In-Ceiling Speakers VERY Mini Review

["Rob Mouser" <rmouser@xxxxxxx>]

Just down at our workshops spraying the grills to my latest speaker
additio=
n. So while the first coat dries I though I would post my findings.
=20
These units are the Sonance Virtuoso 831DR's. http://tinyurl.com/kylh. I've=
already got a barn full of Sonance units and have to say that I am really =
impressed the quality. These units were destined for my office but when I
s=
aw the size of them 'in the flesh' I decided to move my Sonance Symphony
62=
2TR's from the lounge to my office and put these new ones in their place.
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The first thing that will strike you about these units is their size.
12" w=
ide with a 10" cut out. In-side you've got THREE drive units an
8" Woofer a=
nd then pivoted in the middle of that a 4" midrange and 3/4"
tweeter. The m=
idrange and tweeter are pivotable, the idea being that you can direct the
s=
ound stage at the listening area.
=20
Now to fit these devils is nearly a two handed job, their not light! My
one=
gripe is that I would have liked to have seen some nice screw down speaker=
terminals rather than those springy clip thingies. With the QED 79 strand =
the barn is wired with they just don't feel secure enough. Having said
that=
the same exist on all the other Sonance units I have and nothing has ever =
moved, just me being fussy I guess.
=20
OK, so hole enlarged with a pad saw (The existing units were only 10"
diame=
ter.), cables attached. Pop the units into the ceiling and tighten up the
s=
crews . I don't know what other ceiling speakers have but Sonance units
are=
a dream to fit, they have something called Rotolock which are little arms =
that automatically move outwards gripping the plasterboard surround as you
=
do up the screws. They work fantastically well and clamp the speaker down
d=
arn hard to the plasterboard and even at VERY high volumes you get no
reson=
ance.
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When I originally put the 6.1 in the living room I build encloses in the
ro=
of space between the ceiling joists and then filled them with Rockwool,
thi=
s I found helps with base response and stops the sound from leaking to the
=
rooms upstairs (Well a little anyway.)
=20
So what do they sound like? Quite simply.....stunning! OK, they're not to
t=
he standard of a good quality set of floor standers BUT for a set of
in-cei=
ling units they are the highest quality I've ever come across. They are
ric=
h, detailed and how they achieve a bass response in the way they do defies
=
belief. They acually make ALL the walls of the loung resonate if you turn
t=
hem RIGHT UP. But theres not a hint of distortion. (For those that are
inte=
rested they are being powered by a Marantz 5200 Receiver.)
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So if you want audiophile quality sound from a set of ceiling speakers
then=
go for it, its the best I've heard yet.
=20
As with all things though quality comes at a price. They've got a RRP of =
=A3820.00. Ouch......
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Oh well first coat will be dry on to the second.....
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Cheers
=20
Rob
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