Definitive Technology Dwmax

Definitive Technology Dwmax – Dymension CI DW-MAX SUR In-Wall Bipolar Surround Speaker

The Definitive Technology DW-MAX SUR is an in-wall surround speaker from the Dymension CI MAX series, designed for home cinema rooms where the surround channels should be heard everywhere and seen nowhere. Instead of firing sound in one direction like a conventional speaker, it uses a bipolar array that radiates from both sides of the baffle, wrapping the listening area in a broad, diffuse surround field. It installs flush into a stud wall and disappears behind a paintable magnetic grille.

Surround channels carry ambience, effects and the sense of space that makes a cinema room convincing, but direct-firing speakers often localise too strongly, pulling attention to the box. The bipolar layout spreads that energy across the room, so rain sounds like weather rather than a speaker, and the sweet spot stretches across the whole sofa.

Key features

• In-wall bipolar surround speaker, sold individually
• Dual 5.25-inch mineral-filled BDSS woofers with Linear Response Waveguide
• Dual 1-inch aluminium oxide dome tweeters, angled for wide dispersion
• Bipolar array fires on opposite-facing horizontal planes for an expansive sound field
• Three-position tweeter level switch to trim high frequencies to the room
• Flush, border-free design with paintable micro-perforated magnetic grille
• Toolless installation with pivoting dog-arm mounting system
• Timbre matched with Dymension, Dymension CI and Mythos speakers
• Frequency response from 34 Hz to 25 kHz
• Suited to surround and rear surround duties in dedicated cinema rooms

Bipolar surround performance

Each side of the array pairs a 5.25-inch woofer with a 1-inch tweeter, and the two sides fire away from each other along the wall. The Balanced Double Surround System used in the woofers increases excursion and output for their size, which gives effects and midrange detail real presence, while the Linear Response Waveguide smooths dispersion so the sound stays even as you move around the room. The aluminium oxide tweeters are light and rigid, keeping high frequencies crisp without turning hard at cinema volume levels.

A three-position high-frequency switch behind the grille lets the installer tame a reflective room or lift a heavily furnished one, a small detail that makes a genuine difference once the speaker is sealed into the wall and cannot be repositioned.

Installation and integration

The integrated frame and baffle arrive as one unit and fix with pivoting dog arms, so fitting is fast and needs no tools once the cutout is made. The grille attaches magnetically, sits flush with no visible border, and can be painted to match the wall colour, leaving the room visually untouched. With 89 dB sensitivity and a 4 ohm impedance, the DW-MAX SUR pairs happily with capable AV receivers, and its voicing is matched to the wider Dymension family, so front, centre and surround channels blend into one continuous stage.

Where it works best

Positioned at the sides or rear of the seating, a pair completes 5.1 and 7.1 layouts where freestanding surrounds would block walkways or spoil the design, in new-build cinema rooms and retrofits alike.

Buy the DW-MAX SUR if you are building a discreet, high-performance surround system and want envelopment rather than pin-point effects speakers. For listeners who value a wide sweet spot and an invisible finish, it is the natural surround partner in the Dymension CI range.