Archetech Issue 24 2016 | Page 10

ARCHITECTURAL PLATINUM SPEAKERS PUT HIGH-END SOUND IN-WALL PLATINUM IN-WALL II Monitor Audio’s new Platinum In-Wall II model offers flagship build quality and performance with a super-discreet style. Archetech - Page 10 C ustom installers are turning to architectural solutions as a way to reduce the impact of multiple speakers on space and room design. While this is aesthetically desirable, sound quality is often compromised. To end this compromise, Monitor Audio has taken the quality and performance of its flagship Platinum II freestanding hi-fi speakers for discreet in-wall applications. The innovative new Platinum In-Wall II design offers integrators a no-compromise option, combining the audiophile accuracy, bandwidth and dynamics of the hi-fi speakers with the luxury of flush-withthe- surface installation. The Platinum In-Wall II is a threeway reference architectural speaker system, perfect for custom home theatre projects where lifelike scale and dynamics are demanded. Equipped with an adjustable mid/high frequency driver array, the In-Wall is able to deliver pin-point audio imaging and consistency from both vertical or horizontal positions. By rotating the array though 90 degrees at the centre of a LCR configuration for instance, a soundstage of three Platinum In-Wall IIs will generate the seamless tonal integrity of the finest boxed systems from a stealthy in-wall location. Audiophile In-Wall In keeping with the rigour of Platinum II design, the In-Wall’s cabinet is as free of mechanical resonance as possible. Its heavily damped and cross-braced composite structure of steel back plate and 25mm (1 inch) MDF joins a front baffle made of AntiResonance CompositeTM (ARC) material, designed to provide an optimally rigid and stable foundation for the state-ofthe-art Platinum II drivers. Twin 6.5” RDT®II bass drivers are positioned astride a centre pairing of Platinum II’s Micro Pleated Diaphragm (MPD) High Frequency Transducer and 4” RDT II mid-range. The MPD transducer has a surface area around eight times that of a conventional dome, allowing for much greater efficiency and lower distortion. Bonded to the diaphragm’s surface, the driver coil takes the form of a conductive track, which is extremely light and able to reproduce low-level nuances with higher definition. In tandem with lower native distortion, the absence of diaphragm breakup modes ensures that high frequencies are accurate and faithful to the original recording. Precision-engineered to partner the tweeter’s impressive fidelity, the midrange driver uses an innovative RDT II (Rigid Diaphragm Technology generation II) cone, comprising ultra-thin skins of C-CAM and woven carbonfibre, bonded to a honeycomb Nomex® core. Developed specifically for Platinum II, this extraordinarily light and rigid structure features the lowest distortion cone technology in Monitor Audio’s history. The In-Wall’s lightning-fast RDT II mid-driver dovetails with its MPD tweeter in a damped and sealed enclosure to generate a naturally lucid and expressive sonic quality from 300Hz to over 100kHz. Below 300Hz, dual, dished, 6.5” RDT II bass drivers, optimised for sealed box operation, are designed for high excursions with extremely low signal distortion. For more information, please visi t: www.monitoraudio.co.uk As part of the exacting Platinum II design regimen, the crossovers have been refined using the finest hand-picked metallised polypropylene film capacitors and air-core inductors in the shortest signal path for maximum signal transfer and power handling. A ‘stealthy’ matt-black baffle allows the Platinum In-Wall II to be used behind a screen in a blacked-out custom theatre setting. Alternatively, its ultraslim flat mesh grille can be painted to match room décor. Invisible magnetic grille fixings provide a neat and easy way to fix and remove the grilles during installation or servicing. The In-Wall has been designed for simple retro-fit installation through Monitor Audio’s easy and secure Tri-GripTM dog leg fixings. Additional roomtuning is available through baffle-mounted mid and high frequency level controls (+1/0/1 dB). The new Platinum In-Wall II is a true wide-bandwidth speaker system optimised for in-wall applications and capable of accurate audio reproduction from 52Hz to 100 KHz for the ultimate in discreet high performance multichannel sound.