CEDIA 2009

Of the few live audio demos I heard on the show floor, Triad's was among the most impressive. The company introduced its Cinema Plus home-theater package of in-wall speakers, including three modified Platinum LCRs in front, six Gold surrounds, and 12 modified Silver subwoofers powered by a total of 6kW. Also included in the package is a detailed installation plan from home-theater consulting firm PMI, acoustic treatments, and tech support.

The demo was very loud—too loud in my opinion—but it could not be heard outside the demo room, a real testament to PMI's sound isolation. The front speakers were behind a Screen Research ClearPix2 acoustically transparent screen, which was lit up by a SIM2 C3X Lumis projector. Three Integra DBS-30.1 Blu-ray players fed an Integra DHC-9.9 pre/pro, and the speakers were powered by Parasound Halo amps generating a total of 4800W. The music clip sounded beautiful, and I assume the clips from The Dark Knight and Master and Commander did as well, but I had my fingers in my ears for those.

The Cinema Plus package is available for small, medium, and large rooms, with prices ranging from $47,000 to $105,000. Other than being too loud on the movie clips, this was one of the best-sounding systems I heard at the show, and I wasn't alone in this assessment given the lines outside the demo room.