Cambridge, UK-based start-up 1.Limited has developed what it claims is the first fully digital loudspeaker. The devices, which could have a big effect on the consumer electronics industry, can be connected directly to digital audio equipment such as CD players, digital TVs or digital radios. Instead of the moving coils and cones are used in conventional equipment, 1.Limited’s digital loudspeaker uses a flat panel matrix of piezo-electric long-throw transducers. When the transducers receive signals, they emit high-speed clicks which produce audible sound when combined with a listener’s ears. The volume and direction of sound emitted by a digital loudspeaker can be controlled more accurately than by using conventional speakers. The technology currently uses Sharc digital signal processors from Analog Devices Inc, but the company expects to use a custom processor in the future to reduce costs. The company is now looking for partners and investors. Tony Hooley, 1.Limited’s managing director, says that the digital loudspeakers will reach the market within the next two years.
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