Audio Video News

Just say no to black, brushed aluminum, and dark wood veneers. Tigard, Oregon-based EdgeAudio is betting that movie fans will do exactly that when they seen the company's new line of home theater speaker systems. Conceived by award-winning Ziba Design, EdgeAudio's entire line of home theater speakers and subwoofers will get the color cabinet treatment later this year. Prototypes were displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

EdgeAudio's look features an egg-shaped speaker grille -attached to the frame by hidden magnets, eliminating visible grille attachment points so that the speakers look equally stylish with or without their grilles. The company's two subwoofers use a similar technique with their grilles. High-gloss finishes in a variety of colors will be available as options on all EdgeAudio products in the second quarter of 2001, according to a mid-January press release.

Dark red and platinum will be the first colors offered, with additional choices to follow. Multiple layers of scratch-resistant clearcoat protect the color finishes, available at a small premium over the cost of wood veneers. The effect will be similar to the appearances of high-quality guitars or automobiles, say EdgeAudio executives.

Portland, Oregon-based Ziba Design is one of the world's leading industrial design firms and the recipient of numerous design awards, including multiple Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) from the Industrial Designers Society of America. Among EdgeAudio's products are the two-way 502D satellite speaker, the first mid-priced speaker to use DiAural[R] crossover technology, and a pair of powered subwoofers - the 12-inch, 320-watt SW-12/320 and the recently -introduced eight-inch, 150-watt SW-8/150.