Image Home Cinema
Which is for you – purist stereo, home cinema or a combination? The good news is that all Image speakers are built to the same high standards and your system can be as good as you want it. And there is nothing to prevent you taking a progressive approach and building a better system over time.
Image Home Cinema systems are stunning. If a single pair of Image stereo speakers offer great value and performance then a fully matched surround sound system will really thrill you. The extra impact of a subwoofer, the focus of a centre speaker and the involvement of surround effects will all combine to give you a ‘better than the movies’ home experience.
Keep in mind that Image speakers are available in any real wood veneer or matching stain colour. So your home cinema speaker system can be attractive pieces of furniture that suits your decor. With a little care and the occasional use of furniture oil your real wood speakers will look stunning for many years.
Image speakers are wholly New Zealand owned, designed and made. They have a 30 year heritage of producing high quality product that are comparable with some very expensive imported equivalents. So you can make the conscientious choice by buying New Zealand made and get a world class product at an affordable price. And, each time you make a purchase of $600 or more we’ll give you a Hector Dolphin kit as a present.
To put together your home cinema speaker system choose your pair of front speakers first from Supreme, Revelation or 400 Series. Choose the best you can afford whilst considering the practicalities of your room size. Then the center, surround speakers and sub woofer follow in appropriate size to match, taking in account your budget.
Image Subwoofers
Bass is a part of music – it underpins the melody, provides the rhythm and structure for any style. Bass is also an intrinsic part of the best home cinema experiences – both as an effect, and as part of the overall soundtrack. All but the very largest speaker systems can only hint at what bass might be in the original recording. Yet for a comparatively modest outlay, an active (ie with dedicated amplification built in), subwoofer can transform your system and take you from bare–bones sound to full bodied music and cinema. The secrets are your choice of subwoofer and the correct installation. A major benefit of active subs is that they allow your amplifier more go to run your other speakers. Heavy bass being a serious drain on amplifiers. So your whole system performs better.
Any serious system deserves a serious subwoofer – the new Image sub12 is just that. 200 watts of inbuilt power matched to a significant 12 inch driver enclosed in a generously proportioned and heavily braced cabinet. Sure footed with music yet able to recreate the most explosive cinema effects, this is the subwoofer for enthusiasts with larger rooms and speaker systems. With smaller speakers and rooms you should look at the compact Image model, the sub10. The speed and accuracy of this model enable it to match the best compact speakers in timbre yet add warmth and reality to the sound. The sub10 also has a 200 watt amplifier. These subs never descend into ‘boom-boom’ territory and are beautifully finished with domestically friendly cabinets that will fit in, and indeed compliment any room.
To get the most from your subwoofer, you really need to take a little care with both positioning and set up. While we can give you in–depth advice, you’ll find experimentation and common–sense go a long way and even straight out of the box results can prove compelling.
Why two subwoofers are better than one. Most can accept that stereo sounds better than mono – yet a pair of matched subwoofers can prove to be considerably more impressive. The doubling of power is an obvious feature (remember that the amplifiers are built in), but by having two sources of low bass in a room you can even out any room effects such as standing waves so the bass is more uniform and placement less critical. In cinema systems the subwoofers are best ‘daisy chained’ as the bass channel is an entity in itself. For music you can take a further step and have true stereo.
Image sub12 NZ$ 2,500
Image sub10 NZ$ 2,000
Image Centre Speakers
For cinema a centre speaker ‘anchors&n8217; the vocal track and adds considerably to the left and right front speakers. The ideal is to have the front three speakers working as a seamless whole. To achieve this you simply select the appropriate Image model to match. You may be surprised to find how much better a cinema system sounds when you choose better surround speakers. For the best results the same model of front and surround speakers yields a totally believable and exciting soundtrack. If music takes precedence then you’ll be better to consider a mix that favours the front speakers.
Image Centre Stage NZ$ 1,700
Image AVC200 NZ$ 1,000
Image AVC100 NZ$ 800
You can build up your system. Although the attraction of a full surround system is undeniable, don’t be afraid to start with just a well chosen pair of front speakers for a home theatre system. Get these right and everything else will follow naturally. You’ll find any worthwhile home cinema amplifier can be optimised for any combination, size or number of speakers. So even though an amplifier may be 6 or more channels, it will simply send the appropriate amount and type of signal to the available speakers. Then as you add more speakers, the settings are adjusted accordingly. It’s that easy.
Home Cinema Electronics
We have recommendations for uncompromised home cinema electronics based on pure performance. We feel good home cinema should be able to multi–task and be excellent music playing systems as well.
We love the Meridian G92 DVD/processor as one of the best source components available and it’s a superb cinema processor too. An ideal match to the Image speakers is Rotel. Here you have home cinema that is a little more conventional but steps above the standard home theatre receivers by having separate pre and power amps that perform with much greater precision. The budget minded will like the Cambridge and the Arcam Solo Movie System will appeal to those who are style and space conscious.
The Terrace Houses
217 Stuart Street
Dunedin 9016
New Zealand
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0800 909 101
(+64) 03 4790 444
(+64) 021 963 321
image@totallywired.co.nz
Direct Contact
John Ransley and Sharon Guytonbeck are the principals behind Totally Wired. It’s our own business and we take pride in building something worthwhile.
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