Tech start-up Coleridge Design Associates (CDA) has launched a new low-cost speaker that combines the sound quality of BMR technology with unique aesthetics.
The BMR (Balanced Modal Radiator) speaker design features an audio drive unit with an extended frequency response and wider dispersion than a conventional drive unit.
The MSRP for the aCUBE starts at $180, and each speaker is available on Kickstarter for $150-plus pledge.
The aCUBE uses 4.5-inch BMR full-range loudspeaker drivers, handmade clear-cast acrylic 6.5-inch cube enclosures, and the latest Class-D amplifier technology from Maxim Integrated.
Coleridge Design Associates founder, Geoff Boyd, considers BMR loudspeaker drivers the “most significant advance in loudspeaker technology since 1925 when Rice & Kellogg invented the loudspeaker as we know it today.” The advantages of BMR speaker technology primarily relate to its accuracy, wide dispersion, and extended frequency range.
With the aCUBE, the use of clear cast acrylic is more than solely aesthetics. Coleridge Design Associates says that acrylic possesses an inherent acoustic benefit, offering great sound quality and high internal damping that does not resonate and radiate sound as much as other materials. This means that acrylic speaker enclosures can be made light and free of internal bracing and damping materials. Eventually, as the product scales, multi-colored acrylic options will be available.
aCUBE speakers also include optional adaptors for Bluetooth, Apple Airplay, USB, and optical S/PDIF. An auto-off feature puts the system into sleep mode after one to two minutes, before waking instantly when audio in triggered. THe speaker’s volume level control can be set once and left alone, allowing the sound level to be controlled by the source device. A portable option contains a travel case and battery back that uses supercapacitors to supplement the heavy power needed.
