PULSE CINEMAS

PARADIGM LAUNCHES THE FOUNDER SERIES

Here at Pulse Cinemas we are excited to introduce a new range from Canadian audio specialist Paradigm. The Founder Series is a six-model range of premium loudspeakers that bring high-end performance and luxurious style to home cinema and Hi-Fi systems.

The Founder Series is the first completely new speaker line to be introduced since Paradigm founder Scott Bagby reacquired the company two years ago. Though it draws on nearly 40 years of Paradigm innovation and evolution from the award-winning flagship Persona range, it brings a host of new technologies to its driver designs, cabinet construction and even the hardware that holds it all together.

Designed, tested, engineered and manufactured at Paradigm’s state-of-the-art 225,000 square foot facility in Toronto, Canada, the new series includes three floorstanders, the Founder 80F, Founder 100F and the hybrid active/ passive Founder 120H with ARC Genesis room correction; along with the Founder 40B standmount, Founder 90C centre and Founder 70LCR which can be installed vertically or horizontally. The Founder Series offers anyone looking for great sound the ultimate in flexibility when it comes to system building.

“The Founder Series is a strong accomplishment for Paradigm. We are combining an iconic design, sound that has astounding clarity along with a delicate and believable realism and a sonic impact that will send shivers down your spine.” Says Scott Bagby, Founder and CEO, “I am immensely proud of our development teams’ devotion to produce a line that clearly exceeds all expectations.”

All models are available in a choice of four artisan-grade finishes – Walnut or Black Walnut fine-quality wood veneer and Midnight Cherry or Piano Black high gloss. Paradigm’s patented technologies are developed completely in-house and along with obsessive attention to detail and exhaustive testing, deliver dynamic, detailed and lifelike performance that out-performs higher-priced products. Commenting on the new range, John Soden, VP of International Sales, says, “Pleasing both the stereo and home theatre enthusiast, the Founder Series should serve as a reminder that exceptional audio performance does matter.”

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

AL-MAC High-Frequency Driver Paradigm’s newest tweeter design is made lighter and stronger with a special combination of aluminium, magnesium and ceramic materials. It has a natural resistance to uncontrolled resonance that makes it far more accurate and responsive than other designs. It’s paired with a special Oblate Spherical Waveguide (OSW) that maintains sonic focus on the listening area. This makes it perfect for large, open-plan rooms with reflective surfaces like windows and hardwood floors. It doesn’t just sound good on paper, it performs in the real world.

AL-MAG Midrange Driver Founder’s midrange driver is developed with listener sensitivity in mind. Focusing its performance where our ears are most sensitive, the cone is a 6in Aluminium Magnesium alloy driven with a 2in multi-layered voice coil and a Perforated Phase Alignment (PPA) lens. The result is unparalleled realism and accuracy.

Carbon-X Unibody Bass Driver To maintain clarity in the lowest frequencies, Paradigm has created an ultra-stiff, ultra-strong bass driver called CARBON-X in 5.5, 6, 7 and 8in sizes. It is made from mineral-infused carbon fiber and moulded as a single piece to maintain control at the highest volumes. Combined with Paradigm’s patented over-moulded Active Ridge Technology (ART) surround and Advanced Shock-Mount Isolation hardware, it is both detailed and powerful.

Dual-Sync Continuous Flux Motor Both the 90C and 70LCR models use a coaxial driver with an AL-MAC tweeter centrally mounted in an AL-MAG midrange cone profiled to match the sonic characteristics of the OSW designs in the rest of the series.

Here, Paradigm’s patent-pending Dual-Sync Continuous Flux Motor solves the issues associated with drivers that have combined magnet structures, resulting in a low-distortion, high-output midrange/tweeter combination.

Cascade Fusion Bracing In place of the traditional square cabinet geometry, each Founder Series model features a faceted enclosure, constructed from ¾in MDF and 1in thick top and bottom insets. The bracing is fused directly into the walls of the cabinet, then the cabinet is folded around the frame as a single piece. The angular longitudinal central brace forms a structural core while dividing the walls of the cabinet into non-uniform surfaces. These surfaces are reinforced by additional horizontal cascade braces in optimal locations to further prevent excess energy from escaping through the walls of the cabinet. Unlike the rest of the technologies, the Founder cabinet is meant to be seen and NOT heard.

Advanced Shock-Mount Isolation System To control driver to cabinet and cabinet to floor resonance, Paradigm has developed the Advanced Shock-Mount Isolation system. Special hardware with an elastomer suspension mechanically decouples the driver from the cabinet. Advanced Shock-Mount Feet on floorstanding models isolate the entire cabinet from the floor using the same elastomer to prevent any extraneous vibration from colouring the sound. The feet include hardware for both carpet and hard flooring and are adjustable from above, eliminating any need to move or tip the cabinet. The Founder 40B Standmount Loudspeaker delivers the innovation and performance of the Founder Series in an affordable and compact cabinet that’s less than 20cm wide. A 1in AL-MAC Ceramic Dome Tweeter with an OSW Waveguide and PPA Lens renders crystal-clear detail and imaging. A 6in Ultra-High-Excursion AL-MAG mid/bass driver with a PPA Lens and Active Ridge Technology (ART) Surround provides the foundation for a broad and deep soundstage. An optional stand is available.

The 70LCR is a highly capable loudspeaker that can be used both horizontally as a compact centre channel or vertically as a main stereo or surround unit. Its three-way sealed cabinet is populated with a 1in AL-MAC Ceramic Dome Tweeter with OSW Waveguide and PPA Lens coaxially mounted in a 7in AL-MAG midrange driver flanked by two 5.5in CARBON-X bass drivers with ART Surrounds.

The 90C Centre Channel Loudspeaker is a true full-range centre that can play down to 47Hz in-room. Its 1in AL-MAC Ceramic Dome Tweeter with OSW Waveguide and PPA Lens is coaxially mounted in a 7in AL-MAG midrange driver flanked by two 7in CARBON-X bass drivers and two 7in passive radiators with Active Ridge Technology (ART) Surrounds to ensure powerful dialogue delivery from its slender cabinet. An optional stand is available.

The Founder 80F Floorstanding Loudspeaker is the most affordably priced tower model in the line. It features a 1in AL-MAC Ceramic Dome Tweeter with OSW waveguide and a PPA Lens; a 6in Ultra-High-Excursion AL-MAG mid/ bass driver with PPA Lens and Active Ridge Technology (ART) Surround; and two 6in UltraHigh-Excursion CARBON-X Cones with overmoulded ART Surrounds. Its two-and-a-half way design can reach down to a subterranean 28Hz.

The Founder 100F Floorstanding Loudspeaker brings even more bass with three 7in Ultra-High-Excursion CARBON-X Cones with over-moulded Active Ridge Technology (ART) Surrounds. The midrange driver is a 6in AL-MAG Cone with a Resonance Mitigation Coupler, PPA Lens and 2in high-temp voice coil. Detailed highs come from a 1in AL-MAC Ceramic Dome Tweeter with OSW Waveguide and PPA Lens.

The Founder Series flagship is the 120H Floorstanding Loudspeaker. The driver complement includes a 1in AL-MAC Ceramic Dome Tweeter with OSW Waveguide and patented PPA Lens; a 7in midrange AL-MAG Cone with a Resonance Mitigation Coupler, PPA Lens and 2in high-temp voice coil; and three 8in Ultra-High-Excursion CARBON-X Cones with Active Ridge Technology (ART) Surrounds driven by an integrated 1,000-watt amplifier. Its built-in ARC Genesis Room Correction delivers bass down to 18Hz that sounds precise and controlled in any room.

We are excited to be part of this next chapter in the Paradigm story in the UK. As the Paradigm brand continues to grow year on year in the UK, not only through their use in a very large number of premium and high-end home cinema and multi-room installations, but more traditional two-channel systems too. We must not forget that historically they are known for building extremely high-performance two-channel products at very competitive price points. The new Founder series is a serious challenger to the traditional homegrown brands in offerings stunning visual appearance and a performance level usually found in far more expensive solutions. Get in touch to find out more.

Pulse Cinemas pulsecinemas.com

PUT THE PRO IN PROACTIVE

When hospitality bounces back into business, your skills will be as relevant to clubs, bars and restaurants as they are to homeowners - and we’ll help you maximise their value says Habitech’s Technical Sales Manager John Perry.

It won’t be long before the shackles are off. If the COVID numbers stack up, UK hospitality will return to growth in April - because millions of stir-crazy Brits are gagging to spend surplus cash on a fine dining experience or a beer at the Pig and Firkin. The sector is poised to unwind from lockdown like a coiled spring, with PWC forecasting a surge in hotel occupancy nationwide, and pubs and restaurants reporting high demand for bookings - and that’s just for fresh air fun in chilly beer gardens after April 12. The good news for restaurateurs, hoteliers and bar owners is that, by definition, the ‘goingout’ experience is unavailable for home delivery, which is why the bounce-back is completely baked-in. The other good news is that if you’ve worked with Wi-Fi, AVoIP, IP and 100V line distribution, and you’re already preaching the gospel of discreet high performance, your business is more than ready to bounce with it.

FAMILIAR WAYS AND MEANS

Today the world of commercial AV represents a huge opportunity for your skills, because both resi and commercial integrators are, increasingly, reaching for similar tools. You’re as likely to see 100V line distribution over large areas of a garden as you are around a bar or over a dance floor. While on the flip side, AV networking technologies designed for commercial distribution are finding traction in residential system design. Dante™ (Digital Audio Network Through Ethernet) for example, is designed to carry hundreds of uncompressed audio (and now JPEG2000-squeezed 4K video) channels over long distances with minimal signal degradation using off-the-shelf 1Gbps Ethernet hardware. Ethernet switches replace trad matrices and system expansion is a plug-and-play breeze, saving installation time and cost. Cables no longer dictate how signals run. Instead, all devices are plugged via CAT into a standard network switch, and re-routing is achieved using PC software, which auto-detects devices on the network. Currently Dante is available in over 2,000 products from over 400 manufacturers, including our Yamaha Pro line of processors and amplifiers, all with guaranteed interoperability over regular Ethernet. And who in CI would be a stranger to that?

ZONING IN

Other challenges will be as easy to fix. Zoning audio and light levels for instance has been a primary skill in the resi repertoire since 1998. Today you can apply the same principles to larger hospitality spaces by using Sonance’s extraordinary Pro series range of 70V/100V/8 ohm selectable in-ceiling, pendant and surface mount speakers, as well as its allweather outdoor systems, designed to deliver exceptional fidelity at low and high volumes with extremely low distortion and wide dispersion. And when it comes to curating the perfect ambience for intimate dining, your skill with the subtleties of Lutron’s lighting and blind control places you way ahead of trad CAV installers.

AV MAGIC HOUR

Distributing light of the 4K kind is as easy as AVoIP with Wyrestorm’s Network HD - another class act in the Habitech talent pool - alongside WatchGuard’s plug-and-play firewalls and Dahua’s networked security cameras and NVRs, which will protect interests on both sides of the partnership. And for the best in Wi-Fi use the power of proven high client density technologies from Ruckus to integrate robust, scalable capacity up to 10G and Wi-Fi 6 wherever it’s needed: believe me, your clients and their customers will love what Ruckus can deliver. We’ll even provide Samsung’s spectacular new micro-LED displays to impart a heightened sense of video quality to the most upmarket venues inside and outside.

In other words when you’re pulling the same design levers in hospitality AV as you do in CI, we’ll help you drive through the gears with outstanding product versatility combined with the knowledge of decades from our new team of old pros.

PUT THE PRO IN PROACTIVE

One of Habitech’s big plays has been to become as proficient at serving the pro AV market as the CI sector. To this end we’ve

complemented wider product choice with experienced personal - including me. Having grown up in the business and occupied senior positions in major pro AV brands, our guys know how the business ticks. This means that we’re able to help you apply your resi skills in a market that needs the things you’re good at. For instance, our new Lutron product and design specialist, Jorge Pereira, will soon be standing by to support your lighting design creativity in the hospitality sector. In true Habitech style, no stone is left unturned in the effort to deliver optimum value to you and your customers.

BESPOKE DESIGN PLANNING AND EXECUTION

From the get-go we’ll create a system design plan for your project with the aid of simulation software. It will detail such things as optimum speaker distribution and audio coverage per room/zone, video schematics, security camera positions and Wi-Fi coverage. We’ll identify the ideal hardware for the job and back it endto-end with our fabled technical support and product training - on site if necessary. Since March 2020, through lockdown hibernation, we’ve supported over twenty hospitality installs as an integral part of the design team.

Among those to benefit has been Exeter integrator ‘Intelligent Abodes’ whose work at Chef Michael Caines’ upcoming Mickeys Beach Bar and Restaurant in Exmouth involved systems of Dante enabled Yamaha Processing, switching and amplification, as well as Sonance Pro Series surface, pendant, ceiling and subwoofers, which spring from the plan with our design assistance, EASE plots, support, training and help with commissioning.

At the other end of the UK we’re helping Lairds of Troon with a multi-zone project for an art deco bar in Glasgow’s Beresford building. Here our full product repertoire is deployed, including a Dante network of Yamaha processing, amplification and control, Sonance Pro in-ceilings and subs, a large Wyrestorm NHD video network, Dahua CCTV over three floors and Ruckus Wi-Fi.

We’ll supply EASE analysis of optimum speaker distribution and coverage along with Wi-Fi heatmaps, video and camera schematics, training and help with commissioning in support of every project.

It’s one of many collaborations with the company and we’re delighted that MD Mark Laird continues to value the results: “Timmi and the team at Habitech have been integral to our business success to date. Their attention to detail, from the design process to the technical aspects of our projects and product knowledge, has been invaluable. Although there are excellent niche providers out there, I can’t think of a single supplier with greater commitment to end-to-end project support across the CI repertoire: AV networking, Wi-Fi, security, lights, you name it. From initial consultation planning and prep, through on-the-spot technical backup, commissioning and warranty processing, Habitech contributes as a proactive member of the team, start to finish. And they always go the extra mile as a reliable source of design ideas and fixes to help Lairds exceed client expectations.”

GET READY FOR THE REBOUND

Whatever your AV hardware and signal management needs, be they 10G SDVoE, AVoIP, or HDBaseT, we’re ready to back your project at every stage. So, if you’re seeking to diversify your business into the hospitality, leisure and retail sectors in 2021, we’ll prove that for CAV success it’s not what you know, or who you know, it’s both!

Habitech habitech.co.uk