New speaker

[William Lemmerhirt]

I never thought I'd go IW, but the theater in this house has some space limitations that made it necessary. Plus, the look is clean.

Only issue is we did a rush job on the install so the bass they're supposedly capable of isn't really there, but that's on me. It'll get fixed once this virus mess is somewhat under control. Going to re-do the drywall in the room.

I will say though, these speakers sound fantastic for IW and my subs more than fix the bass issue.

I'm also a tower guy and if I get a bigger theater some day that's what will go in it.

Yeah. I’m definitely a tower guy too and IW’s are STILL not high on my list. But since my wife and I will actually have a conversation about such things(vs getting the FAIL stamp from the waf) and decide what will work for the both of us, I’m playing fair and doing my due diligence. Problem is, IW’s that I will accept will not be cheap. I don’t love opening Sheetrock only to have to do it again because my speakers won’t do the job.
Good luck man, I hope you get your towers one day.

 

[Pogre]

Yeah. I’m definitely a tower guy too and IW’s are STILL not high on my list. But since my wife and I will actually have a conversation about such things(vs getting the FAIL stamp from the waf) and decide what will work for the both of us, I’m playing fair and doing my due diligence. Problem is, IW’s that I will accept will not be cheap. I don’t love opening Sheetrock only to have to do it again because my speakers won’t do the job.
Good luck man, I hope you get your towers one day.

You need to climb the ladder a couple more notches and tell her these are the only ones you can find that would really make you happy.

It's a tough compromise for you, but for her you'd do almost anything... even in-wall speakers after a lifetime of disapproving them. sigh

KEF Ci5160REF-THX In-Wall Reference Speaker

Features KEF’s patented Uni-Q driver array The standards of architectural speakers have been reset forever. The in-wall KEF Ci5160REF-THX - meets KEF’s standards for Extreme Theatre as well as THX Ultra Certification.

us.kef.com

I think I could live with those.

Wear a dirty, wrinkled white button up shirt (really accentuates "wear and tear". If you normally wear a tie make sure the knot is about at your sternum) and roll your sleeves up when you show her. Muss up your hair and try to look like you haven't slept for a while. You'll barely have to say anything to convince her you spent hours toiling over a search engine as you hunted for an acceptable pair of speakers that could make you both happy.

 

[panteragstk]

Yeah. I’m definitely a tower guy too and IW’s are STILL not high on my list. But since my wife and I will actually have a conversation about such things(vs getting the FAIL stamp from the waf) and decide what will work for the both of us, I’m playing fair and doing my due diligence. Problem is, IW’s that I will accept will not be cheap. I don’t love opening Sheetrock only to have to do it again because my speakers won’t do the job.
Good luck man, I hope you get your towers one day.

Oh I have my towers, they just aren't in the theater.

They'll get replaced with something better at some point, but honestly my theater speakers are much better.

Granted, my towers retailed at something like $150 ea and the in wall LCR in the theater are something like $1000 ea. In other words, they better sound better.

Good luck in your search. Finding in-walls to demo won't be easy.

 

[panteragstk]

You need to climb the ladder a couple more notches and tell her these are the only ones you can find that would really make you happy.

It's a tough compromise for you, but for her you'd do almost anything... even in-wall speakers after a lifetime of disapproving them. sigh

KEF Ci5160REF-THX In-Wall Reference Speaker

Features KEF’s patented Uni-Q driver array The standards of architectural speakers have been reset forever. The in-wall KEF Ci5160REF-THX - meets KEF’s standards for Extreme Theatre as well as THX Ultra Certification.

us.kef.com

I think I could live with those.

Wear a dirty, wrinkled white button up shirt (really accentuates "wear and tear". If you normally wear a tie make sure the knot is about at your sternum) and roll your sleeves up when you show her. Muss up your hair and try to look like you haven't slept for a while. You'll barely have to say anything to convince her you spent hours toiling over a search engine as you hunted for an acceptable pair of speakers that could make you both happy.

The deeper we get into how your mind works, the more interesting it gets.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

The Kef THX stuff is good too. I’m not sure what the margin on that stuff is/if it’s possible to get a discount on it. I’m going to ask around.

I don’t give much merit to thx certification anymore. It’s just a bought certificate at this point lol. Look at the THX Klipsch in ceilings. Not much power handling and their efficiency ratings are 3-6dB overstated so they don’t really have much of an edge.

Good luck on your search!

I have mixed feelings about THX. I mean, I don’t believe a desktop 2.1 system from Logitech should be THX certified. But for legit components, like Monolith subs, the aforementioned kefs, and some AVR’s I’ve used, I somehow think it’s more than a simple sticker. @shadyJ has mentioned the testing monolith has gone through in the past, and they’re bulletproof(except a few amp things I’ve heard of), so I have hopes that it still means something. I do agree though, the name has been whored out, and that’s frustrating. I think the IC’s you mentioned could be guilty of that, but I’m not sure exactly which ones you mean. I know they’re almost as bad as Def tech though lol!!! “Thx” for your input.

 

[Pogre]

I have mixed feelings about THX. I mean, I don’t believe a desktop 2.1 system from Logitech should be THX certified. But for legit components, like Monolith subs, the aforementioned kefs, and some AVR’s I’ve used, I somehow think it’s more than a simple sticker. @shadyJ has mentioned the testing monolith has gone through in the past, and they’re bulletproof(except a few amp things I’ve heard of), so I have hopes that it still means something. I do agree though, the name has been whored out, and that’s frustrating. I think the IC’s you mentioned could be guilty of that, but I’m not sure exactly which ones you mean. I know they’re almost as bad as Def tech though lol!!! “Thx” for your input.

Like I said above too, I'm pretty sure there are tiers of THX certification now. Possibly in response to complaints of how watered down it's become. The ones you're looking at are THX ULTRA2 certified, along with the Monolith stuff. I think it still means something.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

You need to climb the ladder a couple more notches and tell her these are the only ones you can find that would really make you happy.

It's a tough compromise for you, but for her you'd do almost anything... even in-wall speakers after a lifetime of disapproving them. sigh

KEF Ci5160REF-THX In-Wall Reference Speaker

Features KEF’s patented Uni-Q driver array The standards of architectural speakers have been reset forever. The in-wall KEF Ci5160REF-THX - meets KEF’s standards for Extreme Theatre as well as THX Ultra Certification.

us.kef.com

I think I could live with those.

Wear a dirty, wrinkled white button up shirt (really accentuates "wear and tear". If you normally wear a tie make sure the knot is about at your sternum) and roll your sleeves up when you show her. Muss up your hair and try to look like you haven't slept for a while. You'll barely have to say anything to convince her you spent hours toiling over a search engine as you hunted for an acceptable pair of speakers that could make you both happy.

Lmao! Thanks brother. I did see those and they look pretty awesome, but that’s the money I’ll use when I buy my legacy’s!!! FWIW, I have not conceded, and still have my list of in room speakers too.
Oh yeah, she is a cosmetologist and the Gov shut her down a couple days ago. Guess I’ll be lovin my JBL’s a little longer. At least their good!!!

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Oh I have my towers, they just aren't in the theater.

They'll get replaced with something better at some point, but honestly my theater speakers are much better.

Granted, my towers retailed at something like $150 ea and the in wall LCR in the theater are something like $1000 ea. In other words, they better sound better.

Good luck in your search. Finding in-walls to demo won't be easy.

Yeah that’s a big purchase to make and if I don’t like them...ugh. I’d say, for 1k each they better sound better than a 300pr of towers lol. I would certainly think so too. I WAS in the 3-5k range but things are pretty sketchy atm...

 

[shadyJ]

Like I said above too, I'm pretty sure there are tiers of THX certification now. Possibly in response to complaints of how watered down it's become. The ones you're looking at are THX ULTRA2 certified, along with the Monolith stuff. I think it still means something.

THX Ultra 2 certification doesn't exist anymore. That has been renamed to just 'Ultra.' There have been tiers for a long time, but in the last few years there was some changes. Currently, there is Compact, Select, Ultra, and Dominus.

Compact: "THX Certified Compact products for smaller sized rooms, up to 1,000 cubic feet in size, with an 8 foot viewing distance from the screen."

Select: "THX Certified Select products are for medium sized rooms, up to 2,000 cubic feet in size, with a 10-12 foot viewing distance from the screen.*
* Previously known as Select2"

Ultra: "THX Certified Ultra products bring the cinematic experience to larger home theaters, 3,000 cubic feet in size, with a viewing distance of 12 feet or greater from the screen.*
* Previously known as Ultra2"

Dominus: "THX Certified Dominus products are for expansive home theaters spaces, 6,500 cubic feet in size, with a 20 foot viewing distance from screen."

So far as I know, no product has been certified for a Dominus rating yet. It would take one hell of a loudspeaker to achieve that certification.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

THX Ultra 2 certification doesn't exist anymore. That has been renamed to just 'Ultra.' There have been tiers for a long time, but in the last few years there was some changes. Currently, there is Compact, Select, Ultra, and Dominus.

Compact: "THX Certified Compact products for smaller sized rooms, up to 1,000 cubic feet in size, with an 8 foot viewing distance from the screen."

Select: "THX Certified Select products are for medium sized rooms, up to 2,000 cubic feet in size, with a 10-12 foot viewing distance from the screen.*
* Previously known as Select2"

Ultra: "THX Certified Ultra products bring the cinematic experience to larger home theaters, 3,000 cubic feet in size, with a viewing distance of 12 feet or greater from the screen.*
* Previously known as Ultra2"

Dominus: "THX Certified Dominus products are for expansive home theaters spaces, 6,500 cubic feet in size, with a 20 foot viewing distance from screen."

So far as I know, no product has been certified for a Dominus rating yet. It would take one hell of a loudspeaker to achieve that certification.

I had an ultra2 AVR and it was very powerful.

Dominus? Sounds like a famous dinosaur we know... lol
Thanks for the breakdown.

 

[Russdawg1]

I think the THX Ultra 2 cert is a higher standard.

That’s what the Klipsch are...

 

[Russdawg1]

@William Lemmerhirt

If you truly seek something that will be powerful enough for a THX Dominus sized room, check out Phase Tech’s dARTS system.

Phase Technology dARTS DFS-660-T Speaker System Review

Performance Build Quality Value PRICE $48,000 as reviewed AT A GLANCE Plus

www.soundandvision.com

They have created a system that will hit THX Reference of 105dB in a room up to 18000 cubic feet. Each channel gets an active crossover that can be changed and tuned along with EQ for whatever room space it finds itself in. It comes with everything from processing to amplifiers to the speakers.

Sorta pricy, $40000? Depends on how many channels and what speakers you choose. A friend in Ohio deals them and swears that it’s the best system he’s ever heard. Even the Synthesis systems that Harman showcase isn’t as good he says. I’ve yet to hear it, but I hope to one day.

 

[Jon AA]

Dominus: "THX Certified Dominus products are for expansive home theaters spaces, 6,500 cubic feet in size, with a 20 foot viewing distance from screen."

So far as I know, no product has been certified for a Dominus rating yet. It would take one hell of a loudspeaker to achieve that certification.

I'll bet mine would have a pretty good chance....

Do you have any insight into what measurements they do to achieve these rankings that you can mention publicly? This is a pretty important aspect of speaker performance that is not explored in most speaker reviews (I understand there are some good reasons for that). But it would be nice to have at least a hint of how THX measures for this.

 

[shadyJ]

I'll bet mine would have a pretty good chance....

Do you have any insight into what measurements they do to achieve these rankings that you can mention publicly? This is a pretty important aspect of speaker performance that is not explored in most speaker reviews (I understand there are some good reasons for that). But it would be nice to have at least a hint of how THX measures for this.

I don't know any more than what is publicly available. However, if you look at some of my reviews of THX certified products, you can glean certain performance targets that THX requires. One thing we can see is no more then 5% THD from 25 Hz and above on subs. Very little compression distortion on the response is permitted as well, so the response should not change shape as levels are raised. Obviously, a near total flat response is required. THX doesn't seem to ask for a huge amount of headroom, but the behavior within its dynamic range must be extremely good. The only thing that is changing from the different certification levels is dynamic range.

 

[Jon AA]

Thanks.