Press Releases

Polk Audio SR6500 “Compaxial” Mobile Loudspeaker Wins Innovations Showcase Award

For More Information Contact:
Dan Hodgson
Senior VP, Marketing
(410) 764-4801
dhodgson@polkaudio.com

November 16, 2005 Baltimore—Today Polk Audio announced that the top-of-the-line SR6500 automotive loudspeaker has been honored as a winner in the annual CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards program. Sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society (IDSA), the International CES Innovations Awards highlight product advancements in technology design and engineering. The Innovations program provides manufacturers and developers the opportunity to have their products judged by an independent panel of journalists, designers and engineers.

The SR6500 is a 6-1/2" "compaxial" system, a two-way speaker that may be used in either coaxial or separate component mode. The speaker system offers the best performance, flexibility and fit in Polk's near-20 year history of mobile loudspeaker design. Car Audio & Electronics magazine described the SR6500 as “The best performance, the best cosmetics, the best engineered.”

The SR6500 uses several signature Polk technologies to deliver superior sound quality. The mid/bass driver cone is Aerated Polypropylene in which air is injected into Polypropylene to produce a honeycomb structure that serves to stiffen and damp the cone without adding mass. This is the same cone technology employed in Polk's critically acclaimed LSi Series audiophile-grade home speaker line. The new driver also features a Nitrile Butyl Rubber (NBR) surround tuned to absorb additional cone resonance. This driver represents a significant evolution of Polk’s Dynamic Balance driver technology that uses laser imaging techniques to develop low resonance, high performance driver units.

In order to minimize mounting depth the SR6500 driver uses a small Neodymium magnet. The rigid cast aluminum basket has narrow "hips" and multi-pattern screw mounting holes; plus Polk supplies a total of four mounting ring spacers for use in vehicles with limited mounting depth. All of these elements combine to make the SR6500 the easiest to fit premium automotive speaker on the market.

The 22mm tweeter also draws technology from Polk's award-winning LSi Series. Rather than a conventional dome, the SR6500 tweeter is a Ring Radiator design. Ring radiator tweeters have inherently few performance-robbing resonance modes. The result is flat, extended frequency response beyond 40kHz, low distortion, excellent dynamics, exceptional detail and transparency.

While ultimate sound quality is the focus of Signature components, Polk engineers did not forget quantity—the SR6500 plays very loud with minimum distortion and maximum power handling and reliability. The tweeter uses a ferro-magnetic colloidal fluid in the gap to sink heat away from the voice coil for improved power handling and reliability. The driver employs a 1.5" diameter voice coil on a high-temperature (220°C) Polyimide former for a power handling rating of 125 Watts Continuous per channel. The cast aluminum basket draws heat away from the voice coil and dissipates it into the air via heat sink fins.

The tweeter can be mounted in several ways using the supplied hardware. It can be coaxially post-mounted on either a straight or angled post, or it may be used as a separate component tweeter in either a flush or angled mounting cup. Indicative of the degree of attention to detail that went into the SR6500's design; the coaxial posts are gracefully smoothed and present no sharp edges. This design minimizes diffraction of sound-waves from the mid/woofer that would cause interference effects. Even in coaxial alignment the sound quality and imaging are reminiscent of expensive studio reference monitors, not car speakers.

The external crossovers feature premium 1% tolerance components such as Mylar capacitors and air-core inductors. A sophisticated Zobel circuit in the crossover acts to smooth the impedance curve of the system for more efficient amplifier operation and better high frequency response. Users may select one of four tweeter levels +1db, 0db, -1.5db and -3db via an internal jumper. Wire termination is accomplished with gold-plated spade lug connectors.

The SR6500 is now available in specialty automotive audio retailers coast to coast at a Suggested Retail Price of $899 in the USA and $1199 in Canada. Visit Polk Audio at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall #1, Booth 21740.

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About Polk Audio
Baltimore, Maryland-based Polk Audio is an award-winning manufacturer of high performance audio products. Founded by Chairman Matthew Polk and CEO George Klopfer in 1972, Polk Audio holds over 50 patents for advances in audio design and technology. Polk's products include loudspeakers and electronic components for home, auto and marine applications, the first XM satellite home component tuner, the world's first active IP-addressable high fidelity loudspeaker, and in the winter of 2005-2006 the I-Sonic—the first entertainment system to include HD radio, XM Connect & Play capability and a DVD player. Polk products are available through specialist consumer electronics retailers worldwide. For the location of a Polk retailer or distributor in your area visit the Dealer Locator page of www.polkaudio.com or call us at 1-800-377-7655 (USA and Canada). Outside of North America call +1 (410) 358-3600.

About CEA:
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the consumer technology industry through technology policy, events, research, promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA represents more than 2,000 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of audio, video, mobile electronics, wireless and landline communications, information technology, home networking, multimedia and accessory products, as well as related services that are sold through consumer channels. Combined, CEA's members account for more than $122 billion in annual sales. CEA's resources are available online at www.CE.org, the definitive source for information about the consumer electronics industry. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES - Defining Tomorrow's Technology. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy.