With solutions that inspire the luxury experience through astonishing performance and flexibility, and uniquely prepared hardware to withstand the demands at sea, Sonance and James Loudspeaker are the leading choice for luxury marine audio.

BRAND HISTORY: WHY SONANCE AND JAMES LOUDSPEAKER?

Sonance is based firmly on the belief that technology should be designed to disappear. It began in 1983 when founders Scott Struthers and Geoff Spencer introduced the world’s first in-wall loudspeaker. This approach of leading with design led to many more “firsts” and a proud heritage of innovation, continually refining the in-wall and in-ceiling speaker category by reducing bezel size, making solutions that are completely flush-mounted, and for the ultimate design solution: making speakers that are completely invisible. These are the things that have inspired a philosophy that continues to drive the company’s brands today: that technology can and should blend in with the architecture and design of any space.

Building on a well-established Heritage of Innovation, the Sonance family of brands now includes the craftsmanship and customization of James Loudspeaker and the elegance and utility of the IPORT brand. Each of these industry-leading brands follows the Sonance philosophy, unlocking an even greater range of solutions, each meticulously designed to enhance the user experience. Their combined efforts deliver solutions that go beyond expectation and beyond just audio. Sonance, James Loudspeaker, and IPORT have been delivering solutions for elevating the way technology is experienced in residential and commercial spaces for over 38 years.

It is through this consistent promise that Sonance has cultivated long-standing, authentic partnerships with leading architects, interior design professionals, custom installers, design-conscious consumers, and commercial end-users throughout the world.

James Loudspeaker was established in the San Francisco Bay area in 1999 by a group of dedicated audio engineers, craftsmen, and entrepreneurs. James Loudspeaker has since defined itself as a world leader and innovator in both high-performance residential and commercial speaker solutions, providing products for exclusive homes, forward-thinking businesses, and upscale marine applications. James Loudspeaker takes pride in its ongoing spirit of innovation, unprecedented customization capabilities, flawless sonic reproduction and excellence in design and build quality. James Loudspeaker solutions are known for delivering the ultimate luxury entertainment experience while maintaining a minimal visual presence in interior, exterior, and marine designs.

FOCUS ON THE MARINE MARKET

Sonance and James Loudspeaker share a joint vision for the marine market which they have served for over two decades. This vision became even more vivid after the two brands joined forces and combined an already wide portfolio of products and technologies designed for this specific market. They thrive to continue improving their solutions with further developments and innovations addressing specific demands from the marine industry. Sonance keeps investing in production facilities, technology, and people. As a result of that was the recent appointment of Goran Antonijevic to Marine Sales Director for Sonance and James Loudspeaker, based in Amsterdam.

Goran joined the company with a wealth of experience in the Superyacht market, having worked for one of the leading integrators for the last seven years. He has an Acoustic Engineering degree, leveraging that expertise in delivering AV/IT systems in the Superyacht channel. Goran is working in conjunction with Sonance & James Loudspeaker distributors and dealer network to help generate newbuild and refits sales. He is also liaising with the engineering team at James Loudspeaker, in Minden Nevada, on marine and custom product application requirements for yachts.  Goran talked us through their products and the solutions.

TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCTS

THE SOLUTIONS – DESIGNED TO DISAPPEAR

We believe technology should disappear into architecture. This simple philosophy continues to inspire everything we do. Our hidden audio solutions deliver an even, balanced sound experience that is nothing short of magical, blending into and style, installation, or budget.

Sonance offers categories of solutions that are perfectly suited for the luxury yacht industry. From architecturally installed, fully sealed speakers, to dedicated high-performance cinema solutions, Sonance and James Loudspeaker are well equipped to outfit every area of the large-scale luxury yacht, both topside and below deck.

Sonance Visual Performance Extreme in-wall and in-ceiling speakers are IP66 rated and feature a unique grille retention system using strong magnetic grille posts to ensure speaker grilles remain intact even during high-pressure washing.

Within the Sonance product family, James Loudspeaker solutions offer an elevated suite of categories for the marine market, including premium cinema, high-output concert level tower speakers, and customizable architectural solutions to fit into any shallow depth space, such as cabin interiors, without compromising the luxury experience. With the ability to adapt just about any product in the catalogue to a marine-grade spec, James Loudspeaker knows what it takes to deliver full performance audio in the specific demands for marine applications.

James Loudspeaker offers in-wall solutions that are built for outdoor use with an attractive grille finish to provide an exceptional experience in marine applications without compromising the beauty of the vessel. In our factory in Minden, Nevada we do customizations from an adjusting existing model to creating a completely new speaker design for a specific project. Each of our products at James can be marine graded, provided with 100V line

MARINE TREATING AND GRADING

The extensive James Loudspeaker marine grading process provides rugged speaker protection from the harsh elements of open water environments. James Loudspeaker hosts a full-scale US-based facility equipped for treating audio hardware from nuts and bolts to complete product housing. Each component is specially treated throughout the product build process to provide the ultimate protection for the demands of marine environments.

The combination of saltwater and salty air is detrimentally destructive on even the highest performance audio materials. James Loudspeaker marine-grade audio products are constructed from treated 5052 aircraft and marine-grade aluminium housings to properly sustain these harsh elements. In addition to durable housings, James Loudspeaker hardware is carefully selected to ensure the highest resistance to extreme elements. James Loudspeaker uses 316 stainless steel hardware in marine product construction, stainless steel with superior resistance to the commonly used premium 304 stainless steel used in professional kitchen applications. For clients wanting ultimate product longevity, James Loudspeaker also offers treated titanium hardware for an additional cost.

A unique form of corrosion called “galvanic corrosion” occurs when dissimilar metals make contact and then submerge into a salt solution, effectively creating a battery. The current from this battery flows through the joint area of the metals, effectively welding the metals together causing base material exposure and, ultimately, rust.  In the case of hardware, this welding action makes the hardware unremovable. To combat this, James Loudspeaker applies a special coating solution to the hardware which insulates and lubricates the threads, preventing an undesired chemical reaction.

James Loudspeaker has designed a finishing material and process that provides the best saltwater protection. James Loudspeaker uses an extreme powder coat material that is tested to provide over 4000 hours of salt spray testing, where standard testing does not exceed 2000 hours. Always eager to achieve a greater result, James Loudspeaker is currently testing additional materials to surpass this measurement. Additionally, all 316 hardware is also treated with a special coating that allows even further salt spray resistance.

As a final step to ensure ultimate marine grading in James Loudspeaker audio solutions, Titanium Nitride tool bits are used during the product assembly process to prevent contamination between steel particles onto fasteners.

Taking these extensive measures and leveraging the use of the most advanced materials, James Loudspeaker marine solutions are masterfully equipped to outperform the competition in both the luxury audio experience and hardware longevity in the mega yacht industry.

COLLABORATIONS

We at James Loudspeaker as an industry leader in both high-performance residential and commercial speaker solutions for indoor, outdoor, and marine applications are creating audio systems that are blending in any interior or exterior without compromising on the sound performance.

Designing and manufacturing since 1999, we take great pride in our innovative solutions, unprecedented customization capabilities, flawless sonic reproduction and superior fit and finish.

James Loudspeaker products are engineered with great care to minimize their visual presence in your interior or landscape décor. The result is a refined entertainment experience without disrupting the beauty of your surroundings.

Most of our products are proudly designed and manufactured in Minden, Nevada where we average that we produce 1,7 new products every day.

Often our products are required to be installed with some other objects or elements onboard, such as motorized lifts, furniture, or light fixtures. We have successfully collaborated with some leading lift manufacturers such as Future Automation or light fixture makers to develop solutions that are ready to be used together. One of these developments is our new range of outdoor marine tower speakers, where in collaboration with Future Automaton we developed a system where these speakers are combined with a pop-up lift. The solution is fully marine graded and ready to be implemented in any outdoor or marine environment. The speakers are coming in 3 types and sizes, and they’re designed to provide high output levels suitable for onboard parties or cinema applications.

Another exciting development is the integration of our Small Aperture speakers in designed light fixtures. We completed several projects with a few light fixture manufacturers and interior designers where this was successfully realized ensuring an almost invisible footprint of the speakers in the ceiling again without any compromise on the sound quality.

These barely visible ultra-high-performance architectural speakers have been created to redefine the concept of a décor-matched entertainment system. The SA Series is unlike anything you’ve ever seen or heard, reproducing sound with the refinement of a more costly studio monitor.

The engineering behind Small Aperture is the culmination of extensive hours in the lab and a relentless passion for the art of recreating sound. Each one of the SA Series models can be mounted either in-ceiling or in-wall, with only a relatively tiny opening exposed to the listener. To trim this opening, James Loudspeaker offers a vast array of standard and custom finishes for the low-profile grille, which is available in 3-inch or 4-inch round or square flush mount style. (Now available with 3-inch Microperf grille.)

Inside each of the SA speakers is a powerful yet compact subwoofer, coupled with a module that handles the midrange and high frequencies. We think the sound quality is nothing short of staggering, with detailed bass notes reaching down to 38 Hz and dispersion that covers a sizable area.

 

For any query feel free to contact us