All Articles Tagged Niles

Julie Jacobson | 04/25 10:21 AM, 12 Comments

Except for the Sonos Playbar, new soundbars don’t really make headlines. Niles Audio changes that with Cynema Soundfield, arguably the first in-wall soundbar, with powerful speakers and amp that sit behind the wall and a grille that installs flush with the surface. “To accommodate flat panel TVs getting thinner and thinner, sound bars have tried to go in the same direction, which has had a detrimental effect on performance,” says Jim Hardiman, VP engineering for Nortek’s Core Brands, which includes Niles Audio. “I found myself in the enviable position of… View this story

Robert Archer | 12/05 04:28 AM, 1 Comment

The California-based company Niles has always taken pride in the quality of its amplifiers and not too long ago, the company introduced five new amplifier products. Headlining the new amp products is the 12-channel SI-1230 Series 2 amplifier which replaces the company’s original SI-1230 that was inducted into the CEDIA Hall of Fame back in 2011. Joining the SI-1230 Series 2 amp in Niles’ new line of amplifier products are the two-channel SI-250, the SI-2100 and the SI-2150 amps, and the 16-channel SI-1650. Niles says the amps utilize 1 percent… View this story

Lisa Montgomery | 09/10 03:18 PM, 2 Comments

Most of the time subwoofers are stashed in corners, under couches and anywhere else that might make their boxy presence less noticeable. At the CEDIA Expo 2012 Niles introduced two new subs that are small and powerful enough to go just about anywhere—including being suspended from the ceiling. Both the SW6.5 (11 pounds and measuring 10 inches cubed) and SW8 (16.5 pounds and measuring 12 inches cubed) come with a built-in bracket-mount that is compatible with the optional OmniMount 30.0 ST-MP to allow easy wall or ceiling mounting. An optional… View this story

Rachel Cericola | 08/31 10:00 AM, 0 Comments

Niles Audio is planning to add a little boom to its lineup at CEDIA Expo 2012 with two new subwoofers: the SW6.5 and SW8. Both of the compact subs have fingerprint-resistant piano-black finishes, which can be dropped (not literally!) into any decor. Each one also packs in a long-throw front-firing woofer and two long-throw side-mounted passive radiators. The end result boasts big sound without asking for a lot of space in return. The SW6.5 promises 200 watts RMS power and up to 800 watts of peak power, via a 6.5-inch… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 08/27 07:24 AM, 4 Comments

Just as we were getting comfortable with the almost-new Nortek AVC (Audio Video Control) Group, Nortek (Nasdaq: NTK) has gone and changed it up again. Now the group of home technology companies is called “Core Brand,” and it includes 10 Nortek companies instead of the original three – Elan, Niles and Xantech, and their associated brands Sunfire and Aton. We already reported that AVC would add SpeakerCraft, Proficient and Panamax/Furman to the mix, and that Panamax president Bill Pollock would lead the group. Now we just have a name for… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 06/30 01:17 PM, 5 Comments

Mike "Sparky" Detmer is leaving Niles Audio, a Nortek Inc. (Nasdaq: NTK) subsidiary, after 13 years at the company, most recently as president. He joins a spate of execs that have left Nortek in the past couple of months in the midst of a major reorganization. Niles is part of Nortek's Audio Video Control (AVC) group. Formed in 2010, AVC consolidated Niles, Elan Home Systems and Xantech under a single umbrella under the direction of Mark Terry, who last month left the group as president. At the same time, Nortek… View this story

Rachel Cericola | 04/13 12:52 PM, 1 Comment

The warmer weather has us thinking about firing up the BBQ. OK, we didn’t need the weather for that. But to hang out in the elements, your clients need something more enticing than charred meat. Niles Audio hopes to get them outdoors with the sound of summer with its new GeoRealistic Pro Series Rock and Planter Speakers. Both are designed to live outside and blend into the backdrop. The GeoRealistic Pro includes the 5-inch RS5Pro, the 6-inch RS6Pro, the 6-inch RS6SiPro with dual tweeters, and the 8-inch RS8SiPro with dual… View this story

Grant Clauser | 04/13 12:43 PM, 11 Comments

What does a professional baseball player do months before he has to trade uniforms and play for a team in different city? Get a high-end home audio system installed in his house, of course. That’s what new Red Sox relief pitcher Mark Melancon did just before he packed up for Florida for spring training. Previously with the Houston Astros, Melancon still makes his home in Texas. He recently had a new Niles ICS whole-house audio system installed by Modia. Melancon hadn’t ever seen (or heard) a whole-house audio system like… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 09/21 12:43 PM, 0 Comments

Niles has announced the return of Hank “Moose” Alexander to the company to serve as its new western regional sales manager, reporting directly to Niles president Mike “Sparky” Detmer. Alexander assumes the position vacated by Kenneth Johnsen, who has been promoted to serve as The AVC Group’s international training manager. “The return of Moose Alexander to our team speaks volumes about the many exciting things that are happening today at Niles,” Detmer said. “I had a feeling that when Moose left us two years ago he would be back and… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 08/30 05:54 AM, 2 Comments

Niles president Mike “Sparky” Detmer can’t count the number of dealers that have requested whole-house control via Niles’ popular IntelliControl ICS multiroom audio system. The infrastructure is there with the modular ICS system, so why not also control lighting, thermostats, TVs and other subsystems? And, by the way, how about some iPhone control? Now you can, thanks to the first real collaboration between Niles and sister company Elan Home Systems. Both companies, along with Xantech, were rolled up into the Nortek AVC (Audio Video Control) group last year. Yesterday, AVC… View this story