Krell To Enter Custom Speaker Market

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 8/22/2011

Orange, Conn. - Krell will bring its speaker technology to architectural speakers for the first time with the CEDIA Expo launch of its $5,000-each on-wall/in-wall Modulari Ion, which incorporates technologies from the company's reference in-room Modulari Duo.

The company is considering more in-wall/on-wall speakers and other architectural models. A high-performance soundbar is also in the works, said Krell Industries president Bill McKiegan.

The Ion, sized at 32 inches by 9.5 inches by 6 inches, can be installed in horizontal or vertical modes because of its driver array. The drivers consist of a 1-inch ring-radiator tweeter flanked on both sides by a 7-inch woofer with aluminum cone, proprietary suspension and extended voice coil to deliver high power handling with linear response. The tweeters go out to 64kHz.

An aluminum baffle eliminates resonances associated with wood-based mounting systems, the company said. Woofers are positioned ahead of the tweeters to achieve time alignment between the woofer and tweeter.

The grille is an acoustically transparent perforated metal grille. Nominal impedance is 4 ohms, and sensitivity is 90dB at 1 meter with 1-watt input.