutral, and hence more audiophile like, than anything in the Klipsch line. With that said, a lot of folks like the Klipsch frequency response--the Klipsch sound.

* I don't really see the point of these primarily for HT use. You're going to have subs for HT. Bookshelves or other options are fine for L & R. This pair would be better for a stereo listening environment.

* These are a 3-way speakers. The tweeter, woofers, and radiators all seem to perform admirably. The mid-range, which is very key, appears to be somewhat problematic on this speaker and may explain some of the selling problems. ASR reviewed the D11, which is the same tweeter with the same midrange driver (midrange also does double-duty as the woofer in the D11), and the midrange looked pretty rough for the mid-range frequency range--too much distortion. It really performs very distored covering the bass range, which, thankfully, you don't have to worry about on this tower.

* This speaker has a nice cabinet and would be a nice project speaker to upgrade the midranges and possibly even the tweeters.

* Inventory (12/2 @ 9 PM): 230 white pairs; 105 black pairs.

* Thinking there is some chance to get this for $399 or $449 before year-end. I can't see them going much lower--seems like they'd come close to losing on shipping. At that price, I might go for the midrange project approach.
Pro
Dec 03, 2023 05:44 AM
4,494 Posts
Joined Mar 2009
tanman99
Pro
Dec 03, 2023 05:44 AM
4,494 Posts
Quote from ROOSKIE :
Sure but really, who cares?
Open up a deals site and run it on donations. Be my guest.
If it wasn't for the paid stuff and adds this site would not be running at all.
And as the poster said who cares as long as the deal is a legit company & good price.
Everyone needs to make some coin. Thats nothing new. What most people have a problem with is when there are outright ads like this. Money exchanging hands and not being transparent about it. I have no problem with special links that kickback a commission to SD or ads or promoted deals. But be transparent about it. Which Slickdeals tries it absolute hardest to hide when they are sponsored deals and that's just not ethical and not right.
2
Dec 03, 2023 02:33 PM
1,226 Posts
Joined Feb 2010
ROOSKIEDec 03, 2023 02:33 PM
1,226 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank ROOSKIE

Quote from AMLORcrd :
Some additional comments:

* These are a 3-way speakers. The tweeter, woofers, and radiators all seem to perform admirably. The mid-range, which is very key, appears to be somewhat problematic on this speaker and may explain some of the selling problems. ASR reviewed the D11, which is the same tweeter with the same midrange driver (midrange also does double-duty as the woofer in the D11), and the midrange looked pretty rough for the mid-range frequency range--too much distortion. It really performs very distored covering the bass range, which, thankfully, you don't have to worry about on this tower.

* This speaker has a nice cabinet and would be a nice project speaker to upgrade the midranges and possibly even the tweeters.
Hi, the D11 uses a 6.5" mid/woofer; these use a 5.25". These would be something like the D9 stacked on top of the dual 5.25" bass woofers.
Most of the midrange roughness in the D11 is most likely from a resonance in the passive radiator.
This is probably not present in the D15 since the design is different & the woofers which drive the passive radiators do not receive frequencies high enough to excite a resonance in the midrange.
Audioholics published very detailed, well acquired, test results for this speaker, the D15. No reason to imagine what they measure like.
https://www.audioholics.com/tower...demand-d15

'upgrading' any driver in these will require reworking the crossover. That will be more important than anything else.

You would need to be able to measure very accurately in multiple ways and understand how to design a complex, driver specific, 3-way passive crossover. This is very difficult to do well even for very advanced hobbyists. Expect to spend significant time and resources and get a lot of help from the forums & books and getting lucky to have any chance of an improvement. Really not saying this in a condescending way, sure it might sound better to you if you slap a beryllium tweeter in there and call it done but yah it really won't be.

If you follow ASR you know even long standing companies like GR research, PartsExpress, and DIY groups using expensive Purifi drivers in custom designs have failed to impress more often than not. Heck loads upon loads of companies from entry to very high end price wise have struggled to pull off an objectively good design, even when factoring in for a wide subjective preference.

Honestly, instead of butchering the D15, I'd recommend you buy some sort of 'PEQ' and learn what can and can't be done tailoring the sound with that(big learning curve but worth it) and play around with it.
Also buy a simple 2-way DIY kit that sounds good but has some notable 'upgrade' paths and spend some time putting it together and then reworking the crossover and driver swapping in that to start to lean what goes into the situation. Who knows someday you may be a designer.

Also taking the 1/4" aluminum face off the D15 to get to the drivers is not for the faint of heart. It will not come off easily. I have taken one off a D9, it was a situation.
Last edited by ROOSKIE December 3, 2023 at 06:53 AM.
3
1
Dec 03, 2023 03:37 PM
1,702 Posts
Joined Jun 2023
LovelySparrow901Dec 03, 2023 03:37 PM
1,702 Posts
Quote from tanman99 :
Everyone needs to make some coin. Thats nothing new. What most people have a problem with is when there are outright ads like this. Money exchanging hands and not being transparent about it. I have no problem with special links that kickback a commission to SD or ads or promoted deals. But be transparent about it. Which Slickdeals tries it absolute hardest to hide when they are sponsored deals and that's just not ethical and not right.
Why do you care? Tell us how this affects YOU? If SD had a secret warehouse full of stuff and sold it here at cheaper prices than anyone else and used some brand x name so you didn't know it was SD making the money, what does it matter? Is it something you want? Is the price better than everyone else? Then buy it. Or don't. I just don't get your issue. People come here for deals. And we get them. If the people running SD are rolling in cash as a result, good for them. They're doing all the work and it hasn't cost me a dime.
Last edited by LovelySparrow901 December 3, 2023 at 08:17 AM.
3
Dec 03, 2023 03:51 PM
1,226 Posts
Joined Feb 2010
ROOSKIEDec 03, 2023 03:51 PM
1,226 Posts
Quote from tanman99 :
Everyone needs to make some coin. Thats nothing new. What most people have a problem with is when there are outright ads like this. Money exchanging hands and not being transparent about it. I have no problem with special links that kickback a commission to SD or ads or promoted deals. But be transparent about it. Which Slickdeals tries it absolute hardest to hide when they are sponsored deals and that's just not ethical and not right.
Just look for 'Staff' at the side of the OP's handle. I am not aware of them trying to mask that the OP is a staff member.
'iconian' is a very well known staff member & specifically posts many of the Adorama deals.
I assume every staff post is a paid promotion.
Some companies shill their own products via self promotion, that wouldn't be Slickdeals fault.

In any case I get that ideally we'd somehow all have high level ethics and agree on what is truly right and be super clear, honest, transparent. That said, without going too far , what does it look like ethically when we pile up the SDs while millions of kids fall far short of 3 squares? The ethics rabbit hole is deep, wide and has proven impossible terrain for human consensus. I'm not saying slickdeals should do whatever they want but this is buisness, Bestbuy doesnt lay out for me where all there money comes from and goes to. I think SD noting the poster is staff is enough.
Last edited by ROOSKIE December 3, 2023 at 08:12 AM.
Dec 03, 2023 04:01 PM
182 Posts
Joined Apr 2010
iuserDec 03, 2023 04:01 PM
182 Posts
Quote from cwoo :
If you aren't looking for the best sound in the world, just need streaming and an amp to power these, the Wiim Amp is a pretty solid choice. It's not bad, it's not great, but it has all the streaming and digital inputs you might need in a small form factor.

I haven't heard these speakers and have no idea how resolving they are, but if you want more power than the Wiim amp, then you are kinda stuck with a dedicated amp/receiver and a Wiim mini/pro/streaming receiver as the option.
It sounds like a cost effective idea.
https://darko.audio/2023/11/wiim-...for-money/

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Dec 03, 2023 04:19 PM
1,702 Posts
Joined Jun 2023
LovelySparrow901Dec 03, 2023 04:19 PM
1,702 Posts
Quote from iuser :
It sounds like a cost effective idea.
https://darko.audio/2023/11/wiim-...for-money/
Once they work out all the bugs he uncovered.
3
Dec 03, 2023 04:23 PM
1,226 Posts
Joined Feb 2010
ROOSKIEDec 03, 2023 04:23 PM
1,226 Posts
Quote from cwoo :
If you aren't looking for the best sound in the world, just need streaming and an amp to power these, the Wiim Amp is a pretty solid choice. It's not bad, it's not great, but it has all the streaming and digital inputs you might need in a small form factor.

I haven't heard these speakers and have no idea how resolving they are, but if you want more power than the Wiim amp, then you are kinda stuck with a dedicated amp/receiver and a Wiim mini/pro/streaming receiver as the option.
I agree that seems like a solid choice.
I watch him but could ultimately care less what Darko thinks the subjective sound is though. 100% of his income directly & indirectly comes from having a strong subjective opinion and then getting more gear to try directly from manufactures, NOT from consumers or personal purchases. That is fine but know that, he is cool entertainment and he is a shill.

Unless there is a design flaw this WiiM should be fine for just about everyone who doesn't play loudly in a larger room. Note these speakers do have lowish(for a tower) sensitivity at 85db

I'd like to see an independent test of the power output, though so far I trust WiiM. That said there have been some lemons from other decent brands tested on a regular basis.

If anyone wants more power than 60-8ohm/120-4ohm bear in mind that at least doubling the power would be the best next stop.
Going from 60 watts to 90 watts is almost no meaningful gain in total output capability.
If 60 isn't enough you really want to jump to say 150 or 200. Doubling power output is a 3db gain which is enough to just start being meaningful for extra $$, so you can see that less than that is not much gain nor worth it.
Dec 03, 2023 04:51 PM
1,702 Posts
Joined Jun 2023
LovelySparrow901Dec 03, 2023 04:51 PM
1,702 Posts
From audioholics review…
"Definitive Technology specifies the impedance load of the D15s to be 8 ohms nominal, but I would call that a stretch. They have a 5.4 impedance minima at around 130 Hz. That is too low in a heavily used region for these to fairly claim an 8-ohm load. The phase angle in that region isn't totally benign as well. If Definitive Technology claimed 6 ohms nominal, I wouldn't argue, but 8 is a stretch. Nonetheless, this isn't an extremely harsh electrical load. I wouldn't want to run these speakers on a budget AVR amplifier, but I think midrange AVR's should be able to handle these speakers without much trouble. I measured sensitivity at 84.7 dB for 2.83v at 1 meter which is pretty close to Definitive Technology's spec of 85.5 dB for 1 watt at 1 meter."
2
Dec 03, 2023 05:55 PM
628 Posts
Joined Jan 2012
TierAngstDec 03, 2023 05:55 PM
628 Posts
Quote from LovelySparrow901 :
From audioholics review…
"Definitive Technology specifies the impedance load of the D15s to be 8 ohms nominal, but I would call that a stretch. They have a 5.4 impedance minima at around 130 Hz. That is too low in a heavily used region for these to fairly claim an 8-ohm load. The phase angle in that region isn't totally benign as well. If Definitive Technology claimed 6 ohms nominal, I wouldn't argue, but 8 is a stretch. Nonetheless, this isn't an extremely harsh electrical load. I wouldn't want to run these speakers on a budget AVR amplifier, but I think midrange AVR's should be able to handle these speakers without much trouble. I measured sensitivity at 84.7 dB for 2.83v at 1 meter which is pretty close to Definitive Technology's spec of 85.5 dB for 1 watt at 1 meter."
Being that my mid tier yamaha goes down to 2ohm stable (suprised me when I saw the specs on their website!) I feel comfortable with running them off my AVR. However, based on the their low sensitivity and running 5-channel, I will definitely want a dedicated amp for these in the future. I think people doing strictly 2-channel, most will be satisfied with less power, especially if they're doing music or running a dedicated sub.
Dec 03, 2023 06:03 PM
1,702 Posts
Joined Jun 2023
LovelySparrow901Dec 03, 2023 06:03 PM
1,702 Posts
Quote from TierAngst :
Being that my mid tier yamaha goes down to 2ohm stable (suprised me when I saw the specs on their website!) I feel comfortable with running them off my AVR. However, based on the their low sensitivity and running 5-channel, I will definitely want a dedicated amp for these in the future. I think people doing strictly 2-channel, most will be satisfied with less power, especially if they're doing music or running a dedicated sub.
What ppl overlook when they talk about "all channels driven" is when is there ever "all channels audio" at full tilt from your source? Rarely? Never? And factoring in offloading bass duties for an avr's amps to a subwoofer or two, where most amp wattage is used, makes it an even less important issue.
IMHO ppl should only consider adding power when they sense a lack of power. That could be an amp shutting down, change in tone from speakers as the volume increases, or audible distortion.
1
2
Dec 03, 2023 06:12 PM
628 Posts
Joined Jan 2012
TierAngstDec 03, 2023 06:12 PM
628 Posts
Quote from LovelySparrow901 :
What ppl overlook when they talk about "all channels driven" is when is there ever "all channels audio" at full tilt from your source? Rarely? Never? And factoring in offloading bass duties for an avr's amps to a subwoofer or two, where most amp wattage is used, makes it an even less important issue.
IMHO ppl should only consider adding power when they sense a lack of power. That could be an amp shutting down, change in tone from speakers as the volume increases, or audible distortion.
That's a really good reply and information I should have included. I'm aware of the all channels driven bit and will be reserving judgment on these speakers until I actually get them in. My old towers were good on my receiver but great with double the amplification... my old towers were also huge and had twice the drivers. I worry that my massive sub won't balance well without extra power to the towers as is the case with my current bookshelf speakers. I've got the gain reduced and a little higher crossover than I'd like to try getting them to play nicely together. I've also got a lot of cubic feet to fill with my livingroom... though not as bad as my old one with gabled ceiling.
Dec 03, 2023 06:21 PM
1,702 Posts
Joined Jun 2023
LovelySparrow901Dec 03, 2023 06:21 PM
1,702 Posts
Quote from TierAngst :
That's a really good reply and information I should have included. I'm aware of the all channels driven bit and will be reserving judgment on these speakers until I actually get them in. My old towers were good on my receiver but great with double the amplification... my old towers were also huge and had twice the drivers. I worry that my massive sub won't balance well without extra power to the towers as is the case with my current bookshelf speakers. I've got the gain reduced and a little higher crossover than I'd like to try getting them to play nicely together. I've also got a lot of cubic feet to fill with my livingroom... though not as bad as my old one with gabled ceiling.
Oddly enough, big speakers with more drivers (the stuff our parents and grandparents had) are often way more efficient than small speakers. Small speakers need more power to get to the same volume.
2

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Dec 03, 2023 06:26 PM
628 Posts
Joined Jan 2012
TierAngstDec 03, 2023 06:26 PM
628 Posts
Quote from LovelySparrow901 :
Oddly enough, big speakers with more drivers (the stuff our parents and grandparents had) are often way more efficient than small speakers. Small speakers need more power to get to the same volume.
Nothing old, Polk Rti A9. 2x 5.25" and 3x 7". I miss those. Hella mid bass.

Leave a Comment

Unregistered (You)

Popular Deals

Trending Deals