Acoustic Research Décor Speakers
ACOUSTIC RESEARCH DÉCOR SPEAKERS Speakers Hidden in Plain Sight
December 2006 By —Grant Clauser
The HD510 Home Décor speaker system is a conventional-looking subwoofer/satellite system consisting of five small, matched satellite speakers and one subwoofer. Taken by themselves, the system is a well-built, above average set of moderately-priced speakers ($899); however, the real hook is not actually in the speakers, but what you match them with. I’m not talking about your amplifier or TV, I’m talking about your home accents. You see, the Home Décor line tries to solve that old problem of putting speakers out of sight, but not out of sound (sic).
The Home Décor line was designed to fit perfectly with a selection of speaker covers—covers that hide the speakers, and even the subwoofer, but don’t affect the quality of the audio that comes from them. Speaker covers range from shelf-compatible vases, baskets and clocks to wall sconces and even trunks and chests that cover the subwoofer. The cover designs include both traditional (like the antique mantel clock) to the contemporary (like the Asian-inspired rope lamp). There’s even a set of fake books (What would Mark Twain say to see his name used this way?) that hide a speaker.
The covers are more than just shells that fit over the speakers. For several years fake rocks have been available to cover outdoor speakers, but those did little for the acoustic qualities of the speaker. In this case, the speaker and covers were designed together. The interior of each cover is shaped to snuggly fit the speaker, which prevents any vibration or reverberation. The materials are virtually acoustically transparent, but each speaker is equipped with a switch for covered or uncovered use—that way if you want to cover, say, only the rear and center speakers but not the front left and right, you won’t hear any variations in the sound quality. For the subwoofer, there’s a selection of wood trunks that cover the sub completely.
Some of the covers are more convincing than others. The baskets, vases and wall sconces look pretty much like baskets, vases and wall sconces you’d find at a Pier One Imports store. The book set is easily spotted for a fake with a little close inspection, though. The clocks look pretty good, and actually work. There’s even a planter, that, with a plant in it, would be hard to discover.
The speaker system itself is a hard-working set. The satellites are constructed of extruded aluminum with one 3.5-inch driver and one 1-inch Teteron tweeter. The subwoofer uses a 175-watt class D digital amplifier and a 10-inch woofer. The speakers use spring clips rather than binding posts to connect to speaker wire, while the sub has both line level and speaker level connections. Sticking with the Home Décor’s discrete motif, both the volume and crossover controls are hidden behind a plate with the product’s logo on it.
The Home Décor line was designed to fit perfectly with a selection of speaker covers—covers that hide the speakers, and even the subwoofer, but don’t affect the quality of the audio that comes from them. Speaker covers range from shelf-compatible vases, baskets and clocks to wall sconces and even trunks and chests that cover the subwoofer. The cover designs include both traditional (like the antique mantel clock) to the contemporary (like the Asian-inspired rope lamp). There’s even a set of fake books (What would Mark Twain say to see his name used this way?) that hide a speaker.
The covers are more than just shells that fit over the speakers. For several years fake rocks have been available to cover outdoor speakers, but those did little for the acoustic qualities of the speaker. In this case, the speaker and covers were designed together. The interior of each cover is shaped to snuggly fit the speaker, which prevents any vibration or reverberation. The materials are virtually acoustically transparent, but each speaker is equipped with a switch for covered or uncovered use—that way if you want to cover, say, only the rear and center speakers but not the front left and right, you won’t hear any variations in the sound quality. For the subwoofer, there’s a selection of wood trunks that cover the sub completely.
Some of the covers are more convincing than others. The baskets, vases and wall sconces look pretty much like baskets, vases and wall sconces you’d find at a Pier One Imports store. The book set is easily spotted for a fake with a little close inspection, though. The clocks look pretty good, and actually work. There’s even a planter, that, with a plant in it, would be hard to discover.
The speaker system itself is a hard-working set. The satellites are constructed of extruded aluminum with one 3.5-inch driver and one 1-inch Teteron tweeter. The subwoofer uses a 175-watt class D digital amplifier and a 10-inch woofer. The speakers use spring clips rather than binding posts to connect to speaker wire, while the sub has both line level and speaker level connections. Sticking with the Home Décor’s discrete motif, both the volume and crossover controls are hidden behind a plate with the product’s logo on it.
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