Hiding Loudspeakers Inside Ultra-Modern Icelandic Ocean Villa

Nordic Smart Spaces, a Reykjavik, Iceland, subsidiary of Boston-based TSP Smart Spaces, recently  designed and installed smart home and whole-house entertainment systems – including 20 Amina Edge5 invisible speakers – in a seaside villa overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean just outside of Iceland’s capitol city.

“This is not a massive luxury mansion like you would expect to see in the Hamptons,” explained TSP Smart Spaces President Michael Oh. “But this seaside villa was designed and built with tremendous attention paid to every detail, with particular focus on the interior of the home.”

The ocean villa was outfitted with the finest furnishings and appointments, including more than 20 motorized shades and custom draperies. Featuring floor-to ceiling glass throughout much of the living space, the villa became something of a cocoon from the wild weather rolling in along the Icelandic coastline.

Amina Architectural Speakers

To accommodate the homeowner’s desire for the cleanest look throughout the interior, the Nordic Smart Spaces team deployed 20 Amina Edge5 ultimate-performance invisible loudspeakers complemented by five Amina ALF architectural subwoofers (four ALF120s and a single ALF80), creating a high-resolution, full range entertainment system with zero impact on décor.

Related: Heard but Not Seen, These Invisible Architectural Speakers Offer Beautiful Sounds

The Edge5 speakers were installed in the open-plan living space that includes a living room, dining room, and kitchen. They were also deployed in each of the bedrooms and the study.

The Edge5 Invisible Loudspeaker

Hand-built in the UK, the Amina Edge5 creates a dynamic and engaging listening experience, and the dispersion characteristics of the Edge5 enable it to fill large spaces using fewer drivers. Amina invisible loudspeakers featured proprietary, patented technologies that have elevated the architectural speaker category to what the company considers a new standard for the category.

The Edge5 uses a fire-resistant panel material that allows for a seamless fit into plasterboard walls and ceilings without the need for a full wet-skim, all in the easy-to-handle, lightweight form factor.

A Team Effort

“Because invisible speakers are a more complex installation proposition than a conventional loudspeaker with a grille, we have found that it is vital for the technology integrator to be involved early on, to be a part of the design process and to develop strong working relationships with the other trades onsite, especially the plaster and paint guys,” Oh explained. “You want to make sure you have access to the required space inside the walls and ceilings, and cooperating with the other trades ensures an incredibly refined finished product.”

Bass of Operations

The Amina ALF120 is a passive (not powered) transmission line horn-loaded design with an array of four 4-inch drivers that create an efficient, discreet subwoofer. This design enables Amina to generate extended, detailed bass response from a slim enclosure engineered to disappear inside walls or ceilings, delivering bass energy into the space via a discreet, narrow slot.

The ALF120 can play down to 27Hz at 111dB. It is also ideally suited for home cinema applications.

“The ALF120 is a large module to secure behind a wall or ceiling – we used damping materials to eliminate any resonances and suspended the enclosure on sturdy rails lagged to the concrete,” Oh said. “Architectural subwoofers are a [challenge], but the result was well worth it.”

A smaller cousin to the ALF120, the ALF80 is a bandpass design that requires less space and can provide precise, extended bass at high levels using a small circular vent into the room.

Music Everywhere, Thanks to Savant

The Icelandic villa features advanced smart home functionality from Savant, including their Pro Audio 4 50-watt amplifiers driving the Amina Edge5 invisible speakers. The Savant Pro Audio 4 also features built-in streaming and synchronized multi-zone distribution so that homeowners can enjoy individual zones or grouped zones for festive gatherings without timing error between zones.

The system can be controlled via the Savant Pro App and/or their Pro Remote X2.

“When music is playing throughout the living space, you really have no idea where the sound is coming from. There are no visual cues, no aesthetic awareness, just an immersive listening experience that is quite stunning,” Oh explained.

The system features amplification with onboard DSP capability, enabling the Nordic Smart Spaces team to fine tune the speakers and subwoofers in each zone.

Amina Supporting Integrators

Invisible loudspeakers bring added value to the discerning client while providing an opportunity for integrators to showcase their unique skills and deliver a magical end result.

“Amina invisible speakers are a well-engineered, beautifully manufactured solution that is perfect for those clients who want a superior entertainment experience without any imposition on décor and interior design,” Oh concluded. “In addition to offering refined loudspeakers, Amina supports integrators through the design and installation process with a knowledgeable and passionate team; these folks really strive to help us deliver the best finished product for our customers.”