HiFi In-Wall Speaker Shootout! The results will floor (wall?) you!!! 😳
Вставка
- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- Written review/data can be found here:
Bowers & Wilkins CWM7.3 S2: www.erinsaudio...
Focal 1000 IWLCR6: www.erinsaudio...
Kef Ci3160RL-THX: www.erinsaudio...
M&K IW150: www.erinsaudio...
Martin Logan 5XW: www.erinsaudio...
Revel W553L: www.erinsaudio...
Revel W893: www.erinsaudio...
Support the cause:
Patreon: / erinsaudiocorner
Contribute via PayPal: www.paypal.com...
🛒🛒🛒
Generic Affiliate Links to use while shopping:
Amazon: amzn.to/3v6i6ov
Audio Advice: www.audioadvic...
Crutchfield: shop-links.co/...
^ any purchases you make using these helps earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Your support helps me pay for new items to test, hardware, miscellaneous items and costs of the site’s server space and bandwidth. All of which I otherwise pay out of pocket. So, if you can help chip in a few bucks, know that it is very much appreciated.
____________________
All of my tests are conducted using KLIPPEL Hardware and Software. KLIPPEL is an innovative leader in providing unique test equipment for electro-acoustical transducers and audio systems. Founded in 1997 by Dr. Wolfgang Klippel, the novel techniques developed for control and measurement systems of loudspeakers and other transducers are the result of over 30 years of fundamental research. This provides more accurate physical models of loudspeakers, micro-speakers and headphones valid for both small and large amplitudes. The focus is on revealing the root causes of signal distortion and defects and giving practical indications for improvements in design and manufacturing of audio products. For information on KLIPPEL products, please visit their site below:
www.klippel.de/...
🛒🛒🛒
Generic Affiliate Links to use while shopping:
Amazon: amzn.to/3v6i6ov
Audio Advice: www.audioadvice.com/?referral=erins-audio-corner&b=3
Crutchfield: shop-links.co/cgZmmT81jmh
^ any purchases you make using these helps earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Amazon has international shipping, and will help you reach viewers around the world.
25:28 This is just my opinion but I think that a narrow vertical directivity is not bad. Of course it depends on usage Is it stereo hi-fi speaker or part of a 6 speaker home cinema system? For stereo speaker I would prefer speaker with constant not to wide horizontal and vertical directivity. Vertical directivity should not be laser tight because you listen to music sitting down, standing up or even lying on a couch. 60-90° range for vertical seems ok to me. For horizontal dispersion I would go for 90-120°. The point is to minimize early reflection and energy directed towards the room. For home cinema I would prefer narrow vertical dispersion because audience is sitting down and wide horizontal dispersion 120-180°to cover all the audience. Combine that with acoustic treatment for home cinema room and you maximize direct sound vs reflected sound.
Could you test the DYNAUDIO inwalls please?
Erin just pantsed the entire industry for their lazy in wall engineering. And we thank you for that 👍
I am a MK SOUND dealer. The IW150s are very much a current product and retail for $2200. As a professional, you definitely have to make adjustments to frequency due to room variations. Good review. Glad you put so many brands up that are INVISIBLE to the average consumer.
The latest Monoprice THX in wall would be a contender!!
This one is interesting because of how drastically different the speakers measure.
I have set this before and I will say it again myself and a lot of the older Reviewers from all different publications respect the hell out of you We love the fact that you are humble and extremely educated And do not look down on anybody Getting into the hobby or wanting to learn. Thank you so much for what you do buddy By far the most refreshing guy out there
Thanks, man! I appreciate you!
@@ErinsAudioCorner trust me we appreciate you!! No magic beans required lol 😉
I do appreciate how much time and effort you put into all these tests and especially the listening evaluations. Interesting that price did not assure performance. Thank you for calling out bad ones.
I really need you to test the SCL-2.
I used to frown upon in walls that didn’t have back boxes. That’s what we are taught. This is incredibly valuable information to have! And it’s not that they are bad they just must be designed and sized right. But that looks like it’s rare. I really expected more from many of these speakers. Many of them were high on my internet list. I’ve been regularly checking for this video. You knocked it out the park! Thanks again!
Yep, I thought the same thing. This review was really eye opening for me in this regard.
Erin, I can’t thank you enough for all of this!!! No one reviews in walls and I am glad the one that does is you! I love your honesty and how clearly you explain everything in a way that makes it easy to compare. You are helping a lot of us out here and I hope you continue this incredible work! Your channel is among my all time favorite!!
Nice! I was puckering in my seat watching and waiting for hopeful positives about the performance of the Focal after having outfitted my entire theater and then my living room with the 1000 series and that IWLCR6 model specifically for all my mains. Kind of a bummer. Would have rather had glowing results. I see similar characteristics in my raw measurements. Anthem ARC in both rooms though does very well handling the speaker for Harman-esque custom curves with the AVM70 and the STR. I'm very pleased with my system and its integration nonetheless. We can still be friends, LOL. 😀
Yep. It all normally sounds good at the end of the day. I’m sure your rooms sound amazing
Just amazing! Excellent work and the community really appreciates what you do. You had the 3 that were on my short list so now deciding time of KEF vs JBL. Again,I can’t said enough thank you sir!!!!!!
Dude. Honestly. You are invaluable to the audio community. You should have DOUBLE the subscribers of people like The A.
You tell things the way they are.
Your reviews potentially save people tons of money and can give them the right direction.
Keep up the kick ass work !
Thanks for doing this Erin, the results were super enlightening. If possible one day it would be awesome if you could review some of the Triad inwall speakers. They seem
to be super popular on AVS and I have always wondered how they would fair on the KLIPPEL. It goes without saying but you are the man!
Erin, just want to say I’m eternally grateful for the work you do man. It’s highly appreciated. You’re an awesome guy. Your humble attitude rocks mister. Loving your content. You seem like a super great guy. Very relatable and genuine. It’s something very special indeed. Wish you all the best even through the tougher times.
Awwww shucks. ☺️
I had high hopes for the Focal 1000. Since you are saying you think the enclosure might be a limiting factor, I really now wonder how the much less expensive Focal 300 series with the flax drivers would compare to the Focal 1000 series. Since those are open backed, there is an opportunity for the user to build their own, larger back box to maybe help with some of the resonances. It would be interesting to see what spending almost 3 times as much money really gets you.
Yeah real shame, big fan of Beryllium tweeters, but seems like they just wasted the amazing drivers from their tower speakers in those.
Eeeesh, I makes me scared to consider in-walls for the next iteration of my HT build. Hopefully we can find a diamond in the rough when looking at some more budget friendly options.
Get on-wall speakers.
Hi with the miller and kreisel,these speakers are supposed to be paired with a subwoofer, they are not really designed to create low frequencies ,I use the s150 cabinet type and I believe these s150 are all about detail, that’s why film makers use them 🤷♂️🤔
No one can do in walls/in ceilings like Erin. Great job!
I'm an on wall/ceiling guy (JBL 9300) and before I went that way I so wanted in walls as they are much more room friendly. But also as a 2 channel box speaker guy I could never convince myself that you could get the same performance from in walls. Dollars for dollars aside.
Huge amount of work you have done here and am hugely grateful. Subscribed.
Great review as usual Erin! At the end of the day, it seems like the results overall are not very surprising. In walls will never be the same quality as a speaker with a defined enclosure based on its characteristics. However it's interesting that the two budget models do as well as they do while all the expensive ones turned out to be pretty crappy except for the KEF.
I heard the Flagship Focal inwalls along with the matching inwall subs at Axpona 2022. While I was initially surprised with the dynamics and sheer volume output capabilities, they did sound boomy too. Very boomy. I’m shocked at this price point they would sound that bad.
I always wondered what would happen if you put a bookshelf speaker in wall? Could put some foam around it with some type of custom mount case for the 2inch that will stick out the wall. An Arendal 19.. would be interesting to see, Since those in wall already cost a fortune
Great video. I have the Revel W990's for my LCR, W893's for the sides and C783's for the atmos. Amazing sound for both movies and music. I have an Anthem 1140X with a Krell Amp to drive the LCR's. I was able to do a blind test of 6 different brands at the installers location and the Revel's came out on top. Everyone's ears are different and I would recommend, if at all possible, to do a blind test. You might be surprised as to what you like when you don't know the brand you're listening to. Love the Revels. Oh, and if you can afford it, JL Audio's inwall subs are amazing.
I love my Anthem 1140 MRX too, but I always liked Focal sound, so my front is Sopra 3, which is connected to Pass Labs XA30.8 with xp-12 preamp. At the rear are my first Focal speakers, Electra 1008be, then Sopra centre. I just bought 4x 1000series ICW6 to complete atmos. I'm planning to build diy surround speakers with two more ICW6.
I'm addicted to beryllium as you can tell😄, so it will be all around me.
For sub, I have Rel 812S and I plan to buy a second one mainly to complete my stereo.
My priority was always good stereo system, so home cinema was really an afterthought, but now I definitely appreciate surround more.
Would love to see some triad speakers reviewed/measured if you can get your hands on some. Seems they are a favorite of custom installers but I've yet to see any data... Makes you wonder if the CI guys know something we don't or maybe the margins are just that good!
I'm betting the most expensive speaker is the best. That's how good reviewers choose the best. No need to listen or measure.
🤣
Dammit. I could’ve saved myself a lot of time if I had known that.
When they say - "It's good for the price range", without even giving you a real shortcoming, I know I've wasted my time with that review.
Thanks for the great review and info. I’ve been looking at the KEF for a while and there’s very little info.
Disappointed to see these results on a few of the speakers that were on my short list. Erin, when are you doing the Triad Speakers?
I believe they are en route.
I am blown away by the in-depth review. It's funny I ended up here cuz I'm just looking for some front and rear speakers for my surround sound I already have a really nice set of speakers but I was thinking to go in wall and at this point I feel like I should just open up the enclosures of the speakers I have and build enclosures for in the wall I had no idea how expensive these things could get. Regardless of my budget problems thanks very much for your in-depth and honest review I learned a lot here
Glad I could help!
Damn man, that's a lot of work. This is some great information! Thank you so much for your hard work.
Finally some measurements of these so called highend speakers. Awesome work 👍.
Hi Erin,
great video. Well done. Could you please make a second in-wall video? Maybe you can get the Monitor Audio C2M on your test rig. Greetings from Germany, Tim
Wow! There are a lot of surprises about in-wall speakers, bad ones for the most part! You point very expertedly all the pitfalls and caveats of putting ready-made speakers without proper analysis of the sound characteristics of each design. At the price point (mostly over 1000$ each), I was expecting a more balance sound and a much better dispersion. Thanks for sheding some light on a huge portion of the audiophile spectrum we never hear about!
I think most companies are just reusing drivers from their bookshelf and tower speakers to save money. Sad but common, they won't spend any of their profit margin on a slightly better driver or crossover.
Amazing breakdown! I suspect the high Q drivers in small boxes is to impress right of the bat and make them easy to install, but yes its really a shame when price tag is at a few grand. Best breakdown I have ever seen for wall and ceiling speakers, thank you!
Nice review Erin! I cannot believe how poorly integrated those more expensive designs were. The responses were unacceptable for that price, and seemingly poorly executed crossovers. Very surprised and now more informed!
Stage detail of Miller Kreisel is just on another level. Maybe SNR, or DB senistivity measures different from others, but in reality when put together you get another dimension in sound from MK. I was watching one scene many times for testing and only after i put MK SUR55 and LCR950 i realised that this scene has a rain sound, then looked closeley and here you go there was a rain outside the window in the scene which i never seen before after watching it 100 times, numbers do not tell full sotry, but real sound does. Maybe thats why MK is mostly used in Atmos studios.
Erin, super interesting video. Thank you for taking the time and energy to educate us. Just out of curiosity, any interest or plan to test any of the Monolith THX in walls? Would be interesting to see how they stack up against the much more expensive models you tested here.
Came here to say this as well! The LCR THX and the 275 versions are very appealing. I'm interested to see the horizontal dispersion of the LCR setup as well.
I came here to say this also and he has tested MonoPrice before I see.
@@runany1 yea, they're supposed to send me some when they come back in stock.
If they are anything like their subwoofers, they will be fantastic! I got the 12" THX, and couldn't be happier.
great I am to trying to pull the trigger on the thx monolith in walls
Love the honesty. Guys like thomas & stereo & cheapaudioman and many more don't even say the name of brand which sounded bad for eg at a show or heard at their friends house[thomas & stereo]. Thank you erin for keeping it real. Love your honesty.
Yeah too many reviewers shy away from handing out negative reviews.
But those are so important for informing consumers which products to avoid, so they can find better products.
Very happy to see that Erin is honestly recommending against MartinLogan, Focal and B&W.
I have to say I really wish you could have included the Monoprice in-walls as I have there stand alone speakers and you reviewed for example the 365-C really well. If you can do an addendum at a later time for the Monoprice in-walls that would very much help me decide if i should do that for my next setup, or stay far away from them.
Hopefully reviews like this will make the manufacturers step up their game rather than their prices. Great video
..... now..... amazing video..... could you please do one for in-ceiling speakers? :) They are a lot smaller, so maybe they work out a bit better. I have no idea.
Can't thank you enough for another well-explained informative video. It's so great to see how you make it more easily accessible for people to get better insight prior to buying speakers. Keep up the good works. Better days ahead.
Learned a good bit, as I never see any reviews/data for in-walls.
Thanks for doing this Erin. Appreciate it!
Erin thank you so much for this test! I have 5xJBL SCL-6, 4xJBL SCL-7, and 4xRevel 783s coming in this Friday. I was really splitting hairs if I should have gone with KEF over JBL and it looks like it would have been a win either way. I'm also really surprised that OEM backer boxes were a detriment, as the popular opinion is the exact opposite with little scientific evidence to back that opinion up. Really love this content as buying in-walls is often a guessing game for most people.
Why not completely timbre match the set up with SCL-8’s ?
You made a great choice
@@burningsti Good question! My ceiling slopes upward from the screen position towards the back of the room, so it made having an angled Atmos speaker difficult to position at the listening area. After doing some research I had found Revel was often used for Atmos in tandem with JBL Synthesis bed layer when mixing audio for Blu-ray. I'll reply to this thread if it sounds drastically different when sound moves from the bed layer to the Atmos.
@@tristanstoker233 How is your system? Wanted to check in to see how you like it? I'm hoping to get one too!
@@angussmall So I just started doing sound tests this week and I love it. I'm running an Anthem MRX1140 and powering the base 7 channels with a Monolith 7x. I ended up having a toed in baffle wall built for the left and right so I am no longer going to use front wides. Even if I had double the budget I would still go with the same JBL Synthesis speakers. My room is pretty much finished aside from still being on the waitlist for an Epson LS12000/Sony 5000. Its painful testing a system I'm so happy with on an old 27inch monitor =p.
@@tristanstoker233 🤣🤣 Wow! I can imagine. That’s awesome to hear. What are your room dimensions? Looks like you will have one amazing setup! Glad it’s working out!
Great video. The Focal’s surprised me a bit since I’ve seen so much positive reactions to them online. People seem to covet those.
Great detailed review! Any chance on a more budget friendly or midrange lineup?
Thanks! I had planned to do that but when I moved, I had to take the set up down and didn’t have enough space for it to measure in wall speakers. There’s a possibility I might be able to with my new set up.
This type of information simply doesn’t exist anywhere else. Thanks for the effort you put in!
I was hoping you would say they're all awesome, so just get the cheap one. but what you discovered is what I expected - they all sort of suck . :( I really want to clean up my living room/home theater. In-walls behind a perforated screen would look awesome, but I don't think I'd be happy with the compromise on sound.
Erin, thank you so much for opening our eyes about these speakers ! I realy appreciate the time and efford you put into these test, to come up with your recommendations based on test valuations and not by the hipe manufacturers put in their product presentations !
I realy need your help and recommendation for ceiling speakers ! I don't have space for towers nor walls, with the exception for the center channel. The Focal 1000 ICLCR5 is an option I was looking into, but until I have your recommendation, I won't buy any !
Thank you so much for what you do !
Luis
Good job Erin. I listen to the AV Rant podcast, and the guys on there are very knowledgeable generally but they are repeatedly insistent that in-wall speakers need an enclosure. They seem to think that a speaker without an enclosure is automatically going to be inferior and speakers just need an enclosure to sound good, even if you have to do your own DIY box in the wall. That has always struck me as false. I have been following speaker design since a subscription to Speaker Builder magazine in the 1980s. My own experience is that infinite baffle and open baffle can be very effective. Your measurements just confirm the fact that in-walls are more likely hurt by using an enclosure because they are almost always too small. I am somewhat surprised by the fact that even when the manufacturer supplies the box, they still use woofers that would benefit from a larger enclosure. Maybe they are counting on EQ to bring down the bass hump.
I didn’t have time to watch the whole video but I did drop a follow. Was there any mention of what speakers are recommended?
Hi, I'm building a home theater and I've been researching and working with 3 different companies on speaker options. Each have there favorite brand (Focal, Klipsch and one even split the brand with Revel and can't remember many). I really enjoyed your breakdown. Would you consider helping me further if I provide more specific details about the layout and speaker recommendations?
Awesome!!! Now we need Paradigm Elite E7 and Pro P5 as well as Perlisten and Monitor Audio Cinergy. I can provide the Paradigm
would also love to see a similar analysis of the Theory Audio speakers, as these seem to be making a lot of waves of late...
Love this video, although it would REALLY benefit from the addition of chapters so viewers can jump to the section specific to a given speaker
Thanks for doing this Erin, I can tell it was a ton of work! Do you have any thoughts about in-wall speakers in general vs floorstanders? Do you consider it a significant compromise to use in-walls, especially in terms of soundstaging, or do the benefits of infinite baffle make up for it? I have a perfect wall for in-walls, but not sure if I'd lament a loss in performance?
Very satisfied with the Kef 3160, I’m using the 4100’s as my surrounds. Your research validates my AV guy recommendations. Thank you for your hard work.
I'm considering the 3160's. Do you have them biamped? Are you using them strictly for home theater or are they double duty for 2 channel?
@@Trrs81 no they aren’t bi-amped. Mostly for HT.
@@rinaldosloan8291 are you enjoying them? What did you run before them?
Did you install with or without a DIY back box? Any thoughts regarding this?
@@bradlee2594 You would need to sit them in a false or cavity wall. Kef stipulate the optimum volume area they need to have so just take that into consideration when you fit them. You don’t need a box.
Excellent , excellent review. Enjoyed this presentation very much. No b--s. Curious, the M&K did you mount it with the tweeters on the side? Would it be better with tweeters on top? Cheers.
Thanks for doing the work to shed light on these speakers where otherwise little is known. Room correction would do wonders to flatten those massive bass bumps (done it with XT32), which in turn would also reduce the compression for speakers like the Focal. Fixing the other problems is of course not trivial.
Erin don't you think you were a tiny bit harsh on some of your compression comments? I mean +/- 1dB on 102 dB is nothing to scoff at.
I really appreciate you making this video however it can you please make a video on how to understand this chart and terms in audio
Sure. Here is a playlist I have for all the measurements starting with frequency response:
m.ua-cam.com/video/dltza-EGtCg/v-deo.html
Incredibly informative, I watched the whole thing. I'd love to see about a dozen more of these inwall test videos at every price point for all kinds of in-walls. Triad, Dynaudio, Elac, Sonance, CAT, Meridian, more budget focal models without enclosures, KEF Q Series, etc. etc. Do you have a recommended reasonably priced method to measure live installs? Would love to offer the best product options to my customers at different price points.
@erinsaudiocorner, can you provide your opinion on what to insulate these speakers for. I have seen about 50/50 split on fiberglass vs rockwool. For the Kef, they have in their manual that fiberglass should be used. But the other speakers don't have a recommendation. Also, the other opinion is that rock wool is a better sound proofing insulation. Just curious of your thoughts on it.
I am glad the KEF measure well, it’s interesting you didn’t spend as much time on KEF vs all the others!
I love the fact that you call it as they are the most expensive speakers are so poorly designed!!
I don't know why but this video had news reporter vibes with each speaker being the next story. Very interesting results. Makes me wonder if these brands measure well with their boxed lineups of bookshelf/towers. I've heard that B&W typically have a BBC dip and that's their thing.
I see that a lot of these closed back speakers have a pretty good bump in the bass. Wouldn’t a lot of that be tamed in a typical home theater setup when these speakers would all typically be high-passed and used with a sub? Seems like the designers are planning on them not being used full range.
I understand why you might think that. However, this bump would make it even harder to integrate with a subwoofer due to the steep phase angle of the rolloff rate. And, once a crossover is implemented, the bump would still exist; it would just be lowered. But it wouldn't make it easier to align with a subwoofer.
Excellent video: it managed to cover all the bases without getting in the weeds and was fair and honest in its appraisal. I installed some Goldenear SPS in walls in my living room (the little woman vetoed even book shelves), and installed the optional back boxes: they sound awful: boomy and muffled. I almost returned them, but tried them without the back boxes and they were much better (but nowhere near as good as the Triton floorstanders.) I’d like to see these reviewed, but I’m also looking forward to the upcoming Triad review. You sir are performing a valuable public service with these in wall reviews: I haven’t seen or heard of anyone else doing this: much appreciated!
I have a set of Tantra 6 LCR, ported cast volcanic ash cabinets, dual 6” Seas Prestige woofers, 1” Seas Prestige tweeter in a d'appolito configuration. (upgraded crossover parts). Was a high end line made by Speakercraft which only lasted a couple of years, didn’t make it through the 2008 crash. There is also a model above, Tantra 8 LCR.
Are you still using the Tantras? What do think of them?
@@SuperChevyNova69 yes, they’re great
Wonder if the cheaper alternatives from KEF also perform reasonably well?
You should test the new CI5160RLM-THX and CI3160RLM-THX!
great test! would be interesting to se the measurements of the meta technology in-wall
I notice that most here use resistors in the network to tame down the tweeters. (W893 etc)
This can sound harsh and cause problems with the compression.
Thanks
That's not always the case. And, conversely, poor linearity of the motor/suspension can cause significant compression. All these things should be evaluated on a case by case basis and we should avoid generic statements that don't jive with proof. 👍
Erin - you did it again. Very interesting choice of in walls and relevant for today’s home theater’s where WAF rating is important
I’ll never use an in wall speaker, but that being said I thoroughly enjoyed this video! Keep killing it homie
Thanks, man!
Great work buddy but what about Klipsch In-Wall THX Series ? Shouldn't you include them on your review ?
If you wanna send me some to test then sure. These all came from owners/dealers who offered them up. Otherwise, maybe the next round. 👍
Hey Erin,did u notice that Perlisten is using ur results of In wall spkrs in their database to showcase how good it is? Read a Sound and vision article on Perlisten in walls where they have quoted ur work and theirs doesn't have all the negatives u quoted. Its a gr8 recognition of ur work 👍
I wasn't aware of that, but that's really cool! I'll see if I can find it. Thanks for the heads up!
Article is on Audiohilics not S&V..
I hope you can review the Monolith by Monoprice THX-465IW THX Certified Ultra 3-Way In-Wall Speaker in the future. I’d sure like a less expensive option but only if they are good.
can you do the in-ceiling stereo speakers it's ceiling-mounted ones though since some walls might be busy with well shelves and cabinets though.
however some wall or floor mounted speakers might be there in the industrial room or possibly one in some garage. while the gym or aqua pool room gets the array speakers including stereo like ones too.
Very informative episode. Great job. Very few reviews out there comparing them. Would be great to have your review for Line Array Speakers as well like JBL CBT 50/100/70.
Interesting video. I loved it. There is hardly anyone talking about in-wall speakers in UA-cam.Should we make a box in the dry wall for hooking up the open back revels?
Do they manufactures ever contact you to try and explain what’s going on with their speakers?
Fantastic video Erin! Makes u wonder if Harman and KEF are the only ones that can actually design good speakers..?!? Ok, spill it..how much did they pay you..😉
Such an honest review on a wide variety of in-wall speakers. I hope you're able to review the GoldenEar Invisa Signature Point Source one day.
If you get the opportunity to do another one of these in-wall comparisons, it'd be great to see if you could borrow a Dali Phantom S-280 to demo. Due to their massive size and passive radiators, they may be one of the few in-wall speakers that could potentially sound right with a sealed back box. Their downside is their immense size and their equally immense price. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Unfortunately, none of my local shops have any on demo, so I haven't had a chance to hear them myself.
Hi there! thanks for such a huge review. I am thinking to change my surrounds back and if I have all KEF around would that be good idea to go with Revel W553L or better stay with KEF and go with CI4100QL ? I am little bit discouraged by those small 4" woofers (ci4100ql) so considering that mentioned REVEL.
thank you
Hi @Erin'sAudioCorner, thank you for such a great review. If you don't mind me asking, what rear surround in-wall speakers would you recommend for my Heco Aurora (Sub 30A, Aurora 300 bookshelf speakers, Aurora 1000 floorstanding speakers, Aurora 30 center channel speaker) system to match the timbre? My room is 16' x 15' and is open to the dining area.
Thank you so much for your help in advance.
I can hardly express how much audio scene owes to this whole new gen of objecti-philes like Erin or Amir or some others. It not easy to admit how we were fooled by industry and review "authorities" for decades. Most stuff is just plain physics. Which is dry matter. While an army of subjectivists has the full dictionary plus rosey poetry to sell stuff. Today I understand much better why some statements and claims always felt strange.
You do remarkable work… I don’t think I’ve seen your equal on UA-cam. 👏👏👏
Great video, they all are bad except for the harmen and Kef speakers didn’t expect the difference to be this large.
The CEA speaker might work better if tuned 90 degrees so the HF units are on top. Funny you should not like the B & W. I purchased the similar, boxed centre channel speaker, looks beautifully made, nice looking units, very comprehensive cross over but sounded dreadful. I lived with it for 2 weeks then it had to go. I replaced it with the Monitor Audio C350 Silver. I cannot tell you how much better it is. Voice in particular is very convincing.
Loves your videos. Have you reviewed the new THX Monoprice monolith inwall speakers. I'm interested in these for my home theater build. They are the right price. Thanks
Very informative and comprehensive analysis of these speakers Erin. Have you looked at either the Klipsch R-5502 or the Definitive Technology in wall Rls II in-wall speaker? I’m curious what your thoughts on either of those might be. Thanks again.
Thanks Erin for another excellent speaker review. An experiment that I think would be revealing is to compare the anechoic response of a high quality stand-mount speaker with its actual response when placed a couple of feet in front of a large flat baffle and (thirdly) with its actual response when placed directly against the large flat baffle and with panels placed at the sides of the speaker and the top and bottom, all tilted backward at 45 degrees from the baffle plane so as to blend the baffle to the wall a slight distance away from the speaker. I've never seen this experiment done but someone with the right skills and equipment could do it and it would be very interesting. I expect that the response with the speaker placed a couple of feet away from the large flat baffle will be very different from the anechoic response while the response with the speaker placed directly against the large flat baffle and using the panels will be a much closer match to the anechoic response, albeit with a bass boost compared to the anechoic response. Just some food for thought. Thanks again for your good work!
You might be interested in this review where I took the small Arendal bookshelf speaker measured it anechoic and then put it on a baffle to show what the response would be as if it were on a wall. Check it out.
m.ua-cam.com/video/WZ6Fyob1Phg/v-deo.html
Perlisten audio S7i-lr has a back box like the focal 1000 in walls... Curious why they all add back boxes if the boxes are too small n causes poor freq response curves?
You are the best speaker reviewer I ever heard on UA-cam you know your stuff thanks great review
Any Chance you have done or could do a review on the Definitive Technology UIW RLS II? I can't seem to find much regarding them but I am interested in hearing them.
Great job Erin! I would be very curious about on wall surround speakers also, such as the Lyngdorf MH-2 or others. Thanks in advance.
I know it’s about a year old but since I can get my hands on a set of millerkrkreisel that you tested for a descent price I wondered if mounting the speaker on its side ( tweeters on top) would solve the problem and give a more linear soundstage?
Hi Erin, what do you think of
kef CI4100ql vs MartinLogan motion series Ci
For the front L and R channels?
Any recommendations?😮
Klipsch rf7iii or focal aria evo x which one is better for dedicated home theatre
Would love to see more budgets models, was thinking about taking the focals 300 series before. But after seeing these results of the 1000 serie that's not going to happen. Now going to get the Revel W553L's. Thank you for the video!
Did you end up getting the W553L's? If so, what did you think about them? I'm considering these for rear surrounds.