CEDIA 2019

You can usually tell how popular – or good – a demo is at CEDIA by how steady and long the line is, and on the last day of the show, when many integrators had already left Denver to return home, one of the booth’s that was still drawing a steady crowd for its surround demonstration was Klipsch's sound room where the company debuted its new Pro Cinema Home surround system. And the experience was definitely worth the wait!

Prior to beginning the demo, the presenter said that Klipsch has been a leader in professional cinema sound for years, and that the company’s Pro Cinema speakers are located in roughly 50% of commercial cinemas. For this new line, Klipsch has adapted its Pro Cinema speakers for home use to deliver a truly cinematic experience.

Called BTS for “Behind the Screen,” these speakers are designed to sit out of sight behind an acoustically transparent projection screen in a baffle or false wall, just as in a commercial cinema installation. Regardless of the configuration ordered, all speakers are just 20.5-inches deep, allowing them to fit into medium to large dedicated cinema room without eating up too much real estate. The BTS is a modular system that simplifies the ordering process for the dealer by being ordered in one bundle based on the size of the projection screen; the BTS-133 for 133-inch screens, the BTS-160 for 160-inch screens, and the largest BTS-180 for 180-inch screens. Klipsch says it doesn’t matter whether the screen aspect is 16x9, 2.40:1, or variable.

All three of the systems feature dual 18-inch subs and LCRs with 15-inch woofers for serious low-end reproduction across every seat in the room. The larger systems offer increased output based on larger cabinet construction and larger horn drivers. The full surround system is rounded out with KPT-8000M side and height channel speakers, which can be ordered individually to accommodate any size channel count the theater can support.

Fed by a Datasat RS20i processor, the sound quality of the BTS system was absolutely fantastic, with deep, tight, chest-slamming bass, and detailed highs that delivered a truly immersive experience that I found to be one of the most engaging surround demonstrations at CEDIA.

Expected availability is this January, with the BTS-133 selling for $25,000, the BTS-160 for $30,000, and the BTS-180 for $35,000. The KPT-8000M surround and height speakers are $1,000 each.