CEDIA 2012

“Make it disappear” is a common refrain in the world of custom-installed home theater systems where speakers are routinely concealed in walls and ceilings. In-wall innovator SpeakerCraft added four models to its popular Profile lineup, featuring “invisible” flanges that blend seamlessly into the mounting surface. Meanwhile, sister-company Proficient Audio used CEDIA Expo to introduce three beefy subwoofers for spaces where big black boxes are not welcome: the rectangular IWS82 with dual 8-inch drivers ($625) and the square IWS100 with a single inverted-magnet 10-inch driver ($500) for in-wall installation and the round ICS10 with one 10-inch driver ($375) for in-ceiling mounting. Proficient also unveiled the M3 Amp/Crossover ($500), which delivers 180 watts and is optimized for use with all three subwoofer models.

Noting that most flat-panel TVs wind up sitting on a table or cabinet, both companies also introduced an “under-TV” sound platform featuring a pair of down-firing 5.25-inch woofers, four 2.5-inch midrange drivers, two 1-inch soft-dome tweeters and 80 watts of power. The SpeakerCraft CS3 ($699) and Proficient Audio MaxTV MT2 ($599) are Bluetooth-enabled so you can also stream music to the system from compatible smartphones, tablets and PCs. Both systems were demonstrated using a big red button to toggle between crappy TV sound and the impressively full-bodied sound delivered by the platform speaker system, which will support up to 160 pounds.