We've been taught at an early age to whisper when visiting a library. But there’s nothing hush-hush about this polished 1,800-square-foot vault of periodicals. Although you can’t see them, nearly 40 speaker drivers and subwoofers rattle the rafters when the owner presses the SHOWTIME button on the screen of a custom-tailored Crestron touchpanel. The command also signals a mechanism to slowly lift an heirloom tapestry from the wall, revealing a 120-inch-wide Stewart Filmscreen display. In seconds the serious and sensible room has transformed into a rockin’ and raucous state-of-the-art theater.
To ensure both a good fit and great sound, the installer contacted speaker manufacturer California Audio Technology (CAT) to build drivers and woofers specifically for the space.
The installer also provided CAT with a sample of the rich cherry wood used throughout the library. From this CAT was able to design wooden speaker grilles to match. “Conventional black acoustical fabric is a telltale sign that there’s a speaker behind the wall,” says Eitel. “The custom wood grilles come across as an architectural detail.”
Check out the original article and more pictures
here at Electronic House
