EM Acoustics announced that it recently held a week-long demo event at its factory in Surrey, UK that focused on the launch of the new R5 three-way point-source loudspeaker and also served as a celebration of the company’s 21st anniversary.
“We have the facilities here at the factory to host people and give them a first-hand feel for the capabilities of our products,” says Mike Wheeler, operations director at EM Acoustics. “The launch of the latest addition to our Reference Series was a catalyst for organizing the event, and we’re incredibly pleased with the number of visitors we’ve welcomed, some of whom traveled internationally to be here.”
Each day of the event was split into morning and afternoon sessions, with attendees provided a demonstration of the full Reference Series as well as the rest of the range in a newly uprated, permanent demo environment. Following the listening session, which was accompanied by a discussion by EM Acoustics technical director Ed Kinsella, factory tours were offered.
“We are unusually transparent about our operations and we’re able to show the care and attention to detail that goes into every component produced here at the factory without any restraint or secrecy,” states Greg Clarke, brand manager at EM Acoustics. “We manufacture everything under one rather large roof, so we’re able to walk visitors through every step of the production process, from woodworking through to the paint workshop and the final assembly on the production floor, giving a real front-to-back overview.”
The tours, led by both Wheeler and Clarke, comprised an overview of the making of EM’s loudspeaker range while also providing a history of the company, the materials used in the loudspeakers, and considerations such as packaging and supply of resources and energy.
“We keep input ‘miles’ and our overall environmental impact to a minimum,” says Wheeler. “We work with local partners wherever possible, and the factory is partly powered by a solar farm on site.”
A total of about 120 attendees across the week saw a mix of visitors that includes sound designers, distributors, integrators, and other industry professionals. “The R5 event was a very positive experience,” says William Cottrell, technical sales engineer at Autograph. “I was impressed by the similarity of the sonic profile to the rest of the Reference Series. This means we can confidently spec this system knowing we will get the same tonality and consistency into all areas of a performance space, especially in harder-to-reach areas where sight lines or space are a critical factor.”
“EM Acoustics have a hidden gem of a demo space,” addsRichard Borkum of Theatre Projects. “It’s always enjoyable to visit EM as you know you’re going to hear something fantastic.”
