HTS - Home Theater Speaker System

drivers The HTS home theater system is comprised of a series of speakers designed specifically for home theater applications (of course they perform great for music as well). The series includes monitors for left, right and rear channels, a center channel and mated subwoofers (coming very soon). In short, everything you need to create pure cinematic magic.

The HTS series monitor's totally transparent top end is created by the extremely low mass G2si pure ribbon tweeter. Add the lush, warm sounds of the Vifa M18 midwoofer and you have a truly impressive combination.

These great drivers are beautifully integrated with crossovers designed by Jeff Bagby, noted author of Jeff B's Crossover Tips and creator of the Passive Crossover Designer 3.0 and the Series Crossover Designer 1.0 software programs.

Check out the HTS frequency response curve, HTS-MTM specifications/cost, HTS-Center specifications/cost, HTS-MT specifications/cost and HTS cabinet options.

But there's more to the story...

A home theater dilemma

HTS side

Many people building home theaters prefer speakers that are built into the wall, sight unseen. But most "free-standing" speakers were not designed for, and don't perform well, in this type of application. To complicate matters, most "in-wall" speakers simply do not sound as good as their free-standing counterparts.

So we set out to design a series of speakers flexible enough to provide stellar performance for both in-wall, up-against-the-wall and free-standing applications.

Why most speakers won't work in some HT applications

Without getting overly technical, speakers designed for free-standing applications require what is called baffle step compensation (BSC) in order to produce flat response at the listening position. This sound-shaping circuitry is part of the crossover in almost every free-standing speaker.

But "in-wall" speakers do not require BSC. In fact, BSC will actually degrade the sound when speakers with it (most speakers sold today) are mounted in the wall. Which is why free-standing speakers should not be mounted in a wall. For a more detailed explanation of baffle step compensation and its impact on sound, click here.

The solution: three crossover options

The HTS system offers three crossover options:

- Full baffle step compensation for free-standing applications
- Minimal BSC for up-against-the-wall applications
- Virtually no baffle step compensation for in-wall construction

Simply choose the crossover option that is right for your particular home theater application.

With the HTS system, you can now have "in-wall" sound that is as good as that created by the best free standing speakers.

Other potential minefields avoided

center channel with grill Most free-standing speakers are rear-ported. They are designed this way in order to extend the bass response of the speaker. So they need "breathing room" to operate properly and shouldn't be installed against a wall.

Another problem with rear-ported designs is difficulty properly integrating them with a subwoofer. While the ports extend bass response, this response falls off rapidly when you reach the speaker's lower frequency limits.

Ideally, the top end of a subwoofer's response would drop off inversely to the lower end of response curve of the main speaker. But when the response drops off so fast in a ported design it is difficult, if not impossible, to find a subwoofer with this sharp a response curve on its top end. So you end up with either too much bass energy where the two overlap, or a hole in the overall response curve if they don't.

Sealed design

HTS main monitor and center channel speakers are sealed. Which means you can use them free-standing, up against a wall or mounted in a wall.

And since their low frequency roll-off is more gradual (like that of most subwoofer amplifiers), it is easy to integrate them with an HTS subwoofer module. And remember, any low end extension you give up with the sealed design is more than compensated for via the sub.

Pre-built cabinets

Although the HTS series speakers can be built with custom cabinets with any woods/finishes you desire, we kept the cost down by designing these speakers around pre-built cabinets.

Cabinets are available in the following colors:
Beech	Black	Cherry

The bottom line

Great home theater sound can make the difference between a so-so cinematic experience and one that is totally engrossing. The HTS home theater speaker system was designed to perform in a manner that will never distract from your viewing experience. Totally transparent and natural sounding, the highly-customizable HTS system is your ticket to the ultimate cinematic experience.

HTS pricing

Pricing for the various HTS options is included on the MTM specifications/cost, HTS-Center specifications/cost and MT specifications/cost pages.