Excellent Surround Sound Speakers by Infiniti

A few years ago, I purchased a pair of JBL wireless speakers to serve as the rear/surround sound speakers for my home entertainment system. They were fair speakers, with the most obvious benefit of allowing me to set up rear speakers without running wires across my living room or up through the ceiling. However, they were susceptible to interference, including the annoying ability of one speaker to pick up (quiet clearly) a Mexican radio station.
Seriously. I'm not kidding. VERY clearly...

Anyway, I finally decided it was time to go back to wired speakers and began looking around. The front speakers of my stereo system are Infiniti, so I thought that might be a good place to start. Some people don't realize that combining speakers from different manufacturers can result in slightly disharmonic sounds. By staying with the same manufacturer for all speakers, they tend to stay "in synch" and produce better sound. If you plan to keep your existing front speakers, consider buying back/surround speakers from the same manufacturer.

My search began with the Web, and I ended up going to Circuit City to see the Infiniti US-1 in person. They were reasonably priced on the Web site at $99.00 each, and I was pleasantly surprised when the local Circuit Store actually had them on sale for $69.00 each. Pricing was certainly attractive, but sound was more important. I spent the next hour at the store listening to these and about ten other models. Ultimately, I decided to buy the Infiniti US-1 model and I've never regretted my decision. Here are details on these particular speakers:

Specifications:
Two-way Speaker, with 4" Polypropylene Cone for bass response and 1/2" Polycarbonate Dome tweeter for higher ranges. Shielded for use near video equipment. Built-in mounting bracket, which allows for ceiling or wall mount.

Power Handling: 50 Watts
Frequency Response: 70Hz - 20kHz
Nominal Impedance: 8 Ohms
Speaker Wire Connection: Binding Post
Warranty: 60 Months Labor/Parts
Color: Deep Charcoal Gray Finish (looks like black)
Height: 8.5 Inches
Width: 4.5 Inches
Depth: 5.5 Inches

Mounting:
The Infiniti US-1 has a built-in mounting bracket. It's integrated into the design of the speaker and swings out for easy installation. The mount can be adjusted to a variety of angles, and allows the speaker to be set up horizontally or vertically on the wall or ceiling. This is part of the reason I chose the Infiniti speakers, as most other speakers required the additional purchase of mounting brackets. Besides, the integrated design looks great. One additional plus - the logos on the speakers rotate so they look good regardless of which way you mount them.

One warning: The speakers come with built-in mounting brackets, but nothing else. You'll need to buy wood screws and washers for the installation. They do weigh a few pounds each, so attaching to a wall or ceiling stud is HIGHLY recommended.

Overall Experience:
Personally, I chose to mount the speakers on the ceiling, with a slight angle directing the sound at the seating area. The result is similar to the way theater speakers are mounted and produces a strong surround sound experience. I did notice that I had to make several adjustments to my stereo system, including increasing the volume to the rear speakers. However, once I "fine tuned" the settings, the end result was fantastic. Whether watching DVDs or playing music, the sound from the US-1 speakers is crisp, clear, and beautiful.

Just to check out the full capabilities of these speakers, I turned off my front channels and played music through only the rear Infinitis. Although bass response is a bit low, the overall sound was excellent. Bass is acceptable, just a little low for use as primary speakers. They could probably suffice for the front speakers of a small bookshelf stereo system, but work ideally as surround speakers.

Summary:
For the price and quality of sound, you really can't beat the Infiniti US-1 for overall value. These speakers are small enough that they aren't overly noticeable, but big enough to put out excellent sound. The built-in mounting bracket makes for easy installation and allows the speakers to be angled just right for optimum enjoyment. I highly recommend the Infiniti US-1 as rear/surround speakers, especially for those already using Infiniti speakers for the front channel.

My final word of advice: keep an eye out for a sale, as I've seen them drop to $69.00 each. Their normal retail price is about $99.00 each, but they seem to go on sale every couple of months.