I was in a shopping mall the other day and in one store, the music sounded very good. Clear and articulate with nice bass. I normally don’t give a second thought to muzak playing from store speakers but these sounded different. They also played some interesting acoustical tracks with great dynamic range (usually dynamic range and ambient background store music don’t go hand in hand). I looked around and saw these 2 way MTM speakers on the wall every 10 feet or so. The store must have had 30 of them. I also saw some subwoofers installed hanging way up in the ceilings painted white so you don’t notice them.
These wall speakers had a unique 4 tweeter array in a crossed axis arrangement. I think that helps to give good angular dispersion. I took a photo and did a reverse image search and turned up a brand I never heard of. James Loudspeakers. Apparently, a 4in deep sealed cabinet and very high sensitivity but 4ohms. Just wondering if anyone has heard/seen these and if we have seen this tweeter array a somewhere else. I think a 3D printed housing and 4 smaller Nd dome tweeters could be made to DIY this approach. Certainly would increase power handling a lot.
I think this is an older model not currently made anymore as the latest from the James Speaker website has similar looking units but not the same. The one on the reverse image search said it was an OW63 which goes for $1500. Might be a neat tweeter design to DIY and do an MTM or even a regular TM speaker with wider dispersion.
These wall speakers had a unique 4 tweeter array in a crossed axis arrangement. I think that helps to give good angular dispersion. I took a photo and did a reverse image search and turned up a brand I never heard of. James Loudspeakers. Apparently, a 4in deep sealed cabinet and very high sensitivity but 4ohms. Just wondering if anyone has heard/seen these and if we have seen this tweeter array a somewhere else. I think a 3D printed housing and 4 smaller Nd dome tweeters could be made to DIY this approach. Certainly would increase power handling a lot.
Awesome find. I agree in wall speakers have never caught my attention or ears for back round music. The only place in this world where in wall speakers blew my mind was Disney World. It was a wall of sound. No holes in the sound what so ever. Even during the parades. There were speakers everywhere and even in the bath rooms. All JBl speakers. Not cheap about $350.00 or more per. speaker. The ones they had before the Monsters Inc. Show were all loud and Chrystal clear and sounded so good and very natural. Sounded like I was in a Movie theater. Ever since then Nothing in the in walls come even close to that experience I had. What a bummer. I guess if I had endless money to spend I would have a sound system like that in my house. 😊
What was once old is yet new again........ There was a very early Western Electric woofer horn for small cinemas that had a driver like it with (4) 8".
Four ND25FN-4 tweeters at $10ea might be a good candidate for this tweeter array. Snap in to a 3D printed inverted pyramid.
Or go higher end and get these carbon fiber domes with a rear chamber. The pyramid array will allow the rear chambers to splay out and not interfere mechanically. These are 8x the price though.
Or go higher end and get these carbon fiber domes with a rear chamber. The pyramid array will allow the rear chambers to splay out and not interfere mechanically. These are 8x the price though.
Saw the same James speakers last month in a mall. Looks like the same chain your were in. James are owned by Sonance, the residential distributed audio company. I've specd and sold a pair of their surface mount speakers with the same 4 tweeter array, but used them as low profile floor monitors for use in a Catholic church. Worked out very well.
https://www.jamesloudspeaker.com/categories/22
https://www.jamesloudspeaker.com/categories/22
Attachments
We use a lot of James stuff in our theater installs and outdoor landscape audio. Really solid company.
I heard these speakers may be water resistant and suitable for outdoors use?
The mall store was Aritzia - the usual duties of men holding shopping bags for ladies….
The mall store was Aritzia - the usual duties of men holding shopping bags for ladies….
search images-
Pyramid Shaped sheet metal cap
or
Metal post cap
looks similar
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Yardist...d-Aluminum-Pyramid-Post-Cap-YP21014/204194824
Pyramid Shaped sheet metal cap
or
Metal post cap
looks similar
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Yardist...d-Aluminum-Pyramid-Post-Cap-YP21014/204194824
Last edited:
You can find EASE files here if that helps. They can show you the measured dispersion.
https://www.jamesloudspeaker.com/resources/literature
https://www.jamesloudspeaker.com/resources/literature