In-Wall Theater 
Snell takes THX Ultra 2 quality to the wall.

As a firm believer in most of what THX has contributed to the home theater genre, I was excited to find out that Snell’s AMC 2000THX is an in-wall version of (and meets the same THX standards as) the company’s THX Ultra 2 certified model––the XA1900THX in-cabinet speakers––except that the 2000 fits between a regular 2 by 4 stud bay. The THX certification ensures the speaker will reproduce the demanding soundtrack requirements of Hollywood’s latest blockbuster without distorting or otherwise falling apart, sonically. This speaker provides that in a space-saving form factor.

Though it is no longer required by THX, Snell continues to take advantage of a D’Appolito-type driver array, in this case placing identical 2.5-inch midrange drivers above and below a single 1-inch dome tweeter. This arrangement helps direct more of the sound vertically toward the listening area, and less of it toward the floor and ceiling, where problematic acoustical reflections occur. And yet the design supposedly creates less off-axis lobing than other arrangements so that in-room frequency response is smoother and more natural overall.

This certainly bares true, as the speakers prove to have excellent imaging and soundstage characteristics. Instruments seemed to emanate from a point between the two speakers as if I was listening to the musicians during the actual recording. There’s a good sense of depth to the sound, as well (an inherently difficult attribute for in-wall speakers), even without surround speakers, though it’s not quite as deep as that from good freestanding speakers like the Triad LCRs. Much of this is likely due to the AMC 2000THX’s ability to avoid unwanted floor and ceiling reflections. And yet the sound has a soft, laid-back quality that makes it easy to listen to. There aren’t any noticeable colorations or distortions.

The entire tweeter-midrange section of the speaker is angled toward the listening area, and utilizes appropriate absorption on the protruding side so as to avoid adverse reflections from the speaker cabinet. This angle simulates the “toe-in” or rotation that you might apply to a freestanding speaker so that the drivers project sound toward a center listening position. This helps improve the system’s ability to image, or create phantom sound sources between the two speakers, as well. Just make sure you don’t reverse the left and right speakers during installation. If your center speaker is above or below your screen or TV, you might use the angled section to direct sound up or down toward the listening area. Otherwise, a flat version is available so you can install the speaker directly behind the center of a projection screen.
 

Triad’s InRoom Gold LCR speakers are one of the company’s top-end home theater models. They combine the subtle musicality of Triad’s Monitor series, with the dynamic output capabilities required for bombastic home theater.

Eight-inch woofers sit above and below the tweeter-midrange module, providing adequate low-frequency response as well as excellent output and dynamics. True to THX spec, the speakers deliver effortlessly with each movie soundtrack, and even with Brent’s pick, the industrial band Rammstein, on DVD. Though we would definitely recommend that you use a subwoofer with these speakers, you’ll want to make sure it’s a good subwoofer with excellent extension and plenty of output in order for it to actually augment the low-frequency output of the in-walls.
 
The AMC 2000THXs are certainly my favorite compared with the freestanding Triad model, but only because I prefer the Snell’s seemingly softer treble reproduction, relatively speaking. They even give me doubts about my preference toward the B&W 8NT speakers reviewed in the Spring issue. The Snell speakers are easy to recommend to anyone, regardless of whether you’re looking for an in-wall speaker or not.

The Gold Standard
Reference-quality sound in a variety of finishes.

Rocking the house is one of Triad’s specialties. Those who visit typical retail electronics stores may not know the brand well, but it’s been a staple of independent custom installation electronics dealers for decades. It took me awhile to wrap my head around Triad’s product nomenclature, though. The company makes several different types of speakers, ranging from monitors to LCRs, most of which come in various form factors (in-room, on-wall, in-wall, in-ceiling) not to mention various Olympian levels of performance (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum). Being home theater enthusiasts, Brent and I decided on the LCR model—which stands for left, center, right; the front three speakers in a surround system—and asked for Triad’s dipole surrounds and a 12-inch powered sub, as well. The Gold level speakers fit our price range nicely (in-wall versions of this model are not yet available).
 

The Triad InRoom Gold LCR speakers use proprietary drivers and an over-built, acoustically inert enclosure. With low distortion, high sensitivity, and high power handling, the speakers are effective at reproducing music and movie soundtracks.

The InRoom Gold LCR speakers are made with a straightforward, three-way design, using a 1-inch fabric dome tweeter, a 5.25-inch midrange driver, and two 8.5-inch woofers. The drivers are all mounted into a cabinet that’s as solid as anything I’ve ever dealt with, which should eliminate any undesirable resonance. The combination of quality drivers and a rigid  cabinet creates a smooth, full-  frequency tonal balance that doesn’t have the gaps or holes in the response that other systems with more disparately sized drivers can create. Though the manual suggests the speaker’s low-end response extends to 40 Hz, Brent feels the speakers blend better with a good subwoofer when both are set with an 80 Hz crossover point. The top end, or treble, is particularly solid and not nearly as laid-back as so many audiophile speakers. The Snell AMC 2000THX’s treble is slightly softer in a pleasing way, but the Triad speakers seem much more accurate with a wide range of material.

In addition to the smooth tonal balance, the speakers throw a phenomenally deep soundstage, or the impression that sounds occur beyond the plane of the speakers. Brent, who has listened to far more speakers than I have, feels that these speakers offer the best soundstage he has heard from nearly any speaker, including more expensive audiophile industry stalwarts.

The Triad speaker’s nominal impedance is about 4 ohms, so while they can run from a standard receiver, you’ll do better to pair them with a good quality amp. Then again, you won’t need too much power, as the speakers can deliver 92 dB of sound pressure level with just one watt of input power, measured one meter from the speaker. That’s a lot. It doesn’t take much power to deliver theatrical sound levels in listening rooms like Brent’s. In fact, dynamics are another of the speaker’s strong points (as you can see, they have many). Through various musical tests, the speakers reproduced horn blasts, percussive snaps, and special effects explosions effortlessly. Only with the volume near or beyond reference level did Brent feel that there was a slight cupped-hand quality to male voices. Otherwise we were amazed at how realistically loud the sound could become.

The InRoom Gold 4 dipole surround speakers direct sound to the front and rear of the listener. The flat, middle portion of the speaker is aimed at the listener as to create an enveloping surround effect that doesn’t call attention to the speakers.

 
Though I like the Snell AMC 2000THX speakers’ softer treble response, I’d venture to guess that Triad’s InRoom Gold LCR speakers are more true to the original recording. In every respect, the speakers offer truly high-quality performance, so much so that I may try to barter with them to let me use the speakers as a reference in Digital TV & Sound’s new testing lab.