(August 9, 2023) New England-based speaker manufacturer NextLevel Acoustics knows a thing or two about discrete speaker designs that don't hold back in the performance department. Yesterday, the company added to its home theater arsenal with the launch of its new Cinema Series lineup.
The Cinema Series consists of two distinct LCR models, both of which are designed by NextLevel's Chief Designer and Engineer, John Sollecito, known in the audio community for his JSE Infinite Slope speakers and crossovers. With the Cinema Series, Sollecito brings two different models to NextLevel's portfolio, the Reference Cinema and the Pro Cinema. Both speakers rely on Midrange Tweeter Midrange (MTM) array, with the smaller Reference Cinema (11" x 24" x 6") possessing two 8" carbon wool mid-woofers with a butyl rubber surround and a 4"x4" compression horn tweeter. The Pro version increases upon that size (12" x 47" x 6") and adds two additional 8" mid-woofers to the mix.
Both models incorporate a proprietary crossover architecture designed to blend the speaker's woofer/tweeter arrays while "virtually eliminating" first-order horn reflection artifacts.
NextLevel says both Cinema Series models are efficient, boasting sensitivity ratings of up to 99 dB. And peak output can hit 122dB with distortion remaining <0.1%. That means they're easy to drive and can be driven hard.
The speakers' sealed MDF cabinets can be installed flush in-wall, on-wall, or partially recessed in-wall, and mounted vertically or horizontally, giving integrators lots of installation flexibility. For exposed installations, a magnetic grille frame is available that can be covered in custom-colored cloth to match room decor. Adding to those factors is the Cinema Series' ability to be mated with several options of voice-matched surround and elevation speakers from NextLevel Acoustics. In addition, there are numerous very high-performance subwoofer options which include the recommended CI-HV18 18-inch Subwoofer with a 2,000-watt peak amp capable of 120 dB sound pressure levels @ 6m and a frequency response from 17-120 Hz (MSRP $4,399 each).
The Reference Cinema and Pro Cinema speakers sell for $2,499 and $4,999/ea, respectively. To read our full review of the Reference Cinema speaker, click here.
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