A TV Speaker System Heard but Not Seen
The Cynema Soundfield from Niles.
The Niles Cynema Soundfield in-wall sound bar may not be the ultimate in home theater surround-sound equipment, but it does one thing other sound bars do not: it fits flush to the wall, with no unsightly cabinet, and has a grille that can be painted to disappear into the décor.
Once a cutout is made in the sheet rock of a wall, a supporting rail is installed that the Niles Cynema Soundfield components hang from.
The Cynema Soundfield doesn’t require modification to the studs behind the sheet rock, nor does it need to run wires to a separate amplifier. Speakers, amplifier and a wireless signal out to an optional subwoofer are all enclosed in a design that an experienced installer can have set up in about an hour.
The sound bars come in three sizes â€" 48 inches ($1,600), 55 inches ($1,750) and 60 inches ($2,000). The 48-inch model can be bought without the amplifier ($1,200).
Once the cutout is made in the sheet rock, a supporting rail is installed that the components hang from. The smallest rail fits three sets of speakers and the 30-watt amplifier. Each speaker set has one high-frequency and two midrange speakers.
One interesting feature is that the in-wall amplifier turns itself off when the TV shuts down, so you don’t have a needless draw of power.
A wireless subwoofer module mounts in the array and sends the low-range signal to a receiver made to work specifically with the Niles SW6.5 ($500) subwoofer.
These sound bars are not to be confused with ones from companies like Yamaha, Polk and Definitive Technologies, which create an illusion of surround-sound from a single cabinet. The Cynema Soundfield speakers are close enough that you won’t even get much stereo separation. But the quality of that nearly mono sound is a big step up from the tiny speakers built into most flat-panel TVs.
