Atlantic Unveils Front-Height Speakers

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 5/4/2009

Norwood, Mass. — A selectable bipole/dipole speaker launched by Atlantic Technology is the company's smallest to date, making it appropriate for use as a front height speaker, the company said.

Atlantic's shallow-profile 1400 SR-z, due in the second half of May at a suggested $425/pair, is suited for wall mounting above a surround-sound system's front left-right speakers, though it can also be used as a side-surround speaker, the company said.

For front-height applications, the company said, dipole mode usually works best, but Atlantic suggested consumers experiment to determine whether bipole or dipole mode works better in a particular installation to delivers sound effects and ambience over the listener's head.

The speakers are designed for use with new A/V receivers incorporating Dolby Pro Logic IIz post-processing, which processes and directs non-directional sonic information to height speakers. Adding a vertical component to a horizontal sound field adds more realism and airiness to movie soundtracks and games, Dolby said.

The 12.25-inch by 8-inch by 5.4-inch sealed-box speaker uses two 3.5-inch full-range drivers.