SpeakerCraft to Debut AIM10, Rox Speakers, Cinema Subs at CEDIA Expo

SpeakerCraft is looking to make some noise at CEDIA Expo 2008.

Not only are they throwing a huge party with a performance from The Doobie Brothers, SpeakerCraft is also unveiling new AIM and Rox speakers and Freestanding Cinema Subs.

The AIM10 speaker, building on SpeakerCraft's AIM ceiling technology, has three drivers including a 10-inch woofer. It is similar in format to the rest of the AIM Series and has a pivoting baffle that gives installers freedom to focus the sound in any direction.

The AIM10 also has a power rating of 200 watts to produce great dynamic range and the sonic nuances. The AIM will be available in three models:

• Model One: has a polycone woofer with a silk dome midrange and tweeter
• Model Three: has an aluminum woofer, mid and tweeter
• Model Five: top-of-the-line model has a Kevlar woofer with an aluminum/magnesium mid and tweeter.

Unlike SpeakerCraft's other ceiling speakers, the AIM10 has a UniPivot module that houses a 1-inch dome tweeter and a 2-inch midrange driver that can pivot independently of the woofer if necessary. This new three-way design is a first for SpeakerCraft.

"The goal was to create a speaker that delivered more dramatic bass response and greater overall SPL," says Alex Chiou, SpeakerCraft's manager of loudspeaker development.

"Going to a 10-inch woofer gave us an entire new set of performance parameters to play with and the result is stunning."

The low-end produced by the AIM10 enables some applications to have a system designed without a subwoofer.

Rox Outdoor Speakers

SpeakerCraft is replacing its entire line of outdoor rock speakers with four new Rox models.

There is one model each with a 5-inch, 6-inch or 8-inch woofer, as well as a subwoofer model. All models are available in either granite or sandstone finishes.

Outdoor entertainment is becoming an increasingly important segment of the market. Speakers that hide in the landscape are a critical tool for dealers in providing quality sound in outdoor environments.

"These new Rox [speakers] are a substantial step up from the current models,"says SpeakerCraft VP of marketing Dave Donald.

"Not only have we improved the sound quality, the new look is more natural and 'rock-like' than anything else on the market."

Freestanding Cinema Subs

SpeakerCraft unveiled three in-wall Cinema subwoofers at CEDIA Expo 2007. This year, the company will introduce three Freestanding Cinema Subs.

The new subs, looking to improve upon its value-priced BassX series, have more output and deeper bass extension than the models they are replacing.

SpeakerCraft VP of engineering Jeff Francisco says the acoustic path has been redesigned from the back of the driver to the port, allowing the unit to improve sonic performance while reducing power consumption.

The 8-inch and 10-inch models are driven by 85 watts and 125 watts, respectively. The 12-inch still boasts a 250-watt power plant.

The cabinets have received a complete facelift, as well. All three units are forward-firing with the drivers mounted to a baffle with an aluminum finish.

Dual ports at the base of the baffle have been formed to avoid any wind noise from airflow at low frequencies.

Speaker and line-level inputs are all on the rear panel along with, output level, crossover, phase and LFE control.

The Cinema Subs, like all SpeakerCraft subwoofers, have an auto-sensing feature that automatically turns the woofer on when signal is present and puts it in standby mode after two minutes of no signal.