Core Brands Strengthens EMEA Sales and Support Team with Industry Pros Marc Waple and Iain Cameron

Furthering its commitment to provide Distributors with the industry’s best sales and support team, leading control, audio and power solutions provider Core Brands, today announced the reorganization of its EMEA sales and technical support team, with the appointments of Marc Waple and Iain Cameron as Core Brands International Sales and Tech Support Managers, concentrating on the ELAN, Furman CI*, Niles, SpeakerCraft, Proficient, Sunfire and Xantech brands.

Marc Waple

“Both Waple and Cameron have produced impressive results, helping Core Brands to grow its business in the CI and Pro channels,” Core Brands Director of International Sales Simon Spears said today. “Their industry expertise will greatly benefit Core Brands’ Distributors, as they continue to drive sales, and provide technical support in the EMEA market. We’re excited to welcome them both as full-time members of the Core Brands international team.”

Marc Waple has worked with Core Brands products since 2006 when he began working as a Niles Audio UK Sales Manager for BMB Electronics UK. Since then, he has held multiple sales and brand development positions at well known organizations within the UK, such as Sales Manager at Midwich Homes, Business Development Manager at Invision UK, and International Sales Manager EMEA at World Marketing Associates. 

Iain Cameron

Prior to joining Core Brands full time, Iain Cameron served as the Managing Director of ICSound, where he utilized his extensive audio engineering background. Cameron first joined the industry in 2001 as the Head Sound and Lighting Engineer at Woodend Arts Center in Aberdeenshire. Throughout the next 15 years, he held positions such as Audio Engineer at Great Big Resources; Audio Systems Design, Integration and Commissioner at the Anglican Center Qatar; and Freelance Applications Engineer for CUK-Audio.

“Marc and Iain bring a wealth of experience to their new positions at Core Brands,” Spears concluded. “Their knowledge of the markets, coupled with their understanding of our product offering, is going to help our Distributors throughout the region build their business volume and profits. We’re thrilled to have them on board.”

*Furman Pro products will remain with Julian Young at WMA.​

SpeakerCraft Now Shipping Highly Anticipated AIM Series 2

SpeakerCraft, the premier audio brand from Core Brands, today announced that its latest architectural speaker series, AIM Series 2, is now shipping to dealers. The award-winning SpeakerCraft AIM Series 2 incorporates new technologies to deliver a superior home audio listening experience.

“SpeakerCraft AIM Series 2 has been 100% re-crafted to support sophisticated installations and advanced object-based surround audio platforms,” Core Brands Audio Marketing Manager Matt Dever explained. “The re-crafting effort addresses every aspect of the speaker, from front to back, resulting in a sound solution you’ll have to hear to believe.”

The most notable of these technologies is the new patent-pending ARC Tweeter Array™. Inspired by large sound reinforcement installations, the pivoting array is nothing short of groundbreaking. By incorporating multiple tweeters in the line array, AIM Series 2 delivers focused high frequencies farther into the listening area than standard tweeter configurations. The ARC Tweeter Array also enables the crossover point to be lowered, thus increasing the sound pressure level at the critical mid-range frequencies. “The result is that, acoustically, listeners enjoy a much larger sweet spot,” said Dever.  

Available with 5-inch, 7-inch and 8-inch woofer sizes, all AIM Series 2 speakers feature an updated WavePlane™ to further focus the high frequency energy into the listening environment for a cleaner, warmer and richer sound. The entirely new speaker housing design allows the woofer to pivot 30 degrees in all directions, while enabling 359 degrees of rotation for the WavePlane and ARC Tweeter Array.  In addition, the ARC Tweeter Array can be adjusted +/- 15 degrees toe-in/toe-out. The result is virtually limitless directional capability.  

While the front of the speaker gets most of the deserved attention, the back of this speaker delivers game-changing technologies as well. The all-new Acoustic Isolation Technology™ decouples the speaker housing from the surrounding materials, providing a more acoustically repeatable installation and improving sound transference to the listening area by minimizing structural resonance created by the surrounding wall or ceiling. The minimized resonance transfer is achieved using co-molded, lower density compounds, setting AIM Series 2 apart from any speaker in the industry. The speaker can be enjoyed as it was meant to be enjoyed – not colored by the resonance of the material on which it is mounted.

Fully re-crafted, all AIM Series 2 speakers feature a U.S. engineered transducer, motor and crossover. The new curvilinear cone design creates greater bass response, and the non-conductive Kapton formers, copper caps and extended poles reduce distortion. With increased power handling and sensitivity, the speakers deliver an overall cleaner and louder sound.

“The enhanced aim-ability of the AIM Series 2 presents new options for sound design – from home theatre to whole home audio,” Dever continued. “More than ever, sound can be redirected to a specific section of a room, angled toward a seating area or where an audio impact is desired. In addition, integrators can now offer their clients the most uniform coverage ever in any room, along with increased power and frequency response. We’re proud to make installation easier and more flexible for integrators while providing consumers with a superior home audio experience.” 

All models of the AIM Series 2 speakers are available for immediate delivery to dealers. For more information about the AIM Series 2, visit: www.speakercraft.com. 

SpeakerCraft Now Shipping All-New Amplifier Series

SpeakerCraft, from leading home entertainment and control technology solutions provider Core Brands, today announced its newest series of amplifiers is now shipping. The new line is available from 50, 100 and 150 watt stereo amps to 12 and 16 channel amps with 30 and 50 watts per channel respectively. 

“SpeakerCraft’s new amps are designed to make installation easier and more straightforward than ever before,” Core Brands Audio Marketing Manager, Matt Dever said. “This new series gives our dealers the product they require for any size installation, and enables them to place power where it’s needed for any system, large or small.”

The 2-channel digital, high-current, bridgeable stereo amplifiers—the SC2-50, SC2-100 and SC2-150—offer classic SpeakerCraft power and stability, bringing extremely high current power to custom installed A/V systems. With independent level controls, each amplifier channel enables precise volume matching to the rest of the system. These level controls can also limit volume to prevent abuse of the system.   

The 12-channel fully configurable SC12-30 power amplifier delivers a solid 30 watts per channel RMS into 8 ohms and 40 watts per channel RMS into 4 ohms. This provides the energy necessary to efficiently deliver solid, deep, controlled bass response to a house full of speakers. The SC12-30 comes equipped with a unique BusMatrix™ selector, enabling users to assign each channel to a common Left, Right, or Mono signal bus, or to a dedicated signal input. The BusMatrix™ incorporates advanced PCB construction ensuring extremely high channel-to-channel isolation, providing signal to noise ratios and cross-talk equivalent to a professional mixing board found in a recording studio.

The SC16-50 is a 16-channel TCP/IP fully configurable power amplifier with a web-based IP configuration utility that provides independent EQ adjustments and volume level for each amplifier channel, enabling the user to EQ and set volume levels for 16 different speakers individually. Each of the SC16-50’s eight adjacent speaker output pairs are configurable into a single high power output, enabling the user to create up to eight 100-watt channels using a web-based IP configuration utility. This enables greater power allocation to specific locations, such as large rooms or outdoor applications.

“These new amps share the same industrial design with the new MRA-664 multi-room audio controller,” Dever added. “Together they deliver a branded audio distribution solution that is perfect for any size installation.”

All of the new amps feature three turn-on modes: music sense, external voltage trigger, and manual turn-on via the front panel switch. Additionally, each model in the series has a total harmonic distortion of 0.2% THD from 20Hz to 20kHz, and a 12-volt control out. The audio circuitry is constructed with the finest parts available, including 1% metal film resistors, high quality capacitors and oversized hear sinks for clear and uncolored sound.

Every amplifier in the new series comes with rack mount ears, a removable line chord and a two year limited warranty. SpeakerCraft’s new amps have been tested and certified in the US, Canada, EU and Australia safety and EMC standards. 

New SpeakerCraft MRA-664 Multi-Room Audio Controller Now Shipping

Furthering its commitment to innovation and product excellence, SpeakerCraft today announced the shipment of the new SpeakerCraft MRA-664 whole home audio controller. This new controller delivers up to six unique music sources for amazing sound in up to six rooms of the house, expandable to 12 zones with a second chassis. Plus, it integrates multi-room audio with networked and streamed sources and home theater control in a way that is simple to set up and superb to experience. 

The SpeakerCraft MRA-664 offers IPhone, iPad, Android and PC control. In addition to locally stored music, it incorporates streaming sources and content including Spotify, Deezer, Pandora and TuneIn Radio through its Sonos interface, all accessible within the SpeakerCraft App. Existing cable and satellite receivers or CD, DVD/Blu-ray players can all be added and controlled independently from anywhere in the home. Wired and wireless keypads, touchscreens and remote-controls are also available to complete the system.

The new multi-source, multi-zone audio controller and complementary amplifier line are designed to deliver superior sound to 6 separate zones, or rooms, which can each receive any of up to 6 different sources, providing extraordinary flexibility that will delight customers. By pairing two MRAs, a homeowner can create up to 12 unique zones with up to 6 sources in each of them.

“Simply put, this controller makes it possible to listen to any source, in any room, at any time,” explained Robert Ridenour, Core Brands Product Manager, Electronics. “It allows every member of the family to listen to their favorite music, while giving them each the option to customize the bass, treble and volume levels in their specific zone.”  

SpeakerCraft’s new installation software enables installers to quickly configure the system for sources, zone preferences, user interface customization and home theater control. A job that might have once required hours of programming has been distilled down to a simple wizard-based execution.

The MRA-664 is also extremely intuitive for the end-user, enabling homeowners to control the system with mobile devices they already use, such as smartphones, tablets and personal computers. In addition, users can control the MRA-664 by SpeakerCraft handheld remote, seven-button keypad and choice of touch panel devices.

The SpeakerCraft sHR200 is a sleek handheld remote with all of the function of a touchscreen and weighing in at a mere 6.4 ounces. Augmenting the handheld is the SpeakerCraft sKP7 7-button keypad, delivering a simple interface that enables the end user to select favorite sources, adjust volume and turn off the system—all at the touch of a button. Finally, the sTP7 touch panel is wall mountable in either portrait or landscape orientation to best suit the needs of the installation room and includes a speaker, microphone and color camera to accommodate future enhancements. The high resolution interface makes this unit one of the most popular control devices on the market.

“The MRA-664 and its interface ecosystem will be a benchmark in the multi-room audio industry,” Ridenour added. “We’re dedicated to providing our dealers with the best products for every project, and the SpeakerCraft MRA-664 is deepening that commitment. It will provide our dealers with the ideal whole-home audio solution for all of their future installations.” 

For more information about the SpeakerCraft MRA-664, visit www.speakercraft.com.

Core Brands Continues Receiving Rave Reviews For New Products Debuted at CEDIA 2014

The awards just keep on coming for leading home entertainment and control technology solutions provider Core Brands, a Nortek company. At CEDIA 2014, the company’s new product introductions received critical acclaim from Residential Systems, Technology Integrator and CE Pro. And now, rAVe Publications raves about the Xantech XtraNet IP line and the new SpeakerCraft AIM 2 Series.

The rAVe publications editors judged the 2014 Best of CEDIA Awards from the show floor at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The awards were presented to the most distinguished products displayed at the show in twenty-five individual categories. The Xantech XtraNet IP line received the title Best New CI Install Tool, and the SpeakerCraft AIM 2 Series was named Best New In-Wall/In-Ceiling Speaker.

“The enormous amount recognition we’ve received during and after the show has been most gratifying and it’s an honor to receive these two awards from rAVe Publications,” said Joe Roberts, Core Brands Vice President of Products and Marketing. ”The Core Brands team is thrilled to bring dealers the solutions they need for their future success.”

Core Brands received a total of 12 awards at CEDIA 2014 for new product innovation. The rAVe Publications 2014 Best of CEDIA Awards announcement was made online at www.ravepubs.com.