Hidden Speakers

[walter duque]

[

QUOTE=dkane360;733231]I don't see specs for the model on the far right...

And on another note, someone posted that link a few months ago and I clicked on it while in one of my classes...oops lol.

[/QUOTE]
The one on the far right is very thight. I posted this link a few times.

 

[Serj22]

This thread reminds me of the Acoustic Research Home Decor speakers I had a while ago. They can be used out in the open, but can also be disguised as a set of encyclopedias, a lamp, clock, etc...

Also, the sub can be disguised as a pirate's chest...
They sounded like junk, but it was a funny concept.

 

[bruceburnsav]

thanks for all the interest and great ideas.

I've actually recently come into a bit more money than I thought I had to play around with, and am now considering a different set-up for my hometheater, but still really want to use invisible/hidden speakers throughout my house. I have done some initial research, and have listened to both Stealth Acoustics and Amina in demo rooms. I wasn't particularly impressed by either- HOWEVER, I have an acquaintance in the A/V industry, and he said he recently heard of an install job for invisible speakers, and would get back to me on the name of the company.

I'll keep you folks updated. On a positive note, I received my new receiver today, my Denon AVR-4810CI. I am really itching to get it hooked up! I also have been thinking about upgraded my cables. I currently use audioquest, but have heard that, for your money, upgrading cables makes a significant difference.

 

[TLS Guy]

thanks for all the interest and great ideas.

I've actually recently come into a bit more money than I thought I had to play around with, and am now considering a different set-up for my hometheater, but still really want to use invisible/hidden speakers throughout my house. I have done some initial research, and have listened to both Stealth Acoustics and Amina in demo rooms. I wasn't particularly impressed by either- HOWEVER, I have an acquaintance in the A/V industry, and he said he recently heard of an install job for invisible speakers, and would get back to me on the name of the company.

I'll keep you folks updated. On a positive note, I received my new receiver today, my Denon AVR-4810CI. I am really itching to get it hooked up! I also have been thinking about upgraded my cables. I currently use audioquest, but have heard that, for your money, upgrading cables makes a significant difference.

The wrong fairy whispered in your ear. Wire is wire. Don't wast money on cable scams. Get your good build quality cables from Monoprice or Blue Jeans cable.

If you want good open sound, you can't hide speakers. The laws of physics
are the same for all manufacturers and all us designers. If you want muffled lousy sound, go ahead and hide speakers.

If this is a home theater room, it will look the best displaying its goods proudly, especially the speakers.

 

[highfigh]

This.

I actually tried the Sonance behind the drywall speakers in an installation and found them to be really terrible.

What's so bad about inwalls? There are some nice inwall speakers like Genelec and Triad that have big sound from a good looking and paintable package.

There is also using acoustically transparent fabrics creatively.

I've seen a number of installations with big sound systems and hidden speakers, it's doable with some creativity.

Did you use the back box with the Sonance? That's required.

 

[highfigh]

I'd have to say you never heard a good pair of inwall speakers, I know of a few that I would use.

I wouldn't recommend the Induction Dynamics unless they're a lot better than they were. There's another that looks a lot like the Sonance but the company is headed by someone whose last name is Bertagni. His father was the 'B' in BES speakers, of the mid-late '70s. They sounded good but at $2500/pair, it's not a good choice for a lot of people.

OK, I'll modify my original statement- some sound good but they're more expensive than most people want to pay.

What else can you think of?

 

[bruceburnsav]

UPDATE:

So I had the chance over these past few days to demo the following systems, Solid Drive and Onsia. I demo'd them at friends/colleagues houses - and of course told them how amazing their speakers were (you never insult another mans audio to his face). I won't mention too much about the set-up, as to protect the privacy of my friends.

Here are my humble reviews.

Solid Drive
First Impression: 6.5/10 very cool technology and immediate "wow" factor. The Solid Drive sound transducer can be attached to almost any solid material and create sound. Apparently it is a combination of some highly sophisticated sonar tech and very powerful neodymium magnets.

Sound: 4/10 I know there is going to be a sacrifice in sound, but, even for background music, these speakers were not convincing. The passive equalizer module did not seem to improve the sound, and the sound-field was fairly narrow, with an obvious drop in clarity from only several feet away. Overall, felt a bit weak.

Installation: 6/10 the installation for all invisible speakers is going to require some handy-work, Solid Drive not excluded.

Price: 4/10 i would gladly pay 3x the price for a speaker that sounded 3x as good.

Overall 5.5/10 although Solid Drive can be attached to almost any solid surface and make sound, the sound quality is closer to generic computer speakers or everyday ipod docks than audiophile sound found in traditional home theater. For the price, the "wow" factor does not outweigh the "sigh" factor.

Omsia
First Impression: In-walls. The specs were decent (you can check them out on their website), the set-up was nice-er. Very spacious house with a large open floor plan. I immediately realized I could not tell where the sound was coming from, which was good. However, it did not exactly fill the room with sound either.

Sound: 5/10 much louder than Solid Drive, with a definite increase in bass response and an impressive sound-field. My friend had me guess where the speakers were hidden in his walls, and I only managed to locate 3/8 from his living room. Unfortunately, the sound itself was only a bit better than Solid Drive. Whether a fault of the house (which had high ceilings and lots of open space) or the speakers, I could not fully tell, but the music felt dull to me...and cheap.

Installation: 6/10 My friend said it was easy. I'll take his word for it.

Price: 8/10 CHEAP. A 5 pack of in-walls for 240$?!

Overall: 6.5/10 Very inexpensive speakers for immersing sound, but cheap immersing sound. I'd would say it is comparable to your run of the mill bose system.

This is where I am at so far. I guess my only question is: if you have heard these speakers, do you agree or disagree?

 

[TLS Guy]

UPDATE:

So I had the chance over these past few days to demo the following systems, Solid Drive and Onsia. I demo'd them at friends/colleagues houses - and of course told them how amazing their speakers were (you never insult another mans audio to his face). I won't mention too much about the set-up, as to protect the privacy of my friends.

Here are my humble reviews.

Solid Drive
First Impression: 6.5/10 very cool technology and immediate "wow" factor. The Solid Drive sound transducer can be attached to almost any solid material and create sound. Apparently it is a combination of some highly sophisticated sonar tech and very powerful neodymium magnets.

Sound: 4/10 I know there is going to be a sacrifice in sound, but, even for background music, these speakers were not convincing. The passive equalizer module did not seem to improve the sound, and the sound-field was fairly narrow, with an obvious drop in clarity from only several feet away. Overall, felt a bit weak.

Installation: 6/10 the installation for all invisible speakers is going to require some handy-work, Solid Drive not excluded.

Price: 4/10 i would gladly pay 3x the price for a speaker that sounded 3x as good.

Overall 5.5/10 although Solid Drive can be attached to almost any solid surface and make sound, the sound quality is closer to generic computer speakers or everyday ipod docks than audiophile sound found in traditional home theater. For the price, the "wow" factor does not outweigh the "sigh" factor.

Omsia
First Impression: In-walls. The specs were decent (you can check them out on their website), the set-up was nice-er. Very spacious house with a large open floor plan. I immediately realized I could not tell where the sound was coming from, which was good. However, it did not exactly fill the room with sound either.

Sound: 5/10 much louder than Solid Drive, with a definite increase in bass response and an impressive sound-field. My friend had me guess where the speakers were hidden in his walls, and I only managed to locate 3/8 from his living room. Unfortunately, the sound itself was only a bit better than Solid Drive. Whether a fault of the house (which had high ceilings and lots of open space) or the speakers, I could not fully tell, but the music felt dull to me...and cheap.

Installation: 6/10 My friend said it was easy. I'll take his word for it.

Price: 8/10 CHEAP. A 5 pack of in-walls for 240$?!

Overall: 6.5/10 Very inexpensive speakers for immersing sound, but cheap immersing sound. I'd would say it is comparable to your run of the mill bose system.

This is where I am at so far. I guess my only question is: if you have heard these speakers, do you agree or disagree?

I have not heard any of them, but it won't matter how many of these systems you audition, the result will be the same.

Big sound comes from big speakers.

 

[highfigh]

This is where I am at so far. I guess my only question is: if you have heard these speakers, do you agree or disagree?

Solid Drive is the Induction Dynamics speaker I referred to and your impression is the same as mine- weak.

I haven't heard the Onsia but I'm not going out pf my way to find them, either. I don't remember if it was Amina or Stealth Acoustics, but I inquired about who sells them in my area and what it takes to become a dealer. I got a short reply stating that the opening order is $10K and not much more info. Not particularly informative, or inspiring. Needless to say, I won't be placing an opening order.

 

[Tiguron]

It may be costly, and I haven't heard them, but you could look at the Klipsch light speakers. They are basically wireless (for signal) speakers that are also LED in ceiling light bulbs. Of course, you will need to add a sub.

 

[bruceburnsav]

I completely understand the idea of big sound comes from big speakers. The thing is, i'm not looking to blast sound into living room or hallways (where I am now looking to install). I just want quality sound.

I know these posts might come off as frustrating, because any purist will tell me that I just need to get myself a good pair of loudspeakers. The thing is, my idea of beauty is pure minimalism. My master bedroom has less than 4 pieces of furniture in it, including my bed. I like bare, open spaces. This is my ultimate audio fantasy, to have sound without seeing it.

On that note, I was scouring through the CEpro website and came across a press release for a new speaker company called "Live-Wall". The specs looked fairly promising, but I can't find any reviews on it (granted, it does seem to be a new product). Have any of you heard of it?

 

[markw]

You ave to make the choice: Beauty to the ears or the eyes.

Compromises can be made but the problem with form so totally outweighing function when considering options here is that you may, no, you WILL have to seriously redefine your meaning of the words "quality sound".

Look at like this; As the closing time to the bar gets closer, and the more you drink, the prettier the women look. Of course, the next morning, well...

As I said somewhere else, the only totally invisible speaker is also totally inaudible.

I found this on those live-wall speakers. I didn't find a whole lot of specs that mean anything.

"The LW1218 can either be used for new installations or retrofit into drywall without too much trouble. Either way, once you're done, you can mud, paint or even wallpaper right over it. It's water resistant too, which means showers and steam rooms can get the benefit of the LW1218."

That bolded section alone causes me, and anyone concerned with sound, to cringe but hey, they look like exactly what you're looking for. Whether they are what you're listening for, well, only you can be the judge of that. It's all in your priorities.