Heard But Not Seen
Elegance and high performance merge in Sonance’s Architectural Series
February 2008 By Stephanie M. Adamow
For those who can see (or hear) beyond the towering black speaker boxes to a place where sound is ubiquitous, defining the room, Scott Struthers and Geoff Spencer share your passion. Twenty-five years ago, these Sonance co-founders took that passion and created the first in-wall speakers. They challenged themselves to develop unseen speakers that produced the same excellent audio quality as standalone speakers. They succeeded.
Before Sonance introduced in-wall speakers, customers “didn’t know what they were missing,” notes Mark Pickard, director of marketing for Sonance. “But we came in and said, ‘You don’t have to settle [for traditional speakers],’” and their clients strongly agreed.
In the 25 years since the first in-wall speakers were introduced, performance improvements thrived, but the look stayed essentially the same. This all changed with the debut of Sonance’s Architectural Series in 2007, which earned the company one of CEDIA’s Manufacturers’ Excellence Awards. The Architectural Series is the result of many a hard day’s work toward producing a speaker that mounts flush with the wall. “We wanted to rid the trim and make it flush. So, we mounted the speaker into the surface, and the grille is on the same plane,” says Pickard.
The speakers are available in a variety of sizes (4-inch, 6.5-inch and 8-inch) and shapes (round, rectangular and square). They also come in two different materials—berylium or carbon fiber—suited for various performance levels. The result is a seamless blend between home design and audio. The speakers are virtually unseen, yet do not compromise high-quality audio performance.
All of these features ring beautifully in the ears of architects and interior designers, but, initially, custom installers were skeptical that installing these speakers would be anything but complex.
Pickard was pleased to quell any apprehensions about installation.
“During almost every initial tour I gave at CEDIA, installers would express how difficult it must be to install the Architectural Series,” explains Pickard. “I reassured them that it wouldn’t because we did the hard work.
“Sonance delivers a speaker bracket pre-installed in a piece of drywall. The installer places the drywall where the customer wants the speaker. The drywall contractor does the rest.”
In an existing home, the process is almost identical. The only difference is that a drywall patch cut is made, which is filled with the new drywall containing the speaker bracket.
“We provide training programs for installers, but they are really just to explain how easy it is,” Pickard adds.
Before Sonance introduced in-wall speakers, customers “didn’t know what they were missing,” notes Mark Pickard, director of marketing for Sonance. “But we came in and said, ‘You don’t have to settle [for traditional speakers],’” and their clients strongly agreed.
In the 25 years since the first in-wall speakers were introduced, performance improvements thrived, but the look stayed essentially the same. This all changed with the debut of Sonance’s Architectural Series in 2007, which earned the company one of CEDIA’s Manufacturers’ Excellence Awards. The Architectural Series is the result of many a hard day’s work toward producing a speaker that mounts flush with the wall. “We wanted to rid the trim and make it flush. So, we mounted the speaker into the surface, and the grille is on the same plane,” says Pickard.
The speakers are available in a variety of sizes (4-inch, 6.5-inch and 8-inch) and shapes (round, rectangular and square). They also come in two different materials—berylium or carbon fiber—suited for various performance levels. The result is a seamless blend between home design and audio. The speakers are virtually unseen, yet do not compromise high-quality audio performance.
All of these features ring beautifully in the ears of architects and interior designers, but, initially, custom installers were skeptical that installing these speakers would be anything but complex.
Pickard was pleased to quell any apprehensions about installation.
“During almost every initial tour I gave at CEDIA, installers would express how difficult it must be to install the Architectural Series,” explains Pickard. “I reassured them that it wouldn’t because we did the hard work.
“Sonance delivers a speaker bracket pre-installed in a piece of drywall. The installer places the drywall where the customer wants the speaker. The drywall contractor does the rest.”
In an existing home, the process is almost identical. The only difference is that a drywall patch cut is made, which is filled with the new drywall containing the speaker bracket.
“We provide training programs for installers, but they are really just to explain how easy it is,” Pickard adds.
