MUSIC PERFORMANCE - "For my initial auditions, I followed my usual custom of listening to the T3 towers alone, in full-range stereo. My first impression was Goldilocks-esque, a good sign: not too bright, not too warm, not too bassy or too lean, but clear, neutral, and balanced.

... The towers performed very well at high powers: clean, dynamic material retained good clarity and punch even quite near the full potential of my system's 150 watt-per-channel output.

... The Crystal system worked very well on natural-surround music.

... Clarity and natural transient 'snap' of the banjo and Dobro were impressive, Krauss's voice was beautifully open and stable from the center speaker, and the flattop guitar, mixed precisely half-right (between the center and front-right speakers), was rock-steady in its position in the mix, a sign of good timbral matching across the front trio. The THX-D surrounds served up lifelike spaciousness and "air" without calling undue attention to themselves."

Movie Performance - "Two keystones of quality home theater sound are excellence from the center speaker and a subwoofer with genuine power and range. Crystal's setup delivered both.

... the THX-C center remained clear, balanced, and articulate on a full range of male and female voices from any practical angle — even well off-center, it also yielded an excellent tonal match to the T3s for a smooth, wide spread across the front soundstage.

... The THX-12SUB is an average-size 12-inch design that delivers most of what I expect from such bulk: substantial, dynamic output to well below 30 Hz."

The Bottom Line - "All told, there's not much to fault in Crystal's $1,999 layout. Sure, we'd all like real wood veneers and furniture-grade cabinets. But to the true buff, sound quality is incalculably more important. And the Crystal Acoustics THX-3D12 home theater speaker system delivers that in spades, with balance, spaciousness, range, and impact, at a very attractive price."

Crystal Audio Note: For audiophiles who demand top looks along with great sound, the THX-3D12 System is also available in a Special Edition with luxurious Piano Black Lacquer finish.