Nakamichi reckons its new Shockwave Wireless Soundbar system will “blur the boundaries between home audio and commercial theatres”.
It’s a big call, but the stats – and the graphics – are impressive. With a US retail price of $2,499 (A$4,021), they’d want to be.
Consumer electronics companies pushing new home theatre and luxe gaming setups have a habit of creating schmick videos with graphics that illustrate the all-consuming nature of the surround sound audio.
They usually include arcs or rays of “sound” spreading up, around, over, across and through a room, fanning out from the configuration of speakers.
The setting is generally a large and sparsely decorated living room in a modern build.
So it is with the PR for the Shockwave Wireless Soundbar system – a soundbar, a pair of subwoofers and a pair of bipolar surround speakers.
Nakamichi launched the Shockwave line in 2018 with the Shockwave Ultra, which it says was the first plug-and-play soundbar system with nine channels and two subwoofers.
The new 11.2.6 channel configuration is powered by 31 Danish-engineered Punktkilde speaker drivers, including new dual 10-inch wireless subwoofers.
“Inspired by the engineering principles of Scan-Speak, a world leader in loudspeaker transducers, these drivers render a balanced surround sound field with enhanced dynamic range,” Nakamichi said. “Frequently featured in premium loudspeakers, they reproduce lifelike height and surround effects that envelop listeners in an all-encompassing sound bubble.”
It’s also described as a “multi-layered acoustic dome within your room, where pristine vocals and an authentic 360-degree cinema experience come to life”.
The soundbar itself has 19 speaker drivers along its 54-inch chassis.
Built with a prominent central arch, the middle of the soundbar houses 3-inch full-range drivers “for superior dialogue clarity and warmth”.
The side surround channels are each set in a dedicated chamber, which the manufacturer said provides ample air volume for optimal sound dispersion and performance.
As for the subwoofers, the upgraded Punktkilde-powered boxes have been “redesigned from scratch”.
The company is promising a bottom end with “incomparable precision and power”.
“The flared slot port is meticulously engineered to optimise airflow, ensuring smooth bass delivery … this innovation allows deep rumbles, gunshots and explosions to be experienced with authority and clarity, even during the most intense scenes.”
The wireless surround speakers, each with a pair of tweeters arranged in bipolar configuration, have five Punktkilde drivers and “harmoniously blend height, side and rear channels with pinpoint directionality”. Nakamichi said this leads to quality separation in the audio.
Set up takes about 30 minutes.
