A technophobe might insist that all speakers are the same. In a way, it is a hard contention to challenge. Almost all speakers use conventional woofers and tweeters, and neither of those two parts has changed much in decades. But if you possess any of Elan Home Systems’ TheaterPoint speakers, you can counter any Luddite with a hearty “unh-unh”—because your speakers have lasers.

---

The laser that Elan supplies with each pair of TheaterPoints fits into the grilles in front of the speakers’ tweeters. (Click image to enlarge)

---

That’s right—each pair of TheaterPoint speakers comes with a little laser you or your installer can use to point each speaker’s pivoting tweeter exactly at your favorite listening chair. The laser’s triangle-shaped tail fits into a triangular plastic mini-grille on the front of each tweeter. Simply pivot the tweeter until the laser points in the desired place, and you have optimized the speaker’s treble response.

Elan offers a broad line of TheaterPoint speakers, including two in-wall main/center speakers, a ceiling speaker, in-wall and on-wall surround speakers, two conventional cabinet speakers, and a subwoofer. All use similar or identical components, so you can mix and match as you please. The company supplies me with a pair each of THP525W and THP650W in-walls, plus a pair of THP800C ceiling speakers.

The THP650W is a conventional in-wall, but the smaller THP525W is unusual in that its baffle is angled.  The angle helps ensure that the speaker’s drivers point straight at you for the best sound. But of course, the appropriateness of that angle will depend on how far apart the speakers are and how far they are from your listening chair. The THP800C is a little unusual in that the entire speaker swivels to point in any direction; many other pointable ceiling speakers point in only one direction and thus are not as easy to install.

---

Switches on the TheaterPoint speakers cut the bass by 12 decibels per octave below 80 hertz,  and boost or cut the range between 400 and 4,000 hertz by 3 decibels. These help tune the speaker to your room and system. (Click image to enlarge)

---

All of these speakers can be used in any channel of a surround-sound system. I listen to them all in stereo, then build a home theater system with THP650Ws in front left and right positions, a THP525W in the center, and the THP800Cs behind me, as surround speakers.

To my surprise, my favorite turns out to be the humble little THP525W. Because of the cavity created by the angled baffle, I expect little from this speaker; the sound reflections created by such cavities usually cause an uneven frequency response. But the THP525W wins me over quickly. “Wow! These are astonishingly competent,” reads the first line of my listening notes. The speaker has a warm, accessible timbre, yet it never sounds dull or mellowed. It throws a broad, enveloping soundstage across my room—an impressive feat for any in-wall, but a near-miracle for an in-wall in the THP525W’s price range. I notice subtle colorations from time to time—slight overemphasis of a narrow part of the upper midrange on Donald Fagen’s voice in Steely Dan’s “Aja,” for example—but the THP525W earns at least a B grade on every single one of the 12 extraordinarily revealing tracks on my speaker test CD ... and quite a few A’s. 

It even produces a decent amount of bass; I would sanction its use with or without a subwoofer. It lacks deep bass, but that’s an advantage in this case—the little woofers seldom generate enough oomph to get the wall vibrating, so they avoid the boominess that affects so many in-walls.
The THP650W sounds quite similar. In fact, its larger woofers give it a much fuller sound than the THP525W. However, the THP650W’s woofers are large enough to produce sub­stantial wall vibration; it reaches its peak performance only if wood braces are placed in the wall and extra drywall screws are added in the studs near the speaker.  But in a two-way speaker, I generally prefer the sound of  woofers in the 5-inch range, like the THP525W’s, to ones in the 6-inch range, like the THP650W’s. The smaller drivers sound more spacious and open, while the larger ones often have a bit of a “cupped hands” sound with voices. But I suspect most people will value the THP650W’s extra bass over the THP525W’s extra clarity. The THP650W also plays about 3 decibels louder than the THP525W can, making it a superior party speaker.

---

All of the TheaterPoint speakers feature a flush-fitting grille that can be painted the color of your choice. Surprisingly, the THP525W shown above has two more mounting legs than the larger THP650W; the extra legs keep the wall in a tighter grip and may help lessen sound-marring wall vibration. (Click image to enlarge)

---

And speaking of party speakers, the THP800C ceiling speaker also fits that bill, thanks in large part to the big bass from its 8-inch woofer. The THP800C exhibits more sonic coloration than its in-wall brothers; you have to expect that, given the large cavity that the speaker drivers reside in and the reflective edges it presents. Although the speaker sounds good on most material—the word “pleasant” appears repeatedly in my listening notes—it occasionally makes certain voices sound a bit unnatural and edgy. For most rock, pop, and light jazz, though, it sounds good. And this speaker especially loves to play Mötley Crüe at house-rattling volume.

Elan Home Systems has always focused more on multiroom audio electronics than on speakers. Thus, I confess that I did not expect wonders from the TheaterPoints. But it’s clear to me that someone put a lot of imagination and care into the design of these speakers. They can surround my plasma TV any day.

DESCRIPTION

In-wall and in-ceiling speakers for home theater or stereo use. Use of subwoofer optional

COMPONENTS

THP525W: two 5.25-inch Kevlar cone woofers, 1-inch Kevlar dome tweeter

THP650W: two 6.5-inch Kevlar cone woofers, 1-inch Kevlar dome tweeter

THP800C: 8-inch Kevlar cone woofer, 2.5-inch Kevlar cone midrange, 0.75-inch Kevlar dome tweeter

CONNECTIONS

Spring-loaded binding posts; accept bare wire, pins, and banana plugs

DIMENSIONS

THP525W: 15.5 x 8.4 inches (hw), 4 inches installed depth

THP650W: 16.4 x 9.9 inches (hw), 4 inches installed depth

THP800C: 12.2 inches diameter x 7 inches installed depth

PRICE/CONTACT

PRICE: THP525W $300 each, THP650W $465 each, THP800C $460 each

CONTACT: elanhomesystems.com, 877.289.3526