Definitive Technology UIW RLS II, UIW RLS III, IWSub 10/10, IWSub, SubAmp 600 Brochure & Specs

DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY’S

HOT

new

system

review

UIW RLS II &
IWSub Reference

“beyond amazing”

NEW REVIEWS

“it’s really beyond amazing”

SECOND DRAFT

Definitive Technology’s UIW RLS II and IWSub Reference

surrender enough surprises to make a lazy editor rewrite his review.

y first draft of the intro for this
review was rather witty, if I do say

M

because so many of today’s in-wall speakers
are so good, it’s difficult to write something
interesting about them. But I composed those
opening paragraphs before I had actually
listened to the speakers. Much as I hate to
throw away a perfectly good intro, it would
no longer do — because it was no longer true.

so myself. It lamented the fact that

“I can think of no other

in-wall speaker system
that matches this one’s
versatility, sound quality,
and value”

One could not consider Definitive
Technology’s UIW RLS II in-wall speaker
and IWSub Reference in-wall subwoofer to
be ordinary products, even at first glance.
Take the UIW RLS II’s pair of passive radia­tors, which Defi
biggest problems with high-quality in-walls:
lack of bass. Like most high-end in-walls, the
UIW RLS II has an integral enclosur
back box. A back box impr
because it keeps sound from the back of the

Cover photo: Clockwise fr

with its grille on, the IWSub Reference with its grille off,

and the SubAmp 600.

nitive added to fi

om far left: the UIW RLS II

x one of the

e, or

oves fidelity

woofer from entering the wall cavity, and thus
keeps the wall from vibrating and producing
its own sound. However, pressure that builds
up inside the back box restricts the woofer
and diminishes deep bass response. But using
passive radiators relieves this pressure and
uses it to produce even mor

Also, the UIW RLS II’s slim fr
increases mounting flexibility. Many in-walls
are wide, so your installer can move them
only an inch or two to either side before hit­ting a stud. W
your installer can move the speaker several
inches to the left or right. This characteristic

ticularly important if the speakers are

is par
mounted behind a per
smaller screens, it can be tough to cram left,
center, and right speakers behind the screen
without having to move a stud or two.

ith the UIW RLS II, though,

e bass.

forated scr

ont baf

een. With

fle

“the system wraps me in a

huge ambient soundstage”

The IWSub Reference in-wall sub is even

-

on

e unusual. Subwoofers ar

mor
tier of in-wall speaker engineering because
few goo
a standard 3.5-inch-deep wall. Plus, sub­woofers demand a back box to perform well,
and the back box takes up even more space.
Definitive is among the first manufacturers
who have risen to this engineering challenge.

d woofers are slim enough to fit into

e the fi

nal fr

BY BRENT BUTTERWORTH