Hiding loudspeakers has become relatively easy. Hiding serious bass is another matter.

Architectural speakers can disappear behind paintable grilles without turning a room into an equipment showroom, but subwoofers still need large drivers, sufficient enclosure volume, plenty of power, and somewhere for all that energy to go. That usually means surrendering floor space to a large box or planning the bass system before anyone starts hanging drywall.

Monitor Audio expanded its Creator Series at CEDIA 2026 with three new in-wall subwoofer systems designed to address that problem. The WS1-W10, WS2-W12, and WS3-W12 use 10- or 12-inch low-profile drivers, purpose-built enclosure solutions, and dedicated DSP amplification, extending the same Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 structure already used throughout the company’s Creator architectural speaker lineup.

The systems start at $2,450 and climb to $6,150 for the flagship WS3-W12. None of them qualifies as inexpensive bass, but nobody shops for a high-performance subwoofer that gets buried inside the wall because they were looking for the easy route.

Monitor Audio WS1-W10

The WS1-W10 is the most flexible model in the new range and the one most likely to work in an existing room. It uses a 10-inch C-CAM low-profile, high-excursion driver with an 88mm mounting depth and can be installed either with Monitor Audio’s dedicated WS1-W10 BOX or without a back box in an infinite-baffle configuration.

That second option is important for retrofit projects where there may be enough open cavity volume for the subwoofer but not enough room for a long dedicated enclosure. With the WS1-W10 BOX, Monitor Audio specifies an installed frequency response of 27 Hz to 250 Hz at -6 dB; in an infinite-baffle installation, the claimed low-frequency extension reaches 22 Hz.

Amplification comes from the new IA500-S, a 1U Class D DSP amplifier that delivers 250 watts into the WS1-W10. It includes Impact, Movie, and Music DSP presets, along with level, crossover, and phase controls.

The complete WS1-W10 System is $2,450. Monitor Audio also sells the individual WS1-W10 for $800, the WS1-W10 BOX for $400, and the IA500-S for $1,250, giving integrators considerably more freedom when specifying the entry-level system.

Monitor Audio WS2-W12

The WS2-W12 moves to a 12-inch C-CAM RST II low-profile, high-excursion driver and is intended primarily for premium media rooms and home theaters where the installation can be planned before construction is finished.

Unlike the WS1-W10, the Tier 2 design is engineered around its matched sealed enclosure. Monitor Audio uses an internally partitioned cabinet to provide the driver with a defined acoustic volume while reducing unwanted vibration within the surrounding structure.

The WS2-W12 is rated for 500 watts continuous, with a claimed installed frequency response of 25 Hz to 250 Hz at -6 dB and maximum peak output of 115.3 dB. Despite the larger driver, mounting depth at the front is only 87mm.

The same IA500-S amplifier used with the WS1-W10 delivers its full 500 watts into the 3-ohm WS2-W12 load. The complete WS2-W12 System costs $2,950.

Monitor Audio WS3-W12

The WS3-W12 is the flagship and the model aimed squarely at dedicated high-performance theaters. It retains the 12-inch C-CAM RST II architecture but adds a more powerful motor system, 750-watt continuous power handling, and a considerably more elaborate rear enclosure.

Monitor Audio constructs the enclosure from metal and wood with internal bracing designed to maximize usable acoustic volume while limiting unwanted vibration. Claimed installed frequency response is 23 Hz to 250 Hz at -6 dB, with maximum peak output rated at 116.1 dB.

Power comes from the IA750-2, Monitor Audio’s two-channel DSP amplifier, with 750 watts available for the WS3-W12. The amplifier can support more complex system configurations as well, making the flagship better suited to installations where multiple architectural subwoofers are part of the plan.

The complete WS3-W12 System is $6,150. That will certainly get the interior designer’s attention, although at least they won’t have to look at the subwoofer afterward.

Why Is the Creator Approach Different?

In-wall subwoofers are not new, and Monitor Audio is hardly the first manufacturer to discover that home theater owners would rather feel a subwoofer than stare at one.

What makes the new Creator range interesting is how closely the bass systems follow the structure of the rest of the Creator ecosystem. Instead of introducing one architectural subwoofer and expecting it to cover every room and budget, Monitor Audio offers three clearly defined performance levels with amplification and installation hardware engineered around each application.

That simplifies system specification. An installer building around Tier 1 Creator speakers has an obvious corresponding bass solution, while more ambitious Tier 2 and Tier 3 theaters can move up in output and enclosure sophistication without switching to an unrelated product family.

The WS1-W10 is particularly clever because it preserves retrofit flexibility while the two 12-inch models prioritize predictable acoustic performance from purpose-designed enclosures. Monitor Audio has essentially separated the range by how the room will be built as much as by how loud the customer wants it to play.

There is one unavoidable caveat. Once an architectural subwoofer is installed, moving it three feet to deal with a nasty room mode is no longer an afternoon project. Careful placement, calibration, and in many rooms multiple subwoofers remain important regardless of how sophisticated the hardware becomes.

Three Competitors We Know

We’ve covered and heard enough architectural subwoofers at eCoustics to know that Monitor Audio is entering a category with some very serious competition.

At $1,999 or $2,999, SVS 3000 In-Wall Subwoofers feature a sealed aluminum enclosure with single or dual 9-inch high-excursion drivers powered by an external 800-watt RMS amplifier with DSP and app-based control. SVS rates it to 22 Hz at ±3 dB, and we’ve heard enough of SVS 3000 Series subwoofers to know that its relatively attainable price does not translate into polite bass.

The Theory Audio Design iws12-6 and iws12-9 attack the problem from a higher-output professional audio direction. Both use a 12-inch long-throw driver and require Theory’s Amplified Loudspeaker Controller, while the iws12-6 is designed around deeper 2×6 wall construction. We’ve heard Theory’s architectural systems at CEDIA Expos over recent years, and their ability to produce substantial output from compact enclosures is not theoretical despite the company name doing its best to invite the joke.

At the expensive end, JL Audio’s Fathom IWS has long been one of the reference points for concealed bass. We included the Fathom IWS in our Editors’ Choice architectural coverage because the larger 13.5-inch system combines serious output with a floating mounting arrangement designed to reduce vibration transfer into the surrounding wall structure. The tradeoff is cost and installation complexity, particularly with the larger Fathom systems.

The Bottom Line

The hardest part of disappearing a serious home theater system has always been the bottom octave. You can hide eleven speakers behind walls and ceilings, but a large subwoofer sitting next to the television rather ruins the illusion.

Monitor Audio now has a coherent answer for customers already building around the Creator Series. The WS1-W10 offers the most installation freedom, the WS2-W12 provides a substantial step up for planned theater installations, and the WS3-W12 goes after the reference-level custom market where output matters more than keeping the invoice friendly.

None of these systems changes the basic rules of low-frequency reproduction. Placement still matters, multiple subs can still produce more consistent bass across several seats, and a large freestanding subwoofer will often deliver more performance for the money. But that is not the customer Monitor Audio is chasing. These are for rooms where the speakers are supposed to disappear and the bass absolutely is not.

Pricing & Availability

Monitor Audio says the new Creator Series In-Wall Subwoofer systems will be available beginning January 2027.

U.S. pricing is as follows:

• WS1-W10 System: $2,450
• WS2-W12 System: $2,950
• WS3-W12 System: $6,150
• WS1-W10 Subwoofer: $800
• WS1-W10 BOX: $400
• IA500-S DSP Amplifier: $1,250

The WS1-W10, its rear enclosure, and the IA500-S can be purchased separately. Monitor Audio packages the WS2-W12 and WS3-W12 as complete solutions built around their corresponding enclosures and amplification.

For more information: Monitor Audio Creator Series

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The Irish technology company is undergoing a period of growth which is being driven by new leadership and an expanded team.

PC Peripherals, an Irish technology company that works with schools and businesses to provide technology services and solutions is undergoing a rebrand to Eduvolve as part of the company’s next chapter. 

The rebrand comes amid a major investment of €2.5m and an acquisition by Grafton Education. Pc Peripherals, now Eduvolve, will create up to 20 new jobs in Galway and Dublin “over the coming years”, in technical services, engineering, operations, customer experience, sales and education technology.

The acquisition, investment and jobs creation is also accompanied by a change in leadership. Ian Gaughran has been appointed CEO and Fintan Costello is stepping into the role of technical director. Both will lead Eduvolve through its next phase of growth. 

“I’m honoured to take on the role of CEO at such an exciting time for the business,” said Gaughran. “This investment allows us to build on three decades of trusted relationships with schools and businesses across Ireland, while accelerating our vision for the future. 

“We’re proud of where we’ve come from as PC Peripherals, and excited about where Eduvolve is headed. My relationship with PC Peripherals goes back more than a decade, so I know first-hand the quality of the people behind this business and the trust it has built with schools and customers across Ireland.”

Erik Jentetics, the founder of Grafton Education, added, “This is much more than an acquisition or a change of name. We are investing approximately €2.5m into the acquisition, capitalisation and growth of the business because we believe there is an opportunity to build something genuinely different in Irish education.

“Technology had a significant impact on my own education and ultimately on my decision to build a career and businesses in technology. That experience has stayed with me. I believe schools should be able to access great technology without having to navigate a fragmented network of different suppliers and support providers.”

Also this week, Irish cybersecurity and compliance company ZeroRisk raised $10m in a Series A funding round led by MiddleGame Ventures with participation from existing investor Elkstone.

The new funding will be used to support expansion globally, further product development and increase operational capacity to deploy the platform across large merchant portfolios of major payment providers.

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Meta is beginning its international expansion of Community Notes. The company said it is starting to test the crowd-sourced fact checks in 16 countries in Latin America more than a year after it rolled out the program stateside and ended its partnership with US-based fact checking organizations.

The company says it plans to take a similar approach with its initial tests in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The platform is starting to onboard contributors to who, if approved, will be able to write notes that add “additional context” to posts on Facebook, Instagram and Threads. During the testing phase, contributors’ notes will not be surfaced to users and “there will be no changes to third-party fact checking,” Meta says in a blog post originally published in Spanish.

But the company goes on to suggest that it intends for Community Notes to eventually replace existing fact-checking arrangements in these countries. “When we’re confident the product is working well and can be successful, we will look at fully launching – beginning to publish Community Notes and transitioning our third-party fact checking program,” Meta writes, according to a translation provided by the company.

Unsurprisingly, Meta’s move to potentially end fact checking in a large swath of Latin America has alarmed fact checking organizations. In a statement published by Poynter, the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) said it was “deeply concerned” by the news. “The community notes program alone is simply not adequate when it comes to reducing the impact of harmful falsehoods on its platforms,” the group wrote.

The Oversight Board, which has previously warned Meta that expanding Community Notes outside of the US would come with “significant” risks, also seemed troubled. “We urge Meta not to consider community notes a direct replacement for factchecking, and to use all the tools that best address the challenge of misinformation on its platforms in ways that both protect free expression and address potential harms,” the board said in a statement.

Earlier this year, the group published a 15,000-word policy advisory opinion on how Meta should handle Community Notes’ international expansion. In it, the Oversight Board repeatedly stressed that Community Notes should not replace traditional fact checking. “One doesn’t have to replace or substitute for the other, they can coexist,” board co-chair Paolo Carozza told Engadget at the time. “And in some situations, there are really important reasons for them to coexist.”

In its guidance, the board cautioned against bringing Community Notes to countries experiencing “high polarization,” “protracted conflict” and those with a history of organized disinformation networks. Meta is disregarding that advice, according to the IFCN.

“Meta is testing its community notes in some countries that face precisely one or more of these circumstances. Nicaragua, for example, has abolished elections and is actively practicing arbitrary detention of political dissidents. Disinformation networks have been well documented in El Salvador and Ecuador. And Venezuela has been in an extended state of instability.”

When reached for comment, Meta didn’t address the criticism directly. A spokesperson said there were “no changes to our third-party fact checking program at this time.” The company has said that Community Notes has been a success in the United States, where it has 1.4 million contributors.

Others have raised questions about the effectiveness of Meta’s program compared with X. The publication Indicator found that only 3 percent of Instagram posts that were debunked by the AFP‘s US bureau since last April had also received a Community Note. That would suggest that Meta’s crowd-sourced approach is missing a significant number of social media posts that traditional fact checkers believe are worth addressing.

This also includes gaming-related peripherals, such as one of our favorite gaming headsets, the Corsair Void V2 Wireless. WIRED reviewer Brad Bourque found this model to be a particularly good fit for people with larger heads, while remaining lightweight and comfortable with its breathable earcups.

Claim Your 15% Corsair Student Discount via UNiDAYS

Like many companies, Corsair offers a 15% discount for students, which is always helpful for saving some extra money. It does, however, require a valid student email address and a UNiDAYS account. Once you’re signed up, though, you’re on your way to 15% off Corsair’s entire catalog.

For college students looking to do some gaming on the weekends, I’d recommend checking out one of the company’s gaming mice, such as the Corsair Sabre V2 Carbon Fiber and Magnesium Gaming Mouse. This pro-level esports mouse, which our mouse reviewer gave a very high 9/10 score, praising its extremely light design and comfortable shape. At the time of publication, it was 30% off, bringing the price down to $120.

Save More With Specials Offers at Corsair

One of the best ways to save on pricey gaming gear like processors, memory storage, monitors, and more, is to check out Corsair’s online deals special offers page. Here, they have deals on a myriad of best-selling tech, including gaming PCs, monitors, gaming deals, memory deals, and discounts on Revival Series items (their refurbished like-new tech line). Right now, some of the best deals are a VENGEANCE a7500 Gaming PC for $3,300—a $500 discount, and the best-selling VIRTUOSO RGB WIRELESS High-Fidelity Gaming Headset for only $90.

Maximize Your Savings With a Corsair Discount on Certified Refurbished Tech

Unlike a lot of tech manufacturers, Corsair actually sells its own refurbished products that have been certified by the company itself. Products are up to 50% off the full retail price, and I saw some solid deals while perusing, including on its popular K90 and K70 series of keyboards, which we recently reviewed.

The selection of refurbished products is extensive, including lots of different PC components. That includes CPU coolers, case fans, and power supplies—as well as entire prebuilt gaming PCs.

Sign up for Text Alerts to Get a 10% Corsair Discount Code

There’s one more way to save some extra money when shopping with Corsair. The company has a text alert discount code that you can sign up for. If you sign up for text alerts, you’ll also get a 10% Corsair discount code that can be applied to your shopping cart. Every little bit helps, especially if you’re putting together an entire PC with Corsair components.

Save More With Corsair Refurbished Products

Buying a like-new tech product is a great way to make a small investment with a big pay off. Rather than drop thousands on a brand-new gadget, snag a like-new refurbished item at Corsair. If you’re looking to upgrade your gaming set up or WFH haven for way less, be sure to check out Corsair’s refurbished products page. There you’ll find deeply discounted gaming PCs, LCD touchscreens, and more.

Watch Fremantle vs Geelong live streams from the Optus Stadium as the minor premiers try to avoid an AFL 2026 exit at the earliest opportunity, against the visiting Cats. The Semi-Final winner goes through to the Preliminary Final next week, the loser is out.

The Dockers had enjoyed a club-record 19 home-and-away wins in the regular season but defeat last weekend by Hawthorn was a stunning first home reverse of the season in Perth. Justin Longmuir’s side must now go the long way round to reach a first Preliminary Final since 2015 after the minor premiers lost their third match from four. Josh Treacy endured a bit of a shocker last week – failing to take a mark for just the second time in his 104-game career – but the key forward is determined to prove his elite smarts and bounce back in this crunch clash.

Steven Gong and his University of Waterloo engineering classmates needed a capstone that actually finished a chore companies have chased for years. Folding laundry looks simple until cloth bunches, sleeves hide, and every shirt arrives in a different mess. Their answer was a pair of follower arms that copied two leader arms driven by human hands, a pile of recorded demonstrations, and a single night of training.

Leader arms sat in front of the operators, with follower arms on the table beside them, echoing every joint angle in real time, while cameras monitored the entire workstation. Over the course of four hours, they collected approximately 200 teleoperated runs of a fairly standard sequence: a shirt is lifted out of a basket, dragged onto the table, and then, straightening out the fabric as they go, before folding each side in toward the middle, folding it in half, and finally plopping the finished rectangle down on a growing stack. The cloth was kept fast by 3D-printed grippers, albeit one of them had a little meltdown later on when the older model sent the arms swinging wildly out of control.

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• LEGO SET FOR ADULTS – The WALL-E and EVE (43279) building set offers adults 18 years old and up an immersive construction challenge featuring…
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ACT, a transformer that tries to predict what a robot will do next, attempted to predict small bursts of motion but, despite hundreds of efforts, refused to shut the shirt. The Diffusion Policy caused motion that was too harsh for the hardware to tolerate, leaving a last resort: π0.5, Physical Intelligence’s 3.3-billion-parameter foundation model, already well-seasoned from training on large collections of robot manipulation, and effectively a work in progress to date. They fine-tuned it during their own demos before firing up a powerful external computer to cycle through all of the checkpoints.

A last-minute move to the presentation room changed the lighting and the background. Another 30 demonstrations went into the set. Training and testing went late into the night, and after roughly 30 checkpoints, that specific combination of settings worked. By 8 a.m., the following arms were operating independently, plucking a shirt from the basket, laying it out, folding the sides over, folding it in half, and stacking it, with no human intervention on the leader arm.

The motion was still a little clumsy, and the folds weren’t exactly perfect, but it got the job done, as the loop from basket to stack occurred all by itself for the first time ever. Testing later revealed that an overly ambitious start had overloaded one of the arms, which then broke mechanically, leaving only a reminder that, while foundation models and student hardware are improving, they both still have some quite obvious flaws.
[Source]

Watch NRL Qualifying and Elimination Finals 2026 as the Finals Series gets underway in the build-up to the Grand Final in October. The teams ranked first to fourth in the ladder (Panthers vs Roosters and Warriors vs Dolphins) meet to decide who advances straight to the Preliminary Finals, while fifth to eighth (Sharks vs Cowboys and Rabbitohs vs Knights) meet in the elimination matches – winners advance to next week’s semi-finals, losers are out.

We begin on Friday with the Rabbitohs (6) vs Knights (7) at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium. South Sydney are back in the finals for the first time since 2022 and in good form after walloping the Roosters 50-20 with Latrell Mitchell looking good. The Knights have done well to get this far after propping up the ladder last year and Kalyn Ponga, Bradman Best and Fletcher Sharpe have been in fine form.