HOME CINEMA SPEAKERS
Speakers come in all shapes and sizes and can stand on the floor, sit on shelves or be installed in the ceilings, wall or even the floor. Choosing the speakers that are right for your cinema will depend on your aesthetic requirements as well as your budget.
In a dedicated cinema room speakers may be on display but in a room for mixed use the requirement is often to hide them where ever possible.
So how many speakers do you need? The basic requirement is for five speakers and a subwoofer and now more usually seven speakers and a subwoofer. The latter makes the system ready for the new surround sound formats available with Blu-ray. Because the subwoofer handles the low frequency sounds the speakers do not need to be huge - but you 'canny change the laws of physics' as Scotty used to say, so teeny weensy speakers will miss out on those all important mid-frequencies.
So what do we recommend? Well if you are able to use floor standing speakers there is a vast choice out there - although our favourites are probably B&W as they have well reviewed speakers at a number of price points. If the speakers are to be more discrete we'd recommend in-wall speakers if at all possible for the front left, centre and right as these will give a more convincing sound stage. The surrounds and rears can either be in-wall, on-wall or in-ceiling.
We know that large subwoofers can be acoustically quite delicate, but they're not always easy to live with on the size front. So we recommend either Sunfire subs, which pack a huge punch from a small package, or an in-wall subwoofer if the whole room is being renovated.
Amongst the huge range of speakers on the market here are some of our favourites...
B&W
British speaker manufacturer B&W take the design of their cones very seriously. Employing Kevlar for many of their drivers they strive to simplify the crossovers in their speakers to produce the purest of sounds.
B&W's range is pretty huge from in-wall and in-ceiling speakers for all budgets to designer styled on wall speakers to accompany plasma screens to their well known range of floor stand and shelf speakers.
The new 600 series has received plaudits from just about everyone who has listened to it and we also have a real soft spot for the 700 series.
Triad
American speaker manufacturer Triad specialise in speakers for the custom install market especially for home cinemas. A wide range of in-ceiling, in-wall and on-wall speakers together with more traditional box speakers are available.
A specialty of Triad apart is their ability to colour match the finish of their speakers to your wall or ceiling's colour. This service is included in the price.
Triad home cinema speakers are designed to play very loud if you so desire and should be used with a subwoofer. For music lovers they also have a range of full-range speakers. All Triad speakers are closed back ensuring they sound the same in each application. In-wall and in-ceiling subwoofers are available
Speakercraft
Speakercraft invented the in-wall speaker way back when. Since then they have been designing and building speakers for all occasions that will fit into walls and ceilings.
Our favourites from their range are the AIM series. These nifty speakers can tilt within their frame aiming the sound directly at the listener. When ceiling speakers have to be used at the front these are the speakers to use.
With such a wide selection of speakers of all types it is easy to produce a timbre matched set using both in-walls and in-ceiling varieties. Speakercraft also make in-wall subwoofers.
NHT
NHT (Now Hear This) - whilst you may never have heard of them we really think you should. Their general outlook on life and the way they design their products simply appeals to us and as a result they make some great sounding kit. NHT is once again independently owned by sound enthusiasts.
Take their iW4 in wall speaker as shown here. As they say themselves 'it's just nuts'. A true three-way design with dual woofers the detail and accuracy are quite outstanding. Their patented triple tweeter in-ceilings are fantastic for in-ceiling surrounds or general music applications. If you don't have a brand prejudice you should seriously give these speakers a listen. In-wall subwoofers available.
Sunfire
Whilst it might be said that the companies listed above also make subwoofers with Sunfire it's a case of they also make other speakers. Subwoofers are what they are known for and what they do best.
What's really cool about Sunfire is that they make small subwoofers that can make a lot of noise. For small read around an 8" cube. This means they can fit in your interior and shake the place to pieces if you require. They are also easy to tame for more musical moments.
They have a number of patents on subwoofer design. All the detail and more you will find on their website - check out the whitepapers. For now just think small but powerful.
