Australian retailers have just been shown a new 360-degree reference speaker that has been described as delivering “better sound” than a Sonos system due to the introduction of new WI Sound technology.
The creators of the patented WiSound technology who now work with Crystal Acoustics are academics from the University of Patras in Greece. Their Reference series which is set to be sold in Australia comprises of standalone music speakers, two soundbases and a soundbar. All of which use WiSound technology.
Sydney based distributor Tempo revealed the new speakers to ChannelNews yesterday, the sound output was crystal clear with plenty of base.
We first saw this technology at IFA 2014, at the time the developers were working on eliminating the “sweet spot” found on other speakers that reduced sound output on a 360degree speaker.
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The first speakers to become available are the Cuby 7 and Cuby 5. Both benefit from Apt-X Bluetooth compatibility, a high-quality Class-D amplifier which seriously boosts the sound output from a speaker that can be used in a multi-room set-up by simultaneously using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, without the need for a ‘bridge’.
The Cuby 7 features seven drivers of various designs. These fire sound forwards, upwards and sideways to create a “balanced set of reflections”. The Cuby 5 meanwhile has five drivers.
Both the Cuby 7 and Cuby 5 are due for release in Australia, final pricing has not been announced.
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Sound designers said that recent research by CEA, the world’s biggest consumer electronics industry authority, shows that general music listening happens ‘off-axis’, which means that consumers’ listening experience is seriously impaired by most speakers’ inability to deliver their optimal sound throughout an acoustic space.
To hear most speakers as they are intended to sound requires the listener sitting in an ‘on-axis’ position – in other words, in a very narrow ‘sweet spot’ that restricts consumers’ movement, family comfort, sociability, while limiting the number of people who can enjoy music together at the same time.
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Using a ‘directivity data’ study WiSound engineers developed a new type of speaker that balances more perfectly the direct sound you hear from your speaker and the acoustic reflections that reach your ears from the various surfaces of a room.
They said that every room sounds slightly different, but because a WiSound speaker is designed to create an optimal balance of all the reflections in your room, the end result is now more controllable and effective than ever before.
Several retailers have expressed interest in the new sound technology.
