At CEDIA EXPO this week, U.S. loudspeaker manufacturers Atlantic Technology and Solus/Clements will announce their joint venture to develop, market, and license a new loudspeaker design protocol capable of delivering deep, low-distortion bass response.
The new patent-pending system, called H-PAS, (Hybrid Pressure Acceleration System), combines elements of several speaker technologies, such as bass reflex, inverse horn, and transmission line. Using a unique cabinet design, these technologies are cascaded one to another to pressurize and accelerate low frequencies. In addition, the signals travel through a passive resonance/harmonic distortion line filter.
“Until now, I would have considered it virtually impossible to achieve such high levels of bass performance and quality in such small enclosures,” says Atlantic Technology president Peter Tribeman. “With higher performance from smaller cabinets, and hence the potential for lower manufacturing and shipping costs, we believe H-PAS has applications in almost every corner of the loudspeaker business, ranging from large floorstanding towers to desktop computer speakers.”
The companies say that this technology will allow speakers with smaller cabinets and drivers to achieve levels of performance normally associated with much larger speaker systems. Proof of concept prototypes will be demonstrated at the CEDIA EXPO.
H-PAS does not require the use of special drivers, any kind of on-board electronics or outboard equalization. It is a purely passive system, completely compatible with all amplifiers and AV receivers.
The inventor of the technology is Philip Clements of Solus/Clements Loudspeakers, a 30-year plus CE industry veteran and loudspeaker designer. For the past eight months, Clements has worked closely with Atlantic Technology to develop a range of compact designs using H-PAS protocols. Clements has contracted with, and appointed Atlantic Technology as the exclusive licensing agent for the technology, and will now continue its development together with Atlantic Technology.
Additionally, Atlantic Technology will be licensing H-PAS technology to other manufacturers.
Atlantic Technology anticipates shipping its first H-PAS product, the H-PAS-1 floor-standing speaker, in Q4 of 2009. Solus/Clements will also deliver an H-PAS 6.5-inch tower and bookshelf model to be available early next year.
