The speakers are the first commercial product to be launched by the Ebbw Vale-based audio technology company ZonarSound and the Sport Wales installation is the first to be undertaken by the company.
Sport Wales, the organisation responsible for developing and promoting sporting activities in Wales, has adopted the technology to enable visitors to enjoy sports events - displayed on large screens in the waiting area - while others can work or use the telephone without distraction.
Based on technology pioneered by parent company Warwick Audio Technologies the speakers are flat and very thin, so they can be concealed within a building's suspended ceiling. The sound is directed straight down onto the listener with minimum overspill into surrounding areas - suitable for open spaces such as reception areas, supermarkets or public transport hubs.
Simon Napper, ICT manager at Sport Wales, said, "Our reception is a busy area, with lots of people coming and going. It was important to us to find speakers that were unobtrusive and allowed visitors to enjoy live sport and videos on our display screens, without disturbing those needing to work in the area. The system is already working extremely well, and we're getting some really good feedback from visitors as well as staff."
Andrew Samalionis, international sales manager at ZonarSound, added, "The Sport Wales installation has been a great opportunity to demonstrate the potential of this product in busy open spaces. This technology gives designers so much more freedom to develop innovative public spaces and we can already see the demand for ZonarSound products gathering pace."
The installation was co-ordinated by ZonarSound's distributors, Polar Audio. Technical director Jon Dew Stanley says, "The speakers stand apart from other directional audio products because they are so easily concealed. It's great to see this innovative product successfully launched and we're very much looking forward to developing the brand further."
(Jim Evans)
