New series gives dealers the option to install an outdoor subwoofer either in-ground or above-ground, expanding placement options.
Reinforcing its commitment to provide dealers with versatile audio solutions that meet real world installation challenges, Nortek Security & Control (NSC) today announced the new SpeakerCraft® Terrazza™ Series Landscape Speaker System, a multi-speaker solution that enables dealers to pair satellite speakers with either in-ground or above-ground subwoofers to create a 360-degree outdoor sound experience.
Consisting of four SpeakerCraft Landscape Satellite Speakers and either a traditional Burial Subwoofer or a brand new above-ground Hardscape Subwoofer, the new series is being introduced and demonstrated for the first time at CEDIA 2018 in Nortek Security & Control Booth #4637 in the San Diego Convention Center.
“When speaking with our dealers we learned that not every backyard is conducive to an in-ground subwoofer installation. Outdoor areas with high water tables, rocky soil, highly compacted clay, and hardscape surfaces such as concrete make traditional burial subwoofer installation undesirable,” explained NSC Director of Audio Alex Zaliauskas. “We have designed a system that provides an exceptional outdoor audio experience with exceptional flexibility. Dealers can now choose to use a traditional Burial Subwoofer, or the all-new Hardscape Subwoofer, to best fit each installation.”
Optimal for installations in which in-ground installation isn’t possible, the all-new SpeakerCraft® 8” Hardscape Subwoofer features an ultra-waterproof rotational molded Polyethylene enclosure and a high excursion 8” DVC woofer with rubber surround. Equipped with a 1m burial-rated speaker wire, silicone-filled wire nuts, a theft-resistant eyelet fastening point and a rust-resistant aluminum grill, the subwoofer is both sturdy and secure.
For installations that allow for in-ground installation, the traditional 8” SpeakerCraft Burial Subwoofer features a low-noise ABS Canopy/Reflector with UV resistant paint and a weatherproof Rotational Molded Polyethylene enclosure. It also includes a high Excursion 8” DVC woofer with rubber surround, and allows for 2nd order crossover on both channels.
Either the Hardscape Subwoofer or Burial Subwoofer comes paired with four Landscape Satellite Speakers to create a Terrazza Series Landscape System.
The SpeakerCraft Landscape Satellite Speakers cater to every type of outdoor installation, featuring a 4” Polypropylene cone woofer with a ¾” Titanium Dome Tweeter, and high strength “weed-whacker” resistant ABS with fiberglass reinforced construction. Each speaker stake also features a wire exit hole with included wire and silicone-filled wire nuts.
Additionally, the Landscape Satellite Speakers’ ‘Pivot and Rotate + Quick Connect Stake’ allows for easier outdoor speaker installation than ever before. “All satellite speakers in the system feature a tool-less ‘quick connect’ installation method that allows the stake to be knocked into the ground to the desired depth, then attached to the speaker without the need of rotation or threading — which can bind the wires and cause failures,” Zaliauskas explained.
A simple built-in thumbscrew is used to rotate and tilt the speaker and tighten the speaker after the stake is in the ground. “We even include a handy ‘ground and pound’ hammer cover to prevent damage during installation,” Zaliauskas continued. “Many competitive installation methods call for using the entire weight of your body to shove a combined stake and speaker assembly into the ground, resulting in frequent failures.”
Unlike high performance landscape systems that require expensive high-power amplifiers, the new SpeakerCraft Terrazza Landscape Series System is designed to be used with lower powered distributed audio amplifiers or extended audio zones (like Zone 2) from conventional AVRs. The system can be expanded to up to an 8.2 system, and integrators have the option to purchase 2.0 speaker expansion kits for the system.
The new SpeakerCraft Terrazza portfolio consists of:
- SC-TERR-4.1-BU: 4” (100mm) All-Weather Outdoor Speaker Kit with 8” (200mm) Burial Subwoofer
- SC-TERR-4.1-HS: 4” (100mm) All-Weather Outdoor Speaker Kit with 8” (200mm) Hardscape Subwoofer
- SC-TERR-2.0: 4” (100mm) All-Weather Outdoor Satellite Speaker Expansion Kit
According to Zaliauskas, the new system gives dealers more options for outdoor installation, and more opportunities for customers to enjoy high quality outdoor audio. “We listened to our dealers and designed a solution that brings exceptional audio quality outdoors with ultimate flexibility,” he concluded. “They can choose whether to install a Burial subwoofer, or opt for the Hardscape Subwoofer, based on the application at hand.”
The new SpeakerCraft® Terrazza™ Series Landscape System is now on display at CEDIA 2018 in Nortek Security & Control Booth #4637.
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