Atlantic Technology 8600eC Sealed 3-Way Center Speaker

When you have a large room, you need large speakers. And when you have a REALLY large room, you need REALLY large speakers. Atlantic Technology has heard your cries for help and released the 8600eC, a nearly 100lb center channel speaker. With a D’Appolito array in the center of the speaker AND four additional woofers…this a center channel unlike any we’ve ever seen. Let’s take a closer look.

8600eC Specifications

The Atlantic Technology 8600eC is a three-way, sealed speaker. It weighs in at 67.6″ wide, 13.7″ tall, and 14.5″ deep. That’s over five and a half feet wide (correction: the spec sheet is wrong. It is 37.6″ wide – editor). It sports glass fiber woofers (6.5″ woofers x 4, 5.5″ midrange drivers x 2) and a 1″ silk dome tweeter. It is six-ohm nominal and sports 93dB sensitivity which, laughably, suggests that most receivers could drive it at a reasonable seating distance (within twelve feet). Of course, with a speaker this size, no one should be seated that close. Most owners will likely be investing in an external amplifier for this monster. The Atlantic Technology 8600eC can take up to 300 watts RMS and incorporates a 4^th order Butterworth asymmetrical time-aligned Linkwitz-Riley crossover. The 8600eC is available in gloss black or beautiful Makassar Ebony.

8600eC Features

Many center channels have a MTM “D’Appolito” array configuration. This usually takes the shape of a Midrange-Tweeter-Midrange in a horizontal orientation. The Atlantic Technology 8600eC ups the game by including this in a vertical orientation with two woofers on either side. Atlantic Technology isolated the D’Appolito array in its own sealed enclosure. The 8600eC is rated 50Hz. In our opinion, Atlantic Technology could have voiced the 8600eC to hit down into the 30Hz range based on the size alone. This seems like an excellent design to us as most center channels should be crossed over no lower than 60Hz.

Placing a speaker (any speaker) non-optimally (behind a false wall, near the front wall, or even wall mounted) it can change how the speaker sounds. Atlantic Technology addresses this with a number of switches on the back of the 8600eC to adjust the speaker output based on placement location. As pictured above, these adjustments will either roll off/boost the treble or cut the bass based on placement. The 8600eC has bi-wire terminals

Atlantic Technology 8600eC Design

The Atlantic Technology utilized 3/4″ MDF for the cabinet. Many center channels are located either above or below a screen. To accommodate, there is a convex foot on the bottom of the 8600eC. This fits into the concave base allowing the user to easily tilt the 91lb speaker up or down toward the main seats.

Author’s Note: It’s important to note that the brother tower speakers, the 8600eLR, use a different tweeter. They have an aluminum/magnesium tweeter while the 8600eC center uses a silk dome model. Atlantic Technology voiced this speaker so it timbre matches the towers. The difference in tweeter material shouldn’t matter.

Conclusion

The Atlantic Technology 8600eC is a massive center speaker, designed to pair with its equally massive 8600eLR brothers. These are speakers for the largest of home theaters, or maybe those who just want to know for SURE they have a capable center channel. At $2300 for the Atlantic Technology 8600eC, the price isn’t really that high. As essentially a tower speaker on its side, the 8600eC guarantees you can hear every word in every movie.

Visit www.AtlanticTechnology.com for more information.