Review: Noble Fidelity L-55 LCRS In-Wall Loudspeaker

BIG SOUND
IN DISCREET PACKAGE

October 2008 By Greg Robinson

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A friend in my volleyball league is helping his daughter construct a basement theater and he recently asked for my assistance with loudspeaker selection. As Joe said at a recent match, “There’s just so many of them out there, it’s completely overwhelming!” He’s entirely correct – in the consumer electronics market, no product has more varied competition than a loudspeaker. When looking at A/V receivers, they all do essentially the same thing and they all look very similar to one another. The same can be said of DVD players, portable music players and, to some extent, flat panel televisions. Loudspeakers on the other hand can be freestanding, on a bookshelf, in the ceiling, in the wall, on the wall, or somewhere in between. They come in all shapes and sizes, some require a subwoofer while others don’t, and finish and color options are practically limitless. Consequently, when I was asked to review the L-55 LCRS in-walls from Nevada-based upstart loudspeaker manufacturer Noble Fidelity, it got me thinking. In this age of intense loudspeaker competition, a manufacturer trying to enter such a crowded market must either be crazy or have something truly special on their hands – something strong enough to stand on its own apart from the pack. After living with a set of L-55’s for a few days and having spoken with the folks at Noble I can tell you this much – they’re not crazy.

Before getting to the specifics of the L-55, Noble Fidelity deserves a bit of recognition for their trendsetting ecological efforts. Early last year, it was announced that Noble became the first North American loudspeaker company to be fully RoHS-compliant. RoHS, or Restriction of Hazardous Substances, is a European directive limiting the amount of hazardous materials that can be used in the construction of electrical and electronic equipment. Although the U.S. hasn’t yet adopted the same strict guidelines, that day is undoubtedly coming. As Kermit says, “It’s not easy being green” so kudos to Noble for being ahead of the curve.

Whether you’re building a new theater space or retrofitting an existing room, in-wall loudspeakers have become a popular option for today’s homeowner. Freestanding loudspeakers are still tops when it comes to outright performance, but they can be both physically and visually intrusive. In-ceiling loudspeakers are the exact opposite; they’re practically invisible but their stealthy nature comes with a price of comparatively inferior performance and an ill-defined sense of spatial imaging – a critically important factor in home theater installations. In-ceiling loudspeakers are great for whole-house audio applications, but they’re not my first choice in a theater. The in-wall loudspeaker represents a superior compromise, allowing for substantially improved sonic performance while keeping the loudspeakers out of sight and off the floor. Noble’s L-55 is an open-back, all-channel loudspeaker specifically designed for home theater and music listening duties. And thanks to its just-small-enough cutout dimensions, it can be installed vertically or horizontally in a standard 16-inch-on-center stud wall.

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