ArtSound catazine 2009-2010 uk

volume 2009-2010

free catazine for sound lovers

pop

Simple Minds

Jim Kerr on music, travel and the significance of graffiti

art

Art meets Sound

Video artist Dara Birnbaum @ SMAK

sports

Punchy music

Punchy songs for Wouter D’Haene Ilse Heylen - CÊdric Van Branteghem technology

Multiroom

What is an audio distribution system?

Music as therapy health

The healing power of sound

the successful phenomenon Scala the role of design in loudspeakers

Ma

Freee

g a zin

portable radios choose the ideal loudspeaker a peek into the living room of tomorrow

Smart

mouse

If you believe in ­something - be it a ­political party, organic fruit juice or an expertise in loudspeakers - you will be asked the same ­questions on a nearly daily basis: What is it that you actually do?

What is this product’s position in the market? How does the price come about? And so on... Of course these are all questions you ask yourself, and which we also always have in the back of our minds.

So, on a regular basis, I take the time to carefully think things over. My favourite place to do this is the threshold of my back door, looking out over the wide Flemish fields. Are you familiar with the old conventional wisdom ‘the early bird gets the worm’? Here at ArtSound, we know better: the second mouse gets the cheese. If you’re not big, then you have to be smart.

In other words, we are not pretentious enough to think that our products have to be the first on the market. Nor do we feel compelled to change the world. Our products just have to offer solutions! I admit, it sounds like an advertising slogan, but we do mean it.

By listening carefully to what you - our customers - expect from us, we have increased our range sixfold over the years. Thanks to your ideas. We can summarise all of these products using one common denominator: SMART. And this is where our mission statement comes from: ‘Smart Solutions in Audio’.

In other words: at ArtSound, you will find a loudspeaker for every situation, in every style or colour, for every environment or application. ArtSound is a touch cocky, with a healthy dose of self-confidence, sincere and proper, and also important: just your size and affordable.

Okay, we might be the second mouse, but we’re far from average!

What drives us, what keeps the fire burning inside us? Allow me for a minute to offer an analogy with the shipping world. If you want to build a ship, and it has to make it out to sea this year, you look for organisers to plan the work, experienced leadership figures who can give orders, and employees with two good hands.

But you could also awaken their desire for the expansive, endless sea. For adventure, the urge to accomplish something. This driving force is so much stronger, and this is exactly the mindset at ArtSound: we are a group of young, sometimes slightly eccentric people who steer a straight course for the project, who listen to the call of the ‘sound ocean’, who brave the waves for our customers.

It’s a great feeling, that feeling of solidarity.

And it’s not just the ‘Art of Sound’, the art of making good loudspeakers! It is an ‘Art of Life’: the art of living, of dreaming about the sea together, the pleasure of making beautiful things reality, with each other... and with you!

Your ever-faithful mice, Kristof van Hoorebeke & Michaël Bingé

Contents

onwall

Dara Birnbaum @ SMAK

4 Art meets Sound

24 Loudspeakers

Installing inwall speakers A how-to guide

26 Hidden perfection

photograpy: matuvu.nu

Video artist Dara Birnbaum at the SMAK

8 Stijn Kolacny The successful phenomenon Scala

10 Play it different The role of design in loudspeakers

INWALL

The 4 criteria of a good loudspeaker

30 Healing music Music as therapy

16 Music as an upper

The Simple Minds and their relationship with sound

15 Thanks for the speakers column

18 Line Up

Brace yourself, the G-force is here.

20 Audio Trendy portable radios

photograpy: matuvu.nu

12 Jim Kerr

Sound and music in the world of sports

32 Into the future

An interview with Bart Ameele, head of development at ArtSound

34 Audio distribution systems Divide and conquer!

39 Technical specifications Colophon

ArtSound catazine no. 1, September 2009 Publisher: Jobetrade Kazerneweg 15 - 9770 Kruishoutem Belgium e-mail: info@artsound.be tel: +32 (0)93808180 fax: +32 (0)93861235 VAT: BE454.287.820

Concept: Michaël Bingé, ArtSound - Mieke Van Den Ouweland, M-idea Technical support: Dieter Vanhoenacker Coordination: Palabra Design/lay-out: M-idea Editing: Liesbet Coppens Editorial staff: Benedikte Van Eeghem, Thea Swierstra Translation: Bureau Het Juiste Woord Printer: Roels Printing

This ‘catazine’ is an ArtSound publication. www.artsound.be If you would like to receive additional copies of this catazine or order the 100V catalogue, please send an e-mail to: info@artsound.be or contact us by telephone on: +32 (0)93808180. © 2009 Jobetrade. No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any way without explicit prior permission from the publisher.

1

More adrenaline. Less consumption.

With its new, high performing 3.0 litre V6 Twin Turbo Diesel S engine, the Jaguar XF sets the standards by which the rest of his class will be judged.

Not least because astonishing performance is paired with lower consumption and fewer CO 2 emissions. In short, the Jaguar XF offers you more. With less.

J A G U A R. B E

6,8 l/100 km. CO : 179 g/km. 0-100 km/h : 6,4 sec.

Average consumption Jaguar XF Diesel S : 2 Environmental information (RD 19/03/04): www.jaguar.be. Model shown features optional equipment. Give way to safety.

Onwall

Onwall speakers may be used as stand-alones, or mounted onto the wall or ceiling. ArtSound ­specialises in the manufacture of ­compact loudspeakers: ­limited ­dimensions, ­incredible ­quality and endless ­listening pleasure! photography: matuvu.nu

3

Video artist Dara Birnbaum at the SMAK

Dara Birnbaum is an eminent figure in the world of audio-visual art. This video artist’s first retrospective exhibition was held at the SMAK, the Municipal museum of contemporary art in Ghent (Belgium) until 9 September 2009. The museum had reserved half of the first floor for her work. Anyone visiting ‘Retrospective: the dark matter of media light’ was welcomed by high, sharp creaking sounds. Birnbaum’s art is overwhelming, huge. Installations that take over entire rooms. Incomprehensible and even off-putting at first glance, these works reveal a treasure trove of ideas to those who dare to take a closer look.

Art Sound meets

photography: matuvu.nu words: lc

5

Audio-visual art: I must confess, I’m hardly an expert in the field. Nonetheless, this should not be an excuse to not want to learn more about this craft. I set out for the SMAK, where I meet artistic director Philippe Van Cauteren, who initiates me into the history and life work of Dara Birnbaum.

We begin at the beginning: a portrait of the artist and the spirit of her time.

The American artist Birnbaum started her career as an architecture student in the 1960s.

ArtSound supplied the sound for several of Birnbaum’s works.

During that time, artists rebelled against the idea of art as a ‘saleable’ product. During the sixties, art was more of a concept, a decision to take action, judgement that was being passed. The ultimate creation was of se­condary importance. The years that followed represented the heyday of minimalism: trite, direct shapes such as bars, cubes and spheres appeared here and there in the art produced at the time. It wasn’t the shape itself that was important, but the relationship between the art and the spectator. Conceptual artists also rejected classical painting methods, using their own bodies as the material for their art instead.

Dara Birnbaum observed this entire evolution from a distance. The New York art world of her generation was primarily a man’s world, where women played no role.

This was precisely the reason that Birnbaum was so critical about everything happening in society at the time. Although initially she too experimented with her own body in her art, she quickly resisted this trend and chose instead to apply a ready-to-consume medium: the television. After all, for a great percentage of the American population, this was what life was all about at the time. Unlike many of her peers, Birnbaum did not merely use the television as a source of inspiration, but she recycled actual television images in her own work.

As I stroll through the SMAK, the statement Birnbaum wants to make with her work slowly becomes clear to me. Her ideas are interwoven with the elaboration of these ideas. The pieces of the puzzle neatly fall into place in my head. Given what I now know, this artist’s installations are still huge, but are less overwhelming. Birnbaum is intriguing and just a touch mystical, but her work is no longer off-putting.

In the largest room of the retrospective (photo 1, p. 4-5), I find two gigantic installations with televisions and loudspeakers.

Orange sofas have been placed between these works, neatly grouped around screens connected to headphones. One of the screens is playing Wonderwoman, one of Birnbaum’s most famous works. She created her own montage from the 1970s television series ‘Wonder Woman’, about the transformation of an everyday housewife into a woman with superhuman powers, clad in a sexy Lycra suit. By repeating this transformation over and over again, and focusing on the relationship between the music and the text, Birnbaum wants to demonstrate that what we are watching is nothing more than a myth. The so-called ‘entertainment’ is less innocent than it would seem at first. The woman and the stereotypical role patterns imposed upon her, from good housewife to an object of lust, represent the common theme running through many of Birnbaum’s installations.

The large installation with targets in front of the screens is named Hostage. Although Birnbaum did not create this work until the 1990s, the theme she chose was the incident in which Hanns-Martin Schleyer was taken hostage by the Rote Armee Fraktion (the Baader-Meinhof Gruppe) in the late 1970s. She gathered all of the image material on the hostage-taking that was available in America at the time. The material she found was very fragmented, making her realise once again how dependent we are on what the media chooses to show us. We are, in a sense, taken hostage by television.

Birnbaum integrated this feeling in a physical installation composed of various screens in a row. This prevents the viewer from ever seeing the complete picture. You are dependent on the images being presented to you, just as you are in real life.

In one of the smaller rooms in the retrospective I end up in front of Tapestry: Elegy for Donna. Old television images are projected onto the threads of a loom.

We see the late Yasmine, when she was still working as a radio announcer and those broadcasts could be seen live on television. Birnbaum got the idea for this piece during a visit to Belgium. She found the images of a visibly bored Yasmine in the radio studio and on television completely unrealistic. Later Birnbaum also visited the historical tapestry studio in Mechelen (Malines). Here, she realised how large the gap is between the slow production process involved in making tapestries and how these works can survive intact for centuries, and the speed with which random and useless television images follow one another in sequence.

I slowly approach the end of the Retrospective. My guide and I say goodbye, and I take some time to allow the story to sink in a bit more. Birnbaum has opened the window on the art world for me a bit further.

Art is not merely ‘making things’, it is a conscious choice. Taking a concept and transforming it into sound or images and deciding that it is art: this is what an artist does. The spectator’s opinion is of secondary importance, and Birnbaum is no exception to this rule.

Will I go to museums more often in the future? Perhaps. Birnbaum is still not really my thing. I prefer less disturbing images and less noise, but that’s a matter of personal preference.

However, I will never again walk into an exhibition, have a look around, turn up my nose and say, without thinking: “I don’t get this at all...”

Basic AS -A10 0

AS30

AS40 AS50 AS20 Basic } P 40

The Basic series provided the visitors to Dara Birnbaum’s ‘Retrospective: the dark matter of media light’ with a unique sound experience.

Thanks to their allround applicability, they are at home anywhere...

The loudspeakers come equipped with a ball-and-socket joint bracket for perfect alignment (AS20, AS30 and AS40) or with a U-shaped metal bracket for rapid installation (AS50).

7

Stijn Kolacny on the successful phenomenon Scala

Stijn Kolacny is a true phenomenon on the music scene. ­Together with his brother Steven, he manages the Scala girls’ choir which performs throughout Belgium, on stages from Sint-Niklaas to Spa. The formula is also very popular beyond the Belgian borders. Recently, part of the choir set out for Canada for yet another introduction to audiences overseas.

Scala’s two-voice aspect has been known to give many people gooseflesh. Why is that?

Stijn Kolacny: We have the good fortune of working with talented, driven and youthful ladies. They help give the choir its contemporary sound. Also, the girls who come to sing with us are experienced. They are often conservatory students or friends of members who have singing experience. Not just anyone can become a member of Scala. At a minimum, candidates have to have taken music reading classes, and be able to sing in harmony.

Scala means more than just classical choral singing. You also perform songs by U2, to name an example. Why this choice of material?

Kolacny: Originally, we were just a classical girls’ choir. That was a conscious choice on the part of my brother Steven, until we discovered that young girls naturally also listen to contemporary pop and rock. We started pouring these types of songs into a choral arrangement mould, and what came out was an instant success. We owe our international breakthrough to this approach. These days, our set list is a mix of classical, contemporary and our own music. I am convinced that within a repertoire, you have to change course on a regular basis in order to keep it fresh, without going about it too brusquely.

of course. We try out a lot of different things, musically. However, if we’re not satisfied with the final results, we just drop certain ideas.

How much involvement do the girls have in what you perform?

Kolacny: We are always open to their ideas

So you also listen to Scala on a good hi-fi system?

Kolacny: I always want to be able to hear

Is there such as thing as “The Sound of Scala”?

Kolacny: Definitely. When we’re working on a new song, we know what we want to get out of it. Scala also has to sound good recorded; it has to really ‘grab’ people right away. When we’re recording in the studio, we try to mix our music so that it will survive any hi-fi system. In the car, at a bar, on television: it has to sound good everywhere.

photography: Leon Auwers words: bve

Music shouldn’t just be hard and aggressive

Sonar With the Sonar series, ArtSound has gotten back to basics, returning to loudspeakers in their original and purest form.

The cabinet is made from solid wood, and has been given a conical shape. This combination guarantees a warm sound with excellent reproduction of details. Better drivers are used in this series, and when it comes to the mounting materials, only the best was good enough for these loudspeakers: pure rubber. Thanks to these high-quality and high-tech components, these loudspeakers produce vibrations that reproduce remarkably fast, far and pure. All of these qualities almost make the Sonar atypical: in spite of their relatively small dimensions, the speakers are still able to produce an exceptionally clear and warm sound.

Pure essence, packaged in a sleek design and manufactured using noble materials.

The AS350 is finished with four layers of ­high-gloss lacquer. It is available in ­mother-of-pearl black, white, silver-grey and warm (brown) cherry.

AS550 } P 42

the details of the music, even when I’m not listening to Scala. This is why I don’t mind spending money on a really good speaker. I like to listen to music at high volumes, so I want sound that is rich enough. It shouldn’t just be hard and aggressive.

What is your ultimate tip for a loudspeaker manufacturer?

Kolacny: Whatever you do, be sure to test your loudspeaker using symphonic, classical music! Beethoven’s fifth symphony, for example. The low tones always have to sound full and beautiful as well. Only then is a speaker really worth the money.”

AS350 } P 42

The AS550 is the largest and the most powerful of the bunch. It produces an unusually warm and detailed sound, making it suitable for a relaxing evening at home as well as a heavy-duty party.

Available in black.

In terms of features, the AS450 falls right between the two models above.

It is larger and more powerful than the AS350 and offers more voluminous bass, yet is more compact than the AS550. It is available in black or in birch or cherry, all three of which have a matte finish.

AS450 } P 42

9

Play ! t n e r e it diff

Are you also the type of person who doesn’t get worked up about a tailored suit, who just can’t seem to get enthusiastic about the massproduced-but-now-available-in-anew-colour dining room table? Yep, just like me. I may as well admit it. I don’t go with the flow. I need colour, variety. Not that I wouldn’t be caught dead at Ikea, or think Molteni is ugly. No, I prefer to have a look around, browse here and there and put together my own pallet. These days it’s called ‘customising’. When I was young, we still called it ‘stick to your taste and your budget’.

Not only do I do this with furniture and clothes, I also do this when it comes to loudspeakers. Loudspeakers? You mean those ready-made, rectangular and usually pretty boring cabinets? Oh yes. But not for myself. I went off in search of speakers that really make a difference.

AS-A800 } P 41

SQIRCLE speakers? found them !!

Take this sub-woofer for example. Sub-woofers are usually huge clunky absurd things that have to be placed on the floor, somewhere in the living room. Showy and ugly, and hard to keep clean. I’d much rather have the ArtSound AS-A800. Despite its flashy design and high-gloss lacquer, it still manages to be discreet. And also extremely powerful by the way: 150 Watts, ideal for transforming your living room into a stylish home cinema.

To be honest, it took me a little while to adjust to the AS10. Is that a loudspeaker? It has a feminine aspect about it, but less refined, it is smooth, and tapered from bottom to top and from front to back. This would make the ideal corner speaker, which more or less fades into the background in a corner where two walls come together. Perfect for my office I thought, mostly because it was specially developed for background music.

AS401 } P 42

AS100 } P 41

AS10 } P 41

The top view shows why they fit so snugly in a corner. Their design may be a touch exotic, but you get used to it. Their sound, on the other hand, will beguile you from the very first moment.

AS5002 } P 41

The first time I saw the AS100, I thought it was a designer wall lamp! Wrong again! It’s a wallmounted loudspeaker. Perfectly at home in every hallway, bathroom (it’s damp-resistant!), bedroom, office…a gadget for anyone who loves sleek design!

Loudspeakers that usually get noticed for their looks (showy and clumsy also being a look) are tower loudspeakers. Okay, I get it, I now realise you need a certain volume to be able to enjoy the sound (get it? volume?), but can’t it be done more elegantly? I noticed the AS5002 immediately. Very slender, not too big, and it just has to be said, a mind-blowing sound (175 Watts). And for just under 500 Euros per set, you’re guaranteed a lot of listening pleasure.

Vintage is in. Carbon reigns supreme thanks to the bicycle boom. And these two have found each other in the ArtSound AS401. Just look at that shape - it’s almost sqircle! And it’s even high-gloss. Just a step away from being ‘1970s brown (fortunately?)’. You can use it as a standalone as well as in a home cinema set-up.

Would you like some crisps with that?

I don’t mind telling you my kitchen has a lot in common with a lounge bar. And 98% of the loudspeakers on the market would definitely not fit in well. Fortunately, I found something to my liking in the AS150 and AS250. Pure lounge, with those rounded corners and hip colours. Their sound reflects their appearance: nice and warm.

7

AS250 } P 41

AS150 } P 41

11

An interview with Jim Kerr about music, travel and the significance of graffiti

Simple Minds

Jim Kerr

If the stage is your natural biotope, then music is your second heartbeat. You wake up with it and go to sleep with it. And this is no different for Jim Kerr, the lead singer of the Simple Minds. Kerr has been in the music business for over 25 years. He is, and we mean this with the utmost respect, an old-timer with a story and a vision. Just this once, we are going to take the microphone to talk to him about music, inspiration and how Simple Minds’ work sounds best.

It is no overstatement to say that the Simple Minds are a phenomenon in the music industry. A quarter-century old and still going strong. How do you explain your success with various generations?

Kerr: Yes, our music does appeal to a very broad audience. I can’t actually give you a definition of why what we do actually works. One thing I can tell you is why I think it works. Pop or rock music is always a combination of lyrics and melodies. If you really want a song to be a hit, you have to be able to add a really strong vibe to it.

And I think it’s this vibe that makes Simple Minds so unique. If you go over our entire body of work, you will notice that we don’t shy away from variation. Over the years, we have tried out an awful lot of genres: elec-

“I’m not really a sofa person” tro, ambient, pop, rock, folk...the influences have been numerous. Now and then we have also sent a political message; it has literally been a musical journey. This allows us to reach a whole lot of people.

Colouring in songs How does the mix of styles actually grow? Is it related to what you experience on and off the stage?

Music evolves.

As soon as you play songs onstage, the whole evolution kicks off.

Kerr: First of all, the musicians in the band can take credit for our sound; I take my hat off to them. They have a really rich imagination, and this helps colour in our songs even more. Their musical talents are what makes Simple Minds who we are. And I have to include myself in that too, of course. (laughs) As a musician, you have to take a broad view of things. All of the members of the band regularly watch films, read books; they’re interested in what’s going on in the world.

This is why we have never really run out of inspiration - let’s hope it stays that way!

Whether they produce classical or contemporary work, artists always say that their work is never really finished. Right after releasing a new record, they’re already saying: ‘We could have done this differently, we’re going to change that’....Do you agree with this?

Kerr: Ab-so-lutely. I am firmly convinced that the last note of a song is never the end of the song. If you have written a song or even an entire album, you have completed that specific assignment. But music evolves.

As soon as you play songs onstage, the whole evolution kicks off. You’re singing and thinking: ‘We should have done it this way on the record’. That’s why you interpret it differently the next time. It’s a process that never ends. I always compare a recording or an album with a Polaroid picture, a

photography: David Ellis (p 12) - Sven (p 14) words: bve

13

blueprint. It’s the start of something that still has to grow. Whether or not you perform a song with an orchestra, like during the Night of the Proms, or you throw it into the mix during an acoustic show twenty years later, the song goes its own way.

Are you already thinking about these things while you’re recording an album? This is how it should sound live, or this is how it should sound when played on a hi-fi system...

Kerr: Oh definitely. Regardless of where they listen to it, I want people to always think that we sound fantastic. (laughs) Whether you’re in the car, jogging with your iPod, looking for comfort, or just listening to music: music has to move you. That’s why I love pop and rock; it’s a very subjective genre. You can pick a song from our new record and say: ‘Hey, now that’s a good track!’ Or you might find another song completely worthless. Why? That’s really subjective; there are no rules.

But still...when we record a song in the studio, we actually know pretty fast: this is

Vision versus experience Have you always had that vision?

Kerr: No, definitely not. In the early days, we had that typical urge to become famous. It was a constant focus on success. Sometimes we got lucky, sometimes we were way off the mark and then we would even have the nerve to complain. We even got frustrated.

‘Glittering Prize’ is a great example of that.

I’ve only just recently discovered how much potential that song has. At the time, we were just too ambitious; we had more vision than experience. Fortunately, that’s changed for the better.

Is Jim Kerr the kind of guy who likes to lie on his sofa on his days off and listen to music?

Kerr: I’m not really a sofa person. (laughs) Of course, we’re often busy working on recordings, on new things, and then I am practically forced to listen to my own material. And other music, well...The disadvantage of this life - as much as I love it - is that

I have to travel so incredibly often. Usually it’s really dull, but then at least I have time to listen to the music I like.

At times like that, do you place a high priority on how something sounds? Do you give in to the traditional warmth of vinyl, or can it be digital…

Kerr: As far as all that goes, I’m kind of a nerd. Many of my friends will go on for hours and hours about the ‘warmth’ of an old record. I do understand what they mean, but I’m actually not so interested in that. If we are talking about the quality of our own material, I think it’s essential for a record to have a nice design, for example: the cover, the photos. This is what I’m most concerned with. But now that you mention it... yesterday in Italy, I happened to hear a song from our new record Graffiti Soul on the radio!

And I must say, it sounded damned good.

Powerfully produced and stuff. (laughs) So yeah, in that sense, I can be pretty focused on sound.

When you are working on music, things you didn’t even know existed suddenly bubble to the surface. good, this will be a hit. So you persist in that one composition, continue to tinker with it, polish it…until it finally becomes the top hit you had in mind from the start.

What percentage of your work falls under that category? What are you the most proud of?

Kerr: (sighs) That’s a tough one… I think pride is such a strange concept anyway. We have written an incredible amount of music over the years. The one song was a success, another less so. But we learned a whole lot from the ones that didn’t do so well. As I said, what we do is actually one long journey. If, at a certain point, you look back briefly, you see things from the past which are suddenly inspirational. Songs which once seemed worthless can still have a certain quality. You stop seeing things as being successes or failures, you just see it as the experience, and it has been a great experience.

Jim the gypsy Do you spend a lot of money on hi-fi?

Kerr: I used to. I used to be guilty of buying expensive equipment from reputable brands, this record player or that loudspeaker. But those days are long gone… These days I’m more of a gypsy. I hardly even know where I live (Kerr shuttles back and forth between homes in Nice and Sicily) and I don’t feel like dragging half my house with me each time. That doesn’t mean that I think reliable hi-fi equipment is unnecessary.

It is amazing how fast everything evolves these days. And quality doesn’t always have to be pricey. Take for example the ridiculously small earphones you plug into your iPod - the sound on those is great, isn’t it?

Let’s talk about the new album Graffiti Soul for a moment. When I think of graffiti, I think of a mix of bright colours and lines that you can only appreciate from a distance. Does the record have this same multi-layered aspect?

Kerr: Yes and no… The process involved in making this record was – how shall I put it – a bit mystical. When you are working on music, things you didn’t even know existed suddenly bubble to the surface.

Emotions come floating up and that hidden beauty suddenly gives you a ‘wow’ feeling.

Something very basic can surprise you and grab you by the throat. That’s why we chose Graffiti Soul as the title. In essence, graffiti is random scribbles or sketches, applied to a surface. An entire story can be hiding behind these quick little scribbles. This also applies to the record.

Finally: after all these years, how can we summarise Simple Minds in three words?

An incredible band. (laughs and winks) May I go onstage now?

Thanks for the

speakers I may as well admit it. I’m no technical wonder, but I’m positively mad about technical masterpieces. I love decibels. For me, music may be - what am I saying? - must be played loud.

And if you have to ignore European and other sound standards to do so, then so be it.

With this thought in the back of my mind, I took a drive to Paris one night this summer. No Galeries Lafayette or bateaux-mouches for me, no thanks. I was headed for the Stade de France stadium, to see U2 live in concert.

And just in case you have been living on Mars for the past 20 years or so, U2 is frequently called the best, biggest, most professional and fantastic rock group of all time. Far be it from me to bring down the reputation of the gentlemen in the band.

The 360° tour in Paris marked my fourth live U2 experience. People often worry that after so many live concerts, they might grow tired of an artist and can’t expect to see anything new.

Incorrect assumption, as it turned out. From the very first to the very last second of the concert, I was completely blown away by a brilliant show, a monstrously huge stage, and a penetrating sound. The sound was beyond perfection, and Jesus, Mary and Joseph, it was blasting out of speakers more enormous than any I had ever seen in one place before. At least 750 of them. At LEAST. I would have loved to count them, but it might have annoyed the other 70,000 concertgoers if I had.

750 or more concert speakers in one place. I swear, that is a lot of damned speakers. And when they all start working at once, you feel your socks shrink spontaneously from the fright.

For a minute, a few ‘ows’ may be heard, and then a whole lot of ‘oooohs’. Although really loud music may mean torture for your ears, this time it was endless pleasure for me. So, thank you U2 for the music, for the vibes, and mostly for the speakers. They definitely made my day.

photography: shutterstock words : bve 15

Music as an upper

While jumping, high-jumpers enjoy having their performance accompanied by a rhythmic clapping of hands from their audience. Footballers provoke their audience to loud cheers of encouragement. Other athletes prefer to shut themselves off from the world by putting on headphones before delivering a top performance. How important is sound in the world of sports?

photography: Stephan Vanfleteren words: ts

Kayaker Wouter D’Haene (27), who won fifth place at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, cannot survive without his iPod before races.

“It’s nice to be able to listen to music, particularly while I’m preparing for a race.

A good beat can really get you motivated.

When I’m getting ready for a race, I can really recharge my batteries with music.

Depending on what I’m in the mood for at the time, I might listen to trance, techno or even the hard stuff, like Rammstein.

Something really heavy can make me aggressive, giving me what I need to go the extra mile. It just can be that tiny difference that determines whether I win a medal or not.”

“Sometimes I realise I’ve forgotten my iPod for a race, and then I really curse myself. Without music, I’m more easily distracted and it’s harder for me to focus.

And this is exactly what I need to be able to visualise the race. How to structure it, how I have to perform technically, and the weak points I have to watch out for.”

“During the first few metres, the audience doesn’t have that much influence on my performance. I don’t require anything extra in the way of cheering me on during this stage. This is also because 1000-metre kayak races start rather far away from the crowds. We don’t approach the spectators until the last 200 metres or so. At this point, it can be a huge motivator to hear them cheering you on. I can’t hear exactly what they’re saying, it’s more like a loud hum. It’s

hard to describe, but this gives you a sort of itch which makes you work even harder.

Even if you’re really tired.”

“The only things I can really hear clearly are the signals from my trainer’s whistle.

Sharp, powerful signals tell me that I have to go faster, and that my opponents are gaining on me. If the coach whistles slowly, that means that everything’s going well and that I’m in control of the race.”

“You can’t really tell from the sounds of the kayak whether or not you’re doing well.

It is true though that the more you splash, the less efficient you’re kayaking. It’s best to kayak as calmly as possible. This is better for your propulsion.”

Judoka Ilse Heylen (32), bronze medal winner at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and winner of seventh place at the Peking Games in 2008, does a lot better at matches when her fans shout her name.

“There are judokas who prepare for a match with their headphones on, but this doesn’t work for me. I try to visualise my match beforehand. Things are happening all around me, but I can shut it all out really well. I can hear people are talking around me, but it doesn’t get through.”

“During the match, I can’t hear exactly what all the spectators are shouting. I’m so focused during a match, and try to listen to my coach. Afterwards, fans will ask if I heard them. I say: ‘Yes, I did’ but actually that’s not true. I would feel really stupid though if I had to say ‘no’”.

“I do hear them when they shout my name though. And this has a positive effect on my performance. This helps me do better; it makes me that little bit more aggressive. During my first match at the Olympics in Peking, I was the first to compete. I was absolutely shattered, and was sure I would lose. Then I heard everyone shouting and knew I wasn’t in it alone. I really went for it then, and ultimately won.”

“For me, there are other times that music is important. I have to drive a long way to get to the place where I train. Then I really need to have sound. I hate silence, even at home. Usually I just listen to the radio.”

“A lot of my training involves running, anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. I never run without music. When I’m listening to my iPod, time goes a lot faster. I’ve got everything on my mp3 player, from Dutch music to pop, Bryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi. No classical music - I want to be able to sing along and it’s got to have a good, fast beat. On the other hand, I don’t want anything too extreme, so no house music.”

I hate silence.

Ilse Heylen

For track and field athlete Cédric Van Branteghem (30), fifth in the 4x400 metre relay at the 2008 Olympics in Peking, listening to music while getting ready for a race depends on his mood.

“I often listen to music before the race, but sometimes I don’t. It depends on my mood. Sometimes I can go without it for smaller meets because I don’t want to be cut off completely from the world and want to hear what’s going on around me. At times like that, sometimes I warm up with a training partner.”

“For the bigger meets, I often listen to upbeat music because that’s what I need to recharge. What I listen to can vary a lot.

Rock, house, hip-hop: I like different types of music. My iPod is broken and is stuck on shuffle, so I never know which song will play next. I’ve got everything on there: Beach Boys, AC/DC, Abba and Metallica, all mixed up. If the music is too mellow, I click forward to the next song while I’m doing my stretching exercises. At the very least,

My iPod is broken and is stuck on shuffle, so I never know which song will play next.

Cédric Van Branteghem

music should be cheerful, and definitely not depressing love songs.”

“For me, it’s not a total disaster if I don’t have my iPod with me. I’m not superstitious and try not to be dependent on anything.

It’s not like if I wear the wrong socks I’ll run slower. Ultimately, it’s my responsibility.”

“For a sprinter like me, the starting shot is essential. You have to get off the block as quickly as possible. This is why I often ask the audience to be quiet beforehand. But during the race, their shouts and clapping actually help push you forward. Sometimes you’ll hear one particular person above the rest at smaller meets. Sometimes this throws my concentration off. ‘He’s here too,’ flashes through my head, and then straight away: ‘No! Focus!’”

“I would also rather my coach didn’t shout my intermediate times either. I can’t really hear what he’s saying anyway. And if I’m racing on a small track, this just distracts me. Then I start to think: ‘Punch it’ or ‘Slow down’. I’m experienced enough to know what I should do.”

17

Line Up

Beauty is skin deep.

G-line

The G-Line speakers are unusually versatile, and may be used in professional as well as residential environments. Built to last and with a timeless design.

Powerful yet discreet. These professional loudspeakers have been developed so that you can eas-

ily connect four speakers to your amplifier without overloading it. The speakers come complete with patented bracket so that you can mount them to the wall or ceiling, or even use the bracket as a handy base. Available in black or white.

E-liNE

Rugged and hard-as-nails. Tough and powerful.

These loudspeakers from the Line Up series are no softies. White and black, they are reminiscent of the prison uniforms in comic strips. And yes, they may not have a sweet, elegant design, but they are true top performers. They brave any kind of weather, fill large or small spaces with a powerful sound, and can remain modestly in the background or blow you away completely.

360°

This specially designed multi-functional bracket may be used as a base, a wall bracket or even as a ceiling bracket. Thanks to the ball and socket joint, you can align it in any direction you like. Comes complete with screws.

G4 - G5 } P 44

The E-Line’s strong frame conceals a technical tour-de-force that produces powerful sound. The specially designed double woofer guarantees a warm sound that carries over unusually long distances. The curved design ensures that your favourite music will be distributed throughout the entire room.

The E-loudspeaker is available in black or white, and comes complete with the multifunctional bracket.

Singin’ in the rain...

Let’s go outside

Sunshine on my shoulders...

These tough little rascals were initially designed to be used in large spaces, such as swimming pools or sport halls, a large patio or a pub.

Their power is not their only trump though. Just like their exterior, their sound is round and full. They may not be masterpieces of design, but the old adage also applies here: beauty is skin deep!

ASROCK } P 45

ASW55 } P 45 ASW65 } P 45

This specially designed bracket is multifunctional. It allows you to mount the loudspeaker to the wall vertically or horizontally. You can also align it based on the room in which it is located. Due to the loudspeaker’s sturdy nature, this bracket is manufactured from metal.

Comes complete with screws.

E3 - E4 - E5 } P 43

Feel free to sing right along, no matter what the weather. With these superstars, you’ll never have to run in from the rain again!

The ASW55 and the ASW65 – available in black or white – have a trendy, curved profile that guarantees excellent sound and an extra high range.

Both are specially designed for outdoor use (patio, garden, street, etc.), but are naturally also perfect for damp spaces (jacuzzi, sauna, swimming pool, bathroom...).

The AS Rock is a loudspeaker in the shape of a rock. Its brown or grey colour makes it practically invisible in any garden. Thanks to the special bass reflex, it produces a powerful sound and can ­handle large spaces.

19

} Aha! An Internet radio player!

Are you still dragging the little radio you had when you were a kid around with you wherever you go?

This elegant black beauty can receive up to 10,000 radio stations from all over the world. WiFi, a memory capable of storing five preset radio stations, an alarm function…in short, everything an Internet radio

needs. Plus a remote control - no need to get up from your recliner to switch stations. Radio will never be the same again.

Ri50 } P 45

It’s not true I had nothing on,

Do you love to belt out songs in the shower to the radio, but don’t feel like running wires throughout your entire house?

If so, ArtSound has some great ideas for you...

R5 } P 45

} I’m going on a picnic, and I’m going to bring My R5 radio. Admit it, isn’t it adorable?

Compact and light, you can easily take it anywhere. This small, stylish radio will definitely steal the show. Thanks to the illuminated tuning knob, you can tune in to any radio station, with extreme precision. Suppose you would rather play more intimate music on that romantic evening you‘ve planned, well, just plug your MP3 player into the R5. A wall socket is handy, but not essen-

tial: with its built-in rechargeable battery, the R5 can easily go strong for a couple hours. And get a load of the choice of ­colours! It’s available in trendy black, silver, red and white, or in deluxe wengé, cherry or beech.

} A punchy radio Originally, the U1 was intended as a sturdy, old-fashioned shipyard radio, but has since grown into a waterproof jack-of-all-trades with numerous possibilities. It comes complete with a microphone input, battery compartment, 12-volt connection (to be used with your car’s cigarette lighter), an

output for headphones, LED lighting... Fortunately, this radio comes equipped with its own all-weather gear. So no worries, you can easily use this radio outdoors: in the garden, poolside, during home renovations, at the campground...

U1 } P 45

I had the radio on.

Marilyn Monroe

} Retro

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ASA-400i } P 46 ASA-275i } P 46

} All inclusive

Yes, of course there are hundreds of loudspeakers on the market you can plug an iPod into. Naturally, ArtSound could not lag behind in this respect, and has done its part to chip in.

However, ArtSound would not be ArtSound if we didn’t give it our very best, time and time again...

First of all, we are talking about a pair of loudspeakers, for optimum stereo sound. Secondly, the central loudspeaker where you plug your iPod or iPhone into has a balanced

amplifier on board, and both loudspeakers are equipped with the latest technical features. Your digital music has never sounded so powerful and detailed! The AS-A275i combines power with a compact design. The AS-A400i is larger, even more powerful and it’s even equipped with an RDS tuner. Both models come with a remote control… So kick off your shoes, put your feet up, lean back and just enjoy the melodies.

WR1 } P 45 21

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23

Tool b

x Should I keep a first-aid kit within reach?

Building in Is it difficult?

loudspeakers How is this done?

Do you need two right hands to do it?

What do you need?

No, none of that is necessary.

It’s actually really easy.

Dead easy, we would even be so bold as to say. All you need are some basic tools and a fairly steady hand, that’s it.

Good luck!

What do you need?

Remove the inwall speaker from the box. In the box, you will find a stencil. Check carefully to make sure which line on the stencil you need, and cut the inside of this out. Do not discard this inside piece; you will need it again later! Hold the stencil to the spot where you want to mount the loudspeaker, and using the pencil, draw an outline along the edge of the stencil.

1

Drill one or more holes along the inside edge of the pencilled-in line. For square or rectangular speakers, it is easier to drill four holes, whereas for a round speaker one hole is probably sufficient.

2 3 4 5

Using the jig saw, saw along the edge so that you are left with a nice, round, square or rectangular hole.

On the back of the loudspeaker, you will see four poles with clamps. By pushing the clamps upward, you can pop the grill out.

Pull the clamps back in and turn them all inward. Connect the loudspeaker cable.

If you forget to do this, you will have to remove it again later!

Place the inwall speaker in the hole. Tighten the screws. This will cause the clamps at the back to automatically turn back outwards so that the loudspeaker will lock in place.

In photo 7 you can see what the back will look like.

6-7

You can now push the grill back in. If you like, you can also paint the loudspeaker. If you glue the inside of the stencil (important: you have to remove the edge first) to the grill, you can simply paint the edge of the loudspeaker with a roller, at the same time you paint the ceiling. It is best to paint the grill with a fine brush or spray paint.

8

If you would like to remove the loudspeaker or paint the grill, you must remove the grill first. The best way to do this is using a fine object with a sharp point: poke this into the holes of the grill and pull the grill out slowly, bit by bit. Be careful, do this by going round in a circle and using different holes with each turn so that you can do this gradually without damaging the grill.

9

Where’s that pure sound coming from?

The Basic inwall series contains no surprises, no unnecessary technical features. Just the basics, the essentials. After all, you still want reliable quality at a good price. The Basics are powerful. Equipped with a two-way

basics } P 47-48

system, they also offer great sound quality.

And most of the models are even paintable, so you can make them virtually invisible. Your friends are sure to ask: ‘Where’s that pure sound coming from?’

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3

4

5

6

7

8

9 25

Hidden perfection

photography: shutterstock - m-idea

I

t is a well-known fact among hi-fi lovers that first and foremost, speakers must be inconspicuous. A good speaker must convey music in all its glory, reproducing all of its facets undistorted and uncoloured, without adding anything. Speakers with a lively, bold and noticeable sound seem more attractive at first, but after having listened to them for a longer period of time, these speakers mostly just appear to sound extremely tiring. The better models on the other hand can bring you hours of relaxed listening pleasure.

lower quality speakers will start droning on in your head, f­ orcing you to turn the volume down The 4 criteria of a good loudspeaker You can judge the quality of a(n) (inwall) loudspeaker based on four criteria: the construction of the housing, the loudspeaker components used (woofers and tweeters), the way the components are mounted, and the cross-over filter. First of all, the housing or loudspeaker cabinet must be as rigid as possible so as to avoid undesirable vibrations. As far as the loudspeaker components are concerned, the diameter and the choice of materials - aluminium, titanium, polycarbonate and so forth - as well as the size and strength of the underlying magnet are all crucial. And since loudspeaker components have to be able to move (forwards and backwards), they have to be mounted in a way that allows this movement, not too much and not too little. Finally, the crossover filter must be able to split the incoming sound signals so that they can be sent to the woofer and tweeters, without any distortion occurring in the process.

complete speaker cabinet actually disappears into the wall or the ceiling so that only the front remains visible. In addition, the ArtSound X-Tended and Gold inwall speakers also offer the option of painting the grills on the front together with the rest of your wall or ceiling. This makes these speakers nearly invisible.

ArtSound X-tended The X-tended series includes four different inwall speakers. The most compact speakers in the series are the SQ525 and the RO525.

In technical terms, these speakers produce an identical sound. Both models have a two-way co-axial system. In other words, the tweeter is positioned exactly at the centre of the woofer, creating an ideal, tapered sound source. The frequency range of these loudspeakers runs from 65 Hz to 20 kHz.

Inwall loudspeakers are however designed to be discreet, not only in auditory terms, but also when it comes to another aspect. After all, your decision to buy a inwall speaker is based on the ability to integrate it into your interior as discreetly as possible. The

X-tended } P 49

27

The RE650 uses the same drivers as the SQ525 and the RO525, yet has a rectangular cabinet measuring 19 x 28 cm. Since the speaker cabinet on this model is slightly larger, the low range runs to 60 Hz instead of 65 Hz. The tweeter may also be rotated in these speakers. And finally, the RO650 is a slightly larger, round speaker - with a diameter of 22.5 cm - which features the same rotating tweeter, but this one is combined with a larger 6.5” aluminium woofer for a more powerful reproduction of lower tones.

The tweeter may also be swivelled, which makes it a lot easier to guide the loudspeaker’s radiation pattern. For example, if the speakers are ­mounted high in the wall, the tweeter may be pointed downwards, guiding the sound directly to your ears.

ArtSound Gold Series The inwall speakers from the Gold Series are the dream solution for anyone who will settle for nothing less than the highest sound quality. This series is unique when it comes to three of the four criteria: the choice of materials used in the loudspeaker components, the quality of the crossover filter, and the mounting. Every Gold Series loudspeaker has a real titanium dome tweeter, driven by a powerful neodymium magnet, and a woofer made from anodized aluminium.

The range starts with two round models, both of which have a two-way co-axial design. The MDC700 is the smallest, with a 21.5-cm diameter. Measuring 24 cm, the MDC800 is slightly larger in diameter, allowing room for a larger woofer (6.5”), which allows the low range to run to 60 Hz. The DC700 is technically identical to the MDC700 described above, yet is available in a square model. The DC800 is the square version of the MDC800.

2

3

4

Gold Series } P 50

The DC1000 and the DC2050 are the ultimate speakers in the line. The DC1000 is a rectangular, 2-way inwall speaker which accommodates a 6.5” woofer and a 1” titanium dome tweeter with a neodymium magnet. The low range runs to no less than 50 Hz. The DC2050 is also a rectangular speaker, yet is designed specifically for use as a centre speaker; and should preferably be built in horizontally. The tweeter is the same as the one in the DC1000, yet is equipped with two 5.25” anodized titanium woofers for the low/mid-range tones.

5

The Gold Series is equipped with a swivel aluminium tweeter (1), treble-bass control (2), a titanium woofer (3), a bass-reflex system (4) and gold terminals (5).

When purchasing an inwall loudspeaker, be sure to review and ­compare these four criteria ArtSound has always taken these four ­criteria into account, and has developed different series, each of which is distinct with regard to these factors, resulting in various levels of price and quality.

1

1 the size and materials used for the drivers 2 the presence of a filter or cross-over filter (may also be seen in the frequency range) 3 the choice of materials used in the frame 4 the mounting (rubber, plastic, paper, etc.)

Model: Longueville LONGUEVILLE Design: Verhaert New Products

Design: VERHAERT NEW PRODUCTS

JORI infocenter: complete collection and free advice www.jori.com, tel +32 56 31 35 01 29

A discovery for mind and body

Healing 2009

The end of the first decade of the 21st century is approaching rapidly. These days, we refer to music using terms such as digital, mp3, wav, mpeg. The list seems endless. No more fragile record players or high-priced tape recorders in the living room or ‘record’ store.

Music has become ‘instant’ and inexpensive. Anyone who doesn’t have the time to go to the store to buy CDs simply downloads their music from the Internet. Copy, paste and listen, wherever you are.

Fortunately nothing about the concept of music itself has changed. Music still has the power to transport you, whip you up into a frenzy, or even completely relax you. Did you know that the Hindu doctors in India over four thousand years ago arranged for calming sounds to be played while performing surgery? Even then they knew that this would benefit their patients.

In our Western civilisation, healing music did not start to become the rage until a few decades ago. One of the pioneers in this genre is Aeoliah. In 1980 he released his debut album “Inner Sanctum”.

Aeoliah had based the record on a painting. He discovered that certain combinations of tones were in perfect harmony with the art, and that they also had a healing effect on body and mind.

Now nearly 30 years and 40 albums later, Aeoliah is still popular.

Those in the know describe his work as “music for healthy living”.

A music sandwich

Various research studies the world over have shown that music is healthier than the most organically-grown head of lettuce. I’ll refrain from commenting on whether or not these studies are always reliable.

The conclusions are, however, striking in every way:

^ the pain symptoms of chronic pain patients decrease an average of 20% when they listen to classical or jazz music (Cleveland Clinic, USA) ^ your cholesterol level can drop sharply (Maryland University, USA) ^ music is beneficial for blood vessels and reduces the chance of a heart attack (Maryland University, USA) ^ a depressive state is made 25% more bearable by music (Cleveland Clinic, USA) ^ premature babies grow faster if they listen to music (University of Alberta, Canada) Amazing and surprising, isn’t it? Even if some of these research results have been ‘touched up’ here and there, there’s no getting around it: listening to music makes us happier and healthier. words: bve

sounds Essential life force “Music is not truly therapeutic until it helps us focus our attention on positive things,” the composer says. “This causes the level of stress in our bodies and minds to drop and brings our emotions into balance. The essential life force, which the Chinese call ‘Chi’, grows again. This in turn has a positive effect on our immune system and our endocrine glands. Music helps us distance ourselves from our daily habits and programmed behaviour so that we can discover a world of inspiration, beauty and harmony.”

Inspiration, beauty and harmony: anyone who listens to ‘music for the music itself ’ might consider this an old-fashioned sales pitch.

Nonetheless, Aeoliah knows how to reach a large and even famous audience. The actress Ashley Judd has said that she considers his music as a form of relaxation, and healing. Continental Airlines and KLM programmed Aeoliah into their sound systems for long-distance flights. Wellness above the clouds. Surely this must be the highest point one can reach in a lifetime...

More and more these days, airlines are ­programming ‘healing music’ into their sound ­systems to benefit the wellness of their passengers on long-distance flights. photography: shutterstock words: bve

Wellness

is a reference to health and well-being. For many people, music is crucial for them in order to feel good about themselves, and the Waterproof series responds to this need. This loudspeaker series has been specially designed for rooms that are subjected to an unusually high degree of dampness as well as for outdoor areas. Each component is dampresistant, and can withstand both high and low temperatures. The loudspeakers have a distribution differential that ensures that the music won’t sound nasal, and that it can carry over unusually long distances. The series includes two round and one square inwall loudspeaker.

Waterproof MDC6 } P 48

DC84 } P 48

MDC64 } P 48

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photography: matuvu.nu

Into the future ......

During the previous century, rapidly advancing technology changed the world for good. There’s no doubt about it; we can expect even more innovations yet to come. But what will the future bring?

We can’t speculate too far in advance, but one thing’s certain: multi-room systems will conquer the market in the years to come.

Bart Ameele – Senior Engineer R&D at ArtSound Research and development engineers usually do their job deep in the belly of a company, and rarely if ever come in contact with the press or general public. There are two reasons for this. First, the engineers know exactly which products and technology are in the pipeline, and as a manufacturer, you naturally want to keep this information inside the company. Secondly, they communicate chiefly in terms of scientific theories and formulas, so the average Joe usually can’t quite follow everything they say.

R&D at ArtSound, out from behind his desk.

Working in the nerve centre of ArtSound, Bart is the perfect person to tell us about the future of multi-room systems.

Okay, so maybe the second reason is one giant cliché, but the part about secrecy should be taken very seriously. For the occasion, we dragged Bart Ameele, Senior Engineer

Can you install one of these systems yourself, or is it better to hire a technician?

We aim to make our systems as user-friendly as possible. They have to be plug-and-

Are multi-room systems reserved for people with a big budget?

Those days are gone. More and more manufacturers, including ArtSound, are launching reliable, price-friendly systems on the market, resulting in a substantial increase in the number of systems in homes.

play. Only the really sophisticated functions, like the sound of a dog barking if someone rings the bell when the owners aren’t home, require customised installation.

What’s your take on streaming audio? Is that the future?

Actually, that future is already here.

On-demand applications, where you can purchase or ‘hire’ music online, are making rapid advances. The sound quality is not yet the level you find on a CD, but since the price of storage memory devices are steadily decreasing while network speeds continue to increase, this will no longer be a problem in the future.

33”

No big deal you’re thinking, 4 minutes and 33 seconds? Think again.

The American avant-garde artist John Cage once dedicated an entire composition to it. Entitled ‘Silence’, this piece consists of exactly 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence. Even more bizarre: initially, Cage was not satisfied with the precise timing of the three movements in ‘Silence’, and rewrote them. As a result, he decided to make it exactly 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence. The true fans would call it a stroke of genius. We would call it, uh, kind of ‘vague’.

Isn’t this all a bit too complicated for computer illiterates?

This is one pitfall we watch out for carefully. It is our goal to ensure our customers take full advantage of computer technology.

Just think of the advantages of networking, higher storage capacity, downloading possibilities, and so forth. Combine these with true user-friendly operation, so that you can use it immediately.

You brought an accordion with you. Looks like a high-tech model.

It’s a digital accordion. It feels and plays the same as a classic model, but you can make a lot more different sounds with it.

Technology used to benefit music, let’s say.

Now that I think about it, this also applies to my work at ArtSound...

And then the bridge snapped...

A crystal-clear soprano voice can give someone gooseflesh and, provided some effort has been put into it, even cause crystal to shatter. Even tones that are not nearly so high have been known to produce strange effects. The wind rushing under a bridge, for example: that kind of vibration can cause other vibrations, and then resonance occurs. In 1940, the resonance at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the US was so high that the bridge construction completely collapsed. As the story goes, during the incident, the only death was that of a cat. When it comes to resonance, we’re a bit more modest. The system doesn’t have to fall like a house of cards. All that matters is that you enjoy the sound.

33

An audio distribution system – also known as a multi-room ­installation – makes it possible to play music throughout your home. And even outdoors, if the spirit moves you. If the system is installed professionally, the whole shooting match can be hidden away, out of sight. After all, we all may want to hear it, but we don’t necessarily have to see it...

Illustration: Mario de Koninck

Divide &

conquer The term ‘multi-room’ means that one central sound system can play music simultaneously in several rooms, or ‘zones’. A number indicates exactly how many rooms are involved. The ART 2.4 for example, is an audio distribution system that can play music in four different zones.

The term ‘multi-source’ is used to indicate how many different sound sources may be played at the same time. Sure, the possibility of being able to listen to music on an integrated system throughout your entire house is a pretty interesting concept.

However, what if you want to listen to Kings of Leon in the living room, but the lady of the house wants to hear a classical piece at the same time in the bathroom, and junior would rather rock out to the sounds of his favourite alternative radio station in the privacy of his own room?

Believe it or not, this scenario can actually become reality if you link multiple sound sources to your audio distribution system provided the system is capable of switching between all these different sources.

The number of zones that your system should be able to control is dependent on the number of rooms in which you want to play music. The golden rule is that it is always better to figure in more rooms than you might need rather than risking coming up short in the long run. The multi-source capacity, or the maximum number of different sound sources the system can handle, depends on the number of family members.

Structure To start, a complete audio distribution system consists of several sound sources.

These might be special products designed specifically for multi-room applications, but this is not necessary. Secondly, you need a central switching unit. This ensures that each sound source is guided through to the right zone. In many cases, a central unit like this also transmits control commands to the various sound sources. These commands are received via control panels and/or wireless remote controls in the different zones.

Finally, there is usually (but not always) a multi-zone amplifier built into the central unit, which produces the wattage necessary to control the loudspeakers in the various zones. If a multi-zone amplifier is not integrated into the central control unit, you can always purchase one of these amplifiers separately.

Finally, you must install a couple of loudspeakers in every individual zone. Inwall speakers are usually used for this purpose, but onwall speakers are just as suitable. Also, a control panel and/or a form of wireless remote control are also required.

What if you want to listen to Kings of Leon in the ­living room, but the lady of the house wants to hear a ­classical piece at the same time in the ­bathroom?

The audio sources, the central switching unit and the amplifiers (built-in or mounted) are usually installed in the garage or near the meter cupboard.

35

A system for every

, With an RF remote

control, you don’t have to have the aim of a sniper.

The ArtSound SVC4 is quite possibly the simplest multi-room system ever made. All you need to do is connect the device to the loudspeaker output on an existing amplifier, and the SVC4 splits the signal four ways.

This allows you to connect four pairs of loudspeakers placed in various zones, so you can play the same music everywhere. The SVC6 does exactly the same thing, but with six pairs of loudspeakers instead of four.

Normally, you can’t just connect several sets of speakers to a single speaker output - your amplifier would refuse to cooperate in a matter of seconds, possibly permanently but the SVC4 and SVC6 have the necessary electronics on board to make this impedance problem a thing of the past.

Moving on to the Art2.1. This is an extremely compact cabinet (12x6.5x4 cm), whose petite dimensions make it easy to place it in a false ceiling, kitchen cupboard or any other small space of your choosing.

This little beauty contains a complete FM tuner and a Class D 1 zone stereo amplifier.

Thanks to the RF remote control included, you don’t have to have the aim of a sniper to easily operate the system like one normally would with ‘normal’ infrared remote control devices. All you have to do is to hook up a pair of speakers (inwall or onwall) and you’re ready to (rock and) roll. Strictly speaking, this is not really a multi-room solution.

After all, the Art2.1 can only supply music to one zone, however it may be used as a

single house multi-room application if you install these devices in several different rooms. Another nice feature of the Art2.1 is the input suitable for an external audio source, so that you can connect a CD player or iPod to your system, for example.

The ART2.4 combines a 4-zone audio distribution system with a powerful 2 x 25 watt amplifier component for each zone. As far as audio sources are concerned, you can listen to the built-in FM tuner, or use the stereo-cinch input, allowing you to hook up a sound source of your choice. Complete with an RF remote control, the system is incredibly easy to operate. You may of course also use several remote control devices, one in each zone, for example. However, you could also equip the system with wall transmitters. These are small control panels that you mount to the wall and which then do their job wirelessly. No muss and fuss with cords or wires.

Art Sound‘s most sophisticated audio distribution systems are the ART5.4 and the ART8.8. The ART5.4 is a 4-zone device complete with a 2 x 25 watt Class D amplifier component for each zone. What really makes this unit unique is the several different sound sources it allows you to have at your disposal. To start with, the device has two FM transmitters under the hood.

This means for example that you can listen to your favourite alternative radio station in one zone, while classical masterpieces resound from another room. The system also has two audio inputs so you can connect any audio source you like. This could be a CD player, but also an iPod or audio streamer. Thanks to the remote control that comes with the system, you can even send control commands to these other devices. Zapping to the next track is a piece of cake. Finally, you can also play digital sound stored on a USB device, an SD memory card or via shared media. It is even possible to receive Internet radio stations and to play these in the various zones. As many different hat tricks a system may be able to boast, it still has to remain easy and convenient to oper-

ate if it’s to be of any use to you. And as far as that goes, the ART5.4 also passes the test with flying colours. The remote control that comes with the system works according to the new 2.4 GHz Zigbee principle, meaning that you don’t have to aim the remote control and that the effect is extremely reliable. The system also allows two-way communication. In other words, not only can you send commands, but you can also read all sorts of information on the display, such as the names of radio stations, RDS information, track names for MP3 files, and so on and so forth. However, the system is also designed to make operation via small wand panels possible (using the KNX system), and there are also two RS-232 serial interfaces, which allow the system to be connected to a home automation system.

The ART5.4 described above satisfies nearly every conceivable requirement, unless you would like to be able to control even more zones and/or additional audio sources. Enter the ART8.8. This deluxe device can handle eight different sound sources and control eight zones with the greatest of ease. As far as the sound sources are concerned, you have the choice of two built-in FM tuners, three external audio sources - which you can also control using the 2.4-GHz two-way Zigbee remote control - and three digital audio streams. For this last option, you have the choice of USB devices, SD memory cards, shared media or Internet radio. If eight zones still aren’t enough for your needs, you can expand the ART8.8 with the 8.4S, allowing you to control an unbelievable total of twelve zones.

SVC4 } P 53

SVC6 } P 53

ART2.1 } P 54

, CONTROL PANELS SAVE

YOU LONG WALKS FROM ONE END OF THE LIVING ROOM TO THE OTHER

ART2.4 } P 55

ART5.4 & ART8.8 } P 56-57 37

Š lamazone.be

ArtSound has also developed solutions for more industrial environments, with specially designed loudspeakers - for onwall and inwall use - all-in-one amplifiers, public address ­systems, interfaces, etc. Each of these solutions was designed with an eye for detail, safety and particularly user-friendliness in mind.

If you want to receive the 40 page 100V brochure, send an e-mail to info@artsound.be

Technical specifications Summary

Onwall Basic Genius Sonar Line Up Outsiders Audio

p. 40 p. 40 p. 41 p. 42 p. 43 p. 44 p. 45

Inwall Basic Waterproof X-tended Gold series Drop-in kits Volume controllers Audio distribution systems Infrared solutions The elements of sound

p. 47 p. 47 p. 48 p. 49 p. 50 p. 51 p. 52 p. 53 p. 58 p. 62

Glossary of terms 2-way/3-way: In a 2-way loudspeaker, the incoming signal is split into two parts in the cross-over filter. One part is played by the woofer, while the other is played by the tweeter. With a 3-way loudspeaker, the signal is split into three parts and is played by the woofer, a mid-range speaker and a tweeter.

Active loudspeaker monitor: Loudspeaker with one or more built-in amplifier modules.).

Audio distribution system: A system in which the listener chooses one or more sound sources to play in one or more rooms.

Bass reflex: The presence of a special opening in the loudspeaker cabinet which enhances bass sounds, making them stronger and deeper.

Bridged: Technique whereby two amplifier modules are linked together to create a single much more powerful amplifier module.

Class D: Modern amplifier technique which combines powerful loads with a compact structure and a low development of heat.

Coaxial loudspeaker: Technique whereby the tweeter is mounted on top of the centre of the woofer. This creates an ideal tapered sound source.

Cross-over filter: Loudspeaker electronic component that splits the incoming sound into two or more parts, so that the individual parts may be sent to the various loudspeaker units such as woofers, tweeters, etc.

Frequency range: The range of the highest and lowest tones which can be played.

Expressed in hertz (Hz).

Impedance: Electrical resistance, expressed in Ohm. Internet radio: The possibility of receiving radio stations which are broadcast on the Internet.

RF remote control: Remote control which uses radio waves, eliminating the need to aim the device, as is the case with an infrared remote control.

Sub-woofer: Special loudspeaker which is designed specifically for reproducing the deepest bass tones.

Tweeter: Loudspeaker designed for reproducing high tones.

Wall transmitter: Wireless remote control device mounted to the wall like a light switch.

Woofer: Loudspeaker for low tones.

39

BASIC

AS20 price category range sound quality

system bass reflex magnetic shielded woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra

AS30

AS40

< 20 m2

20 - 40 m2

20 - 40 m2

3-way ABS housing yes no 3”/2” long excursion mid-range 1” super tweeter 60 W 30 W 86 dB 8 ohm 5.3 Oz 150 Hz - 20 kHz 150 x 90 x 88 2.25 kg / set of 2 white / black / silver-grey ball and socket joint bracket

2-way ABS housing yes no 5.25” polypropylene mica 1” / 13 PEI Ferrite 160 W 80 W 87 dB 8 ohm 13 Oz 60 Hz - 20 kHz 230 x 160 x 138 5.75 kg / set of 2 white / black / silver-grey ball and socket joint bracket

2-way ABS housing yes no 3.5” foam surround, paper cone 1” / 13 PEI Ferrite 100 W 50 W 86 dB 8 ohm 7.8 Oz 100 Hz - 20 kHz 185 x 120 x 120 3.2 kg / set of 2 white / black / silver-grey ball and socket joint bracket

BASIC

price category range sound quality

system bass reflex magnetic shielded woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra

price category range sound quality

AS50

AS-A100

30 - 50 m2

20 - 50 m2

2-way ABS housing yes no 6.5” polypropylene carbon 1” / PEI Ferrite 200 W 100 W 91 dB 8 ohm 13 Oz 50 Hz - 22 kHz 330 x 240 x 180 9.2 kg / set of 2 white / black complete with u-bracket

50110 Euros

110145 Euros

active subwoofer yes no 8” polymica cone 200 W 100 W 87 dB 4 ohm 40 Hz - 150 Hz 354 x 240 x 308 9.0 kg each black / silver-grey separate volume control / phase control

145165 Euros

165205 Euros

205459 Euros

< 20m² small kitchen, toilet,...

30m² veranda, bedroom...

40m² living room, meeting room...

50m² retail space, large living room

background

allround

warm

warm and detailed

GENIUS

price category range sound quality

system bass reflex magnetic shielded woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra

AS10

AS100

AS150

20 - 40 m2

20 - 40 m2

20 - 40 m2

2-way yes yes 4” paper cone 0.25” super polymer 120 W 55 W 88 dB 4 ohm 5.3 Oz 90 Hz - 20 kHz 250 x 200 x 90 3 kg / set of 2 white / black / silver-grey complete with bracket

2-way no yes 4” polypropylene carbon 0.75” polycarbonate 120 W 60 W 84 dB 6 ohm 7.8 Oz 100 Hz - 20 kHz 280 x 280 x 80 1.2 kg each silver-grey damp resistant

2-way yes yes 3” carbon glass 1” silk dome 110 W 56 W 86 dB 8 ohm 5.4 Oz 100 Hz - 20 kHz 185 x 135 x 152 3.2 kg each wengé / yellow / red / black complete with bracket

GENIUS

price category range sound quality

system bass reflex magnetic shielded woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra

AS250

AS -A800

AS5002

20 - 50 m2

< 50 m2

< 50 m2

2-way yes yes 5.25” carbon glass 1” silk dome 160 W 80 W 88 dB 6 ohm 10.9 Oz 70 Hz - 20 kHz 235 x 185 x 210 9 kg each wengé complete with bracket

active Class D sub-woofer yes no 8” paper cone, progressive rubber edge 150 W 100 W 90 dB 30 Hz - 160 Hz Ø 370 x 255 11 kg each high gloss black / high gloss white separate volume control phase control

3-way tower loudspeaker yes no 5" double glass fibre cone driver 1” silk dome tweeter, rubber edge 175 W 80 W 88 dB 8 ohm 43 Hz - 20 kHz 990 x 160 x 250 11 kg each high gloss black / matte black complete with base and spikes high-end loudspeaker cable connections

41

GENIUS

AS401 price category range sound quality

system bass reflex magnetic shielded woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra

< 30 m2

coaxial 2-way loudspeaker yes no 4” full range, paper cone, satin black 0.25” fabric dome tweeter 100 W 50 W 95 dB 4 ohm 90 Hz - 20 kHz 163 x 138 x 170 2 kg / set of 2 high gloss black / high gloss white complete with wall bracket fibreglass cabinet

SONAR

price category range sound quality

system bass reflex magnetic shielded woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra

price category range sound quality

AS350

AS450

AS550

20 - 40 m2

20 - 50 m2

20 - 50 m2

2-way MDF housing yes yes 3.5” PP cone 0.5” silk dome 110 W 56 W 80 dB 8 ohm 5.0 Oz 85 Hz - 20 kHz 168 x 115 x 166 1.4 kg each HG white / HG cherry / HG silver / HG black complete with wall bracket

50110 Euros

110145 Euros

2-way MDF housing yes yes 4” PP cone 0.5” silk dome 150 W 75 W 85 dB 8 ohm 5.2 Oz 60 Hz - 20 kHz 225 x 144 x 190 2.5 kg each beech / cherry / black

2-way MDF housing yes yes 5.25” polypropylene injection cone 1” silk dome 200 W 100 W 86 dB 8 ohm 8.04 Oz 50 Hz - 20 kHz 285 x 186 x 275 4 kg each black

complete with wall bracket

complete with wall bracket

145165 Euros

165205 Euros

205459 Euros

< 20m² small kitchen, toilet,...

30m² veranda, bedroom...

40m² living room, meeting room...

50m² retail space, large living room

background

allround

warm

warm and detailed

SONAR

ASC100 price category range sound quality

system bass reflex magnetic shielded woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour

20 - 50 m2

2-way centre speaker / MDF housing yes yes 4” (x2) polypropylene injection cone 1” silk dome 80 W 40 W 86 dB 4 ohm 40 Hz - 20 kHz 155 x 370 x 180 4 kg each beech and silver-grey

LINE UP

price category range sound quality

system bass reflex magnetic shielded woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra

options

E3

E4

E5

< 30 m2

< 40 m2

< 50 m2

2-way yes no 3" dual paper cone 0.75” titanium dome 60 W 30 W 88 dB 8 ohm 70 Hz - 18 kHz 290 x 140 x 205 3.5 kg each white / black protection system ABS plastic sound units complete with wall bracket -

2-way yes no 4" dual paper cone 1” titanium dome 100 W 50 W 90 dB 8 ohm 60 Hz - 18 kHz 322 x 160 x 230 6.9 kg each white / black protection system ABS plastic sound units complete with wall bracket Available in 100V and waterproof (=E4T)

2-way yes no 5" dual paper cone 1” titanium dome 140 W 70 W 91 dB 8 ohm 60 Hz - 20 kHz 355 x 180 x 255 10.9 kg each white / black protection system ABS plastic sound units complete with wall bracket Available in 100V and waterproof (=E5T)

43

LINE UP

price category range sound quality

system bass reflex magnetic shielded woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra

G4

G5

< 30 m2

< 40 m2

2-way no no 4” PP cone 0.75” Mylar 50 W 25 W 88 dB 8 /16 ohm 70 Hz - 18 kHz 238 x 155 x 151 3.0 kg each white / black protection system ABS plastic sound units complete with wall bracket switch button 8/16 ohm

2-way no no 5” PP cone 0.75” Mylar 70 W 35 W 89 dB 8 /16 ohm 60 Hz - 18 kHz 256 x 168 x 166 3.7 kg each white / black protection system ABS plastic sound units complete with wall bracket switch button 8/16 ohm

OUTSIDERS

price category range sound quality

system bass reflex magnetic shielded woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra

price category range sound quality

ASW55

ASW65

ASROCK

20 - 50 m2

40 - 50 m2

30 - 50 m2

2-way yes no 5.25” polymica cone 1” polymer dome 200 W 75 W 87 dB 8 ohm 13 Oz 85 Hz - 20 kHz 269 x 187 x 165 5.5 kg / set of 2 white / black complete with bracket, splash-resistant

50110 Euros

110145 Euros

2-way yes no 6.5” polymica cone 1” polymer dome 250 W 100 W 88 dB 8 ohm 17.8 Oz 70 Hz - 20 kHz 308 x 220 x 193 6.8 kg / set of 2 white / black complete with bracket, splash-resistant

145165 Euros

2-weg coaxial yes no 6.5” polypropylene carbon 0.5” PEI ddome 130 W 65 W 91 dB 8 ohm 10 Oz 50 Hz - 20 kHz 320 x 230 x 270 5 kg each grey / brown frost-free, splash-resistant

165205 Euros

205459 Euros

< 20m² small kitchen, toilet,...

30m² veranda, bedroom...

40m² living room, meeting room...

50m² retail space, large living room

background

allround

warm

warm and detailed

AUDIO

price category range

description radio frequencies housing dynamic bass compensation external FM/AM antenna tuner power amplifier loudspeaker aux-input headphone connection battery power supply dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour

R5 B/R/S/W

R5 WE/S.BE/B.CH

< 20 m2 2 20 - 50

m

20 - 50 m2 compact design radio AM/FM tuner FM 87.5 – 108 MHz, AM 540 – 1600 kHz ABS yes yes analogue 4 W rms 3“ yes yes rechargeable 230 V 95 x 192 x 115 1.75 kg black-wengé / black-cherry / silver-beech

compact design radio AM/FM tuner FM 87.5 – 108 MHz, AM 540 – 1600 kHz ABS yes yes analogue 4 W rms 3“ yes yes rechargeable 230 V 95 x 192 x 115 1.75 kg black / silver / white / red

AUDIO

WR1 price category range

description radio frequencies housing dynamic bass compensation external FM/AM antenna analogue tuner power amplifier loudspeaker aux-input rec-output microphone input headphone connection battery power supply dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour

20 - 50 m2

U1

Ri50

20 - 50 m2

utility radio retro radio AM/FM tuner AM/FM tuner FM 87.50 - 108 MHz, AM 520 - 1710 kHz FM 87.50 - 108 MHz, AM 520 - 1710 kHz shock-resistant PVC walnut yes yes yes yes analogue analogue 15 W 7W 6,5” 3” yes yes yes no yes yes 6 x UM-1 no 230 V 230 V 260 x 370 x 350 240 x 114 x 169.5 4.2 kg 2.35 kg yellow walnut / black

Internet radio adapter > 10,000 radio stations Live update from V’tuner Internet PVC with mirror effect no no internet no no no no 230 V 190 x 75 x 40 0.3 kg black

45

AUDIO

price category range

description radio frequencies housing dynamic bass compensation external FM/AM antenna tuner power amplifier loudspeaker aux-input headphone connection battery power supply dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra

price category range sound quality

ASA-275i

ASA-400i

20 - 40 m2

20 - 50 m2

active loudspeaker monitor + iPod docking lacquered MDF yes no digital 2 x 15 W rms 2.75” Kevlar woofers, 20 mm silk dome tweeters yes no no 115 V / 230 V 167 x 118 x 150 6 kg / set black high gloss / white high gloss remote control

50110 Euros

110145 Euros

active loudspeaker monitor + iPod docking AM/FM, 10 pre-sets, RDS FM 87.5 - 108 MHz, AM 522 - 1620 kHz lacquered MDF yes yes digital 2 x 20 W rms 4” Kevlar woofers 20 mm silk dome tweeters yes no no 115 V / 230 V 220 x 180 x 160 7 kg / set black high gloss / white high gloss remote control

145165 Euros

165205 Euros

205459 Euros

< 20m² small kitchen, toilet,...

30m² veranda, bedroom...

40m² living room, meeting room...

50m² retail space, large living room

background

allround

warm

warm and detailed

BASIC

price category range sound quality

system woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (diam x d) weight colour extra options

MD30

MD50

MDC401

20 - 30 m2

20 - 50 m2

20 - 40 m2

voice coil 4” polypropylene 20 W 10 W 90 dB 8 ohm 2.8 Oz 50 Hz - 20 kHz 105 x 50 0.92 kg / set of 2 white / grey KIT RO135

voice coil 3” polypropylene 20 W 10 W 91 dB 8 ohm 2.8 Oz 50 Hz - 15 kHz 80 x 44 0.75 kg / set of 2 white / grey KIT RO105 105

44

135

2-way coaxial 4” polypropylene carbon 0.5” polycarbonate 60 W 30 W 84 dB 8 ohm 6.5 Oz 70 Hz - 20 kHz 135 x 70 2 kg / set of 2 white paintable -

50

105 80

165

70

135 105

165 135

BASIC

MDC501 price category range sound quality

system woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (diam x d) weight colour extra options

MDC620

MDC650

20 - 50 m2

20 - 50 m2

20 - 50 m2

2-way coaxial 5.25” polypropylene carbon 0.5” polycarbonate 70 W 35 W 92 dB 8 ohm Ceramic 7.8 Oz 85 Hz - 20 kHz 175 x 70 2.75 kg / set of 2 white paintable KIT RO212 - MOKIT RO212 212

70

2-way coaxial 6.5” polypropylene carbon 0.5” polycarbonate 80 W 40 W 92 dB 8 ohm Ferrite 12 Oz 63 Hz - 20 kHz 205 x 75 3.5 kg / set of 2 white paintable KIT RO238 - MOKIT RO238 240

212 175

70

stereo speaker 6.5” injection cone rubber 0.5 x 2” neodymium aluminium dome 80 W 40 W 87 dB 8 ohm 10 Oz 60 Hz - 20 kHz 195 x 85 1.7 kg each white paintable 230

240 205

85 230 195

47

BASIC

price category range sound quality

system woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra options

DC101

DC201

DC301

20 - 50 m2

20 - 40 m2

20 - 50 m2

2-way coaxial 5.25” polypropylene carbon 0.5” polycarbonate 70 W 35 W 88 dB 8 ohm Ceramic 7.8 Oz 65 Hz - 20 kHz 148 x 148 x 70 1.86 kg / set of 2 white paintable KIT SQ180/180 70

180

2-way 4” polypropylene carbon 0.5” polycarbonate 60 W 30 W 84 dB 8 ohm Ceramic 6.5 Oz 70 Hz - 20 kHz 195 x 120 x 65 2.75 kg / set of 2 white paintable KIT RE145/220 120 145

2-way 5.25” polypropylene carbon 1” polycarbonate 80 W 40 W 87 dB 8 ohm Ceramic 10 Oz 65 Hz - 20 kHz 245 x 155 x 70 4.25 kg / set of 2 white paintable KIT RE190/280 155 190

65

70

180 148 220 195

280 245

WATERPROOF

price category range sound quality

system woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra options

MDC6

MDC64

DC84

20 - 40 m2

20 - 50 m2

20 - 50 m2

voice coil 5” polypropylene carbon cone dual cone 60 W 35 W 86 dB 8 ohm 5.3 Oz 102 Hz - 20 kHz Ø 130 x 50 1 kg / set of 2 white / black waterproof 155

50

voice coil 6.5” polypropylene carbon cone dual cone 100 W 50 W 86 dB 8 ohm 7.8 Oz 95 Hz - 20 kHz Ø 135 x 80 2 kg / set of 2 white waterproof 177

80

146

180 135

75

195

✃

155 130

2-way 6.5” polypropylene carbon cone 0.5” dome 100 W 50 W 86 dB 8 ohm 7.8 Oz 63 Hz - 20 kHz 146 x 146 x 75 1.5 kg / set of 2 white waterproof KIT SQ180/180

146 165 cut out

price category range sound quality

50110 Euros

110145 Euros

145165 Euros

165205 Euros

205459 Euros

< 20m² small kitchen, toilet,...

30m² veranda, bedroom...

40m² living room, meeting room...

50m² retail space, large living room

background

allround

warm

warm and detailed

X-TENDED

price category range sound quality

system woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra options

RO525

RO650

SQ525

20 - 50 m2

20 - 50 m2

20 - 50 m2

2-way coaxial 5.25" aluminium cone rubber edge 0.75” swivel neodymium alu. dome 75 W 40 W 88 dB 8 ohm 8 Oz 65 Hz - 20 kHz Ø 175 X 70 2.5 kg / set of 2 white paintable, swivel tweeter KIT RO212 - MOKIT RO212 215

70

2-way coaxial 6.5" aluminium cone rubber edge 0.75” swivel neodymium alu. dome 85 W 45 W 88 dB 8 ohm 10 Oz 60 Hz - 20 kHz Ø 195 x 80 2.85 kg / set of 2 white paintable, swivel tweeter MOKIT RO238 225

212 175

80

2-way coaxial 5.25" aluminium cone rubber edge 0.75” swivel neodymium alu. dome 75 W 40 W 88 dB 8 ohm 8 Oz 65 Hz - 20 kHz 148 x 148 x 70 2.4 kg / set of 2 white paintable, swivel tweeter KIT SQ180/180 180

225 195

75 180 148

X-TENDED

RE650 price category range sound quality

system woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra options

20 - 50 m2

2-way 5.25" aluminium cone rubber edge 0.75” swivel neodymium alu. dome 85 W 45 W 88 dB 8 ohm 11 Oz 60 Hz - 20 kHz 240 x 155 x 75 3.4 kg / set of 2 white paintable, swivel tweeter KIT RE190/280 155 190

75

280 240

49

GOLD SERIES

price category range sound quality

system woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra options

MDC700

MDC800

DC700

20 - 50 m2

20 - 50 m2

20 - 50 m2

2-way coaxial 5.25” injection anodized titanium 0,75” neodymium titanium dome 100 W 50 W 87 dB 4 ohm 11 Oz 64 Hz - 20 kHz Ø 175 x 75 2.8 kg / set of 2 white paintable, swivel tweeter, protection system KIT RO212 - MOKIT RO212 75

215

2-way coaxial 6.5” injection anodized titanium 0,75” neodymium titanium dome 120 W 60 W 91 dB 4 ohm 13 Oz 60 Hz - 20 kHz Ø 206 x 85 4 kg / set of 2 white paintable, swivel tweeter, protection system KIT RO238 - MOKIT RO238 85

240 215 175

2-way coaxial 5.25” injection anodized titanium 0,75” neodymium titanium dome 100 W 50 W 87 dB 4 ohm 11 Oz 64 Hz - 20 kHz 148 x 148 x 70 2.8 kg / set of 2 white paintable, swivel tweeter, protection system KIT SQ180/180 80

180 240 206

180 148

GOLD SERIES

price category range sound quality

system bass reflex magnetic shielded woofer tweeter max. power nominal power (RMS) dB impedance magnet frequency range dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour extra options

DC800

DC1000

DC2050

20 - 50 m2

20 - 50 m2

20 - 50 m2

2-way coaxial 6.5” injection anodized titanium 1” neodymium titanium dome 120 W 60 W 88 dB 4 ohm 13 Oz 60 Hz - 20 kHz 185 x 185 x 85 4 kg / set of 2 white paintable, swivel tweeter, protection system KIT SQ220/220 220

85

2-way yes 6.5” injection anodized titanium 1” neodymium titanium dome 160 W 80 W 88 dB 4 ohm 13 Oz 50 Hz - 20 kHz 275 x 190 x 85 3.4 kg / set of 2 white paintable, tone control protection system, swivel tweeter KIT RE220/300 - MOKIT RE220/300 190 220

2-way centre speaker yes 5.25” (x2) injection anodized titanium 1” neodymium titanium dome 80 W 40 W 87 dB 6 ohm 10 Oz 60 Hz - 20 kHz 190 x 415 x 85 4.15 kg each white paintable, protection system swivel tweeter KIT RE225/450 190 225

85

85

220 185 306 275

450 415

drop-in kits Practical drop-in kits have been developed for the X-Tended, Gold Series and Basic inwall loudspeakers.

â&#x20AC;˘ For the round models this consists of a special acoustic PVC pot which fully seals the rear of the loudspeaker. â&#x20AC;˘ For the square models, we have developed a customized square-shaped rear from MDF. â&#x20AC;˘ For several models we have a special kit which enables the loudspeaker to be fitted

in the wall. Thanks to the kit, you can fix the loudspeaker firmly in the wall and your adhesive will be flush with the front (frame) of the inwall speaker. The MOKIT RE220/300 is even supplied with an additional PVC inwall receptacle for extra loudspeaker protection.

ROUND MODELS Type KIT material dim. mm (h x w x d) suitable for colour

Type KIT material dim. mm (diam. x d) suitable for colour

KIT RO105

KIT RO135

metal, fireproof 85 x 80 x 80 MD30 white

metal, fireproof 85 x 100 x 80 MD50 white

KIT RO212

KIT RO238

acoustic PVC (incl. screws) 175 x 105 MDC501 / RO525 / MDC700 white

acoustic PVC (incl. screws) 205 x 130 MDC620 / RO650 / MDC800 white

Type KIT material dim. mm (diam.) suitable for colour

MOKIT RO212

MOKIT RO238

PVC 215 MDC501 / RO525 / MDC700 black

PVC 245 MDC620 / RO650 / MDC800 black

Type KIT material dim. mm (h x w x d) suitable for

KIT SQ180/180

KIT SQ220/220

MDF (screws included) 165 x 165 x 95 DC101 / SQ525 / DC700 / DC84 brown

MDF (screws included) 205 x 205 x 95 DC800

Type KIT material dim. mm (h x w x d) suitable for colour

KIT RE145/220

KIT RE190/280

MDF (screws included) 215 x 138 x 100 DC201 brown

MDF (screws included) 265 x 175 x 100 DC301 / RE650 brown

Type KIT material dim. mm (h x w x d) suitable for colour

KIT RE220/300

KIT RE225/450

MDF (screws included) 290 x 210 x 95 DC1000 brown

MDF (screws included) 435 x 205 x 95 DC2050 brown

Type KIT material dim. mm (h x w x d) suitable for colour

MOKIT RE220/300

SQUARE MODELS

colour

brown

MDF (screws included) 370 x 275 x 85 DC1000 black

51

volume controllers Each of these volume controllers allows you to regulate the volume separately for each of the speakers located in different rooms (or zones). They are available in low impedance and in 100 V versions, in Niko as well as BTicino models.

BTICINO

NIKO power nominal power (RMS) stereo resistance colour

2 x 40 W 2 x 20 W yes 4 - 16 ohm milk / white / silver / anthracite

power nominal power (RMS) stereo resistance colour

2 x 40 W 2 x 20 W yes 4 - 16 ohm white and silver-grey

N-VOLST-100 CRĂ&#x2C6;ME

TNW-VOLST BTICINO LIGHT

N-VOLST-101WHITE

TNS-VOLST BTICINO LIGHT TECH

N-VOLST-121 STERLING GREY

N-VOLST-122 ANTHRACITE

SVC6 & SVC4 You can connect the SVC6 to six pairs of loudspeakers to one amplifier output. The device ensures that your amplifier will not be subjected to excessive load as a result. The practical dials on the front panel allow you to adjust the volume for each pair of loudspeakers separately. This makes it possible to create up to six different volume zones. The styling and finishing allows the SVC6 to blend in perfectly with your hi-fi installation.

The SVC4 offers the same options as the SVC6, yet is limited to four pairs of loudspeakers.

SVC6 description max. power loudspeaker output impedance amplifier input impedance dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour

SVC4

volume control for 6 sets of loudspeakers 2 x 180 W (input level) 8 ohm 4 ohm 45 x 430 x 230 5.6 kg black / silver-grey

volume control for 4 sets of loudspeakers 2 x 80 W (input level) 8 ohm 4 ohm 45 x 210 x 150 1.8 kg black / silver-grey

AMP1250 The AMP1250 is a multichannel amplifier allowing you to control 12 (mono) or 6 (stereo) loudspeakers (zones). Every stereo loudspeaker zone is allocated the generous power capacity of 2 x 50 watt.

It is also possible to use the amplifier in a bridged configuration which allows you to draw on 6 x 100 watt of power. The AMP1250 is perfectly capable of serving as a central power unit for an existing multi-room sound system, but may also be used as a standalone. This allows you to listen to one designated tuner, CD, mp3 player, etc. in different rooms and using local volume controls - see page 52 - you can adjust the sound as you like. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also nice to know is that the the management circuit will automatically turn on or off the amplifier levels when a signal comes in. And of course, the unit is very well-protected.

description frequency range housing output power aux-input rec-output dimensions mm (h x w x d) weight colour

multichannel amplifier 20 Hz - 20 kHz metal 12 x 50 W (bridged 6 X 100 W) yes yes 132 x 435 x 301 16 kg silver-grey

53

ART2.1

Never before was it so easy to provide music in an extra room. The extremely compact and thus discreet housing of the ART2.1 contains a stereo amplifier, an FM tuner with four pre-sets and the option of connecting it to an external sound source. Thanks to its minimal dimensions, you can easily hide the device in a false ceiling, for example, via the hole for the inwall loudspeakers. The advantage of the RF remote control included is that you don't have to stay within the ART2.1's 'line of sight'. This allows you to easily choose your favourite music and control the volume, wherever you happen to be.

description

sources operation

various features

weight dim. mm (h x w x d)

local audio distribution system Class D 2 x 6W RMS (4 Ohm) 1 x built-in FM tuner (external antenna / 4 pre-sets) 1 x AUX input (mini stereo jack) built-in RF receiver 868 MHZ (Easywave) RF remote control (10 buttons) = wall bracket optional 8-way RF wall control possible volume control, 4 FM pre-sets, AUX input compact housing mono-stereo switch power supply 110 V - 230 V 0.5 kg 120 x 65 x 40

Accessories Remote control 2.1 One push of the button is enough to select the radio or an additional sound source you've connected, to control the volume, and then operate the radio. You can also save the radio pre-sets to the memory function.

RM2.1

Wireless 8-way wall transmitter This offers you nearly the same possibilities as the unit described adjacent. The wall transmitter consists of a base (410-00003) and is available in three standard colours.

white 120-76100 - cover 120-00050-11 keys grey 121-76100 - cover 121-00050-11 keys anthracite 122-76100 - cover 122-00050-11 keys

410-00003 (basic unit)

ART2.4

The ART2.4 is an unusually complete and user-friendly audio distribution system, which allows you to distribute sound simultaneously from the built-in FM tuner and an external audio source through four separate zones. In addition, there is a 2 x 25 watt Class D amplifier component for each zone. The built-in FM tuner provides RDS info and allows you to program six presets. This all-in package may be placed in the blink of an eye, and may also be integrated into various home automation systems.

NEW: Up to 4 RF remote controls (per ART2.4) and 2 wall transmitters (per zone) possible.

description output power sources operation various features

weight dim. mm (h x w x d)

audio distribution system for 4 zones (built-in FM tuner) Class D 2 x 25W RMS per zone 1 x built-in FM tuner with RDS info 1 x external audio source (via RCA) built-in RF receiver (Easywave) RF remote control (incl.)

1 x serial RS232 port (integration with home automation applications) â&#x20AC;&#x153;partyâ&#x20AC;? mode (the same music played in different zones) event planner (via software included) temperature protection power supply 230 V 6.4 kg 72 x 436 x 290

Accessories Remote control 2.4

Wireless 8-way wall transmitter

One push of the button is enough to select the various zones, to turn the zones on and off, to control the volume, and operate the radio. You can also save the radio pre-sets to the memory function. Thanks to the recent update, you can use as many as 4 remote controls for each ART2.4. Versatile, you were saying?

Offers nearly the same possibilities as the unit described adjacent. The wall transmitter consists of a base (410-00003) and is available in three standard colours.

RM2.4

GP868

External RF antenna This antenna ensures an even greater range of RF signals in complex situations.

white 120-76100 - cover 120-00050-11 keys grey 121-76100 - cover 121-00050-11 keys anthracite 122-76100 - cover 122-00050-11 keys

410-00003 (basic unit)

KNX interface This interface facilitates simple integration with KNX-based home automation applications.

55

ART5.4 & ART8.8

The ART8.8 is a high-quality audio distribution system allowing you to send up to 8 different sound sources to 8 sound zones. Each zone is equipped with a powerful 2 x 20 watt RMS Class D amplifier component. In addition to the two FM tuners on board, the ART8.8 can also process three digital audio streams. These may originate from Internet radio, an external hard drive, a USB source device and/or an SD memory card. With respect to the last two media, the front panel is equipped with the necessary ports so that the desired components may be connected easily.

description sources operation

various features

weight dim. mm (h x w x d)

An additional three external audio sources may also be connected. The system offers wireless bi-directional communication, which for example means that you can see the information on your intelligent remote control for the music that is being played in a certain zone: track details for an mp3 file, RDS information or a CD track. The unit comes standard with 1 remote control.

Via the optional ARTS.4 expansion module, the ART8.8 system may be expanded by four extra zones.

The ART5.4 offers the same options, yet is limited to four zones and five sources: 2 FM tuners, 1 digital audio stream and 2 external audio sources.

audio distribution system for 4 zones (ART5.4) or 8 zones (ART8.8) Class D amplifier components - 2 x 20W RMS per zone master zone for connection to external (surround) amplifier 2 x built-in FM tuner with RDS info 1 (ART5.4) or 3 (ART8.8) x digital audio players (USB slot, SD, Shared Media or Internet radio) 2 (ART5.4) or 3 (ART8.8) x external audio sourcers with IR control (e.g., iPod docking) built-in bi-directional RF transceiver (2.4 GHz Zigbee) wireless control option (max. 16 remote controls) bus system for wired control (KNX cable) Ethernet port (for set-up as well as control) 2 x serial RS232 port (integration with home automation applications...)

5 x configurable IR ports 4 x trigger inputs 1 x trigger outputs future-proof via software updates (USB) 2 â&#x20AC;&#x153;partyâ&#x20AC;? modes (same music played in several zones) event planner (via configuration menu; based on web interface) power supply 110 V - 230 V 6 kg (ART5.4) / 6.2 kg (ART8.8) 115 x 436 x 415

Accessories RF remote control ART5.4 / ART8.8 This beautiful and practical remote control has an easily readable colour LCD display and a practical navigation island which makes it easy to operate the entire system (choice of source, sound control, volume, track selection, etc.) The unit comes standard with 1 remote control, additional devices are possible.

Wired wall control ART5.4 / ART8.8 These compact touch screen wall controls allow interactive operation in the zone.

RM5.4/8.8

white 120-76100 - cover 120-0049-11 keys

RM5.4/8.8easy * One push of the button is enough to select a different music source and to regulate the volume.

8-way wall transmitter* One push of the button is enough to select different sources, control the volume, or regulate the zone. The wall transmitter consists of a basic unit (410-00003) and is available in two standard colours.

grey 121-76100 - cover 121-0049-11 keys

410-00003 (basic unit)

*required interface IF001

IF001

Thanks to the RS232 ports and Ethernet connection, we can also facilitate integration with different types of home automation systems.

For any analogue sources to be connectd to the ART5.4/8.8, please refer to p. 58 where images of IR-flashers as well as M1 and M2 are displayed.

57

infrared solutions It can often come in handy to be able to send infrared commands via your ArtSound remote controls and wall transmitters to external audio sources, such as a CD player. This is why ArtSound offers several accessories that make this possible.

Mini inwall IR receiver 16-720 This extremely compact infrared receiver may be easily built in to the wall or ceiling. The only part that remains visible is the front edge. Available in black or white. With a 4-pronged (3.5 mm) jack plug, built-in LED for IR-reception and status and dimming of ambient light. This may be used in combination with an IR connection block and IR flashers.

Printed circuit board IR 16-729 Use this IR printed circuit board as an interface between the 4-pronged mini jack on the IR receivers and the 4 wires of the infrared circuit.

Mini onwall receiver 16-721 (white) / 16-722 (black)

IR Connection Block 16-724

This has the same features as the inwall receiver, yet may be mounted to the wall or on furniture.

This IR connection block must be installed near the audio and video equipment that are to be controlled.

Using the DIP switches, you can program the necessary settings.

The IR connection block comes equipped with the following connections for:

IR Bookshelf receiver 16-723

• controlling the IR flashers

Same as inwall IR receiver, but may be placed on the cabinet where your audio and video equipement is set up.

• communication with IR receivers via four wire clamps and a 3.5 mm jack • the power supply (see optional, external power supply below)

Single IR Flasher M1 The mini jack is plugged into the IR connection block (see right), and the self-adhering ‘flasher’ is stuck to the infrared window on, for example, a CD player.

Double IR Flasher M2 Same as the single flasher, but suitable for connection to two sound or image devices

Power supply for connection block 16-725 This power supply provides 12V DC / 700 mA to the IR connection block.

Draw here a floor plan of the room(s) where you would like to install your speakers.

Indicate the exact locations where you would like your speakers, adding any ideas or comments you might have. Take your overview with you to your dealer. He or she can help you create a sound plan based on your expectations and requirements.

59

Draw here a floor plan of the room(s) where you would like to install your speakers.

Indicate the exact locations where you would like your speakers, adding any ideas or comments you might have. Take your overview with you to your dealer. He or she can help you create a sound plan based on your expectations and requirements.

61

Draw here a floor plan of the room(s) where you would like to install your speakers.

Indicate the exact locations where you would like your speakers, adding any ideas or comments you might have. Take your overview with you to your dealer. He or she can help you create a sound plan based on your expectations and requirements.

63

Manual This table, “the elements of sound”, is a handy overview of what ArtSound offers in terms of inwall and onwall loudspeakers.

The table indicates that there is a solution available for every situation: outdoors, indoors, large or small. You can find a loudspeaker for any location. Thanks to the handy key, you will also see straight away the applications for which this product has been developed. This table indicates how powerful the loudspeaker is (range), which sounds it produces and under which price category it falls.

You can download more details from www.artsound.be or call +32 9 3808180.

AS10

price category series

range

product name colour

20-40 m2

sound

Onwall AS20

< 20 m2

AS100

20-40 m2

AS30

20-40 m2

20-40 m2

20-40 m2

< 30 m2

20-50 m2

20-50 m2

20-40 m2

20-50 m2

< 40 m2

40-50 m2

< 50 m2

E3

< 30 m2

G4

< 30 m2

Rock

30-50 m2

E5

ASW65

AS450

20-50 m2

E4

ASW55

AS350

AS-A800

< 50 m2

20-50 m2

AS-C100

AS250

AS-A100

20-50 m2

AS550

AS-401

AS150

AS50

30-50 m2

< 50 m2

AS10

AS40

20-40 m2

AS-5002

G5

< 40 m2

sound

price category Background: suitable for background music Allround: this type may be used everywhere, in large as well as smaller rooms.

series Onwall Inwall

Traditionals Genius Sonar Outsiders Basic X-tended Gold Series Waterproof

165205 euro

110145 euro

205459 euro

145165 euro

Warm: excels in the reproduction of all types of music.

Warm and detailed: this category is the crème de la crème.

50110 euro

range < 20m² small kitchen, toilet, office, narrow corridor 30m² kitchen, veranda, bedroom, jacuzzi,...

40m² living room, small meeting room, patio 50m² shop space, large living room/kitchen

Inwall DC101

20-50 m2

20-50 m2

DC201

20-40 m2

20-50 m2

20-30 m2

20-50 m2

20-50 m2

20-50 m2

20-50 m2

20-50 m2

20-50 m2

DC84

20-50 m2

DC2050C

20-50 m2

DC700

20-50 m2

20-50 m2

DC1000

MDC700

20-50 m2

MDC64

DC800

RE650

RO525

20-50 m2

MDC800

RO650

MD50

MDC501

20-50 m2

20-50 m2

MD30

MDC401

20-40 m2

MDC650

DC301

20-50 m2

SQ525

MDC620

MDC6

20-40 m2

65

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