Atlantic Technology Pattern Speaker System Review

The Pattern three-piece system from Atlantic Technology may resemble other three-piece systems superficially, but it is actually different from others we have seen in that it is a powerful system. Its bass module contains a separate 15-watt amplifier for each of the two satellites and a 30-watt amplifier for the bass drivers In addition, the characteristics of the electronics and the speakers have been coordinated to make driver damage from excessive input levels virtually impossible.

Each "controlled dispersion" Pattern satellite consists of two black cubes joined together with a pivot that allows one cube to be rotated a full 360 degrees relative to the other The combination measures about 4 inches square and 7-1/4 inches high and weighs a mere 3 pounds. The magnetically shielded satellites can lie placed close to a TV receiver or video monitor without affecting its performance. Each cube contains a 3-1/2-inch cone driver that handles the frequency range above approximately 200 Hz.

The bass module is relatively large compared with those of other three-piece systems. A black box measuring 19 inches long, 12-1/2 inches high, and 8-5/8 inches deep, it weighs a hefty 29 pounds. Within it are two 6-1/2-inch drivers. The sealed enclosure behind both drivers occupies slightly more than half the interior of the box. The downward-facing cones radiate into the remaining volume, which opens to the exterior through 6-1/2 x 2-inch grilles on either end of the box.

The system’s interconnections are made from the bottom of the bass module, which is raised about 54 inch from the floor on rubber feet The Pattern has an unusual input system whose electronic mixing gives it unique flexibility. The three pairs of RCA-type line-input jacks can be assigned to as many different program sources such as a phono preamplifier, tuner, cassette deck or CD player. An input cable is also furnished for connection to a mini phone jack on a portable. Any source that is turned on is heard through the system. To change input sources, the user switches one off and turns the other on; if more than one is active, their outputs mix and are heard simultaneously. By varying their volume controls in opposite directions, you can smoothly fade between two programs.

In addition to the line inputs, the Pattern has spring-loaded clips to receive wires from the speaker outputs of an amplifier or receiver. The speaker input automatically attenuates the incoming signals to a level compatible with the requirements of the Pattern system.

Recessed into the side of the box are a master volume control and a bass level control as well as a red LED to indicate that the system is plugged into an energized AC outlet (a rocker switch on the underside of the box switches its power on or off). The Pattern system consumes only 2 watts of power in the standby mode (a maximum of 120 watts at full power output) and is meant to be permanently energized. Its amplifiers switch on automatically when a signal appears at any one of the inputs. The master volume control is used to set a comfortable maximum volume when the main system volume is at its usual setting. The bass level knob varies the low-bass level relative to the overall volume and is also normally a "set and forget” adjustment.

The connections from the bass module to the satellites arc made with polarized plugs to eliminate a possible source of phasing errors. Of course, it is still necessary to observe polarity when connecting the Pattern system to an amplifier’s speaker outputs (since the Pattern has common grounds in its inputs, the source amplifier cannot have a bridged configuration).

Atlantic Technology suggests several approaches to adjusting the satellites’ directivity to suit listening conditions. By design, the satellites do not have a particularly broad horizontal dispersion and the two drivers in each further restrict their vertical directivity. These characteristics are desirable to minimize the influence of room-boundary reflections on the direct sound from the speakers, which can be aimed as required for the most effective stereo performance. The cubes can even be aimed in opposite directions to provide bipolar radiation, a desirable characteristic for side speakers in a surround-sound installation.

As with most three-piece systems, the placement of the bass module of the Atlantic Technology Pattern is relatively noncritical. In general, it should not be forward of the line between the satellite speakers and its low-bass performance will vary with its relationship to the room boundaries.

The Pattern has another unique feature that may not be immediately obvious, although it contributes in good measure to its total performance. The bass amplifier in eludes a “dynamic equalizer” that permits high volume levels without damaging the speakers or generating unpleasant distortion. The circuit is, in effect, an automatic loudness control that enhances the low-bass output at low volume levels and reduces it when the program level increases. A matching excursion-limiting feature prevents the woofers from being overdriven by strong bass peaks. The satellites’ power-handling capacity has been matched to that of their driving amplifiers, preventing burnout of their small voice coils by careless use.

Price: $499, including connecting cables.

Lab Tests

Testing self-powered speakers requires some modification of our standard procedures. We drove the Atlantic Technology Pattern from a high-quality preamplifier using the bass-level setting we had found suitable during our preceding listening tests. Room-response measurements were made with the bass module first in the corner where we preferred it for listening, and then midway between the satellites, which produced a smoother room curve. The satellites were placed on 26-mch stands about 2 feet in front of the wall, facing straight ahead

First of all, using the maximum setting of the master volume control, we measured the input needed to produce a 90-dB sound-pressure level (SPL) 1 meter from a satellite with a pink-noise test signal. Only 55 millivolts (mV) was required, indicating that the system is compatible with any source.

The room response, averaged for both left and right speakers, was unusually flat. The ripples caused by room reflections were present, but when the curve was combined with the close-miked bass response the result was a response flat within ± 3 dB from 50 to 20,000 Hz. Quasi anechoic FFT response measurements showed approximately the same range of variation, with the maximum output occurring at about 10,000 Hz. The close-miked bass response (with the microphone next to one of the grilles on the bass module) was flat within ± 2 dB from 50 to 200 Hz, falling off at 12 dB per octave at lower frequencies.

The horizontal dispersion of a satellite was relatively restricted. The response curves measured on-axis and 45 degrees off the forward axis began to diverge above 3,000 or 4.000 Hz, and they differed by 12 to 15 dB or more above 8,000 Hz. The group delay varied by about 0.3 millisecond overall between 2 000 and 20.000 Hz.

With a 55-millivolt input (equivalent to a 90-dB SPL), the bass distortion was 4.5 percent at 30 Hz, falling to between 1 and 2 percent from 36 to 90 Hz and to less than 1 percent from 90 to 200 Hz. At 100 Hz. the distortion was around 1 percent from 30 to 80 mV input (84 to 93 dB SPL), and it rose to 3.5 percent at 300 mV (105 dB SPL).

We plotted the system’s frequency response at several input levels from 10 mV to 1 volt (75 dB to 115 dB SPL) The bass output was greatest, relative to the higher frequencies, with the lowest inputs and decreased by about 5 dB as the drive level was increased. Although 5 dB is a rather modest change in the context of loudness compensation, it is considerable from the standpoint of loudspeaker protection, reducing the relative power drive level in the bass by almost half as the signal increases.

Our high-power pulse tests also demonstrated the system’s dynamic equalization. At 100 Hz, the output of a single-cycle burst began to sound slightly hard, and its wave form became flat-sided but did not clip, with a 375-mv input (about 107 dB SPL). Below that level it sounded quite clean, and even above it there was never the rasping sound typical of a cone reaching its suspension limits. The satellite’s output began to distort at 620 mV with a 1,000-Hz input, and it showed a slight waveform distortion at 10 000 Hz with 340 mV.

Comments

Hearing the Atlantic Technology Pattern was one of the most unexpected experiences I have enjoyed in some time. As regular readers know, I have long been a proponent of three-piece speaker systems. They can provide exceptional sound quality in limited space and with minimum visibility, and they usually offer outstanding value.

The Atlantic Technology Pattern should not be judged merely as a small, compact speaker system, although it certainly is one, nor as just a low-price system, although it is hard to imagine a pair of conventional biamplified speakers of this quality and their amplifiers selling for anywhere near $500. I have had plenty of opportunity to compare the Pattern side by side with my favorite conventional speakers, and it stands up very well against the best of them.

By that I do not mean that it sounds better than they do with all source material, though sometimes it does sound better In general it sounds like a really good conventional system, with an easy, smooth quality that actually surpasses some of them. As I write this. I am listening to the Pattern playing the Telarcci) of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, and there is no way anyone would believe that the sound is coming from those tiny satellites without going up to one of them and putting an car to its grille Common sense tells us that the sound must be coming from those big speakers next to the Pattern satellites. So much for common sense.

Yes, I have found some material that definitely sounds better on my regular speakers, but they cost three to five times as much as the Pattern. And that does not include perhaps a thousand dollars worth of amplifiers. Perhaps some other speakers driven by a few hundred watts, can be played a bit louder (although I wouldn’t want to be in the same room with them at the time), but the fact remains that the Pattern is an exceptional bargain. Listen for yourself, if you don’t believe me— and you shouldn’t accept such statements at face value from anyone.

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