NHT iW4-ARC 3-Way In-Wall Immersive Sound Speaker Overview

[HTKamikazee]

With the arrival of new immersive surround formats like DTS:X, Auro-3D and Dolby Atmos, many people are getting ready to install in-wall / in-ceiling speakers for the height channels.

Let's face it, most two-way coaxial in-ceiling speakers don't have the output capabilities of high quality speakers used for the main channels. NHT knows this so they are putting forth their best effort with their new iW4-ARC powerhouse architectural speaker system.

Whether you're looking for a conspicuous high-end two-channel speaker system with high WAF or a height speaker solution for immersive surround sound that can match the frequency response and dynamics of the rest of your NHT speaker system, the iW4-ARC may be the choice speaker for you.

Read about the NHT iW4-ARC In-Wall Speaker System

 

[rojo]

It seems to me that a big problem with in-wall speakers, there's no sweet spot. There's little attention applied to off-axis response, and you can't toe them in. I'd think Dr. Hsu's horn tweeter solution would address this somewhat, I suppose; or HTD's pivoting tweeter.

Since these NHT in-walls are open-backed, I'm highly skeptical of NHT's claim of an F3 of 42Hz, unless perhaps the installer builds a back-box enclosure. Even then, small sealed enclosures typically don't have the extension of a tuned bass reflex. HTD's 8" in-wall offering reaching a reasonable depth to cross over to a subwoofer seems a lot more plausible to me.

I'd be hesitant to recommend even that, though, as a drywall baffle will have unpredictable resonances and will color the sound differently in different applications.

The NHT in-wall will make noise, and lots of it, I'm sure. I bet it even has a reasonably flat response from 1kHz up, a crucial range for timbre and tonality. But saying it rivals the Classic Three assumes a lot of variables and is a bit deceptive I think.