Triad's Onwall Customizable Passive Soundbars - One Box LCR Solutions

We see a LOT of speakers come through our doors here at Audioholics and in a world of cookie cutter products, Triad is one of the few companies designing and manufacturing a comprehensive line of high-end loudspeakers for discriminating audiophiles with particular architectural designs and color schemes. Triad’s factory support for custom installers is legendary, and to make sure that their products are sounding their best, they only sell through the custom installer channel.

We don’t look at our products as commodities, but rather as individual unique solutions to the problem of seamlessly integrating high-quality sound into a sophisticated living environment.

- Triad Speakers

With this ideology in mind, Triad offers a series of passive soundbars designed to integrate seamlessly into your home without compromising on sound. Triad currently has 14 different models of soundbars ranging from their $500 LCR On-Wall Micro SAT 1.0 with a 1” tweeter and 3” woofer to the top of the line Onwall Mini LCR 3.0 SE three channel soundbar which starts at $3,000!

Although the base price reflects a black finish and standard size, the speakers can be ordered in any paint color from the major paint vendors and every one of Triad’s speakers can be custom built to order for length and finish. All models come with a removable Acoustiperf grill that can also be custom painted to fit your décor.

Some readers may look at these offerings from Triad and wonder why they wouldn’t just buy an active soundbar like the Bluesound Pulse Soundbar and not deal with an amplifier. But, remember that the goal of these passive soundbars is integration without compromising sound while also having the ability to add surrounds and subs of your choice.

Triad’s passive soundbars come in a range of models and standard sizes from single channel LCR’s that can be used horizontally and vertically for sides and center channels, to 2 channel soundbars, to 3 channel home theaters with the option of adding subs and surrounds for a discrete 5.1 or 7.1 system. Imagine being able to have a fully discrete LCR speaker system for the front soundstage without taking up floor space or sticking out like an eye sore. Triad has a variety of options to meet your budgetary and performance needs.

We picked a few of what we considered their more interesting soundbars to cover in this article, but you can see their whole catalog at Triad’s website.

Onwall Mini SAT 3.0: $900

The standard size of the Mini SAT 3.0 is 44” perfect for your new 50” flatscreen TV. Triad’s new Mini Sat 3.0 has been well received as a compact, high-performance front speaker solution. The 6” tall OnWall Mini Sat 3.0 integrates three discrete mini sats into one handsome enclosure, for onwall use with flat panel video displays. The three 4” paper/fiber blend woofers and 1" tweeters will be a huge upgrade from your TV’s built in speakers.

Onwall Nano LCR 3.0: $1,200

For more sound in a smaller enclosure Triad’s Nano LCR 3.0 is another option. Measuring only 1.6-inches deep by 3-inches high the Nano LCR 3.0 is half the height of the Mini SAT 3.0 but incorporates nine speakers into its diminutive size. The Nano LCR 3.0 comes with specially designed proprietary drivers in a fully-damped and braced aluminum body. The three 1” mini sats should do a great job with the highs, and the six 2” full range neodymium woofers should give this soundbar an impressive soundstage. Add a small sub and you have yourself an Audioholic worthy system with minimal wire runs.

On-wall Mini LCR 3.0: $1,500

Standard size for the Mini LCR 3.0 is 54” which in this case is perfect for a 60” TV but can be custom ordered up to 82”! The Mini LCR 3.0 comes with three 1” mini sats and six 4” paper/fiber blend woofers. With those dimensions and the intent of concealment without compromise you may not even need a sub for casual listening.   

On-wall Mini LCR 3.0 SE $3,000

At the top end of Triad’s passive soundbars stands the Mini LCR 3.0 SE. The “Special Edition” version of the Mini LCR 3.0 comes with the same specs, but with six improved reed/paper woofers over the paper/fiber woofers of the standard Mini LCR 3.0. 

Conclusion

We wanted to emphasize that every model whether standard size and color or custom finish and size is individually made in Triad’s Portland, USA factory for the consumer with the goal of perfect integration into your décor. All models are wall mountable and can be custom sized to fit your specific display model. The Nano model can also be mounted directly to your television. Even though Triad goes to great lengths to satisfy their customers to the point of a 10 year warranty, these passive sound bars may not be for everyone, but in the words of Triad’s catchphrase they may be “The most beautiful sound you may never see”. When high-quality audio and carefully considered design is critical, look to the Triad line.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.