At this week's CEDIA Expo in San Diego, GoldenEar will highlight the newest addition to its Invisa Series of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. The new Invisa Signature Point Source in-wall speaker features the company's High Velocity Folded Ribbon tweeter and four 5.25-inch high-definition cast-basket drivers. Designed to produce a point source radiation pattern, the outer two midrange drivers have their upper range limited to 500 Hz, while the two inner drivers go up to 3 kHz to blend with the tweeter. The Invisa SPS will be available this winter for $999 each.
From GoldenEar
GoldenEar's Triton towers have set new standards in performance for affordable, state-of-the-art tower loudspeakers. Clearly, the tremendous success of the Tritons underscores the fact that there is still a healthy market of enthusiasts seeking the finest sound quality possible, and happy to put a pair of gorgeous Triton towers in their homes in order to achieve it. But what about serious listeners who would prefer something more invisible due to interior design or significant other considerations? Meeting this challenge was our goal, and the Invisa Signature Point Source is our remarkably effective new solution.
GoldenEar's Invisa architectural loudspeakers have earned a well-deserved reputation for delivering state-of-the-art sonic performance with in-wall and in-ceiling models that virtually disappear as a result of the popular flangeless construction concept that the GoldenEar design and engineering team pioneered. In addition, clever execution has resulted in architectural speakers that are significantly smaller than speakers from other companies incorporating similar size drivers, resulting in higher performance from a more compact size. With the Invisa Signature Point Source, we set out to build upon the strengths of our Invisa Series loudspeakers and incorporate much of the technology developed for the Tritons, allowing us to deliver floorstanding performance from in-wall loudspeakers.
The Invisa Signature Point Source is intended for use as a main front left/right or center channel loudspeaker, as well as a side or rear surround, in high-quality multichannel home theater and music systems, as well as in simpler two-channel systems of the highest quality. It presents a compact 28.16" x 8.55" fascia and, of course, is of a proper depth (3.25" without optional backbox, 3.7" with) to allow it to easily fit into a standard wall depth. We wanted to make the Invisa SPS as compact as possible while allowing it to deliver the dynamic performance of the larger Tritons, when paired with one or two appropriate GoldenEar subwoofers. And, of course, even when used without a subwoofer, a pair of Invisa SPSs is fully capable of delivering very satisfying full-range music reproduction.
Each Invisa SPS incorporates four 5.25" high-definition cast-basket drivers, which are very similar to those found in the award-winning Triton One. The Invisa SPS also incorporates an extraordinary full size High Velocity Folded Ribbon Tweeter similar to those used in the Triton towers. The complex crossover network utilizes the special fully balanced topology incorporated in our upper range models, with a special polystyrene film capacitor on the high-frequency section. The drivers are wired with special wire which has a unique twist that was engineered for highest performance.
The four 5.25" drivers are not identical, nor do they cover the same frequency range. In order to achieve a point source radiation pattern, with the dramatic benefits of better dispersion and improved imaging, the outer two drivers have their upper range limited to 500 Hz, while the two inner 5.25" drivers go all the way up to 3 kHz in order to meet and blend perfectly with the tweeter. All this is precisely accomplished by the complex balanced crossover network. And, of course, the voicing, which is the result of countless hours of critical listening and tuning, is signature GoldenEar: smooth, natural and detailed--without the annoying artificially exaggerated upper midrange and high frequencies often used to cover up the lack of true high-resolution capability.
Other small but important details include: a switch to allow adjustment of the tweeter level, a magnetically attached low profile grille, non-resonant mineral-filled frame structure, special dogs to allow easy and secure attachment to the wall, and a removable, rotatable tweeter to allow for correct orientation of the tweeter for vertical or horizontal positioning. There is a unique optional backbox available that has been engineered with special EVA damping foam internally and open-cell foam externally to prevent bleed through of sound into the adjacent room. And, of course, optional pre-construction rough-in brackets are available.
The sound quality of the Invisa SPS is simply extraordinary: ultra-dynamic, with an open boxless sound that belies the fact that these are in-wall loudspeakers, which of course was our goal. They are capable of producing a huge image with breathtaking height and pinpoint imaging.
Retail price of the Invisa SPS is $999 each. Price of the optional back box is $149 each. Availability: Winter 2018
Invisa Signature Point Source Specifications:
Speaker dimensions (H/W/D): 27-9/16" (70 cm) x 7-15/16" (20.2 cm) x 3-1/4" (8.25 cm), Depth with Optional Back Box 3-3/4" (9.5 cm)
Grille: 28-3/16" (71.5 cm) x 8-9/16" 21.7 cm)
Cutout: 26-9/16" (67.5 cm) x 7-1/8" (18.2 cm)
Lockarm Clearance Required (Inside Wall): 27-3/4" (70.6 cm) x 8-13/16" (22.4 cm)
Frequency Response: 25 Hz - 35 kHz
Efficiency: 92 dB
Rec. Amp: 20 - 350 watts/channel.
Nominal Impedance: Compatible with eight ohms.
Driver Complement:
Two 5.25" high-definition cast-basket MVPP bass/mid drivers
Two 5.25" high-definition cast-basket bass drivers
One High-Gauss Neodymium Reference High-Velocity Folded Ribbon (HVFR) Tweeter
Additional Resources
• Visit the GoldenEar website for more product information.
• GoldenEar Triton Reference Is Now Available at HomeTheaterReview.com
