Product Description

In-Wall Front/Center Speaker System Combines Superb Sound and Nearly Invisible Design to Compliment any Home Theater Environment

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5621 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: White
• Brand: Yamaha
• Model: NS-IW960
• Released on: 2007-03-01
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 3.75" h x 7.69" w x 23.44" l, 14.90 pounds

Features

• Dual 6.5" Kevlar cone woofers
• 1" titanium swivel dome tweeter
• 150-Watt maximum input capability
• High-capacity, high-quality customized crossover network
• Gold-plated push-type speaker terminals

Amazon.com Product Description
Save space in your listening room with the Yamaha NS-IW960 speaker. The easy-to-install unit mounts conveniently in the wall, where its narrow footprint doesn't keep it from delivering powerful, high-performance sound for both movies and music. The speaker is particularly suited to front or center channel applications in a surround sound system thanks to its versatile three-driver design, which ensures that the lows, mids, and highs all receive ample attention. The NS-IW960's dual 6.5-inch Kevlar cone woofers, for instance, reproduce frequencies as low as 50 Hz--a solid number for an in-wall speaker. The 1-inch titanium dome tweeter, meanwhile, ranges as high as 28 kHz. The end result is warm, rich sound that transitions smoothly and seamlessly from bass-heavy passages to soaring vocal highs.

Yamaha uses only high-quality materials when building the drivers to ensure superb sound quality from any source. And should you need to re-orient your listening area for any reason, the NS-IW960 stands ready to accommodate your new setup. The speaker's tweeter is built on an adjustable swivel, so you can "aim" the high-frequency sounds toward the new listening position. To do so, simply press on the edge of the tweeter until it reaches the correct angle.

Finally, each speaker includes a high-capacity, customized crossover network at 6.5 kHz that helps minimize distortion and prevent the deterioration of transients as they pass through the network. And installation is straightforward thanks to the included cutout template, the paintable grille and frame, and the gold-plated push-type speaker terminals. Note that proper installation requires such tools as a power drill, a drywall saw, wire strippers, a level, a Philips screwdriver, and a sturdy wire such as a coat hanger.

The speaker, which boasts a power rating of 50 watts nominal and 150 watts maximum, measures 7.69 by 23.44 by 3.75 inches (W x H x D) and requires a mounting depth of 3.16 inches. The speaker is also backed by a two-year warranty on parts and labor.

What's in the Box
Single NS-IW960 in-wall speaker, speaker grille, cutout template, paint protective cover, glue strip, user's manual.

Customer Reviews

Solid, high quality speaker
Recently upgraded my receiver and wanted to clean up my home theater space so I decided to get rid of my bookshelf speakers and mount something in the wall. Having always been a fan of Yamaha, I took a look at their in-wall line and liked the look of the 760s and 960s. Specs were very similar between their single-woofer models and the duals and I thought that I'd like the look of the duals a bit more; and for slightly more ($20 per speaker) the 960s add 20W of power and have Kevlar woofers, which I am hoping may last a little longer than the coated paper.

Have had them for several months now so they've had time to break in, and these are nice, natural-sounding speakers. I listen to music CDs or concert DVDs more than movies and, when in pure stereo mode, these 960s have a very life-like staging. If you have a passive subwoofer or one with relatively low power, you may want to opt for an 8-inch single-woofer model, like the Polk MC85, that will give you a deeper response; if you have a decent sub and need your fronts to concentrate on the mids and highs, the 960s should be quite pleasing. And with handling of 150W, they can fill a decent sized room with no problem.

As far as installation, these were a breeze. Supplied is a template - simply trace it and cut out your drywall. Attach your speaker wire to the binding posts, press the speaker into the hole and tighten the 6 screws. And if you're painting them before installation, Yamaha includes a plastic tray that fits snuggly into the groove where the grill fits - just put that in place and spray paint the frames, and do the grills as well. I'd suggest spraying both sides of the grill to make sure you've covered the inside of the holes. I matched them to my wall color and they blend into the decor nicely; if you'd rather paint them black to compliment your flat-screen monitor, I'm sure that would look great as well.

In all, the 960s are a solid flush-mount speaker. Good power, nice sound and simple installation. Decent buy at $199 each, but a great buy from Amazon at under $100 each.

Yamaha NS-IW960 In-Wall Speaker
This is an awesome speaker as a whole. It serves as my center channel directly below my 50" Panasonic plasma. The sound quality is very good. Installation was easy if you are technically inclined. This speaker was a bit longer than other LCR speakers I looked at in this price range. I decided to go with it partially for that reason (so it wouldn't look so small under the tv). I hand painted the trim in less than 10" with a brush. The grill took two coats with a home depot handheld sprayer (cartridge type, $10). The paint was diluted with water at least 10 fold. If a whole fills with paint simply blow on it to pop it out. The speaker is visible, but blends right into the wall. Given the inexspensive price and all of this, I couldn't be more pleased.