Monitor Audio Introduces Platinum In-Wall II Speakers

With the advent of mega-channel home cinema sound formats, custom 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. In order to square the circle, Monitor Audio has reprised the quality and performance of its latest flagship Platinum II 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 its free-standing counterparts with the luxury of flush-with-the-surface installation.

The Platinum In-Wall II is a three-way reference architectural speaker system, perfect for custom home theater 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 center of an 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.

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 Anti-Resonance Composite (ARC) material, designed to provide an optimally rigid and stable foundation for the state-of-the-art Platinum II drivers.

Twin 6.5″ RDT II bass drivers are positioned astride a center pairing of Platinum II’s Micro Pleated Diaphragm (MPD) High Frequency Air Motion Ribbon Transducer and 4″ RDT II mid-range driver. 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 break-up modes ensures that high frequencies are accurate and faithful to the original recording.

Precision-engineered to partner the tweeter’s impressive fidelity, the mid-range driver uses an innovative RDT II (Rigid Diaphragm Technology generation II) cone, comprising ultra-thin skins of C-CAM and woven carbon-fibre, bonded to a honeycomb Nomex core. Developed specifically for Platinum II, this extraordinarily light and rigid structure lowers distortion by a further 8dB above 300Hz, making it 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, optimized for sealed box operation, are designed for high excursions with extremely low signal distortion. Their ‘underhung’, thermally-optimized motor assembly ensures that a cooler coil remains in the gap even when driven hard, for high efficiency, low power compression and  greater accuracy .

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 theater setting. Alternatively its ultra-slim 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-Grip™ dog leg fixings.  Additional room-tuning 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 optimized for in-wall applications and capable of accurate audio reproduction from 52Hz to 100 KHz for the ultimate in discreet high performance multi-channel sound.

For more info, please visit www.monitoraudio.ca

About the Author: Suave Kajko

After completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science in 2002, Suave turned his attention to his passion for audio, video and technology in general. Through hands on experience with an extensive number of audio video products, Suave provides a real world, expert perspective on the latest products and the technology surrounding them. As an enthusiast, he shows a true passion in his writing that is easy to understand by all consumers. Aside from contributing to NOVO, Suave has also written about audio for special sections of The Toronto Star, Son et Image Magazine (FSI Guide) and appeared several times on television. More recently Suave was interviewed and quoted in articles for the Globe and Mail and MSNBC.com. In 2010, Suave launched the Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show (TAVES), an annual consumer trade show that has witnessed tremendous growth year after year.  In 2014, the show was expanded to include a new technology & innovation pavilion and rebranded as the TAVES Consumer Electronics Show.  As of 2016, the show attracts over 7,600 attendees and exhibitors from around the globe.  TAVES showcases cutting-edge technology and innovation in the most exciting categories: virtual reality, drones, wearables, health & fitness, gaming, audio, home theater, robotics, 3D printing, personal transportation, smart devices and electric vehicles.  For more info, please visit www.taveshow.com.

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