Essential Install | Speakers
DID YOU KNOW: On July 15, 2009, in Ottawa, Canada, the band Kiss achieved an SPL of 136 dB measured during their live performance
Sonance is one
of the brands
making exterior
options a priority
68 | May 2017
so integrators must provide an audio system that matches
the visual quality and richness of 4K, which delivers both
the excitement of action-packed battle scenes and the
nuance of quieter, subtle moments.
“Meridian’s DSP technology and in-built amplification
not only ensures that our loudspeakers are more efficient
than the traditional setup of an amplifier driving passive
loudspeakers, but that they also deliver the performance
of a traditional loudspeaker eight times the volume.”
Meridian argues flaws in the audio track are every bit
as distracting to the enjoyment of content as any visual
problems, meaning a truly immersive home theatre
audio system must provide a faithful reproduction of the
sound of the movie, delivering clean and crisp sound that
enables watchers to lose themselves.
Rayner argues: “At Meridian, we aim to do just that.
Our in-wall/in-ceiling loudspeakers contain a wealth of
technology to ensure perfect audio playback, including
Enhanced Bass Alignment and Meridian’s DSP technology
and are exceptionally easy to install, making them the
perfect option for a home theatre audio solution.”
As each home cinema project is different, Meridian
wanted to be able to help installers make the right
choices by offering flexible configurations of products
in pre-defined packages, helping integrators to select
the package for the project and then adding to it or
amending it if necessary.
Meridian says it offers a comprehensive range of
packages to its dealers that enable them to select different
levels of audio systems that reflect their client’s budgets.
Starting with a comprehensive in-wall/in-ceiling offering
and going all the way up to a full immersive home theatre
solution, Meridian offers a number of different levels of
investment to suit different budgets. This new and more
competitive pricing structure enables integrators to specify
a Meridian speaker system in projects that may previously
have not had the budget to include Meridian products.
Rayner concludes: “Creating the best home theatre is
all about creating the best experience for the customer,
which does not necessarily mean filling the room with
loudspeakers and turning the volume up to 11. It requires
careful design, selecting the right technology for the
room and ensuring that the quality of the audio signal is
maintained from the source through to the loudspeaker,
where it is delivered with clarity and quality, to immerse
the viewer in perfect sound.”
Exterior options have also been a focus for Habitech of
late, highlighting the Sonance Mariner Series suitable for
any exterior wall or structure. The Mariner line of outdoor
speakers brings together higher musical performance
with more installation options than ever before, say their
creator. Featuring redesigned acoustic systems for lower
distortion and high power handling and a new Fastmount
bracket system and front-mounted terminals, the seven
models across three sizes and three performance levels
feature IP66-rated paintable sealed polypropylene
enclosures in black or white as well as perforated
aluminium grilles to enhance weather resistance. The
Fastmount bracket system offers full 180° pivot while
making installation quicker and easier than ever and all
the models are available in black and white.
Available from Aldous Systems, the SpeakerCraft
brand is most keen to highlight its ATX100 Dolby Atmos
enabled in-wall height speaker.
Core Brands’ VP product management, Mike Jordan,
explains: “For SpeakerCraft, one major market driver
influencing our recent new products is 3D audio,
specifically Dolby Atmos. We believe it changes how
technology integrators design home theatre audio
systems for their clients. Our solution is the ATX100, which
takes the Dolby Atmos ‘height’ speaker – the one that
bounces the enveloping sound off the ceiling – and turns
it into an in-wall speaker, rather than a box speaker.
“As an in-wall solution, this delivers the aesthetic
advantages common with architectural speakers while
elevating any media room to a theatre-caliber listening
experience from source material coming through a Dolby
Atmos-enabled AVR.”
Mike explains: “To achieve the ceiling reflection
essential for the height audio, we designed the ATX100
with two up-firing midrange drivers and a titanium dome
tweeter and developed a wave guide to project the
‘height’ sound forward as it reflects off the ceiling and into
the listening space. The result is a truly immersive audio
experience. The ATX100 easily mounts with our new AIM
Series 2 in-wall LCRs or any of our Profile LCRs behind a
single grille. And it can retrofit into previously installed
systems, which is ideal for clients upgrading to 3D audio.