To establish credibility as a true design-oriented company, Sonance wants to offer a full portfolio of options, including models that promote the look of loudspeakers rather than hide them. For that Sonance went to Italy and inked an exclusive distribution deal with Italian speaker company NAC Sound and will begin marketing the line in early 2008. The ceramic speakers can be hung as pendants or positioned in a cabinet or on a shelf. Finishes beg to be seen and include metallic-based materials along with a bold zebra design.
Sonance is also overhauling the quarter-century-old in-wall speaker. Mimicking the trend under way by TV designers, the company has shaved about ½ inch off the bezel of its in-wall and in-ceiling speakers in the Visual Performance line. The look is contemporary and clean and Sonance hopes to set a new design standard with the update.
Designer Sound. For integrators, Supran says, the new looks represent an opportunity to upsell consumers. “This industry has given dealers one variable to try to upsell on and that’s sound performance. But that’s not what the client is interested in,” he maintains. “Homeowners need good sound, no doubt about it, but are they willing to pay the extra money for audiophile sound? Probably not. Let’s give them a new knob to turn, and that knob is aesthetics.”
MartinLogan, which earned its stripes as an audiophile-grade speaker company in the 1970s, is also promoting the aesthetics theme without compromising its serious sound background. MartinLogan has always been about style but has taken it to the next level with the Configurator, a Web-based tool that enables customers to design their floor-standing speakers online with a variety of finishes and then place the order from the Web site. The company is sticking to its high-end audio roots at the same time. The speakers start in the $10,000 range and go up depending on finishes.
In addition to standard choices, MartinLogan offers unconventional cabinet finishes including leather, brushed pewter, gloss white, and a multi-colored pattern dubbed Mayan. Backplates and hoods can be customized in bold colors including blue, red, and green or more subdued wood tones, and the perforated frames come in a choice of eight colors.
Whether in-wall, on-wall, hanging, or floor-standing, the all-important loudspeaker isn’t going away. It’s just changing with the times.—Rebecca Day specializes in writing about home electronics. She can be reached at customhomerd@aol.com.
