News

Motorized Ceiling Speaker Changes the Face of Home Theater Installations (28/7/2005)

TIME loudspeaker drops out of the ceiling and focuses on preset location

SpeakerCraft, America's original manufacturer of in-wall speakers, announces a new series of ceiling loudspeakers that will greatly enhance the flexibility and performance of home theater installations.

With a continuing shift to in-ceiling loudspeakers as the preference in most homes, SpeakerCraft is stepping forward to further address the need for these speakers to directly focus at the listening area. The new TIME series, an acronym for "Theater In Motion Experience", mounts flush in the ceiling. However, when activated the speakers automatically drop out of the ceiling at angles 15, 30 and 45 degrees. They then rotate to any position to create the appropriate soundstage for the individual theater application. Time has multiple presets and is infinitely adjustable across the sound stage

The TIME Command Unit or TCU is a component size piece that resides with the source equipment and amplification. It will provide low voltage power and data streams to the speakers to facilitate automation.

A dedicated remote, the TCR, will be included to adjust the speaker angles and rotation and establish multiple presets. These presets will allow the installer and the end-user to address multiple seating locations and party modes as well as different music and theater preferences. These preset commands can then be transmitted to any learning remote or control system allowing for simplistic operation.

The speakers themselves will feature polypropylene, aluminum and Kevlar drivers identical to the AIM 8 models One, Three and Five, which include 8", woofers and 1" concentrically mounted dome tweeters. The biggest difference is the motor and drive assemblies enabling them to automate. Sonic performance is enhanced dramatically due to the exposed position and the precision with which the speaker can be aimed at the listening area.

"To say this is a unique solution would be an understatement." remarks Jeff Francisco, SpeakerCraft's Vice-president of Engineering. "We are constantly looking for ways to improve the sonic performance of flush-mounted loudspeakers. This is obviously a huge leap forward."

SpeakerCraft, established in 1976, devoted itself for more than a decade to the design and development of architectural loudspeakers and became known as the prime OEM for many well-known, in-wall speaker brands in the field. In marketing its own brand, now one of the widest lines of architectural speakers in the industry, SpeakerCraft brings with it years of experience and a dedication to dealer satisfaction.

The TIME speakers are sold individually and not in pairs so as to allow dealers to order them for 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 systems as needed. The TIME models One, Three and Five have an MSRP of $350 and $550 and $750 each respectively

The TIME Command Unit and remote control, which will control up to eight speakers, will be bundled together and have an MSRP of $250.

www.speakercraft.com