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loudspeaker posts

Video: Emo Labs' invisible speakers visibly demonstrated

by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 24th 2009 at 10:07AM

Emo Labs is out on a crusade to unify audio and video into one cohesive, delectable whole. If you'll recall, the company's Edge Motion invisible speaker tech relies on implanting a clear membrane atop display panels, which is then vibrated by piezoelectric actuators to generate stereo audio. We've grabbed a couple of vids of it in action to whet your appetite, and while there's still no word on when, plans are afoot to embed the technology into LCDs, laptops, mobiles and even handheld gaming devices. Dance past the break to hear, and maybe even see, for yourself.

[Via eCoustics]

Continue reading Video: Emo Labs' invisible speakers visibly demonstrated

ZVOX intros 430, 440 soundbars and 525, 575 soundbases

by Steven Kim posted Sep 9th 2009 at 8:22AM

The limitations of typical crappy built-in TV speakers just can't be overstated, and with the current "thin is the new black" trend in TVs, things aren't likely to get better. ZVOX has introduced two soundbars and two soundbases to its lineup of all-in-one speaker systems that are pretty much guaranteed to make you wonder why you ever put up with your TV's craptastic sound. The 430 ($450) and 440 ($550) soundbars each come in at only 5-inches deep and 5.5-inches high, but pack a trio of 3.25-inch cones along with a 4-inch woofer for the bass. Flanking the speaker/TV stand Z-Base 550 we liked so much are the slightly smaller, $400 Z-Base 525 and the 35-Hertz-reaching, $800 IncrediBase 575 (pictured). Yes, that kind of money could get you a whole HTIB setup -- along with the wires and boxes that shoppers considering an all-in-one are looking to avoid. Hit the links for details.

Read - ZVOX 430, 440 soundbars [Warning - PDF link]
Read - Z-Base 525 soundbase [Warning - PDF link]
Read - IncrediBase 575 soundbase [Warning - PDF link]

Polk adds some oomph to its SurroundBar SDA Instant Home Theater

by Steven Kim posted Jan 5th 2009 at 9:58PM

Getting bass out of a soundbar that conveys proper theater impact is asking for a bit much, so Polk Audio has wisely chosen to add a standalone subwoofer and name the package the SurroundBar SDA Instant Home Theater (IHT). Of course, soundbar shoppers are likely concerned about stringing wires across the living room floor, ceiling, or what have you, so Polk has added a wireless connection between the SurroundBar and the 6.5-inch subwoofer. Nice and tidy, and it'll ship this month for a buck under ~~$600~~ $500.

8-foot XL Horn Speakers pay homage to phonographs everywhere

by Darren Murph posted Dec 22nd 2008 at 7:16AM

There's no shortage of wacky speakers out there, but the custom built SPECIMEN XL Horn Speakers are probably among the most radical that we've had the pleasure of seeing. Designed specifically for musician Andrew Bird, these guys stand eight feet tall and are reportedly "extraordinarily efficient with an alarming bass response." Oddly enough, the phonograph-styled drivers are said to be "ideal for PA applications," and judging by the video hosted up after the break, they've been used quite delightfully in concert. Too bad these weren't around for our senior proms.

[Thanks, Adhemar]

Continue reading 8-foot XL Horn Speakers pay homage to phonographs everywhere

Cuckoo clock loudspeaker kicks out the jams, you out of bed

by Darren Murph posted Dec 9th 2008 at 8:43AM

And you thought The Shining cuckoo clock was terrifying -- imagine waking up to this. Designed by French artist Stephane Vigny, the loudspeaker clock does exactly what you'd expect it to. When the time comes, the doors flip open, the bottom woofer extends out and a cacophonic emission of sound is heard as you angrily wake from your slumber. We can't imagine that outstretched woofer surviving too many mornings of you waking on the wrong side of the bed.

[Via MAKE]

$168,000 Harion speaker set crafted from heat-resistant glass, fairy dust

by Darren Murph posted Nov 29th 2008 at 5:26PM

We're pretty sharp on the fairy dust market, and while it no doubt goes for a premium in certain parts of the world, there's still a serious surcharge being added in here for transparency. Japan's own Hario is catering yet again to the affluent among us with its Harion speaker set, which boasts a subwoofer, two mid-range drivers and a pair of acrylic tweeters -- all encased in heat-resistant glass. Of course, the company is no stranger to pumping out exclusive glass-based kit and charging a wad for it, as this particular package will run customers a staggering 16 million yen, or just north of $168,000. Oh, but if you and ten others dial in right now, they can be produced and sold for just 10 million yen each ($105,030). Economies of scale, now that's good stuff.

[Via Gearlog]

Carbon nanotubes could be used in film-like flat speakers

by Darren Murph posted Nov 4th 2008 at 5:20AM

Seriously, is there anything carbon nanotubes can't do? We've got shock absorbers, flexible displays, atypically small eating utensils and now, film-like speakers. For times when NXT flat drivers simply aren't thin enough, a team of Chinese researchers have reportedly found a way to create sound from a thin sheet of carbon nanotubes. The film, which could be stretched and placed on PMPs, HDTVs or even clothing, can generate sound when "zapped with a varying electric current." Great, the perfect recipe for a new wave of Milli Vanilli copycats. A video of the tech can be seen after the jump.

[Via Physorg]

Continue reading Carbon nanotubes could be used in film-like flat speakers

Goldmund's $300,000 Epilogue Speaker System joins Media Room

by Darren Murph posted Apr 30th 2008 at 8:08PM

Personally, we can only imagine what a $300,000 speaker setup sounds like. But you -- we know you're eager to pick up the Epilogue Speaker System (previous edition shown) and rub it in the faces of everyone else, right? Regardless of whether you answered that truthfully or not, Goldmund (those same cats who actually had the nerve to create a $17,000 Blu-ray player) has introduced the latest version of the aforesaid system, which will now be built specifically for integration into the Goldmund Media Room. Pretty though they may be, we have a sneaking suspicion you won't be getting much bang for your buck with these -- but then again, what do our virgin ears know, anyway?

Vivid Audio's G1 Giya speaker: suitable for a prince... or Prince

by Darren Murph posted Dec 24th 2007 at 1:59PM

Ready or not, here comes yet another extravagant speaker that the vast majority of us will simply be forced to drool over. Vivid Audio's G1 Giya speaker rocks a wild design, comes in a variety of automotive paint finishes and aims to catch the eye of style conscious enthusiasts more so than diehard audiophiles. 'Course, we're pretty certain this fine piece of engineering sounds pretty impressive in its own right, as it utilizes dual 12-inch subwoofers and aluminum tweeters / midrange drivers to crank out the jams. Reportedly, each 154-pound, 5.58-foot tower can handle frequencies from 23Hz to 44kHz and a staggering 800-watts of power, but alas, it'll remain a pipe dream unless you've got $54,000 to lay down (for each, we presume).

Nucleus Reference 5LS Loudspeaker is 6.5-feet tall

by Darren Murph posted Dec 17th 2007 at 4:48PM

Trust us, we've seen tall speakers, but Anthony Gallo Acoustics' Nucleus Reference 5LS is downright towering. These floor standing loudspeakers measure in at 7-inches wide, 11-inches deep and a staggering 78-inches high, and each one manages to boast twelve aluminum, rear-firing 4-inch subwoofers, eight 4-inch carbon fiber midrange drivers and seven CDT II tweeters. Interestingly, the firm doesn't get specific with regard to power handling and frequency response, but we are told that a high-powered amplifier isn't required to fill a room with sound. No word on a price just yet, but look for these skyscrapers to get all up in your ceiling fan's business real soon.

[Thanks, Micah]

Grundig readies spherical Audiorama speakers

by Darren Murph posted Aug 11th 2007 at 1:10PM

We'll admit, we're suckers for just about anything retro, and Grundig has certainly won us over with its forthcoming Audiorama speakers. These spherical gems can be placed on narrow stands, hung around, or sat on an end table, as the 360-degree sound emissions should cover the space adequately. Unfortunately, details concerning the power handling, frequency range, etc. are still under wraps, but those feelin' the vintage vibe can check out a four pack out next February for around €600 ($826).

[Via I4U]

Panasonic's Nano Bass Exciter adds thump to compact speakers

by Darren Murph posted Jul 31st 2007 at 9:03AM

We've long since wondered how laptop manufacturers got away with claiming that a bonafide "subwoofer" was somehow crammed within those tight confines, but if Panasonic has anything to do with it, true low-range may soon fit within such an enclosure. The patent-pending Nano Bass Exciter reportedly enables compact equipment to "reproduce high fidelity low-range sounds," and while specifics have yet to be divulged, this technology can supposedly "reproduce low-end sound equivalent to that emitted by conventional speakers with larger cabinet volume." Furthermore, Panny even goes so far as to claim that this new sound reproduction method allows "ultra-compact speakers used for mobile terminals to produce a sound effect closer to that of home AV equipment speakers." Unfortunately, there's no word on exactly when the firm plans on implementing this into any future products, but until we get a listen in, color us cautiously skeptical.

[Via Japan Today]

Kohler, Polk team up on SoundTile in-shower speakers

by Darren Murph posted May 10th 2007 at 3:02AM

It appears that the art of singing in the shower is full comeback mode, as not only do you have the option of picking up a speaker-infused shower or bathtub, but now you can retrofit your current one with SoundTiles. Co-developed by Kohler and Polk Audio, these music makers are designed to "perfectly match the shape, profile and finish of the WaterTile bodysprays and showerheads," but we don't see any reason why a slimmed down, waterproof speaker won't work just fine in your current arrangement. The device sports a "marine certified" coaxial speaker in a four- x four- inch escutcheon, a stainless steel front grill, and can be controlled by Kohler's DTV II or wired into any vanilla sound system. The SoundTiles will only be sold in pairs, but should be offered in a variety of finishes for $295 when they land in May.

[Via ElectronicHouse]

Spherical speaker array provides blaring ball of sound

by Darren Murph posted May 6th 2007 at 5:22AM

Granted, we've seen some oddities in our day when it comes to creating music makers, but the Spherical Speaker Array ranks pretty high up there in terms of sheer peculiarity. The overriding goal of this DIY project was to keep costs at a minimum regardless of quality, which means that the creator opted for speakers that would probably make even a casual audiophile weep. Nevertheless, taking a dremel tool to a number of IKEA bowls, wiring up a multitude of speakers, and finding an amplifier to power your new dangling ball of sound just about takes care of it. So if you're anxious to one-up the almighty 7.1-channel surround sound smartphone, or you just need a sufficient (and noisy) replacement to the dusty disco ball hanging in your pool hall, be sure to tag the links below to get to rockin' (but mostly rolling).

[Via HackNMod]

Ferguson Hill's FH008 designer subwoofer shipping soon

by Darren Murph posted Mar 31st 2007 at 3:23AM

Our adoration for earth-moving drivers should already be quite apparent, and considering that Ferguson Hill's forthcoming FH008 was designed specifically to complement the highly-regarded (and highly priced) FH007 mini-system, it's probably worth a listen. The admittedly Apple-centric attitude lends itself to being quite the eye-catching piece of kit, and while we doubt it'll deliver on the same level as a 20,000-watt snow horn, the cutely boxed woofer should certainly fill in the lows to your subwoofer-less system. Packaged in a container which will likely be proudly displayed rather than hastily recycled, the bass machine within will sport a front-firing design, but sadly, the finalized specifications are still under wraps. Still, this thumper is slated to start shipping sometime in April, and even though we've no idea how much coinage will be required to claim one of your own, that little unknown shouldn't bother those who can actually afford it.

[Via AudioJunkies]