The race to develop new and exciting speaker designs is now where on the trail to please hi-fi enthusiast. But I would personally be willing to advocate for a price for a ‘most utilitarian’ speaker award. I personally can’t stand being in a BART station or airport and listen to names called out over a horrific sound system that makes my ears bleed. So if a crisp and clean 0.25mm loudspeaker can be a cheap trick to solve this ‘audiophile lost in a public space’ neightmare, I’m thrilled!
ScienceDaily (Apr. 1, 2009) — A groundbreaking new loudspeaker — less than 0.25mm thick — has been developed by University of Warwick engineers. It’s flat, flexible, could be hung on a wall like a picture, and its particular method of sound generation could make public announcements in places like passenger terminals clearer, crisper, and easier to hear.
Lightweight and inexpensive to manufacture, the speakers are slim and flexible: they could be concealed inside ceiling tiles or car interiors, or printed with a design and hung on the wall like a picture.
Pioneered by University of Warwick spin-out company, Warwick Audio Technologies’ the ‘Flat, Flexible Loudspeaker’ (FFL) is ideal for public spaces where it delivers planar directional sound waves, which project further than sound from conventional speakers.
Steve Couchman, CEO of Warwick Audio Technologies, believes it could entirely replace the speakers currently used in homes and in cars, as well as in public address systems used in passenger terminals and shopping centres.
to read the rest of the article click over to sciencedaily.com
source: sciencedaily
image: Dr. Duncan Billson, University of Warwick with a flat speaker. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Warwick)
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