Norwood,
Mass. – Five
new in-ceiling speakers launched by Atlantic Technology include the company’s
first four bezel-less, flat-grille models, said to be almost invisible to
casual observers.
All five speakers sport sonic improvements
over the models they replace.
The bezel-less models constitute the Trim-Look
Ceiling (TLC) series speakers, which feature thin magnetically attached grilles
that “are flat, not domed out in profile like conventional ceiling speakers, so
in addition to a trim no-bezel look, they lie flatter to the ceiling,” said
marketing director Steve Feinstein.
The four bezel-less models include two
Tri-Mode speakers, which like their predecessors can be deployed in mono, single-point stereo, or bipole/dipole surround-speaker
applications.
The new Tri-Mode speakers are the
$325-each TLC-6.3 and $450-each
TLC-8.3, each with a
dual-voice-coil woofer and
two pivoting tweeters. Each speaker features separate left- and right-channel input terminals,
input jumpers and a built-in bipole/dipole switch, enabling installers
to configure them for mono,
single-point stereo or surround-speaker use.
Compared to their Tri-Mode predecessors, the
new three-in-one speakers feature significantly
refined crossovers and tweeters, and their tweeters are pivoting rather
than fixed as in the predecessor models, said Feinstein. With a pair of
tweeters that pivot
independently of each other, he noted, installers can maximize the
dipole effect for surround applications.
The other two TLC speakers are
the two-way TLC-6.2 and
TLC-8.2 at suggested retails of $250
each and $325 each,
respectively. They
are single-channel 6.5-
and 8-inch speakers with
1-inch soft-dome
tweeters that pivot 30 degrees for optimal imaging.
The
TLC speakers ship this week.
Atlantic has already shipped the $400-each
ICTS-6HT in-ceiling home-theater speaker, which can be used for the front left,
center and right channels of a surround system. Like its more expensive $550
predecessor, the new speaker features bezel, angled woofer and pivoting
tweeter, but the new model has an improved woofer and “refined/upgraded
crossover for significantly smoother sound,” said Feinstein.
The 6.5-inch polypropylene woofer
is mounted at a 15-degree angle to direct midrange and vocals toward the
listener to deliver improved imaging and intelligibility, the company said. To
further enhance imaging, the tweeter can be pivoted up to 30 degrees. The
speaker also has built-in tweeter level controls and a woofer-level/boundary
compensation adjustment.
