Triad Owner's Thread - Page 158

Who? Never heard of them..

Never heard them myself. There are a few threads on here about their speakers. The owner gets the nod from Paul in this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1058804/episode-speakers-any-thoughts No clue how they compare against Triad.

Shan

Just a quick note that I stopped by the Triad factory to swap out my SlimSubs for Bronze/6 subs. All the folks at Triad were terrific. I got the opportunity to tour the factory. It is a pretty slick operation and you could see the work that goes into each speaker they manufacture. After talking to Triad, it turns out that my speakers were likely fine when they were installed. The Triad tech I talk to suspected that it was actually a problem with the configuration of the Amp (the Amp manufacturer had the SlimSub profile incorrect) and that the speakers were almost immediately blown when I started my first movie...perhaps even during the Audyssey set-up. There have also been some driver issues so, being the great manufacturer they are, Triad took them off the market while to look for a different driver supplier. It was very interesting to talk with them about the challenges (many of which Paul has commented on) when it comes to designing a Sub for a 4" wall depth. He also noted, as Paul has on several occasions, that they do not recommend their use in Home Theaters.

When it came to the swap, they made it easy as heck. I did not have to bring in the covers, etc. Just the speakers themselves and they gave me 3 new boxed Bronze subs to replace them.

Needless to say, I immediately installed them in the columns and fired them up for screening of Seal Team Six. Not the worlds best movie, but the speakers were awesome. Since this is the first time I have owned a 4-wall dedicated theater, it is hard to tell how much of my awe is due to the speakers versus the room not having any of the issues I've suffered in all of my various shared spaces, but I could not be happier. The sound from the Triads is very clear and detailed. Not overly bright like the Polk's I had previously tended to be. The subs also mate terrifically with the speakers, as they should. Overall, the system sounds incredible. The biggest issue I have now is that I need to spend several days getting all of the rattles out of the room. It is amazing how much noisy something as innocuous as a Seymour screen can be when the entire screen wall is rocking with the beat.

I'll say again, I am very happy with the choice to go with Triad.

Shan

I read that article when I did my search. I also read a recent thread that was designed by DE that had Episode speakers in it, not sure if they were spec'd by him but assuming so.

Just curious if anyone had real world experience with them. Sold by SnapAv to custom installers.

This was posted back in '09.

"If you had asked about the difference between the Bronze and Silver LCRs six months ago, I would have told you the Silvers have about 4 dB more output and are more robust down near their low frequency cutoff. They still are, however, we redesigned the Silver LCR about two months ago, and it now is the best value in our LCR series. We upgraded the crossover, and the Silver LCR now has the same tweeter as the $2,150 InWall Gold/6 LCR and $2,250 InWall Silver/4 Monitor. It's a premium Seas tweeter with startling articulation and detail, and it changes the Silver LCR"

I'm curious I'd this still the case in the in-wall LCR differences between the bronze and silver? Have components changed since then? Thanks.

I'm looking for the same answer to this question regarding the bronze->silver upgrade and the silver being the best value in the lcr line up. Is this still true? Also since it is so hard to demo in-wall speakers side by side, I've listened to Totem Tribe in walls, B&W CWM 7.5's in walls. How do the Triad Silver In-walls compare to these speakers?

Thanks

Hey. I haven't been around for a few weeks, but over this weekend, I'll jump back into the thread and answer all my PMs. Thanks for your patience...

I'm conflicted about having an open opinion on other brands of speakers in this open forum, so I'll make some general comments. Totem and B&W are of high quality, and you pay for it...much like Triad. Episode is not in the same league. And I'll leave it at that.

As I just stated, those are reputable brands. However, Triad InWalls are just built-in versions of their InRoom counterparts. The performance is as good, and it can be even better, due to the reinforcement gleaned from the wall (boundary.) I wouldn't consider any open-back speaker in a critical venue. You don't know what you're going to get, and the back waves bleed all over the house. Also, "back boxes" are usually cheap add-ons that change the Q. A speaker can be design either for open air OR an enclosure...not both. If you can hear InRoom Triad LCRs somewhere, you're hearing the InWalls, too. They're the same.

Thanks Paul. My brother is finishing his basement and wanting me to help him out with his audio setup. His budget will not allow for him to purchase Triads unless I can talk him into increasing it.

It's a non dedicated room, media room with open concept and will be mostly sports, TV then Movies coming in last. Moderate volumes, not looking for reference levels.

15x25x9 with another 20ft behind main seat which is open to the bar area.

Would a bronze setup work? Or would he need at least silvers upfront? Sub suggestions?

Paul, would you have any info on the question about silver vs bronze inwalls that I posted above? Thanks!

I posted something similar in the Audio Setup forum, but as this relates to a Triad speaker setup, I'll post here too.

I'm having my home wired for 5 in-ceiling speakers in a 15x13x9 living room that opens up to a kitchen & dining room. I've also wired for a subwoofer in the back right corner of the room. Everything will be wired to a media closet and I'll have IR remote control. TV will be wall mounted and connected to an AVR, PS3, and Dish receiver in the media closet via a 50 ft HDMI. The house has wood floors, but I'll have a 12x9 area rug, furniture, and curtains to help with reflection. This is my 5.1 plan at this point:

(3) Triad In-Ceiling Bronze/8 LCR (4 ohm)
(2) Triad In-Wall Bronze/4 Surrounds (4 ohm, will be installed in-ceiling)
(1) Outlaw LFM-1 EX sub
(1) Emotiva UPA-500 amp (I like the idea of having an amp for 4 ohm speakers. Is this necessary?)
(1) AVR: Marantz SR7005

Considering all speakers will be in-ceiling, is this a decent setup? I've heard the Triad Silver LCRs in action, but not the Bronze. Not looking for theatre/concert quality, but would hope it will be good for movies/music. Any feedback about this speaker /sub /amp /avr /equipment setup -- good, bad, or otherwise -- is welcome. Cheers.
Edited by rtbco - 1/18/13 at 11:29am

Hi Paul and everyone.

I've not been on this thread since I purchased my Triads a few years back and Triad was so kind as to even build me a horizontal gold LCR that looks great under the monitor. I have really loved my triads and I’ve not had any issues. The paint match was a great idea and it’s always been nice to say the speakers are custom built for me. Thanks Paul.

I just recently replaced my 7.1 prepro with a new one that is 9.2 and I now have an option for a high left and high right. I’m wondering what speaker I should use from the Triad brand. The front Gold LCR’s are spaced about 10 feet apart and the ceiling is a cathedral about 16 feet. I have plenty of front wall space and the wall is a 2x6 wall built to accommodate the monitor pocket and the Triads. Seating is about 14 feet. For the rear and sides I don’t recall which Triads they are but I have 4 and two subs. One inwall Triad sub and one floor standing 15” sub.

While you are answering questions, I had a few. Any help would be much appreciated. We are considering using Triad in-wall speakers for a basement home theater (14x19x9). The walls, however, are relatively thin -- 3.5" stud and .5" drywall. We were originally thinking about silver monitor 6 inwalls (most of the framing is 2x6, but not the basement) until I realized how thin the walls were; now I am wondering about using the silver monitor 4 inwall instead. This is new construction, so we can also tweak the wall a bit if we need to; the studs are up but not the drywall. My questions are:

Do you think a silver monitor 4 will work in a wall this shallow?

Are the silver monitor 4 and the silver monitor 6 essentially equivalent, or is one preferable to another in this kind of application? (We may have to make the wall a little deeper to accommodate in-walls, and if we do, is it worth moving it an extra couple of inches to get a 6 in?)

Are there other Triad solutions you would recommend?

Our contractor suggested a free-standing subwoofer, but I like the idea of in-walls. Would an in-wall bronze (or two) be sufficient, in your view, for this kind of system?

We are considering a number of other options, including on-wall speakers, bookshelf speakers, or some sort of screened-off area for tower speakers, as well, but in-walls are compelling for WAF reasons, among others. Any thoughts would be very much appreciated. (I hope this question is appropriate for this thread; it seemed to be.)

I really like my in wall LCR gold's from Triad and although they take a 2x6 wall it's so easy to re-sheetrock a wall and doing so gives so many other options. On my front wall I built the wall out from the original blueprints and I put a pocket into the wall for the 60 inch plasma and built pockets for the speakers. It looks great and I put in in-wall subs as well. Sheetrock is so easy to work with.

AFAIK the 4 inch and 6 inch versions of all of Triad's inwalls should sound the same. Triad does not have a sub, Bronze or otherwise, that will fit in a 4" wall cavity. I have 3 of the Bronze/6 subs. While two of them probably won't blow you out of the water in a room your size (depending on what you are used to), they would work well and, if you went with chairs that included transducers, you'd be set, IMHO. I'd consider pre-wiring for a couple more just in case.

Shan

Triad does make the Bronze for a 4" cavity but the grill is not flust and does protrude a little.
http://triadspeakers.com/products/iwb4sub.html#tab2

They also make the inwall slim sub/4. Which is simialr to the bronze/4 with a flush grill but a little less performance. I don't see it on their website so maybe it has been discontimnued.

Yhey do have other hidden sub option depending on your situation. You could consider their in ceiling subwoofers and their flex subs.

I'm getting Silver LCR/6 in wall's up front. In the back, I was going to get the silver inwall surrounds, but they won't fit and it seems like even the bronze surrounds won't fit. We need to fit it into a side wall that is just 13 1/4" wide, so the cutout can't be more than 11" i think. Do the rears have to be the dipole speakers? We will have a 5.1 setup w/ a bronze in-wall sub in the back as well.

I think my options for the rears are: (should i stay in the silver family and get smaller speakers, or go w/ the bronze lcr in the back?)

Bronze/4 LCR
Wall Hole Cut Out:
Width 11"
Height 19-1/4"

InWall Frame/Grill:
Width 11-7/16"
Height 19-11/16"
Depth 0"

Bronze/4 Satellite
Wall Hole Cut Out:
Width 8-1/2"
Height 12-5/16"

InWall Frame/Grill:
Width 8-7/8"
Height 12-5/8"
Depth 0"

Silver/4 Satellite (this might be good since it matches our silver fronts right?)
Wall Hole Cut Out:
Width 11"
Height 16-5/8"

InWall Frame/Grill:
Width 11-7/16"
Height 17-1/16"
Depth 0"

Silver/4 Omni SE (how is this different from from silver satellite?)
Wall Hole Cut Out:
Width 8-1/2"
Height 12-5/16"

InWall Frame/Grill:
Width 8-7/8"
Height 12-5/8"
Depth 0"

That's right...I forget about the Bronze 4 since it is not flush.

Triad does not currently have the SlimSub for sale. They are looking for a new driver manufacturer for it. FYI, it was less than half the output of the Bronze 6 sub and not recommended for Home Theater use.

I have never heard any of the flex subs. I did see them when I was at the factory a few weeks ago...cool looking, but I did not get the chance to listen to them.

Shan

Scenario:

Room is 14'W x 18'L x 8H, Back of room opens up to wet bar another 12' L and 8' opening on one side to another room.
Basic TV/Sports and movie watching in general media room. Not looking for reference levels, but good quality sound. Will a Bronze LCR will work? Will be paired with at least one sub, maybe too. This is for my brothers new basement build and budget is limited.

TIA

I'm looking at some used OnWall Gold surrounds in comparison with new Silver OnWall surrounds. I want to crossover my surrounds at 80 hz which is the only reason I'm ruling out the bronze but ultimately I want the best price got great performance.

What kind of functional differences would there be in the old vs new design of the onwall surrounds. Old version has two pairs of drivers facing left and right while the new version has two drivers facing left and right with a single large woofer facing straight out from the wall. Also, where can I get the specs on the old Gold OnWall Surround?

Hey Paul, long time, no talk. How you doin'? Have you had a chance to listen to the new CR-1 LCR's? Prather

Quick Question: I have my apartment already wired for surround but can not install inwall speakers. Therefore I will go with onwall. I mainly listen to music but will get the 5.1 setup since the hook ups are already there. I was hoping to spend a little more on the LR then the rest of the speakers. Would it be possible to get micros for the LR and then minis for the C and rears? Or is that just a terrible idea? I was trying to keep the speaker cost under 2k. I'd really love to not have to deal with a sub so if there are full range options for the LR that would be great. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Best,
Chris

And once again, I am late to the party. The Silver and Bronze LCRs were redesigned again two years ago, using very good but more cost-effective drivers. Sensitivity went up a bit, and the overall sound is just as good. Rather than pull out more profits from the lower cost, Triad lowered the price of both LCRs, maintaining quality. They're still a best buy, but they don't use Seas drivers anymore. This is a good thing.

The Gold LCRs are considerably better, as you'd expect for three times the cost. The Silver Monitors are also better, but they don't play much louder than Silver LCRs. I would use Silver Monitors in smaller venues where you want excellent sound quality but high output isn't needed. They're also a lot smaller and they can fit into small areas.

The Triad subs are designed to each have their own amp. The only exception is that you can order 8 ohm versions of the Bronze DSP Subs, and use one amplifier. This is a special order, though.

The FlexSubs (two models) sound just like the InWall or InRoom vesions. They slam. There is a Bronze and a Silver version, made to install in a basement, adjacent room, or attic and the sound is vented into the room. They really work well.

Paul,

I responded to your PM.

Thanks!

I haven't heard it yet. I also suggested that Triad change the name to the CR2 so the big version could be the CR1 and the smaller version the CR3. Makes more sense. The first LCR in the series will be the middle one in size. I have heard from some at Triad who have listened to the prototypes, and they all say the same thing. The output is shocking, and the clarity in the midrange and treble is crystalline. I still don't know pricing, options, delivery dates, nor have I seen any response curves.

I miss seeing you, Prather, especially the warm hugs with reach-arounds...

Hey Triad owners, I need a little help in deciding what to use for the rear speakers in my 7.1 setup.

My room is 15' wide x 32' long with the TV on the 15' wall. The couch will be 10' from the TV. The room is a basement HT/games room.

I am planning on using 3 Bronze/4 LCRs in the front.

Due to limitations the side surrounds and rears have to be in ceiling and the surrounds can only be 9' apart (OD to OD) and the rears can't be more than 20" behind the seating area.

So my question is, for the surrounds is this area too small to use angled baffle InCeiling LCRs (Mini/8 or Bronze/8)? I'm afraid they will be directing their sound beyond the listening area. The alternative is using 4 in ceiling Bronze sealed round speakers, which I have been told is not ideal (but a lot more budget friendly and placement flexibility due to size).

Thanks,
Jason

Or, because they are so close to the seating position, should I consider using InWall Bronze/4 Surround in the ceining?

J

You correctly answered your own question. Because of the proximity to the surrounds, direct-radiating speakers will be far too directional and they'll "hotspot." I'd use InWall Bronze/4 Surrounds in the ceiling. And thanks for using goldern made in MURIKA Triad speakers!