CEDIA 2015

Much of what we see walking the show floor are evolutionary changes in technology—refinements that add new functionality or bump performance up to higher levels—which is why we always get a little giddy when we stumble upon innovation that creates new product categories.

In-wall speaker pioneer SpeakerCraft stole the show at the Core Brands press event at CEDIA when it demonstrated the first Atmos-enabled in-wall speaker module we’ve seen. The Atmos 100 Height Module, featuring a 1-inch tweeter sandwiched between two 2.5-inch midrange drivers on a baffle angled toward the ceiling, did a remarkable job of putting sound above the listener.

That the demonstration was conducted on a noisy show floor from a simple wall display with a partial ceiling overhang made it all the more compelling. The module was paired with the Aim2 LCR Five Series 2 in-wall speaker (directly below the Atmos 100 in the opening photo), which features the company’s proprietary Arc Tweeter Array.

Product Manager Matt Dever said the Atmos 100 module will be competitively priced with mid-priced freestanding Atmos-enabled modules when it becomes available in early 2016.

Core Brands is the parent company of 10 brands including custom-installation companies Elan and Niles and speaker makers Sunfire and Proficient.