From The Sound Of It, Sonance Has In-Wall Audio Craftsmanship Down To A Science

Principals Created First High-Fidelity In-Wall Loudspeaker Nearly 20 Years Ago

3-Jul-00

They met over a science project in college physics. The project required months of finessing. Weeks of fine tuning. But when it finally emerged as a sophisticated television satellite receiving station, Scott Struthers and Geoff Spencer realized they had not only created a state-of-the-art science project, but a long-lasting friendship as well. The two also stumbled upon a common adoration of the music industry together, setting up audio systems for college dances. Not too many years later, Struthers and Spencer merged their passion for science with their interest in music to create the first high-fidelity architectural audio brand in the world - Sonance. Today, Sonance is a world leader in the high-end in-wall audio industry with a complete line of premium high-fidelity in-wall/in-ceiling speakers, home theatre and multichannel speaker systems and subwoofers, amplifiers, indoor/outdoor speakers, cables, switchers and controllers. But the companyís roots go back almost 20 years, when recent college grads Struthers and Spencer took over a friendís audio/video custom installation company. The Southern California company, called NTLM, had seen early success due to its unique approach to marketing and selling. Its partners worked directly with home buyers, designers and architects to discretely integrate electronics into new homes.""In those days, home theatre consisted of a TV, a receiver, a LaserDisc player and a VCR,"" said Struthers. ""These components were built into bookshelves and installed in high-end tract homes. The company had a couple of major successes - the Rodriguez house in Tustin and the Belcourt tract home project in Newport Beach, California - before we came along. ""These successes paved the way for Struthers and Spencer, who took over the company in 1983. The companyís name had been changed to Home Technology Systems (HomeTech) and began enlisting clients interested in having audio/video systems installed in their home. ""We basically did everything within the company,"" Struthers said. ""Weíd sell one week and install the next. At that time we were taking a Boston Acoustics freestanding speaker, removing the drivers and making custom frames for in-wall or in-ceiling installation.""All this took place in the garage of the house Struthers and Spencer shared. Often they were building a speaker only hours before installing it. ""All of a sudden we were being asked to build five to eight pairs of speakers per house and in two to five homes a week,"" Spencer said. ""We were putting forth a new concept that hadnít been thought about before. Big screen TVs were appearing on the market for the first time, and people were just beginning to get into the concept of home theatre. It was really obvious where our future was.""Before long, the two realized the need for a loudspeaker specifically designed for in-wall installation - one that would provide high-fidelity quality and performance to rival the best conventional cabinet type high-fidelity loudspeakers. With the help of Bill Kindel, a well-respected speaker engineer and designer, Struthers and Spencer created the first high-fidelity in-wall loudspeaker for sales to other companies. The company created the first one for its own use in 1981.In the mid 1980s Struthers remembers traveling to New York with one of these loudspeakers in his suitcase. ""I went through the yellow pages looking for custom installers, and immediately found the installers to be very receptive to the idea of high-fidelity audio custom installation,"" he said.In 1985 Sonance was formed to market the line of in-wall speakers nationally. Two stores were opened to sell the speakers, and Struthers and Spencer attended their first Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada with a simple in-wall display. Sonance was the only in-wall loudspeaker on the market for several years, and sales skyrocketed. In the first three months, 32, 54 and 72 pairs of speakers, respectively, were sold. Later, sales representatives were hired throughout the country. In 1988, Sonance became an associate founding member of the highly successfully CEDIA Association. Today Sonance sells thousands of pairs of speakers, amplifiers and volume controls each month and boasts millions of dollars in sales. Struthers and Spencer also invented the now-familiar Sonance installation brackets, which early on put Sonance ahead in the industry. With these brackets, speakers could quickly and easily be installed in either new or existing buildings. Struthers and Spencerís early designs were patented in 1988.Sonance, now based in San Clemente, California, has a staff of more than 60 including engineers and designers who have built upon the impressive string of industry ""firsts."" Struthers and Spencer still have the original 6 1/2-inch two-way in-wall frame, off which todayís footprints are based. Other notable industry ""firsts"" include:- First in-wall subwoofer: dual drive with venting- First high-fidelity, low cost amplifiers with unprecedented stability for driving multiple speakers- First 3-channel ""Room Amplifier"" designed for home use- First angled baffle in-wall speaker designed for ambient sound field and home theatre applications- First in-wall 3-way with an 8 x 12-inch footprint- First amplified volume control for distributed amplification- First magnetically shielded in-wall speaker- First pivoting tweeter for solving in-wall placement problems- First in-wall slider volume control in the world- First THXÆ Select certified in-wall loudspeaker systems- First THX Select subwoofer designed for custom installersSonance has products for every area of the home and business - from the home theatre to the boardroom. Positioned as first in the world and best in class, Sonance is dedicated to its heritage and continues to produce superior, aesthetically pleasing home audio and multichannel home theatre products for consumersí discerning audio needs. The demands of the interior designer, installer and home owner are continuously being served.Both Struthers and Spencer acknowledge that the company - and the industry - are continuously transforming. Keeping up with the latest trends in consumer electronics is a necessity, and long-range planning is a priority.""Weíve built a tremendous amount of brand equity with the Sonance name,"" Spencer said. ""Weíve seen the opportunities for much more growth within the company and the industry. Itís very exciting."" Sonance architectural audio products offer great sound that fills the senses, not the home. The company, headquartered in San Clemente, California, was the first high-fidelity architectural audio brand in the world. As the Leader in Architectural Audioô, Sonance is recognized for setting standards for quality, reliability and sonic integrityÖ known as The Sound of Sonance. The brand is the most imitated for its innovative design and technology, offering the worldís most complete line of premium, high-fidelity in-wall loudspeakers, multichannel home theatre speakers, subwoofers, controls and amplifiers, cable and other architectural audio products. With a state-of-the-art research and development facility, Sonance continues its quest to bring to market innovative audio products for contemporary architectural installation. For more information, visit Sonance on the Web at www.sonance.com.Category: Speaker Systems

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