When loudspeakers are to be integrated in private homes or business environments, basically two options are at hand: either the speakers should function as an eye-catcher, as objects substantially adding to the aesthetics of the room; or they should be positioned unobtrusively in the room, taking up as little space as possible, or built in in different objects of the room. For the latter case, Fraunhofer IDMT is now looking for partners from the furniture industry to integrate the speakers with their pieces. »imm cologne is the perfect platform for us to get in touch with interior designers and manufacturers of home and office furniture. Our planar speakers come with a space-saving, modular design and can be installed nearly anywhere«, says Dr. Daniel Beer of Fraunhofer IDMT.

Easy integration, multiple design options

As the speakers are extremely variable in size and design, requiring a depth of enclosure of less than 2 cm, designers of furniture as well as interior designers will not be limited in their freedom of design. The speakers can be integrated with practically any piece of furniture (such as sofas, armchairs, or tables), or entirely hidden behind walls. At imm cologne, the Fraunhofer experts will be showcasing three versions of the speaker being integrated with another object: a picture frame, a rack, and a cabinet door. And, of course, visitors will have the chance to experience the great sound quality of the speakers.

Personal sound zones for individual listening comfort

Alongside with its planar speakers, the researchers from Ilmenau will be presenting their personal sound zones technology. In combination with the speakers, a special signal processing algorithm is used to direct sound to exactly defined areas in a room, allowing its subdivision into several acoustic zones.

"We are very optimistic that our solution will soon be available for being used by people in their private homes. It will then be possible to create different auditory events for a number of people being present in the same room, and no-one will be disturbed by the sound of the adjoining zones", says Daniel Beer. Other areas of application of the technology could be lobbies or wellness sections in hotels, or exhibition areas in museums, at trade shows, or in supermarkets – simply anywhere a number of individual sound zones need to be created with the help of unobtrusive, flexibly adjustable loudspeaker technology.

Please feel free to visit us at imm cologne (Hall 4.2, Booth E42) – and get to know our unique, integrated, high-end audio and interior design solutions.