AliceTargeting the custom home theatre market, Monitor Audio has launched the Platinum In-Wall II speaker system, reprising the quality and performance found in the manufacturer’s flagship Platinum II hi- speakers, but for discreet in-wall applications.
Capable of accurate audio reproduction from 52Hz to 100 KHz, the three-way reference architectural speaker system specifically targets custom home theatre projects where lifelike scale and dynamics are demanded.
Equipped with an adjustable mid/high frequency driver array, the In-Wall has been optimised to deliver accurate audio imaging and consistency from both vertical or horizontal positions.
By rotating the array though 90 degrees at the centre of a LCR configuration for instance, a soundstage of three Platinum In-Wall IIs are said to be able to generate a seamless tonal integrity like that of a boxed system, yet from a hidden in-wall location.
A matt-black baffle allows the Platinum In-Wall II to be used behind a screen in a blacked-out custom theatre setting.
Alternatively, its ultra-slim flat mesh grille can be painted to match room décor. Invisible magnetic grille fixings provide an easy way to fix and remove the grilles during installation or servicing.
The In-Wall is also suited for simple retrofit installations due to Monitor Audio’s secure Tri-Grip dog-leg fixings. Additional room-tuning is available through baffle-mounted mid and high frequency level controls (+1/0/-1 dB).
In keeping with the Platinum II design, the In-Wall’s cabinet is as free of mechanical resonance as possible.
Its heavily damped and cross- braced composite structure of steel back plate and 25mm (1 inch) MDF joins a front baffle made of Anti-Resonance Composite (ARC) material, designed to provide an optimally rigid and stable foundation for the state-of-the-art Platinum II drivers.
Twin 6.5in RDT II bass drivers are positioned astride a centre pairing of Platinum II’s Micro Pleated Diaphragm (MPD) High Frequency Transducer and in RDT II mid-range.
Monitor Audio states that the MPD transducer has a surface area around eight times that of a conventional dome, allowing for greater efficiency and lower distortion. In tandem with lower native distortion, the absence of diaphragm break-up modes ensures that high frequencies are accurate and faithful to the original recording.
Precision-engineered to partner the tweeter’s fidelity, the mid-range driver uses an RDT II (Rigid Diaphragm Technology generation II) cone, comprising ultra-thin skins of C-CAM and woven carbon- fibre, bonded to a honeycomb Nomex core.
Developed specifically for Platinum II, this light and rigid structure lowers distortion by a further 8dB above 300Hz, making it the lowest distortion cone technology in Monitor Audio’s history.
The In-Wall’s RDT II mid-driver dovetails with its MPD tweeter in a damped and sealed enclosure to generate a sonic quality ranging from 300Hz to over 100kHz.
Below 300Hz, dual, dished, 6.5in RDT II bass drivers – optimised for sealed box operation – are designed for high excursions with extremely low signal distortion, while their ‘underhung’, thermally-optimised motor assembly ensures that a cooler coil remains in the gap even when driven hard.