Review of Atlantic Technology IWCB-727 Speakers
Reviewed by Audition Home Theater Systems, LLC (www.auditionhts.com)
Atlantic Technology IWCB-727 Speakers
The IWCB-727 is an easy to install, in-wall speaker with large free standing speaker detail and dynamics and very flexible placement options.
Overall Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Entertainment Product Features
When you pick these up you think; wow top of the line free standing speakers, and they deliver. The fully integrated solid MDF enclosure ensures the engineer’s design is not compromised by the wall it is installed in. The speakers have dual 6.5 inch Carbon Fiber woofers with a 1 inch low resonance soft dome tweeter. Atlantic calls it a 2.5 way array. The woofers are crossed over at slightly different points and the tweeter is able to play much lower than other in-walls. This allows for consistent wide off axis performance and a fuller dynamic range than other much larger in-wall speakers.
I still enjoy full and even sound while my customers are sitting in the “sweet seats”. These are great for a wide array of seating options. Three electronic features, DVC (Directional Vector Control), Boundary Compensation Control and High Frequency Level Control, provide capability to optimize the audio in many difficult installation scenarios. High on the wall, near an adjacent wall, or behind an acoustically transparent screen; these are all improved and simplified by these features.
Overall these are the most musical in-wall speakers I have ever heard, even without a sub. On movies, the dynamics and intelligibility put you right in the movie without any strain.
Rating: 9.0 out of 10
Ease of Installation
To start with these are the most flexible speakers I have ever installed. They fit easily into a standard 2x4 wall and feature a padded back for those not quite so standard installs. The separate GFR grill kit makes “painting to match”, a breeze and the electronic controls offer many tuning options for matching a customer’s placement desires.
The GFRs (Grill Frame Assembly) give the speakers a very sturdy foundation and prevent removing the energy from today’s movies with high dynamics. The install is a 2 part process. First you install the grill frame which connects to the wall with sturdy cogs. With the GFR now secure to the wall structure, you install the Box speaker and securely mount it to the frame with provided screws. What I really liked about this process was you can see and feel each of the wall contactors while installing the frame and make sure they are tight without being overly tight. With other speakers you have to do this blind. We installed the IWCB 727s purposefully high in the wall. Using the DVC most customers have mistakenly believed the bookshelf speakers they saw below were actually playing. Overall a simple install with no special tools required.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Entertainment Product Reliability
All Atlantic Technology speakers include a 90 day warranty with a free extension to 5 years if you register your purchase with Atlantic Technology within 30 days (and purchase from an authorized dealer). The registration process is easy and can be done via mail or on their website.
In the 6 years that we have been dealing with Atlantic Technology products we have never had a return. You also have instant telephone access to a real, knowledgeable, person to answer any questions on installation, configuration or even optimizing the acoustics.