Proclaim Audio Works DMT-100

By Richard Trapunski

elcome to the future: a future in which we all sync our cell phones with our laptops using Bluetooth technology, download Podcasts on a daily basis, and listen to our music from speakers resembling giant peering eyeballs. Technology seems to be limitless these days; every time you think that everything has been done, someone comes up with some new variation that changes all the rules. Just look at how the iPod has revitalized Apple: the word iPod is becoming synonymous with mp3 players in the same way Kleenex is synonymous with tissue.

This is what Proclaim is aiming to achieve in the world of home entertainment, a world populated by audiophiles who want their stereo systems to sound just right (even if the music that they’re listening to on said system is Kenny G’s Greatest Hits). The company has started from scratch and rethought the whole process all in an attempt to create the absolute perfect audio experience.

Ironically enough, this starts with an acceptance of the fact that it is impossible to create a sound system that’s absolutely perfect. Variables such as competing resonances and poor room acoustics are impossible for the makers of a system to control. But Proclaim really seems to know its target audience. Audiophiles love to tweak their systems (which sounds kind of dirty), and Proclaim Audio Works DMT-100 is designed to be altered, changed, and played with. This allows the variables to be controlled entirely by the user, allowing for seamless interconnection with the surrounding acoustic environment.

The three drivers are placed in spherical fiberglass enclosures (for the least vibration and interference) and planted on mechanical arms which can be adjusted to suit the room and the listener’s position. With the unique spherical design, it’s almost like positioning the eyeballs to see in different directions. Very strange, but definitely cool (in a really odd, futuristic kind of way).

The DMT-100’s differ from most systems in that they use an external crossover. What that means is that you can control the frequencies of the drivers yourself. The majority of systems, which place the crossover inside, adjusted for the ‘typical’ user.

The DMT-100 is by no means designed for a ‘typical’ user; it’s designed for the obsessive listener who craves exactitude. Even the colour is customizable. Quite simply, it’s designed for either the Obsessive-Compulsive or for the most hardcore of audiophiles. Who else would spend $26,000 on speakers?

And there’s the rub: it costs $26,000. At that price, it’s likely to become the most expensive piece of entertainment equipment that you own – more expensive than your LCD TV, more expensive than your computer, more expensive, even, than your stereo itself. But at least you know that for the money, you will be able to get the most optimal sound possible.

And it’s designed with aesthetics in mind, so it won’t even spoil your home décor. Even if it does look like your stereo is watching you, it will fit perfectly into just about any living room. After all, that is what it’s designed for. That, and blasting your Michael Bolton records with perfect audio precision. Geez, you really need to buy some new CDs. Maybe even $26,000 worth.
-R.T.