Powerful Waves Take Theatergoers on Fun Ride
By Steve Castle
This theater is heavy on the horsepower for producing sound waves, while cleverly designed acoustical treatments like a giant wooden wave create a decor of their own.

Just call this home theater “The Wave.” And by wave we refer to the distinctive wood ceiling piece that acts as an important acoustical element. The wave also refers to this theater system’s powerful sound waves that are controlled by a creative blend of design and acoustical innovation.

The homeowners’ intent was not to have an acoustically perfect home theater. “They just wanted a kickin’ theater, with really high performance and a pretty basic decor package,” says Ed Condiracci, project manager with high-end electronics system company EDG in Piscataway, N.J.



With the back of the space open to a sitting area and game room, it is not an ideal sonic shell, Condiracci admits. “We solved the issue of the open back with horsepower.”

And by horsepower, he means studio-grade-quality Genelec speakers. Though just to say the three Genelec HT210B front speakers and four AIW26 surround speakers are powerful thoroughbreds is not giving them credit for their sophisticated design and nuance.

“The [front speakers] are active speakers with their own built-in amplifiers and active crossovers, and that makes them really efficient,” says Condiracci. “Their numbers in terms of watts per channel are not that impressive.” But with their high efficiency, they sound like they put out a lot of juice. “They help create a very simple system, with a Lexicon processor connected straight to the powered Genelecs.” No separate amps are required for the front speakers, though four matching Genelec amps power the side surrounds.

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