The Platinum In-Wall II, installed in a home theater.
Monitor Audio has reprised the quality and performance of its latest flagship Platinum II hi-fi speakers for discreet in-wall applications. The new Platinum In-Wall II design offers integrators an option that combines audiophile accuracy, bandwidth, and dynamics of its free-standing counterparts with the luxury of recessed installation.
The Platinum In-Wall II is a three-way reference architectural speaker system, intended for custom home theater projects. Equipped with an adjustable mid/high frequency driver array, the In-Wall is able to deliver accurate audio imaging and consistency from both the vertical and horizontal positions. By rotating the array though 90 degrees at the center of an LCR configuration for instance, a soundstage of three Platinum In-Wall IIs can generate tonal integrity comparable to the finest boxed systems from a stealthy in-wall location.
The speaker’s cabinet is as free of mechanical resonance as possible. Its heavily damped and cross-braced composite structure of steel back plate and 25-millimeter (1-inch) MDF joins a front baffle made of Anti-Resonance Composite (ARC) material, designed to provide an optimally rigid and stable foundation for the Platinum II drivers.
Twin 6.5-inch RDT II bass drivers are positioned astride a center pairing of Platinum II’s Micro Pleated Diaphragm (MPD) high-frequency air motion ribbon transducer and 4-inch RDT II mid-range driver. The MPD transducer has a surface area around eight times that of a conventional dome, allowing for greater efficiency and lower distortion. Bonded to the diaphragm’s surface, the driver coil takes the form of a conductive track, which is light and able to reproduce low-level nuances with higher definition. In tandem with lower native distortion, the absence of diaphragm break-up modes ensures that high frequencies are accurate and faithful to the original recording.
The mid-range driver uses a RDT II (Rigid Diaphragm Technology generation II) cone, comprising ultra-thin skins of C-CAM and woven carbon-fibre, bonded to a honeycomb Nomex core. Developed specifically for Platinum II, this light and rigid structure lowers distortion by a further 8dB above 300Hz, making it the lowest distortion cone technology in Monitor Audio’s history. The In-Wall’s lightning-fast RDT II mid-driver dovetails with its MPD tweeter in a damped and sealed enclosure to generate a lucid and expressive sonic quality from 300Hz to over 100kHz. Below 300Hz, dual, dished, 6.5-inch RDT II bass drivers, optimized for sealed box operation, are designed for high excursions with low signal distortion. Their “underhung,” thermally optimized motor assembly ensures that a cooler coil remains in the gap even when driven hard, for high efficiency, low power compression, and greater accuracy.
As part of the Platinum II design regimen, the crossovers have been refined using handpicked, metallized polypropylene film capacitors and air-core inductors in the shortest signal path for maximum signal transfer and power handling.
A matt-black baffle allows the Platinum In-Wall II to be used behind a screen in a blacked-out custom theater setting. Alternatively its flat mesh grille can be painted to match room décor. The speaker has been designed for simple retrofit installation through Monitor Audio’s Tri-Grip dogleg fixings. Additional room tuning is available through baffle-mounted mid- and high-frequency level controls (+1/0/-1 dB).
The new Platinum In-Wall II is available now for around $5,000.
