Double first for airSOUND at CEDIA:

company exhibits its revolutionary single point stereo technology
launch of first airSOUND consumer products from ELAC and orbitsound

The world’s first consumer products to feature airSOUND’s revolutionary single point stereo technology are being shown for the first time at CEDIA Expo. Unique new products from ELAC and orbitsound mark the entry of the airSOUND’s single enclosure stereo reproduction system to the commercial market place.

Commenting on the company’s CEDIA debut, Business Development Director Alan Johnson states: “We have come from launching airSOUND technology and the company just one year ago, to showing the first commercial products featuring our technology at CEDIA 08. The industry is beginning to realise the significance of this technology; potentially it changes everything. The products on our stand represent the single most significant development in audio since the inception of stereo itself.”

The ELAC 3D-13 Bluetooth® (A2DP) equipped, fully active loudspeaker is billed as a 21st century stereo listening system that completely replaces conventional hi-fi loudspeakers. The 3D-13 represents a proprietary further development employing airSOUND technology. Not only does the enclosure radiate a uniformly balanced airSOUND soundfield throughout the room, but the enclosure additionally provides a phantom left / right channel stereo sweetspot, in the usual stereo listening position; this phantom sweetspot is stunningly accurate and free of the usual problems of loudspeaker placement and multi-path phase and frequency artefacts created by duality of source in a conventional stereo system. The 3D-13 achieves this remarkable feat by time alignment techniques within the airSOUND driver arrangement, and without the ‘artificial’ effects of DSP or reliance on reflections. The 3D-13 accepts any standard stereo source, via phono, 3.5mm mini-jack or Bluetooth connection, processing the signal into direct and spatial information.

Commenting, Dr Franz Thomanek, Technical Director/Chief Technical Officer ELAC ELECTROACUSTIC GMBH, stated: "When we first heard airSOUND stereo, we knew that this was something special: but how could we introduce technology this new to our hi-fi customers? We applied ourselves to designing a loudspeaker that could not be criticised – a huge sound from a compact unit. We have succeeded in this with the 3D-13."

orbitsound is launching the T12 spatial stereo TV soundbar with iPod® dock. The T12 is the soundbar with the big difference: while other soundbars use digital tricks to mimic spatial stereo, the T12 produces natural spatial sound using airSOUND single point stereo reproduction. With its high quality spatial soundbar with integrated dock and dedicated sub, the T12 provides a big screen sound upgrade for flat screen TV and instant iPod listening in the home. The self powered array of high frequency, midrange and airSOUND spatial drivers in the soundbar produce an identical stereo soundfield throughout the room; while the sub extends the frequency response to reproduce the bass and rumble from the biggest movie soundtracks. The T12 listening experience is unrivalled in a speaker product at this price. The multi functional remote provides control over the T12 and the docked iPod.

airSOUND single point stereo™ is an amazing new listening technology that resolves fundamental problems associated with conventional stereo, by returning to the first principles of stereo reproduction and encoding stereo signals as direct and spatial information, rather than separate left and right channels. This, in combination with other electro-acoustic principles, the design and engineering of which are the subject of airSOUND international patents, enables the reproduction of uniform spatial stereo signals from a single speaker enclosure. This single point stereo soundfield is heard identically anywhere in the room, providing a uniform stereo balance irrespective of the listening position. The airSOUND stereo signal is not produced by DSP processing, or any kind of artificial effect, it is true stereo sound.

airSOUND is promoting its technology at CEDIA Expo, for license to third party manufacturers. Products using airSOUND stereo are not constrained by the off-axis phase and frequency discrepancies of left / right channel stereo; and the limitation of the true stereo signal to a fixed ‘sweet spot’. For CI and commercial audio applications, airSOUND offers major performance, operational and cost advantages for manufacturers, installers and system integrators alike.

o frequency and phase response are uniformly accurate throughout the stereo soundfield.
o a far smaller number of enclosures is required to cover any given environment compared with conventional stereo systems; not only due to stereo signals being reproduced from single enclosures, but as there is no loss of energy or sound quality through the frequency cancellation effects of filter combing between adjacent cabinets, as in conventional stereo installations.

Products using airSOUND technology are not constrained by the off-axis phase and frequency anomalies of left / right channel stereo; and the limitation of the reproduction of a true stereo signal in a fixed ‘sweet spot’.

For CI and commercial audio applications, airSOUND offers major performance, operational and cost advantages for manufacturers, installers and system integrators alike.

frequency and phase response are uniformly accurate throughout the stereo soundfield.
a far smaller number of enclosures is required to cover any given environment compared with conventional stereo systems; not only due to stereo signals being reproduced from single enclosures, but as there is no loss of energy or sound quality through the frequency cancellation effects of filter combing between adjacent cabinets, as in conventional stereo installations.
power draw for an airSOUND enclosure is about 40% less than with conventional stereo system producing similar sound levels.

airSOUND technology is available to third party manufacturers by way of license from Airsound LLP, the company founded to develop and exploit the technology.

Hi res product image and press kit downloads at

http://orbitsound.co.uk/pages/presskit.php
http://www.airsound.net/downloads

Editors’ notes:
airSOUND single point stereo technology is based on the earliest work by British scientist Alan Blumlein into the reproduction of stereo sound as discrete signal and spatial information, rather than separate left and right mono signals. While this theory was realised in the M&S (middle and side) stereo recording technique favoured by many classical recording engineers, it has only now been successfully engineered as a replay technology. The combination of this and other electro-acoustic principles is the subject of the various airSOUND technology patents.

Standard L / R stereo is encoded by airSOUND amplifiers in the speaker enclosure to direct and spatial signal information; the direct signal is reproduced from a front firing driver and the spatial information from smaller side firing transducers. These signals combine in the air to produce uniform stereo sound everywhere in a room.

Airsound LLP
Airsound LLP is a partnership between sound technologists and a City of London Investment consortium. Airsound LLP has been founded to develop and promote spatial sound technology, and to license the technology to sound equipment manufacturers and users.

Ted Fletcher, inventor
Ted Fletcher founded the Alice sound mixer company in 1969 and developed and manufactured large sound consoles for film studios, sound recording studios, and the BBC.

In the early 80s he developed revolutionary voice communications systems for the spot banking market and invented the first 'hands-free' telephones for use in cars, for Motorola and Vodaphone. In 1993 Fletcher founded the Joemeek audio equipment company and developed a range of classic sound processing equipment. 2005 saw development of the first airSOUND prototypes.

Licensing the Technology
Airsound LLP is makes airSOUND technology available to manufacturers of equipment where quality audio is required. It offers full permission for use, together with extensive technical design and administrative backup. Access to the technology is by way of a simple licensing agreement for a unit fee or royalty.

Contact:

DARE Pro Audio
+44 (0121) 693 9292
paul@dareproaudio.com
http://x.dareproaudio.com

airSOUND Contact:
Alan Johnson, Airsound LLP, Tel: +44 1923 465 641, Mob: +44 7793 196 287, alan@airsound.net

Editorial Contact:
Keith Grant, KGa marketing & media, Tel: +44 7977 410 444, airsound@kgamarketing.com

Double first for airSOUND at CEDIA:

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