Laval, Que. – Speaker technology has stayed stagnant for a very long time, but a triumvirate of technology providers have joined forces to change the perception in the market.
Michel Girard, a director at InFynia Technologies, a solution provider based in Ville St. Laurent, Que., introduced new directional outdoor speakers that are anti-vandal and can work in minus-15 degree temperatures at the 2013 Millenium Mega Convention, hosted by Groupe Millenium Micro.
Called MAD for Magnetic Audio Devices, these speakers provide directional sound and are currently being implemented at train stations.
Girard told CDN that when you hear an audio message at a train station it is usually muffled and no-one can decipher it.
The MAD system, manufactured by HPV Technologies Inc. of Irvine, Calif., and distributed by Monitrox Inc. of Anjou, Que., pushes the sound through the air.
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“You hear a horn at the train station and all you can hear is wa, wa, wa. Then what they do is increase the volume and it only makes it worse. With MAD there is no distortion and all you hear is a clear sound that’s at the same sound level,” Girard said.
The technology behind the MAD speaker is two magnets that are compressed with 2,000 pounds of pressure inside a membrane that generates the sound. The results are that people can hear the messages no matter if they are 10 metres away or 100 metres away. They can hear other ambient noises and hold a conversation with another person without impeding the audio quality of the message.
Girard added that InFynia has implemented the MAD system on locomotives and at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. When the locomotive blows its horn it no longer disturbs the people through-out the town because it is only directed at the passengers.
Another benefit is that users no longer have to overwork their power systems for the speakers.
The company has also developed a handheld unit specifically for the police force. This handheld unit can also work as a microphone and listening device because it has two-way bio-directional technology.