| 0 comments ]

In-Wall speakers are nice, yeah, but you're really not a fan of butchering up your walls just to get some audio from up there. but, what can you do?

Hold it right there!
You can now experience fantastic audio in your home with a rather brilliantly designed set of speakers from SpeakerCraft. Whats more, these do not stick out sorely in your lovingly modelled interiors. Sounds pretty wonderful, uhu?

SpeakerCraft, one of the largest selling custom installed audio/video product brands, have introduced their radical new loudspeakers, dubbed the Sound Pillows.

Yeah, they are 'pillows' all right. In a radical departure from your run-of-the-mill standard in-wall speakers, the SpeakerCraft Sound Pillows are "softly sculpted" surface mount speakers that can be mounted on any solid surface. They only require a small cutout for wire terminations. This gives you the advantage of installing them in discrete places without the necessity of ripping up your building walls and plaster.

Speaker Installation in a snap
Dave Donald, SpeakerCraft VP of marketing says,"Making things easy for the installers is one of our prime concerns". The speakers are available in round and square versions with identical driver configuration.


The SpeakerCraft Sound Pillows can be mounted onto your surface of choice in two ways, depending on the surface in question:

1. One has flip-out dogs that sandwich the drywall to create a "dog frame" that a mounting plate can be attached to. The plate contains all the speaker wire connections. Then the speaker needs just two push-in tabs to hook the speaker to the plate and wire connections.

2. The plate can also mount directly onto a wall surface or junction box, also with the simple push-in of the mounting tabs connecting the speaker to the wires.

Sound Pillows Specifications:
Round or Square versions
5.25 inch Kevlar woofer
1 inch coaxially mounted pivoting silk-dome tweeter
Efficiency of 87dB 1W/1m
Impedance of 8 ohms
Power Handling of 50 Watts
Frequency response of 70Hz - 20kHz

Dimensions
Round : 11 1/2" Diameter x 3 3/16" Depth
Square : 11 1/2" H x 11 1/2" W x 3 3/16" Depth

There are always certain situations where the use of in-wall or in-ceiling speakers are simply not feasible. The Multiple Dwelling Unit or MDU is a perfect example. These are great speakers for MDU applications where cutting into the wall is either not allowed or not preferred. The SpeakerCraft Sound Pillows allow for great sound reproduction in these situations with an elegant and functional solution.

Since the speakers technically reside in the room instead of in the wall there are also no sound transmission concerns that are often a problem in luxury apartments or condominiums. The speakers can also be easily removed and taken to another location when the owner moves.

Far better than the standard flush mounted speakers, the Sound Pillows will fill any room in a condo, town home, or apartment with an incredible musical experience. No word on how much these beauties will cost, but you can check with a SpeakerCraft dealer for pricing and availability, and get ready to show off your new 'Pillows' on your next Gladiator movie night.

-end of story-

Read the rest of the story >>
| 0 comments ]

If only Japan's Kuchofuku recognize their potential, they could make a killing here in India. In a country where the temperature gets so hot, that some people save on cooking fuel by cooking their food right out in the sun - this Japanese company would have a huge, I mean HUGE demand for their products.

Kuchofuku is famous for products like their Air-conditioned Bed and clothing. And now, they've come up with an air-conditioned cushion to keep your butt cool. Seriously. I'm told its the latest rage in personal cooling.














Called the Suzukaze (which means "cool breeze"), the cushion keeps you elevated from the chair so cold air could come in directly from underneath. No more fretting uncomfortably with wet pants and wet chairs during summer. Using new materials and energy-saving fans, Suzukaze cools you in your seat without consuming much-needed power and emits almost no noise at all.









In regions with perennial summer, like most of India, discomfort during hot weather occurs with accumulating moisture on the seat, and Suzukaze helps dissipate this moisture and keep the seat fresh. Best of all, it really takes very little energy. One month of use, for eight hours a day, according to the company. will cost only five cents. You can't get cooling for any lower than that. The makers of this product hope that it will help lessen the usage of air-conditioners, thus saving energy and money.

A Super material
To promote free airflow, the Suzukaze uses a Super Spacer material that is soft and flexible, which transfers the comfy-ness of the seat you’re sitting on through the cushion to your...uhh...body. The built-in fan inside the cushion pumps over 170 liters of air per minute through the cushion, causing the dissipation of the heat and moisture around your buttocks that cause discomfort and sweating.

Three models to keep the butt cool
The company has three versions of the Suzukaze on the market.

1. The Standard version is the basic model, battery-powered with the Super Spacer material inside.

2. The High Grade version uses a more durable dual-layer Super Spacer and takes the power saving to...well...another level with just a flip of a touch sensitive switch that turns the fan on/off depending on whether you’re sitting there or not.

3. Finally, for those on the road, they have a model made purely for use in the car seat. It connects to the car’s power adapter. With gas prices fluctuating the way they are, the power savings of less A/C use will pay for this device in no time.

Specifications:
Models: Standard (S)/ High Grade (HG)


• ***High Grade model incorporates seat-sensitive on/off switch, plus dual-layer material for durability.***
• Super Spacer material
• Size: 41 x 56cm (16 x 22”)
• Belt length: 45cm (17.7”)
• Cushion weight: 272g (S) / 356g (HG)
• Battery pack weight: 44g
• Air flow: 108~198 (S) / 108~192 (HG) ltr/min
• Battery pack (AA x 4)
• Power consumption: 18 hours continuous use on “high”

Car Seat Model:















• Size: 41 x 61cm (16 x 24”)
• Belt Length: 60cm (24”)
• Weight: 310g
• Includes car power adapter
• Standard version material
• Air flow: 174 ltr/min

Most important of all, the Suzukaze butt cooler is Eco-Friendly. Even if you use it every day for 8 hours (on rechargeable Eneloop batteries), your monthly electricity use will be a mere 5 cents! Can you imagine that! You can save money on fuel as well by utilizing the Car Seat model instead of cranking up the A/C. Using the High Grade model for it’s seat-sensitive on/of switch saves even more power.

The unit can be powered via an AC adapter, car adapter or rechargeable batteries, and the built-in fan moves over 170 liters of air per minute in order to "dissipate heat and moisture around the buttocks that causes discomfort and sweating." Well, when you put it like that, $91 seems like a real bargain. If you still have doubts, watch the clip.



When you see the big picture, it is more economical and energy-friendly to always deal with climate matters on a personal level anyway. You know this is only the beginning, but don't you think you would prefer to control your own comfort level with your clothing or furniture, economically, rather than have one centralized source or everyone in the room, that gobbles up a humongous amount of power ?

Product Page :
You can buy the Suzukaze Air Conditioned seat cushion from the Japan Trend Shop.

-end of story-


Read the rest of the story >>