Elac IC-1005

ELAC IC-1005 In-Ceiling Speaker

The ELAC IC-1005 is a compact two-way coaxial in-ceiling speaker from ELAC, the German loudspeaker maker building speakers since 1926. It is designed for installations where the speaker should be nearly undetectable: fitted into a ceiling or a wall, finished in white, and heard rather than seen. ELAC describes it as simple to install, robust in construction and made for stereo and multi-channel systems, and as a balancing addition alongside pedestal or shelf speakers in a room. Its compact installation dimensions are the key practical point, letting it fit spaces that larger architectural speakers cannot.

Key features

• Two-way coaxial design for coherent, point-source sound
• 20 mm cloth dome tweeter for accurate high-frequency reproduction
• 6-ohm impedance, compatible with standard amplifiers and receivers
• Maximum power handling of 70 W
• Fits walls and ceilings up to 35 mm thick
• Compact format for ceiling or wall mounting
• Lightweight 2 kg unit in a white finish

Coaxial design

The IC-1005 is a coaxial speaker: the tweeter sits on the same axis as the bass driver rather than beside it. In a ceiling speaker this matters, because listeners are almost never on the speaker’s ideal axis; they are below it and off to the sides, moving around the room. A coaxial layout keeps the high and low frequencies arriving from the same point, which improves coherence and throw and keeps the sound consistent across a wider area of the room. ELAC applies the design for improved fidelity, and it is why a compact speaker like this can cover a room evenly instead of producing a narrow sweet spot directly underneath it.

The 20 mm cloth dome

High frequencies come from a 20 mm cloth dome. Cloth domes are chosen for smooth, controlled top-end behaviour, and ELAC credits this unit with accurate high-frequency reproduction. In practice that means dialogue stays intelligible when the IC-1005 is used for television and film sound, and music keeps its detail at the background levels ceiling speakers spend most of their time playing at. The coaxial mounting places that dome at the acoustic centre of the speaker, so the treble and the midrange stay locked together as you move around the room.

Amplifier matching and power

The IC-1005 presents a 6-ohm impedance, a standard load that works well with the AV receivers, stereo amplifiers and multi-zone amplifiers used in residential installations; ELAC notes it can be used well with amplifiers at that rating. Maximum power handling is 70 watts, appropriate for the domestic rooms this speaker is sized for. Like other passive architectural speakers it needs no mains connection of its own: it is driven entirely through speaker cable from the amplifier, which keeps the ceiling installation simple and free of power supplies above the ceiling.

Installation in ceilings and walls

Compact on/off installation dimensions let the IC-1005 mount in both ceilings and walls, in material up to 35 mm thick. That dual fit is useful in rooms where the ceiling is unsuitable, in media walls, and in surround installations that mix ceiling and wall positions. At 2 kg it is light enough for standard ceiling construction, and the white finish is made to blend into typical ceiling and wall colours. Run in pairs it provides stereo; repeated across rooms it forms a discreet multi-room system; in a theatre it serves as surround or height channels alongside freestanding front speakers.

The ELAC IC-1005 is for installations that need ELAC’s engineering in the smallest, least visible form the range offers: a coaxial two-way design, a 20 mm cloth dome and a fit that works in ceilings and walls up to 35 mm thick.