Riverside, Calif. – SpeakerCraft
will go to next month’s CEDIA Expo with an expanded selection of flangeless (or
bezel-less) in-wall and in-ceiling speakers with magnet-mount grilles to deliver
a less-obtrusive look.
The first
eight models in the Profile selection were shown at last year’s CEDIA, and
another 14 will ship before CEDIA, the company said. By the end of the fourth
quarter, the company expects to ship most of its core speakers, or 43 models,
with the flangeless design at prices ranging from $370-$2,000/pair.
The Profile series adopts the audio
technologies of the company’s AIM and CRS speaker series. AIM speakers feature
pivoting tweeters and woofers to direct sound to the main listening position.
CRS speakers feature pivoting tweeters and WavePlane baffle to broaden
high-frequency dispersion. The Profile versions of the speakers feature driver
complements that match their corresponding flanged models to deliver identical
performance characteristics, the company said.
For the Profile speakers, the
company offers a choice of square and round grilles so that installers have the
option of offering round speakers with square grilles, reducing inventories.
Profile grille options “reduce the cost of doing business as you only stock one
product and then attach the grille,” said company president Jeremy Burkhardt.
All speakers use neodymium
magnets to attach the grille for simple installation, and they come with large
enough lip to cover mistakes in cutting the drywall, SpeakerCraft said. Once
the grille is in place, however, there is no visible flange, making it
unnecessary for installers to adjust to closer tolerances or change their current
installation procedures to achieve the new look, the company continued.
The configuration also simplifies
the painting of the speakers because the grilles can be popped off for
painting, and there is no flange to paint on the speaker itself, the company added.
The company’s first entry into
flangeless design, launched at the 2007 Expo, was called NEAT! (Narrow Edge
Audio Technology). The in-wall and in-ceiling speakers in the series, no longer
available, boasted a near-invisible look because installers mounted a panel to
studs, mounted the speaker into the panel, and then mudded up to the panel. The
grilles were also completely flush with the wall or ceiling.
NEAT “installation was difficult,
so it did not have the attraction we hoped,” said marketing chief Nick
Berry. “That speaker did use our AIM technology, but Profile is the first
from SpeakerCraft that use neodymium magnets to attach the grille.”
