Two new in-ceiling speakers leverage technological breakthroughs to deliver sound quality normally expected from freestanding speakers.
ONTARIO, CANADA — October 15, 2007 — Paradigm Electronics Inc., an international leader in speaker design and manufacturing, announces that it has added two in-ceiling speakers to its ultra-high-end Signature Series lineup. The SIG-1.5R and the SIG-1.5R-30, which boast Paradigm’s Guided Soundfield system, are the latest examples of the company’s plan for raising the bar, yet again, on sound quality in the custom installation category.
The SIG-1.5R and the SIG-1.5R-30 feature much of the cutting-edge technology found in the latest incarnation of Paradigm’s freestanding Signature Series, including P-Be Pure-Beryllium domes and Co-PAL Cobalt-Infused Anodized Pure-Aluminum cones. Th
A far more expensive dome material than typically found in tweeters, even high-end tweeters, pure beryllium was chosen for its exceptional mechanical properties: it is lighter than aluminum and possesses unmatched rigidity. The infusion of cobalt into the pure-aluminum cone likewise brings increased rigidity, as well as improved damping to the lightweight nature of the pure aluminum. Those who have heard Paradigm’s freestanding Signature speakers will simply be blown away by what that same technology accomplishes in an in-ceiling speaker.
“We want to dispel the myth that in-wall and in-ceiling speakers can’t sound as good as their floorstanding and bookshelf counterparts,” said Paradigm’s Marketing Manager, Mark Aling. “Our freestanding Signature Series speakers have met with rave reviews, and we expect that employing the same cutting-edge technology in our Signature Custom Series will change the way people feel about in-ceiling speaker sound.”
Paradigm has never been a company to blithely follow fads when it comes to speaker design. Take the fad of pivoting (or swiveling) tweeters. Some manufacturers employ this design as a way to ‘beam’ sound at the listening position. But rather than improving the listening experience, pivoting the tweeters actually degrades sound quality. Pivoting the tweeter aims high frequencies at the listener, but the all-important midrange will not reach them. Pivoting both the woofer and tweeter doesn’t solve the problem either, but results in listeners hearing drastically different frequency responses; or sonic ‘hot spots’ in which sound is dispersed unevenly throughout an area. For those who want sound directed toward a very particular area, Paradigm’s Guided Soundfield system is just the ticket. And the new SIG-1.5R-30 has just that ticket!
In a Guided Soundfield system, the bass/midrange driver is recessed in the chassis, while the two tweeters fire at a 30-degree angle from the ceiling. This allows one to guide a wide arc of sound toward a specific area of the room, much the same way a floodlight can be guided to fill an area with light. And although the direction of sound can be adjusted, the dispersion pattern between drivers, or the interaction between drivers and baffle, is not compromised. Paradigm provides a thorough discussion of its Guided Soundfield system, as well as a separate discussion on the sonic damage inherent in pivoting drivers, on the company’s website at www.paradigm.com
Paradigm has also carried over its supremely successful GRIP Glass-Reinforced Injection-Molded Polymer chassis and mounting brackets into both of these new models. Ceilings are flexible by nature and prone to causing uncontrolled resonances and standing waves that can result in sound distortion; bass can sound bloated with poor definition; and midrange clarity, neutrality and imaging all suffer. GRIP increases wall rigidity by sandwiching and strengthening the area around the mounting hole. Unwanted resonances and standing waves are vastly reduced. Optional tuned, fire-rated, internally damped MDF back boxes are also available for these two models.
Nothing about these speakers is typical, including their crossover networks, which are engineered to meet military specifications. They also boast the highest-quality component parts, hand-selected for close tolerance: film capacitors, ceramic resistors and steel air/core inductors. In this latest generation, crossovers have been carefully “tweaked” for even better frequency and phase response.
With 25 years of high-end research and development behind them and award-winning Signature sound front and center, the SIG-1.5R and SIG-1.5R-30 are set to take the high-end custom category by storm.
Driver Configurations:
SIG-1.5R: 1 x 1½ (25 mm) dome tweeter; 1 x 8½ (203 mm) bass/midrange cone;
8-7/8½ (22.6 cm) diameter.
SIG-1.5R-30: 2 x 1½ (25 mm) dome tweeters; 1 x 8½ (203 mm) bass/midrange cone; 10-5/8½
(29.6 cm) diameter.
The SIG-1.5R has a U.S. FMV of $1,200 a pair. The SIG-1.5R-30 has an FMV of $700 each.
For more information on Paradigm, please visit www.paradigm.com.
Innovative design, advanced materials, in-house manufacturing and state-of-the-art engineering have made Paradigm an international leader in speaker design. With more than 250 industry awards for audio excellence and numerous rave reviews from around the world, Paradigm is committed to staying at the leading edge of speaker technology, consistently achieving the ultimate in sound for music and home theater.
