Audio Video News

Only a handful of companies have successfully made and marketed both electronics and loudspeakers, but Krell Industries intends to do just that. The legendary electronics maker has introduced new high-performance loudspeaker system designated the "Lossless Acoustic Transducer" (LAT) Series. The new speakers made their official debut at the 2001 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Krell is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a high-end manufacturer with its first venture into full-range loudspeakers. The new products include models for high-end stereo music systems and multichannel home theater systems. Krell developed the LAT series because of what the company perceived as a glaring need for no-compromise speakers to match recent advancements in electronics, according to Krell CEO Dan D'Agostino. "The development of the Lossless Acoustic Transducer was a virtual necessity, arising from the great success of our CAST ["current audio signal transmission," for which Krell has applied for a patent-Ed.] technology," D'Agostino stated. "Because our CAST components deliver an audio signal of such exceptional resolution and bandwidth, we needed loudspeakers that would do them justice . . . The new LAT series are the first loudspeakers engineered to our exacting standards."

Like Krell's statement subwoofer first displayed at the 2000 CES, LAT Series loudspeakers are made of massive amounts of aluminum, chosen for its rigidity, strength:weight ratio, and its high acoustic damping qualities, when properly cast and machined. The curvature of LAT cabinets, for example, is designed to absolutely minimize the effects of internal standing waves and external high-frequency diffraction, according to advance publicity.

"Aluminum is the best material for the job," D'Agostino explained. "Within the audio passband, our cabinets are sonically inert-something you can't say about any wood or wood derivative." LAT speakers feature separate crossover network assemblies for each complement of drivers, mounted on 1/8-inch thick glass epoxy circuit boards with 4-ounce copper traces, for "superior linearity by minimizing circuit resistance and inductance." Such robust construction also "eliminates microphonics and assures high current handling capability."

The driver/crossover system presents an ideal load to an amplifier, insuring maximum transfer of power---and maximum resolution, Krell claims. Krell's LAT Series loudspeakers can be auditioned at Krell dealers worldwide.