This is a review and detailed measurements of the KEF Ci3160RLM-THX in-wall home theater speaker using their meta materials. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $2,230 (each).
The Ci3160RLM-THX, unlike many in-wall speakers, looks quite nice without its grill so I chose to test it that way. Construction is by far heavier duty than any in-wall speaker I have tested. We are talking about drivers encapsulated in solid steel together with brackets sporting the same:
The thing is so heavy that I had to get help to lift it up for measurement! It is designed so that it could be bi-amped if needed.
If you are not familiar with my Klippel NFS tests, please watch my video on Understanding Speaker Measurements:
KEF Ci3160RLM-THX Speaker Measurement
As usual we start with our anechoic measurements, assuming there is an infinite baffle (wall):
I must say, I was not prepared to see such an excellent on and off-axis response! Other than a minor hiccup around 260 Hz, this would be a great measurement for any speaker, let alone an in-wall product.
Note: that dip may be due to resonances of the baffle we put the speaker in. So while it may happen with drywall/plaster as well, it is not directly the fault of the speaker.
Sensitivity is higher than average to boot (by 1 to 2 dBs). Our model for interpreting speaker preference is based on stand-alone speakers, not in-wall. But here, those results are so excellent that I decided to show them:
Amazing that such results can be achieved with a passive speaker of this type.
Good news doesn't stop there. As you can imagine, good engineering courtesy of that coaxial design pays dividends in the form of directivity control:
[I have grayed out the areas that don't apply as sound doesn't radiate behind the speaker].
Vertical dispersion is narrower so you want to stay close to the tweeter axis:
During distortion sweeps, I could just detect something odd at 101 dBSPL. We can see the reason why in comparing relative distortions:
That hump is a bit exaggerated due to a dip in frequency response in the same area (these are in-room measurements):
Here is the waterfall and step responses:
Conclusion
The KEF Ci3160RLM-THX is one of the most perfect in-wall speaker I have tested! This is a market that is dominated by custom system integrators which spec products without much technical input from the customer. As a result, there is less of an emphasis on engineering excellence than looks and margins. Given this, it is commendable that KEF has produced such a highly optimized design. It is enough to make this reviewer forget the rather high cost of the speaker. If you want the best for your home theater, you know where to look now.
It is my pleasure to recommend KEF Ci3160RLM-THX in-wall speaker.
-----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
The Ci3160RLM-THX, unlike many in-wall speakers, looks quite nice without its grill so I chose to test it that way. Construction is by far heavier duty than any in-wall speaker I have tested. We are talking about drivers encapsulated in solid steel together with brackets sporting the same:
The thing is so heavy that I had to get help to lift it up for measurement! It is designed so that it could be bi-amped if needed.
If you are not familiar with my Klippel NFS tests, please watch my video on Understanding Speaker Measurements:
KEF Ci3160RLM-THX Speaker Measurement
As usual we start with our anechoic measurements, assuming there is an infinite baffle (wall):
I must say, I was not prepared to see such an excellent on and off-axis response! Other than a minor hiccup around 260 Hz, this would be a great measurement for any speaker, let alone an in-wall product.
Note: that dip may be due to resonances of the baffle we put the speaker in. So while it may happen with drywall/plaster as well, it is not directly the fault of the speaker.
Sensitivity is higher than average to boot (by 1 to 2 dBs). Our model for interpreting speaker preference is based on stand-alone speakers, not in-wall. But here, those results are so excellent that I decided to show them:
Amazing that such results can be achieved with a passive speaker of this type.
Good news doesn't stop there. As you can imagine, good engineering courtesy of that coaxial design pays dividends in the form of directivity control:
[I have grayed out the areas that don't apply as sound doesn't radiate behind the speaker].
Vertical dispersion is narrower so you want to stay close to the tweeter axis:
During distortion sweeps, I could just detect something odd at 101 dBSPL. We can see the reason why in comparing relative distortions:
That hump is a bit exaggerated due to a dip in frequency response in the same area (these are in-room measurements):
Here is the waterfall and step responses:
Conclusion
The KEF Ci3160RLM-THX is one of the most perfect in-wall speaker I have tested! This is a market that is dominated by custom system integrators which spec products without much technical input from the customer. As a result, there is less of an emphasis on engineering excellence than looks and margins. Given this, it is commendable that KEF has produced such a highly optimized design. It is enough to make this reviewer forget the rather high cost of the speaker. If you want the best for your home theater, you know where to look now.
It is my pleasure to recommend KEF Ci3160RLM-THX in-wall speaker.
-----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
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