VUE Audiotechnik has unveiled the first member of its new e-Class range of high-definition installation speakers.
The two-way e-352 Nano loudspeaker offers hi-fi quality sound and professional output levels—all from a compact, weather resistant enclosure that’s equally at home in museum displays or above the Hard Rock pool bar.
“Balancing output, sound quality and size is not easy, which has resulted in numerous products that deliver in one or two of these areas, but never all three with any real success,” explains VUE CEO, Ken Berger. “Thanks to the advancements we’ve made with beryllium HF components and ultra-powerful neodymium magnets, as well as the DSP horsepower available from our VUEDrive engines, the e-352 delivers esoteric, audiophile grade performance, while offering output levels typically reserved for much larger professional systems.”
The crown jewel of the e-352 Nano is a 2.5-inch Truextent beryllium dome tweeter with neodymium magnet assembly. The combination results in low distortion and extended high-frequency performance with maximum efficiency.
On the front, an aluminum baffle features an integrated high frequency waveguide, while a pair of V-shaped wire bumpers provide ample protection for the tweeter while eliminating the diffraction associated with traditional speaker grills.
The tweeter is flanked by a pair of 3.5-inch cone transducers that are custom-engineered and manufactured by VUE specifically for use in the e-352 Nano. The two transducers achieve high output and maximum efficiency by combining a Neodymium magnet structure with high-temperature voice coils that are physically optimized for maximum heat dissipation and “cool running” regardless of demand.
All three drivers are housed in a compact die-cast aluminum enclosure that is significantly more rigid and resonant free than typical compact plastic designs. The aluminum enclosure is corrosion and moisture resistant, making the e-352 well suited for use outdoors and in harsh weather applications.
The onboard passive crossover network is precisely mated to specialized DSP inside the VUEDrive V2.5 Systems Engine, which provides power and full transducer protection for up to eight e-352’s.
The resulting combination of transducers, crossover, DSP and cabinet allows the e-352 to deliver audiophile quality with resonant-free operation from 130 Hz to well above the range of human hearing (27 kHz), while achieving peak sound pressure output above 120 dB SPL at one meter. All this is available from a compact enclosure that’s slightly smaller than your average lunchbox at 4.3 x 10 x 4.1-inches.
“After an extensive two-year R&D effort, it’s really quite exciting to debut the e-352, and finally unburden professionals from having to choose between, size, output and sound quality” concludes Berger. “But this is really just the beginning. The technologies that resulted in the e-352 will soon expand through a full range of e-Class offerings. We can’t wait to tell you about them.”
