Bang & Olufsen is well known for its high-end audio gear, but the Origin Acoustics name might not be as recognizable. The company is certainly notable, however, as the company was the first to sell in-ceiling and in-wall speakers. Now the two companies have teamed up and brought the fruits of that partnership to show off at CEDIA 2016.
“Bang & Olufsen’s modern electronics design have been, are and will be a step above the rest in terms of luxury aesthetics,” Origin Acoustics executive vice president Nick Berry said in a statement. “We are honored to be B&O’s chosen partner for the engineering, design and build of their architectural speaker products.”
The first of the new Bang & Olufsen architectural speakers is the Celestial in-wall speaker. This features Origin’s Weather-X technology, allowing it to be used both inside and outside, this model comes with a premium grille featuring branding from both companies. It’s even to install, thanks to Zip-Clip 2.0 Tool-Less Installation. At the start, there will be six models in the Celestial line.
Complementing the Celestial line is the Palatial in-wall high performance theater collection. This model features two 6.5-inch woofers, two midrange drivers, and a 1-inch tweeter to cover the entire frequency range in one unit. This unit can be used with either a Weather-X grille, or an Advanced grille that adds style elements the two companies say can’t be found in any other in-wall speaker. This model is also easy to install thanks to Spring-Lock 2.0 Tool-Less Installation.
While the partnership with Bang & Olufsen is important to Origin Acoustics, the company is still offering its own unique models as well. On Wednesday the company announced its Minimal Opening 5 System, which allows for easy placement of speakers in the same 4-inch or 6-inch spaces that would normally house recessed lighting.
“We exist to innovate and offer more products that sound better than our competitors,” Origin Acoustics CEO Jeremy Burkhardt said. The new Minimal Opening 5 System is a testament to this as it offers our partners a unique option that no one else has. It will stun and amaze our upscale clientele with a solution that look just as impressive as they sound.”
If you’re wondering how much bass an entirely in-ceiling speaker system could offer, Origin Acoustics has already addressed that with its dual 6.5-inch in-ceiling subwoofer, which hides a larger subwoofer in the ceiling, using a 3-inch opening to pump out sound. The company says that this is capable of producing lows dipping in the higher end of the 30Hz range, which is fairly impressive.
Both Origin and Bang & Olufsen are showing products at their own boots at CEDIA 2016 in Dallas, which runs through September 17.