INNOVATIVE TECH
Gray Sound offers an alternative to in-room subwoofers with its in-ceiling
models. The result of the installation is barely visible in this room.
Jan/Feb 2020 | Residential Tech Today 51
Nakymatone
Aside from the unique company name and the
penchant for using Dutch words for the models
of its speakers, Nakymatone is unusual for the
fact that each one of the company’s four models
of invisible speakers includes an acoustically
tuned anodized aluminum enclosure. Not only
that, but the Echt, Mooi, Goed, and Twee also
share the same overall physical (23 x 9 ¾ x 3 ½,
HWD, inches) and required cut out (16 5/8 x 9 ¾,
HW, inches) dimensions.
The numerically astute reader will notice that
the enclosure is nearly seven inches taller than the
cutout. This is not a mistake, however, as
Nakymatone’s speakers are designed to be slid
upward into the opening vertically. Once the
bottom of the enclosure has cleared the lower
edge of the cutout, the assembly is lowered until
the surface of the raised acoustic panel, which has
the same dimensions as the cutout, lines up with
the edges of the opening. Once in place (and after
alignment shims are inserted, if required), the
enclosure is secured with screws along the
outside edges at the top and bottom of the
opening.
The Echt, Mooi, and Goed are full-range
speakers with low-frequency outputs down to 60
Hz, 75 Hz, and 80 Hz, respectively. The Twee,
named using the Dutch word for “two”, is a fullrange
single-speaker stereo model that matches
the Nakymatone Goed in overall performance.
The Laag (Dutch for “low”) isn’t technically an
invisible speaker along the lines of the planar
technology incorporated into the other
Nakymatone speakers. Instead, it uses a cone
woofer in a ported cabinet. The Laag’s 7.9 x 9.5 x
19.3 (HWD, inches) cabinet is too large to fit
inside a standard 2x4 stud wall, however, so the
enclosure is likely to be installed in a ceiling or
closet. It includes a flexible tube that attaches
from the output port of the subwoofer to a
standard vent.
Gray Sound
Although it doesn’t create true invisibility in the
sense we’ve been talking about so far (with the
exception of Nakymatone’s Laag subwoofer),
another method of making a loudspeaker
disappear is to camouflage it so it looks like
something else – or at least looks like something
that ought to be there. Typically, this involves
concealing as much of the loudspeaker behind
the wall or ceiling and allow the sound produced
by the speaker to disperse into the room via a
grille-covered hole in the wall that’s as small as is
acoustically feasible. In most cases, the tiny grille
is designed to mimic the appearance of a light
fixture mounted in the ceiling.
Gray Sound, an architectural speaker company
based in The Netherlands, offers two full-range
models in the company’s Vox series. Although
differing slightly in overall size, each model
utilizes a square steel casing that mounts behind
the drywall and is adjustable so that it can be
aligned flush with the surface of the wallboard.
After the ceiling is taped, floated, and painted, the
speaker is screwed into the waiting housing, and
the grille is attached.
The smaller of the two models, the Gray Sound
C40 incorporates a four-inch round mid-bass
driver with a coaxially aligned wide-angle
titanium tweeter. (Gray Sound says the
company’s tweeter provides up to 60 degrees offaxis
of high-frequency dispersion whereas a
“normal” tweeter offers closer to 45 degrees.)
The cutout size is a mere 4.5 x 4.5 (inches), and
the entire assembly requires a maximum of 3.2
inches of mounting depth. The Gray Sound C50
uses the same titanium tweeter mounted in front
of a larger 5-inch mid-bass driver. Although the
mounting depth remains the same, the cutout
size to accommodate the extra width of the midbass
driver is approximately 5.7 x 5.7 (inches).
The Gray Sound C40 and C50 are said to have
frequency range output as low as 60 and 55 Hz
(respectively). As such, for systems designed to
provide more than a background music listening
experience, the company suggests adding the
S80 subwoofer. Incorporating an 8-inch woofer,
the S80’s ported cabinet measures 7.9 x 9.45 x
19.3 (H x W x L, inches) and is designed to be
mounted above the ceiling. A flexible tube
connects to the port and directs the airflow
output to a square grille that matches either the
C40 or C50 in design, color, and size. The S80 is
said to have a frequency response of 40 Hz to
117 Hz.
Hiding in Plain Sight
It’s often been said that one of the best ways to
keep something secret – especially if you’re the
military or a three-letter government agency – is
to hide it in plain sight. Even if your intentions
aren’t the sort of thing that would make a thrilling
plot for the next Bond film, installing invisible
architectural speakers in the walls or ceilings of
your home is an excellent way of eliminating the
physical inconveniences and visual annoyances of
standard in-room speakers and traditional
architectural speakers. Of course, there are tradeoffs
to be made when you go the route of invisible
speakers, most importantly the additional cost
and complication of installation. But once the
speakers are installed and the paint, wallpaper, or
other type of finish is applied, the speakers will be
out-of-sight and out-of-mind – until you turn the
system on. Then the fact that these speakers are
meant to be heard and not seen will likely blow
your mind and make you the envy of designers,
decorators, and homeowners for whom the
experience is more important than the
components. x