SNAIL POWER IW4 Invisible Cinema Speaker Bundle Review

Speakers used to change very slowly. Some models went decades without a single update.

Over the past two years, though, we have tried the SNAIL POWER IW3 and the IW3 second generation one after another, and now the IW4 has arrived. That pace of renewal keeps up with consumer electronics. In the end, SNAIL POWER is simply good at crossing over: positioned for the living room cinema, hidden in the ceiling, ahead of the fashion curve.

What we are unboxing today is the SNAIL POWER IW4, a 7.1-channel invisible cinema set. The new IW4 is not actually a replacement for the IW3; it is designed for larger living rooms, small and medium custom cinemas and higher sound pressure levels — an "IW3 PLUS", so to speak. And to suit a bigger room, it also moves up from the IW3's 5 channels to a 7-channel set (not sold separately).

To satisfy the higher demands of AV enthusiasts, you can also add an American "King of Bass" JL Audio D110 or E112 subwoofer to build a deluxe package. It has the looks, and its performance is astonishing.

Mention a JL Audio subwoofer and any audio enthusiast knows the name at once. It is the acknowledged "King of Bass": imported, superbly built, with sound quality that almost nobody questions. The only complaint people make is the price — though that may not really be a flaw...

Pairing this subwoofer into a set is not only about guaranteeing a high standard of sound; both brands also share the same general agent in China. Enough small talk — let's open the boxes and see how the IW4 differs from the IW3.

Unboxing

Two heavy cartons. It took real effort to carry them downstairs.

Color-box packaging as before, with seven small boxes inside, one speaker in each.

On the front sits a 2.75-inch full-range driver. Do not underestimate this little speaker: a single IW4 handles 200 W and reaches a maximum output of 110 dB at 1 meter. That is genuinely startling — this small driver sounds like a jet taking off right beside you...

It feels heavy in the hand. Compared with the IW3, the cabinet's outer diameter grows from 10 cm to 12 cm (cutout 11.2 cm), and a single passive radiator becomes a larger dual passive radiator, so the low end can go deeper and the lower midrange sounds fuller.
As for what a passive radiator is and what it does, we covered that in an earlier review, so anyone unfamiliar can read the IW3 review. No need to say more here.

A one-piece cast metal cabinet, with the brand logo stamped at the passive radiator and at the binding posts. The speaker is genuinely refined throughout, with first-class industrial design.

The details are finely done as well: no edge is sharp enough to cut your hand, and every corner is rounded off. Look at the recess to the right of the binding posts — it lets the speaker cable pass through, so you avoid an awkward bulge at the back or not enough mounting depth.

People often ask me how in-ceiling speakers are fixed in place. Look closely at the photos below.

Every speaker has clamps. Fit the speaker into the ceiling cutout first, then turn the screws to tighten the clamps, and the speaker is secured.
Many in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, including high-end models costing tens of thousands of yuan apiece, use plastic clamps. The all-metal clamps on the SNAIL IW4 are a genuinely honest choice.
Look closely and the clamps even have a molded texture to add friction, and the screws have springs, which makes removal much easier. This designer clearly works from experience: only someone who has pulled an in-ceiling speaker out knows what a pain it is.

The grille on the surround channels is perforated metal, hinting at some mathematical rule. Needless to say, the finish is exquisite and the details are flawless. Yet SNAIL POWER seems in no hurry to make this a selling point. I still recall visiting a Brand B showroom a few years ago, where the salesperson kept telling me their speakers used some high-end laser perforation technology...

Once installed in the ceiling it is about the size of a downlight; say nothing and others may never notice it at all.
The front channels use a waveguide structure with a metallic paint finish that feels soft to the touch, made from a fiber-and-plastic composite.

According to the official introduction, the IW4's waveguide area is larger than the IW3's and has been optimized for a longer effective distance of 6-7 meters. That is one reason the IW4 suits large living rooms and small-to-medium custom cinemas; a 40 m² living room or a 25 m² custom cinema reportedly poses no problem.
Its job is mainly to aim sound at the listening position as much as possible. On looks alone I personally prefer the metal grille on the surround speaker, but waveguide technology is one of SNAIL POWER's core technologies, so it deserves to be put to use.

Next let's look at the subwoofer included in the set. The speakers are powerful, finely built and strongly designed, and the subwoofer is more so still — which is exactly JL Audio's strength.

Open the rather large double-layer packaging and peel off the protective cover, and there is this refined little thing.
Ours is the wood-veneer version; the piano-black version would be even prettier, though the value for money would drop.
The SNAIL POWER IW4 is rated at 200 W, and the JL D110 is fiercer still: this 10-inch subwoofer pushes a full 750 W. For an ordinary user that is truly extravagant.
A one-piece cast-metal front baffle, a true long-throw rubber surround paired with a composite cone, and a clean, generous front face that fully satisfies a compulsive eye for order.

The surround feels neither too soft nor too stiff, and it is genuinely deep — clearly a high-displacement performer. Fierce, forceful punch is JL Audio's specialty.

This dust cap is also, I would say, the best-built one I have seen on any subwoofer.

The rubber feet on the underside feel like high-grade rubber, about as hard as a Lego car tire. Good feet are also the basic guarantee that a subwoofer will not wander during big dynamic passages. (Many satellite speaker sets come with featherweight subwoofers that bounce all over the floor during a movie...)

The subwoofer's back panel is impressively refined as well. The first thing you see is the heatsink, with rounded corners and a glossy, oiled paint finish, joined by a silver brushed-metal control panel and equally fine metal knobs on it. Simply beautiful.
The damping feels just right. The only shortcoming is that the knobs are on the round and smooth side, so they are not easy to grip when turning.

Frequency, phase and volume knobs are all provided, and signal input accepts only an RCA audio signal cable.

There is almost nothing to fault in the build. Perhaps this is what a Hi-End brand should look like.

Objective Testing

According to the official specification, the JL Audio D110 has a frequency response of 27---111Hz (±1.5dB). Judging by the actual measurements, it matches the rated figures exactly, and the curve is a beautiful one; room modes add a little ripple, and in an anechoic chamber the response would certainly be flatter.
And note that ±1.5dB in parentheses. That is the mark of a major manufacturer: a rigorous, demanding rating, where many other makers quote a tolerance of ±3dB or even an exaggerated 10dB. Add room gain and the D110 fully meets the standard for a high-quality home subwoofer with a 20hz lower limit. What worried me more was whether the subwoofer's upper frequency limit would blend with the IW4's lower limit.

Can This 2.75-Inch IW4 Speaker Really Blend with a Subwoofer?

In practice my worry was largely unnecessary. With the crossover at 120hz, the frequency and phase transition is no problem at all. According to the official introduction, low-frequency performance is even better with in-ceiling installation.
Judging by the measurements, the low end can be left to the D110 with complete confidence, and the midrange is slightly improved over the earlier IW3 — generally thicker and more forceful, without the thin, hollow feeling some satellite speakers produce.
The top end is lifted a little, and that treatment is easier on the ear: brighter and more tuneful, with a greater sense of space. Older listeners in particular may find it especially pleasant.
It is hard to call this kind of voicing good or bad. Music producers used to studio monitors may feel the highs are excessive, while ordinary users may simply find it better sounding — and that is the "HiFi" I want. Either way, as a cinema product I think it has no problem at all.

Subjective Listening, with the Following Test System:

Projector: SHARP XV-QZ631A;

Screen: JK 4K white flexible screen;

Cables: MPS HD666 fiber optic signal cable; MPS SGP116 speaker cable;

AV Receiver: Denon X6400.

I recorded several listening clips, so put on headphones and give them a listen (since I had no way to cut openings in the ceiling, the speakers sat directly on stands; shot on a Huawei phone, so it differs enormously from being there in person — for entertainment only):

Finished? I believe you felt it too: in listening terms, this basically confirms the earlier measurements of the IW4 with the D110. On Xiao Juan's "Jun Bu Jian" the vocals sound clear and pure, with air and a sense of space — open, lilting, soaring.
Some listeners will say that good as it sounds, small speakers that handle vocals well are hardly rare. Then Zhao Peng's "Spring in the North" started, and it genuinely startled me. The weight it reproduces gives nothing away to large floorstanding speakers; the stage depth opened up in an instant, and the vocal was magnetic and grainy, like a cool breeze arriving in the heat of summer, leaving you utterly at ease.
Movie performance is very good as well. The first thing I noticed is how solid the bass is: punchy, hard, firm and powerful, enough to shake the sofa on big dynamic peaks. Dialogue is clear too and never sounds thin, and overall the surround detail is rich.
Does that make its sound beyond criticism? Of course not. Small speakers are easier to handle in terms of soundstage and avoiding room-mode interference, and voicing can make them sound very good, but in the end they still lack the effortless, natural ease that large drivers have by nature. Through voicing it can approach that large-driver feel as closely as possible — at a cost, of course.
In listening terms the result clearly beats the IW3, without question; it even strikes me as sounding like a much larger bookshelf speaker. If the IW4 is an upgraded version of the IW3, then it is a huge upgrade. In short, unless you are a hardcore audiophile, it should fully satisfy your needs in looks, build and sound.
Finally, the price. The SNAIL POWER IW4+JL D110 7.1-channel set has a suggested price of 39,900 yuan. As a miniature, invisible speaker set it is genuinely both expensive and heavy — and it is worth it.