Here's the thing: Sonance has one of the best reputations in the industry for high-performance in-wall speakers that are exceptionally spouse-friendly because of their uncanny ability to blend in with, or practically disappear into, any home décor. So props to them for doing a complete 180 and bringing to America the genuinely breathtaking custom designs of the Italian speaker company NACSound.

The newest addition to the hand-built NACSound by Sonance line is Kayak, a single-body speaker that nonetheless reproduces true stereo. It is intended to be hung horizontally between two opposing walls, or vertically between floor and ceiling, an interesting alternative when traditional ceiling mounting is not an option. Because of its unusual driver configuration, it performs well when placed in just about any position.

Meanwhile, Zemi (pictured at right) is a truncated sphere that can either be hung from the ceiling--just don't mistake it for a lamp--or even on a table or countertop in its own holder. The patented central ceramic reflex technology inside Zemi is based on a variable section pipe which passes through the shell to create a natural, clean image. It plays well with most amplifiers and fits into any system, particularly home theaters. The compact size of the stunning ceramic-bodied Omni belies its 70 watt power handling, incorporating NACSound's omni-directional technology with twin speakers and a central hardwood reflector. (Yes! Hardwood!)

More Information:

• www.sonance.com
• www.nacsound.it