TECHNOLOGY
CAS Series loudspeakers incorporate several innovative technologies that, when combined with many hours of subjective listening evaluations and our rigorous engineering standards, result in a loudspeaker that realistically and accurately reproduces the signal source with minimal distortion and coloration.
Ceramic Metal Matrix Diaphragms™ (C.M.M.D.)
For decades, loudspeaker engineers have known that the ideal transducer should be stiff, yet light, and have high internal damping (damping is a material’s ability to absorb energy). Infinity’s C.M.M.D. transducer is a significant advance in transducer technology. Ceramic, a class of material new to loudspeakers, offers better performance than that of other materials. Ceramic is stiffer than metals and lighter than plastics and typical composite materials; it also offers improved damping. These ceramic-based transducers take us a giant step closer to the ever-elusive “ideal transducer.”
In tweeters, C.M.M.D. technology offers stiffness and damping superior to that of traditional metals and soft-dome materials. In woofer and midrange applications, it offers accurate pistonic operation over the entire frequency range of the driver, completely eliminating coloration due to cone breakup and dramatically reducing distortion. And when ceramic-metal-matrix transducers are exposed to moisture, sunlight or extreme temperatures, their performance does not deteriorate.
In addition to ceramic diaphragms, all the transducers incorporate rigid cast-frames that, through our FEA computer modeling and scanning-laser-vibrometer measurements, have been optimized
to reduce resonances.This ensures minimal distortion and incomparable performance.
The Baffle Isolation System™
Designing a high-performance in-wall loudspeaker poses a unique problem…the wall itself. Drywall is not intended to be a loudspeaker enclosure. It is neither stiff nor rigid and tends to resonate, or vibrate, severely when typical in-wall speakers are used. Wall resonance is generally caused by two things. One is by sound emanating from the back of the loudspeaker bouncing around the inside of the wall cavity. Filling the wall with a suitable damping material, such as fiberglass, helps to minimize this problem. The second – and more difficult problem to solve – results from the energy transfer caused by the mechanical coupling of the loudspeaker to the wall. Infinity’s Baffle Isolation System solves this problem by mechanically de-coupling the baffle from the wall. A compliant suspension system “floats” the baffle within the mounting frame and greatly reduces the energy transfer. Four of these assemblies – one at each corner of the baffle – form the isolation system. These assemblies reduce wall resonance in much the same way the suspension system of a car isolates the passenger cabin from road vibration.
Noryl® Baffle and Cast-Aluminum Woofers
The baffle of most in-wall speakers is typically made of ABS plastic, which is prone to flexing. Yet another resonance for our engineers to tame! After exhaustive research, a two-pronged attack was chosen. First, the CAS baffles are constructed of Noryl, a high-stiffness thermoplastic resin. Noryl is 40% stiffer than typical ABS and has higher internal damping, resulting in a rigid, but acoustically “dead,” baffle. Also, Noryl’s resistance to extreme heat and moisture make it an ideal choice for architectural applications. Second, the cast-aluminum woofer frames have been designed to enhance the structural rigidity of the entire baffle. Structural ribs on the baffle integrate with mounting bosses used to attach the cast-aluminum frame, which further strengthens the entire assembly.
Listening Window Selector™
There should be no question that the CAS loudspeakers are the most “room-friendly” in-wall loudspeakers available. However, speaker location and listener positions vary so much that even the CAS loudspeakers may need the occasional adjustment. Therefore, Infinity has developed a Listening Window Selector that allows the speaker to be fine-tuned for optimal performance and deliver smooth, accurate sound reproduction, regardless of where the speaker is installed or the listener is positioned.
Room-Friendly Acoustical Design
One characteristic of forward-facing loudspeakers is that the sound output lessens as one moves away from the principal axis. This happens both horizontally and vertically and it means that radiated sounds that are reflected from the floor, ceiling and side walls will be lower in amplitude than direct, forward sound. This is usually a good thing. But, if the dispersion characteristics of the loudspeaker are different at various frequencies, the sound quality of the reflected sounds will be very different both from each other and from the first (i.e., direct) sound. The ears don’t ignore these differences; they perceive them as coloration, or as sound quality that’s been degraded. Intermezzo loudspeakers have been carefully designed to maintain a directional pattern that is similar at every important angle, on- and off-axis. The positive result is that both direct and reflected sounds arriving at the listeners’ ears have similar timbral signatures.
Completing the Experience
The technology and performance that make Infinity CAS loudspeakers ideal for music listening also make them the perfect digital multichannel loudspeaker system. To complete a home theater system, Infinity has designed, to the same standards as for the CAS, several powered subwoofers. Ask your Infinity dealer which model is best for your application.
We hope you enjoyed this brief introduction to the technology of CAS loudspeakers. If you would like to further explore their technology and design, please ask your Infinity dealer for the C.M.M.D. and CAS White Papers. The White Papers can also be downloaded from Infinity’s Web site at www.infinitysystems.com.
