Artison’s taking a new approach to funding its latest product through Kickstarter. The Kickstarter campaign is seeking to complete, through funding, Artison’s first-ever freestanding subwoofer in over ten years, the RCC Nano 1, a small sub with performance that is comparable to full size versions. The campaign will support the final stages of product development and give home theater fans and music lovers an opportunity to be among the first to purchase the revolutionary subwoofer at a discount.
The campaign will support the final stages of product development and give home theater fans and music lovers an opportunity to be among the first to purchase the revolutionary subwoofer at a discount.
The Nano 1 Kickstarter campaign went live on October 23. The campaign includes videos about the product, program, and benefits.
Contributor benefits include an opportunity to own a Nano 1 for $399 (60% off the suggested retail price), and a VIP two-day trip for two to Lake Tahoe that includes lunch with legendary speaker designer Cary Christie, luxury accommodations at a hotel on the lake, and a two-day ski pass.
Artison displayed a functioning Nano 1 prototype at the CEDIA EXPO 2014 in September and received exceptionally positive feedback from attendees and the press. The free-standing subwoofer is the smallest truly high-performance subwoofer in the world. It is designed to pack a powerful, high-quality bass range into a small, unobtrusive cube that can accompany virtually any high-end audio and home entertainment system in nearly every décor imaginable.
Measuring only 7.5” x 8” x 9” including feet and grilles, this compact 300-watt powerhouse has the piston area of an oversized 8” woofer. Constructed of 6061 T6 Aluminum, the Nano 1’s enclosure is both rigid and thin, which are both highly desirable subwoofer characteristics.
The Nano 1 incorporates Artison’s industry-leading reactance cancelling configuration (vibration-free) design, which ensures not only frequency response, increased efficiency and discernibly lower distortion, but also secure placement —crucial in a freestanding speaker. Outfitted with variable crossovers and dual active 6.5” long throw aluminum drivers, it is an ideal choice for delivering omni-directional low-frequency sound waves in any room or zone, regardless of placement.
“We opted for a Kickstarter campaign because we felt that it was a great way to get audio fans, our customers, involved in the development of this important new subwoofer,” said Cary Christie, Artison’s iconic founder and chief designer. “Plus they’ll get a chance to be among the first to own the Nano 1, and at a significant discount.”
With more than four decades of groundbreaking designs and innovation to his name, Christie is one of the pioneers of high-end speaker design. He was the co-founder of Infinity Systems in 1968, which developed many of the mainstays of modern loudspeaker design. His track record of technological and design innovations is among the most celebrated in the industry. Christie left Infinity in 1993, after twenty-five years and later joined high-end audio manufacturer Acoustic Research, where he served as CEO and head of product development before founding Artison in 2003.
Artison’s focus has been creating a true immersion experience in home entertainment, what Christie calls the Total Involvement Experience. The company has led the market in the development of attachable loudspeakers for flat-panel televisions, delivering dynamic sound for home entertainment in a stylistically subtle yet extremely practical footprint.
Artison plans to ship the Nano 1 to early Kickstarter contributors in January 2015, and to late supporters in March 2015. It will be available to the general public in January as well. The MAP will be $899, though Kickstarter supporters will receive varying discounts depending on their level of participation. A compatible wireless transmitter will also be available for $99 MAP.
