Proficient Audio announced the new Protege Series, which includes 31 models of architectural speakers and subwoofers, all with a Thin-Bezel design that eliminates the wide plastic flange that surrounds most ceiling and in-wall speakers. The look is sleeker and much more nuanced, allowing the speakers to blend in better in walls and ceilings – and to please homeowners and interior designers.
To make transitioning to Protege as easy as possible for systems integrators and custom installers, Proficient’s engineers adapted each model in the new series from an existing design. The acoustical and electrical engineering is identical to that of the originals, only the look has changed. Where an installer might have previously specified a C640, the Protege Series C641 can now be specified with no change in performance or installation.
The Proficient Protege product line includes every type of flush-mount speaker a system integrator might need for residential installations: eighteen in-ceiling speakers, ten in-wall speakers, two in-wall subwoofers and an in-ceiling subwoofer. Every home application can now benefit from the clean new look, whether it’s a dining room using Proficient’s affordable C625TT single-point stereo in-ceiling speaker, a custom home theater using the brand’s IW655 top-of-the-line dual- 6-1/2″ inwall LCR speaker or IWS85 dual 8″ inwall subwoofer or anything in between for that matter.
“The Thin-Bezel design has become popular in the residential custom-installation market and we knew our dealers would love it,” Core Brands’ Keith Marshall said. “But we didn’t want them to have to get used to new models, especially since they like our signature sound so much already. That’s why we created Protege as an adaptation of our existing speaker line. There’s nothing new for the dealer to learn. The installation procedure is basically the same, and even the model numbers are barely changed. So with practically no effort, our dealers can get a much nicer look in their installations. We think they’re going to readily adapt to it and we are quite confident that their customers will too.”
