Extron Awarded United States Patent for Flat Field® Speaker Technology

Anaheim, California (March 10, 2011) - Extron Electronics is pleased to announce that it has been granted a United States Patent for its Flat Field® Technology. Flat Field is an Extron exclusive loudspeaker technology that helps sound system designers address an important challenge: ensuring uniform delivery of audio content to all participants in a classroom, conference room, or boardroom. While this can be achieved by spacing a sufficient number of ceiling speakers throughout the room, designers often have to limit the quantity of speakers due to budget concerns. The result is inadequate coverage where the level is too high in some areas and too low in others. Flat Field Technology solves this problem with a proprietary speaker design that produces even sound pressure levels over a sound field much wider than a conventional ceiling speaker. With this uniform sound distribution, two Flat Field speakers can deliver the same audio coverage that would have required four or more typical ceiling speakers. This technology is available in the Extron FF 120, FF 120T, and FF 220T ceiling tile speakers.

"AV system designers are frequently challenged with delivering optimized speaker coverage without gaps or hot spots in rooms with low ceilings," says Casey Hall, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Extron. "Extron's patented Flat Field Technology not only provides wide coverage for improved sound quality, but we've incorporated it into an easy-to-install, drop-in speaker enclosure that saves time and money."

The Extron FF 120, FF 120T, and FF 220T are full-range ceiling tile speakers featuring Extron patented Flat Field Technology that deliver consistent sound levels across the listening area, reducing the number of speakers required to deliver uniform sound field coverage. They also offer an extraordinarily wide dispersion area of 170 degrees, providing a very wide room coverage pattern, which is especially important for rooms with low ceilings. The FF 120 and FF 120T feature an Extron exclusive, 1' x 2' (30.5 cm x 61 cm) by 3.25" (8.3 cm) aluminized composite enclosure, while the FF 220T features a larger 2' x 2' (61 cm x 61 cm) enclosure. They are UL 2043 plenum rated and sized to drop easily into standard suspended ceilings, providing quicker installations and reduced labor costs. With low profile enclosures, these speakers are excellent choices for ceiling installations with tight above-the-ceiling space issues.