INDIANAPOLIS –
Klipsch Group’s
new marketing strategies for the Jamo
and Mirage brands will take concrete
shape here at the CEDIA Expo, where
Jamo is launching its first wireless active
speakers that stream music wirelessly
from PCs and handheld devices.
New Mirage speakers, now considered
a series within the Jamo franchise,
feature the brand’s signature Omni-
Polar design for 360-degree mid- and
high-frequency dispersion but in speakers
that adopt a completely new look
and smaller appearance than previous
Mirage generations.
Jamo is also showing the recently
shipped 400 and 600 Flat Grille series
of 18 architectural in-wall, in-ceiling,
LCR and surround speakers with flat,
low-profile magnetic grilles and flangeless
design for a less-obtrusive look.
Klipsch Group recently announced a
new go-to-market strategy for Jamo and
Mirage to accelerate Jamo product development,
reposition Mirage as a Jamo
adjunct series, and merge the brands’
dealer bases to leverage Jamo’s stronger
distribution. Jamo will continue to focus
on direct-radiating speakers, while Mirage will continue to
offer its signature omnipolar
driver design.
Mirage will also focus
on bringing omnipolar
technology to application-
specific “form-follows-
function” speakers,
the company said.
Besides sharing
dealers, Mirage will also
share Jamo’s “mantra of
‘form follows function’ and minimalistic
design that is part of the Jamo DNA,”
said Glen Fuller, Jamo’s lead product
designer. “Jamo has always been known
for producing high-value lifestyle products
through exemplary design disciplines
that provide consumers with solutions
that fit everyday life,” he added.
In the Mirage series, the company is
showing four new Omni-Polar speakers
and three new subwoofers to match, all
due in the spring at prices yet to be determined.
The line consists of two small
spherical satellite speakers, a center
speaker, a floor standing speaker with
a nautilus-style shape, and three subwoofers
in 8-, 10- and 12-inch sizes. The
full-range speakers use a new design,
called Inverted OmniGuide Technology,
to deliver 360-degree dispersion. The
technology uses a downward-focused
tweeter that faces down into a cone
midrange that faces up and angles forward.
The tweeter uses the midrange as
a reflective surface, Fuller told TWICE.
The two two-way spherical satellites
add a proprietary base that rotates for
tabletop or on-wall use. The MX S25 is a
3.75-inch sphere containing a 0.75-inch
tweeter and 2.5-inch dome woofer. The
MX S35 is a 5-inch sphere with 1-inch
tweeter and 3.5-inch dome woofer.
Both speakers’ enclosures are sealed.
The MX F45 three-way floor standing
speaker features a 1-inch tweeter firing
down into a forward-angled 3.5-inch dome
midrange and adds a front-firing pair of
4.5-inch woofers and a pair of front-firing
4.5-inch passive radiators in a 32-inch by
5.25-inch by 7-inch enclosure. The sides
of enclosure are sculpted with spiral lines
emulating the lines of a sea shell.
The MX C35 is a horizontal center
channel with curved styling and
360-degree-dispersion tweeter flanked
on each side by a 3.5-inch woofer.
The satellite speakers will make their
way into what Fuller called a “soundbar
alternative,” which will be a powered
2.1-channel system with dedicated
8-inch wireless subwoofer and a small
head unit that houses the electronics.
Powered personal products are also in
the works, he said.
Under the Jamo brand, the company
is launching a powered 2.0-channel
speaker system and a 2.1-channel subsat
system. Both are designed for use with a wireless sender and receiver to stream music
wirelessly from a PC or from MP3 players, smartphones,
and other mobile devices. They’re due next year.
The wireless sender features USB input, 3.5mm analog
input and optical input to connect to different music
sources. The wireless receiver hooks onto the back of
one of the speakers in the Jamo P 404 2.0 system and
onto the back of the subwoofer in the Jamo P 102 2.1
system. The receiver connects to the speakers via USB,
which also supplies power to the receiver. Future active
speakers will incorporate Apple’s AirPlay technology.
In the 2.1 system, the subwoofer-satellite connection
is also wireless.
The P 404 2.0 system features two two-way bookshelf
speakers, one incorporating 2×30-watt amp (measured
at 1 percent THD) to power both speakers, which are
connected via a cable. Each speaker enclosure
houses a 5.5-inch woofer and 1-inch soft-dome
tweeter and delivers frequency response of
50Hz to 20kHz. The enclosures measure 9.44
inches by 6.37 inches by 8.58 inches.
The P102 sub-sat system features two
smaller two-way speakers, each with 0.75-
inch tweeter and 3-inch midrange in enclosure
measuring 3.6 inches by 3.6 inches by
3.7 inches. Both speakers are connected via
speaker cable to the subwoofer, which features
6.5-inch driver in a square enclosure
measuring 9.8 inches on all sides. Power is
rated at 2×20 plus 1×60 watts.
Besides connecting to the wireless receiver
via USB, both speaker systems also feature
one analog RCA input, one analog 3.5mm input, and
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two digital inputs (two optical on the 2.0 system and
one optical and one coaxial on the 2.1 system).
The 2.1 system also comes with RF remote to switch
among the system’s inputs, control volume and control
subwoofer level.
In custom-installed speakers, Jamo is showing its
recently shipped Custom 400 and Custom 600 series
of flangeless, flat-grille panel flat-panel in-wall and
in-ceiling speakers. A total of 18 SKUs are available
between the two series.
