Phase Technologies CI-10 VIII User manual

The CI-110IIs act as the left, right and center in the front stage
of the Phase Technology installation.
With the ever increasing popularity of
plasma and LCD, more and more au-
dio/video-philes are turning to high
fidelity in-wall solutions. While
speaker sales as a total did not see
much growth in 2003, in-wall sales
rocketed as more and more con-
sumers chose custom audio solutions
to meet their needs.
PHASE TECHNOLOGY
CI-SERIES IN-WALL SPEAKER ENSEMBLE
“I find myself fumbling for words to describe the depth of the listening experience...
Outstanding Phase Tech…outstanding. “ — Clint Walker
So there’s the rub. How do we at Avodah
Publishing, Inc. deliver real-world reviews on
the number one category in speakers today—
in-walls? The answer is simple and somewhat
crude. Offer up our own homes and offices and
allow them to go under the knife—or RotoZip
in this case.
Unique Features
Where do I begin? Phase Technology is a fam-
ily-established company with audiophile her-
itage dating back nearly 50 years. So perhaps
what makes Phase Technology (as a company)
unique is that their design philosophy and busi-
ness model today remain unchanged from their
humble beginnings. And, quite possibly, solid
Background
O
ver the past several years I have
reviewed and installed enough
speakers to appreciate the ad-
vancements of both the sound and
installation qualities of in-wall speakers.
>TEST CENTER
Before entering the publishing world, I
worked as a “grunt” installer. My workdays con-
sisted of long hours in hot attics pulling wire
and, of course, fumbling with installing in-wall
and in-ceiling speakers.
Back in those days, there weren’t many
brands to choose from. And while most speak-
ers were full-range, there was the occasional
client who chose a “high-performance” two-
way speaker.
That said, I have been pleased to see the
direction of in-wall designs, over the past three
years in particular. Unfortunately, the publish-
ing business does not allow much time in the
way of installing complete ensembles, nor does
it allow the budget for building out a quality
sound room with interchangeable in-wall baf-
fles. Thus, you the consumer, will not see very
many reviews on in-wall ensembles.
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The CI-60VI (pictured left) was used as one of the rear sur-
rounds with the larger CI-100II (pictured right) up front.
evidence that real “high definition” began with
audio—not video.
Every driver in every Phase Technology
product is designed in-house through months
and even years of careful research. Once a
driver meets the meticulous demands of the en-
gineering department, the actual product will
slowly come to life as the crossover network is
built and an enclosure is added.
Looking at the CI-Series speakers, the most
obvious visual difference is in that of the mid-
range (mid-woof) driver. What appears to be a
flat piston driver is actually a unique, Rigid
Polymer Foam (RPF) cone, with a Kevlar com-
posite skin that further reinforces the solidity
of the driver. A foam-like material is added
solely for cosmetics. The basket is simple and
solid and the motor structure is well matched.
In our installation and review we chose CI-
110II speakers for the Left/Center/Right, along
with CI-60VIs for the rear surrounds. Each of
these speakers incorporates the aforementioned
mid-woof, with the CI-110II using a pair to flank
the tweeter.
The soft-dome tweeter in each of the CI-
Series speakers features a variable axis enclo-
sure that allows the tweeter to be directed into
the listening area for increased on-axis re-
sponse. The CI-110II’s tweeter is surrounded
by a Unicell sound damping material. This
sponge-like material isolates the tweeter.
The front baffle of the CI-110II is constructed
of a one-inch solid piece of MDF. This acts to
eliminate unwanted resonances—a constant
battle for in-wall speakers. The crossover net-
work on each speaker in the CI-Series is sim-
ple and the use of high quality components is
apparent. This is a common shortcut for man-
ufacturers of traditional loudspeakers and in-
wall speakers alike. Ultimately, this is where
average speakers get left behind. When com-
bined with excellent drivers, like those in the
PhaseTech CI lineup, the result is astonishing.
There are other features that I consider
unique, but they are better discussed in the
Installation section of this review.
Moving right along, we get to the in-wall
subwoofers of the CI-install. A few years ago
in-wall subwoofers started creeping into the in-
wall scene. The problem was none of them
were very good. The single biggest obstacle for
all in-wall speakers comes with the speakers’
interaction with the cavity (or wall) in which it
is installed. Because it is impossible to predict
the internal volume of a given install, an aver-
age is used. Some manufacturers even offer en-
closures or self-contained designs.
The proper enclosure type and size is criti-
cal with subwoofers. And with an internal vol-
ume of over one foot needed in most cases,
there are obvious boundaries created between
sheetrock and stud bays.
When PhaseTech was developing their
IW-200 dual eight-inch in-wall subwoofer, they
tuned it to a prefabricated enclosure. The IW-
EB 200 is tall and slender, designed to meet
the cubic volume requirements of the dual
eight-inch woofers.
The IW-200 in-wall subwoofer uses a pair
of eight-inch Mica/Graphite woofers acting as
one. An outboard amplifier, the P200 delivers
a continuous 200 watts of power (300 watts
peak) to the drivers and also provides crossover
and attenuation functions for the sub.
The P200 amplifier is very slim and rather
straightforward in its application. Crossover and
gain (volume) functions are located on the front
panel, along with phase adjustment. Around
back, low level inputs and high level outputs
make for simple connectivity. There is also a
switch to select the amplifier Mode, sub, LFE
or full-range and an attenuation of –3dB to +6dB
to aid in tuning the woofer to the room.
Installation/Setup/Ease of Use
It’s an uneasy feeling when you approach
your spouse about cutting large holes into the
walls of your new home. Add to that the re-
quest for assistance to do so combined with the
inherent challenges of installing and pulling
wire in an existing construction environment
and you’ve got the makings of a stress-cake.
Nevertheless, I began bringing in my old
trade tools to get the job done. While in the end
I will tell you that this installation was relatively
straightforward, I strongly recommend con-
sulting a professional installer for the job.
The first step in the installation of the CI-
Series ensemble was to determine speaker
placement. There are a number of factors to
consider here. The size and type of display,
along with where it would be placed in the
room was critical. Then came determining the
primary listening positions and lastly, locating
the stud-bays. Each factor required a bit of
give and take. We knew that while we wanted
the IW-200 on the front wall, we wanted it away
from the corner of the room to prevent load-
ing of low frequencies.
Using my trusty stud-finder and pencil, I
went to work mapping out the skeleton of the
room. Another potential obstacle was that the
main wall, or front of the room, is an exterior
wall. This gives six inches of depth rather than
the four-inch standard of an interior wall, and
added issues of insulation and reinforcements.
The last obstacle was in the installation of
the CI-110II in a horizontal position to act as
the center. This required notching the studs, as
the width of the speaker was greater than the
14-inch stud-bay we were working in.
Once the cuts were made for the CI-Series
speakers, pulling the wire to each location
was relatively simple. We cut one large open-
ing for the IW-EB 200 subwoofer enclosure,
then simply attached the drywall section to the
enclosure once it was in the wall and cut a sec-
ond opening for the actual IW-200 woofer.
We applied mud to the seams to fill the gaps
and sanded it several times until it blended with
the wall. (We actually wound up repeating this
process when we decided to add a second
IW-200 subwoofer.)
We wired the walls with Monster Cable 12-
gauge shielded speaker wire. An overkill to be
certain—but way necessary for maximum
cool factor.
Getting to the actual installation of the CI-
Series was a pleasure. The CI-110II speakers are
relatively large and heavy speakers by them-
selves. My concern from the get-go was that there
would be considerable internal loss due to the
massive power I was planning to put to them
by way of my Parasound HALO amplifier.
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This concern was quickly solved with the
PhaseTech patented Vertical Clamping System.
This system is simply a clamp that installs into
the opening and grips the drywall with au-
thority. While the application seems rather sim-
ple, the design is nothing short of brilliant. Once
the bracket it installed and level, connect the
speaker wire to the Molex-type plug on the
crossover and install the speaker into the
bracket using the six supplied bolts. The process
of installing the speaker into the bracket takes
all of 30 seconds.
The mechanics of the CI-brackets clamp-
ing action make for an extremely rigid and solid
mount for the speaker, effectively reinforcing
the drywall—outstanding. The IW-200 sub-
woofer uses the same bracket as the CI-110II.
The CI-60VI speakers require a less rigid
mount than that of the CI-110IIs. While the
bracket is quality, it is still average in applica-
tion. However, the attachment of the CI-60VI
speaker to the bracket is quite ingenious.
Once the speakers were installed, we toed
the variable axis tweeters into the listening area
to create a large sweet spot. Then we installed
the metal grilles onto the speakers and began
to tune the system.
Dialing in the IW-200 subs took some time.
We wound up installing an additional IW-200
subwoofer to account for the massive volume
of our listening room. We placed the second
woofer on the wall in the rear of the room and
thus there were some phasing issues easily
overcome through the P200 amplifier.
Final Take
It isn’t often that I have the pleasure of writing
a review with a smile on my face. In fact, I don’t
think I ever have. After cutting the first open-
ing in the wall of our living room a thought
raced through my mind repeatedly, “these bet-
ter be good.”
After the installation process was completed
and the speakers were calibrated, I popped in
a Steely Dan DVD-Audio disc to begin the
burn-in process. Immediately I was captivated
by the brilliant audiophile quality of the CI-
Series speakers.
Now I know what you’re thinking. “He just
installed these speakers in his house. What’s he
going to say, they suck?” And that’s fair.
However, those who have followed my reviews
over the years know I am quite particular.
I selected the CI-Series in-walls with a bit of
a safety net underneath me—I went with a com-
pany who I’ve come to know over the years as
dedicated to high fidelity. At the end of the day,
if we all used this as a foundation for choosing
our speakers, we would all be quite happy.
After 30 hours of run-in time, I began the
first in a series of listening evaluations. While I
was quite pleased with the music and DVD-
Audio performance, I felt that the bass fell shy
of the same excellence during cinema playback.
I consulted Ken Hecht of PhaseTech and
we determined that the volume of my room
was pushing the 4,000 cubic-foot volume
boundary of the single IW-200. So he sent an-
other for us to install.
Let’s start with DVD-Audio playback.
Because it is here that I believe the PhaseTech
CI-Series ensemble absolutely shines. Keeping
in mind that the total package price of this en-
semble is somewhere under the $5,000 range,
I find myself fumbling for words to describe the
depth of the listening experience.
>PHASE TECHNOLOGY CI-SERIES IN-WALL SPEAKER ENSEMBLE
STEP 1:After speaker location is determined, cutouts are made
in the wall.
STEP 2:With the in-wall subwoofer cabinet installed, speaker
wire was pulled to each location.
STEP 3:The self-clamping bracket is leveled and tightened,
and ready for speaker installation.
STEP 4:Connect the speaker wire to each speaker.
STEP 5:Install each speaker baffle into its bracket location.
STEP 6: After calibrating each speaker, including the in-wall
subwoofer, the system is ready to go.
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
STEP 5
STEP 6
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very telling of poor vocal recordings—some-
thing I did not detect in my music auditions.
The rear channel effects from the more com-
pact CI-60VI’s sound large and well dispersed,
and the bass is nothing short of phenomenal.
When I installed the system I had outlined the
addition of my Velodyne HGS-18 THX Ultra II
subwoofer to handle the LFE for the system be-
cause the room is so huge, volume wise. Not
necessary. Because the subs are in-wall and the
amplifiers are tucked away neatly in my rack,
I quickly forget that I basically have four eight-
inch subwoofers in this theater.
What’s also impressive about the entire sys-
tem is that even at extremely high volume lev-
els (and I have pushed it) there is no resonance
from the metal speaker grilles whatsoever.
Through installing the CI-Series in-wall
speaker ensemble from Phase Technology I
The CI-Series is powered by my Parasound
HALO amplifier using an Integra RDC-7 pre/pro
and an Integra 8.3 DPS universal DVD player.
Components are connected via Wireworld bal-
anced cables between the amp and pre/pro,
and Tributaries interconnects for the DVD-
Audio and digital connections, along with
Monster Cable speaker wire and using a
Monster Cable HTPS-7000 line conditioner.
With the left/right speakers just six feet apart,
the soundstage is huge. Using my Steely Dan
DVD-Audio as a reference, I was able to im-
mediately distinguish the Phase Tech CI-series
apart from other speakers in my reference the-
aters of past, most notably between my Infinity
Kappa Series towers (which literally cost twice
as much). I believe that the midrange is far more
pronounced with incredible definition and ac-
curacy than that of my Kappas.
The instruments and vocals are well delin-
eated and masterfully staged, with each instru-
ment in its own area of the room. The
relationship between the tweeter and midrange
is perfect, with no audible gap between the two.
Additionally, the tweeter has a unique presence
in that it displays a laid back characteristic and
a precise brilliance at the same time.
At times the vocals are so smooth they ac-
tually sound wet. The midbass from the CI-
System is absolutely rock solid and the extension
of low frequencies is delicate in nature.
One shortcoming of the CI-System is partial
to that of the P200 amplifier. During music play-
back at moderate to higher volumes, the inter-
nal fan kicks on to cool the heat sinks. It is
rather loud and annoying. I cannot say that I have
ever heard it turn on during a movie.
Some cuts from Diana Krall yield even more
appreciative notes. I can actually hear her voice
as it passes over her vocal cords. A dryness,
with a refined top end and a dynamic midrange
all at once—stunning.
Let me also add that my living room is now
the official after-hours hangout of the Avodah
staff. And with a few prideful musicians in the
bunch, you can bet the ears are discerning. I
have had several requests for “music weekends”
where we just sit around sampling music. It’s
that kind of system.
Moving along to cinema performance of the
Phase Tech CI-Series, you can expect more of
the same. However, here the system reveals a
tenacity I have only heard from larger tower-
style speakers. And the center channel becomes
was able to enjoy the review process far more
that any I have ever conducted. Even with a
view overlooking my country lake at the Swan
Mountain Range and into Glacier National Park,
the highlight of my Montana home is most
definitely my Phase Technology CI-Series
speaker ensemble.
Outstanding Phase Tech…outstanding.
•
— By Clint Walker
>PHASE TECHNOLOGY CI-SERIES IN-WALL SPEAKER ENSEMBLE
99
Rating
CI-110II (front left/center/right)
Frequency Response: 32Hz – 22kHz
Power Requirements: 20 – 250 watts
Impedance: 8 ohms
Sensitivity: 89dB
Woofer: (2) 6.5-inch RPF Kevlar
flat piston mid-woofs
Tweeter: (1) 1-inch Softdome Pivoting Tweeter
Outside Dimensions: 21 1/2”H x 10 5/8”W
Mounting Depth: 3 3/4”
Weight: 20 lbs.
MSRP: $700/each
CI-60VI (rear surrounds)
Frequency Response: 40Hz – 22kHz
Power Requirements: 10 – 150 watts
Impedance: 8 ohms
Sensitivity: 89dB
Woofer: (1) 6.5-inch RPF Kevlar flat piston mid-woof
Tweeter: (1) 1-inch Softdome Pivoting Tweeter
Outside Dimensions: 11 13/16”H x 8 5/8”W
Mounting Depth: 3 1/2”
Weight: 6 lbs.
MSRP: $300/each
IW-200 (subwoofer)
Frequency Response: 25Hz – 160Hz
Power Requirements: 20 – 550 watts
Impedance: 4 ohms
Woofer: (1) Dual 8-inch Mica/Graphite
Outside Dimensions: 21 1/2”H x 10 5/8”W
Mounting Depth: 3 3/4”
Weight: 21 lbs.
MSRP: $499
P200 Sub Amplifier
Power Output: 200 watts continuous at 4 ohms,
350 Peak
Crossover: 40-160Hz Variable at 24dB Octave
Low Pass
Low Frequency EQ: -3dB to +6dB at 30Hz
Dimensions: 17 3/8”W x 1 7/8”H x 11 3/8”D
Weight: 18 lbs.
MSRP: $400
IW-EB200 Enclosure
Dimensions: 72”H x 14 3/8”W x 3 3/8”D
Weight: 31 lbs.
MSRP: $100
Phase Technology
(888) PHASE-TK
www.phasetech.com
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