A Look Inside Invisible Speakers

An Onsia In-Wall Sound Panel

Bring your walls to life with invisible speakers. And best of all, they fit with any style.

General attitudes toward speaker aesthetics can generally be broken down into two categories: those who don’t mind (or actually desire) seeing their speakers and having them be seen, and those who would just as soon stick a toilet in the middle of their living room and sully their décor with a floorstanding loudspeaker array.

The latter group has been the target demographic of in-wall speaker manufacturers for years. But even in-walls take a measureable toll on a room’s aesthetics, marring an otherwise pristine surface with grills sure to catch the attention of the fussy-eyed. 

That’s why a number of speaker manufacturers have begun offering completely invisible speakers: devices that bring the walls themselves to life with the sound of music. How do they do it? A few different ways, actually:

Getting Plastered
The most common approach to invisible speaker design involves affixing one or more electromechanical transducers (from the Latin transducere, which means “to transduce”… or something like that) to a rigid rectangular panel, which acts as an acoustical diaphragm. This rectangular diaphragm then takes the place of a section of drywall in the wall or ceiling. When taped, mudded and painted or lightly wallpapered over, these speakers become not merely indistinguishable from the wall surface, but actually an integral part of it.

Examples of this approach to invisible speaker design include, appropriately enough, Sound Advance’s SA2R Invisible Speaker, Amina Technologies’ AIW-Series Invisible Speakers, and Onsia’s Concealed Flat Panel Speakers.

The Sound Advance SA2R ($1200/pair) measures 21.25-in. high, 14.25-in. wide, and 3.25-in. or 5.25-in. deep depending on the back box used (the former is for in-wall installation; the latter for in-ceiling), and boasts a frequency response of 70Hz to 20 kHz.

The five models available in Amina’s AIW-series (Price: I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you; actually I couldn’t tell you, so you’re safe… for now) all measure 17.75-in. by 13.625-in. by 1.625-in., and range from 20 to 80 watts of power handling, with 20- and 40-watt-per-channel stereo models also available. Frequency response on all five models is 120Hz to 20KHz. 

Onsia’s In-Wall Sound Panels ($149 apiece) feature aerated polystyrene panels measuring 24-in. by 24-in. and must be secured between two studs with mounting screws. They have a frequency response of 120Hz to 17 KHz, and are rated at 50 watts RMS.

Adding Some Oomph
It doesn’t take much more than a quick glance at the specs for the speakers above to notice that they lack a little something that the French call “de basse fréquence (or they should, anyway).” Stealth Acoustics gets around this problem by taking the same basic platform—high- and mid-frequency transducers are coupled directly to a vibrating diaphragm, which becomes part of the wall itself—but behind this diaphragm, Stealth also adds 8-in. cone woofers for a healthy bottom-end kick.

The Stealth Acoustics AX3 Invisible In-Wall Speaker ($1500/pair) has a frequency range of 40Hz to 20KHz, matching the frequency range of many gargantuan floorstanding tower speakers. Its rated power capacity is 150 watts. 

If that’s not enough boom for your buck, the Stealth Acoustics B1630 In-Wall Subwoofer Panel System ($560 per system, which includes two panels) employs two 8” drivers per panel to reach down to a pant-leg-shaking 35Hz. 

The Direct Approach
At this point, there must be a few of you wondering, “If these fellows are just sticking transducers on little miniature walls that I then imbed in my normal-sized wall, why not just stick the transducers on the wall itself?” If not, shame on you. You should have thought it by now. But even if you did, Induction Dynamics and Séura already beat you to it with their SolidDrive and Lucidity Invisible Speakers, respectively. 

The Lucidity Invisible Speaker consists of 4.19-in. by 3.31-in. cylindrical transducer that adheres to the backside of your drywall, creating a massive vibrating surface that promises 20Hz to 20KHz frequency response and 150 watts of power handling capacity. 

“But what about me?” I hear you saying, “I live in a glass house and therefore have no drywall to vibrate.”

“Ah ha!” says Induction Dynamics, “We’ll be coming ‘round to your place come bath time.” Actually, no, they say, “Ah ha! We have an invisible speaker solution for you.” Actually, they probably don’t say “Ah ha!” because, honestly, who says “Ah ha!” anymore? Sounds a little mustache-twirly, does it? But that last bit still applies.

The company’s SolidDrive line of transducers is designed for a wide variety of surfaces. Each has a frequency response of 60Hz to 15KHz (depending on the surface) and can handle 100 watts of power. The SD1, with its cantilevered spring bracket, is designed to be mounted between studs to traditional walls or ceilings. The SD1sm, meanwhile, is specifically tailored to wood and other porous surfaces—beneath hardwood floors, for example. And the SD1g is meant to be used horizontally or vertically on glass and other non-porous surfaces. So you in your glass houses can listen to all the Stones you want, although we still recommend against throwing them. Especially Keef; he’s looking a bit fragile these days. 

In conclusion, we at Electronic House have only one request: no matter which invisible speaker solution you choose, once your walls actually can talk, please find yourself a credulous friend (shouldn’t be too hard) and stand him next to your wall while you play a recording of your spookiest-voiced friend whispering “Get out!” Upload the results to YouTube, send us a link and you’ll be our hero forever.

For more on hidden speakers, check out “10 Speakers to Be Heard, Not Seen.”