3d illusion arts: Walyou

Walyou

Flare Zero Is a No-Compromise Studio Loudspeaker

Posted: 12 Oct 2015 09:32 AM PDT

Zero typically signifies nothingness, or a starting point, but in Flare Audio’s case, it is the name of the ultimate speaker for music studios and audiophiles.

When such renowned musicians as Led Zeppelin’s guitar player Jimmy Page say about your products that they are “absolutely magnificent,” it’s pretty clear that know a thing or two about what you are doing. Flare Audio, an award-winning British manufacturer of audio equipment ranging from IEM earphones to studio monitors, is no stranger to such praises, since most of its products are regarded as revolutionary.

“Zero will break all audio boundaries,” explained Davies Roberts, CEO of Flare and inventor of the system. "People who’ve heard it say that the sound appears in your mind and you forget that it’s coming from the speakers. Standing at roughly head height, it’s designed to be integrated into studio control rooms, eliminating any sound distortion between recording artists and their engineers.”

Indeed, people who attended the launch of the Flare Zero loudspeaker were at a loss for words, the most obvious case being Gary Langan, music producer and founding member of The Art of Noise, who stated: “I was blown away by Zero. Not only is it the most wonderful sounding system that I have heard but it looks stunning as well. A superb piece of thinking, design and engineering. Yet again Davies and his team never cease to amaze me.”

While some manufacturers of high-end loudspeakers still prefer wood for the cabinets, Flare Audio concluded that inch thick aluminum provides more clarity, and not just any aluminum, but the aerospace-grade type made by the company that makes parts for Rolls Royce. Does that sound high-end enough, yet?

Flare Zero speakers have a towering stature, as they measure 1.8 meters in height and weigh 113kg each. Add to that the 3500W of sound power, and you will soon realize that this is nothing short of a monster.

So what is the name supposed to mean, if this loudspeaker really has an unmatched design and performance? First of all, each of the four drivers has a perfectly circular design. More precisely, the central drivers represent a perfect symmetry of 3D printed double vortexes, which are said to be inspired by Fibonnaci’s golden spiral, as well as Leonardo’s works. Secondly, Flare Audio tried their best to reduce the distortion to a minimum, even when music is played at high volume. Enclosure resonance and movement is eliminated using Flare Audio’s patent-pending Vortex and Space technologies.

Given their output, concert-level sound pressure, and dimensions, Flare Zero speakers would fit perfectly on a stadium, or any other type of high-end venues. However, considering their design, they would be more adequate in an audiophile’s home, or even in a music studio. A pair of Flare Zero speakers costs as much of a top-of-the-range Ferrari, but more precise details can be obtained on application.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth speaker that proves that size doesn’t matter, or the Mars levitating Bluetooth speaker that offers great 360-degree sound.

Symetium Smartphone Packs Enough Computing Power for a PC

Posted: 11 Oct 2015 01:30 PM PDT

What if you could plug your smartphone into a dock, and along with a monitor, you used it as a PC? The Symetium smartphone was developed precisely with that idea in mind.

Symetium rised from Sweden, so it’s no wonder that it has Scandinavian design written all over it. Besides the minimalistic design that seems to characterize everything made in Sweden, Norway or Denmark, Symetium focuses on symmetry and quality, things that you don’t get to see in many smartphones with flagship claims.

According to Jonathan Gustafsson, the young Swedish entrepreneur behind Symetium, this smartphone may look like others, but it’s nothing like them. In fact, the goal was “to create a device that removes the line between mobile and desktop devices.”

Sure, smartphones can already be compared to desktop PCs, performance-wise, but many a times users need a larger display, and phablets or tablets simply won’t do. By plugging it into a dock that connects to displays via a USB Type-C to HDMI adapter, Symetium becomes the brains of your desktop PC. Even though it’s supposed to be running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the user interface is adequate for both mobile and desktop use. In the absence of a mouse and keyboard, the touchscreen display can be used for such purposes.

“With Symetium, I want to go past mobile operating systems and join the two together. It is time for phones to stop being phones as they are much more than that and have been for years,” explained Gustaffson.

Specs-wise, Symetium is nothing short of impressive. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC that is paired with 6GB of RAM and up to 256GB in storage. Some might argue that the 1080p OLED display could’ve had a higher resolution, but since this is a 5-inch smartphone with a 440ppi pixel density, more than that wouldn’t have made any sense. For audio files (and audiophiles), the phone packs stereo speakers. Photography fans weren’t let down, either, as the device includes a 24MP rear camera.

“In my eyes Symetium will always be a 5 inch portable computer that can make calls and that’s how it was built. This means that there will be no limitation when it’s used without a simcard,” concluded Gustafsson.

In the last three years, since Gustaffson begam working on Symetium, the project has made quite a few waves on social networks, but it remains to be seen if it will ever be commercially available.

Jonathan Gustafsson turned to Indiegogo to get his project funded. To enter mass production, he needs to hit the funding goal of $1,250,000 within the next 29 days. That is quite a lot, but then again, the Symetium smartphone PC is a very ambitious project. Assuming that the campaign will be successful, anyone who has pledged $549 as an early bird or $699 as a regular backer can expect to receive their Symetium in August 2016. I sincerely doubt it that any other company will be able to exceed Symetium’s specs by then, but on the other hand, with such a high funding goal, this looks like Ubuntu Edge all over again.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the ZNAPS magnetic connector that facilitates smartphone charging, or the NeuVision 3 smartphone cymbal.