| Editorial June 2003
Custom Installation and the Allure of a Component
System
Building a new house over the last six months prompted me
to make some decisions about configuring my new home-theater system. Some of these choices
are the very ones that most enthusiasts entering the building process face, while others
are different, due to my being a reviewer. What I have come to appreciate throughout this
process (ordeal?) is the custom-installation market and why it is such an important
segment of our industry.
I wish I had a more permanent installation, but the
necessity of switching out components quickly and easily, precludes this luxury. There
were, however, a few things I could do to help domestic tranquility, as well as my own
desire to have a neat installation. Probably the most important step I took involved lots
of PVC piping. I could not permanently install cabling in my walls because I write cable
reviews. I could have routed my own selected cables in the walls only to un-hook them when
new cables arrive, but where would the new ones be placed? With a review period averaging
about eight weeks, I couldn’t drape cables all over the place, no matter how
"temporary" the time frame. The answer was to use my five-foot-tall crawl space
and a network of strategically mounted PVC pipes. By having the capability to open and
close these chases as needed, I could install and remove cables quickly and efficiently.
I’d also be able to cap-off certain pipes if not in use, which would keep the
varmints out.
There are certain things I would not do even if I were not
in the business, and I think they have more to do with the age-old fact that many
home-theater junkies enjoy certain visual aspects of a home-theater system. Why else would
there be the choice between burl-walnut and rosewood veneer on those speakers, or how
about the brushed-aluminum faceplate on that processor? This stuff can be very cool
looking, so I wouldn’t want to hide it all away, never to be seen. Or would I?
Thiel’s line of PowerPoint speakers, successfully displayed at numerous tradeshows over the past couple of
years, makes a strong case for hiding the system. Thiel’s speakers sound fantastic
regardless of whether they’re visible or not, so there’s no reason to worry
about performance either way. And there’s something attractive about a hidden
installation that comes to life with vibrant, expansive, home-theater sound. Admittedly,
there are some tradeoffs when you mount speakers in or on a wall, but there are also some
benefits: the ability to place each speaker equidistant from the listening position
because floor space and furniture are not a factor, comes to mind as an obvious one.
Thiel has by no means abandoned its exquisitely finished
speakers, though, and I still want to enjoy the attractive furniture-grade veneers
available within their product line. What to do? Well, one solution is to mix the virtues
of each. I could easily envision a home-theater system with a pair of Thiel CS2.4 speakers
up front along with a pair of PowerPoints in the rear -- nicely making my four-channel
system at once seen and unseen.
At the end of the day, perhaps that’s the point of it
all: whether you’re still hooked on seeing your components or want to hide them all
away, or something in between, there’s a solution in today’s marketplace. What a
great time to be building a new home theater!
...Jeff Fritz
editor@hometheatersound.com |
