Finalist 2023

Eros Pro

Scott Wilkinson / Alderwood Speakers

The Eros Pro is the most powerful speaker for its size, in the world.

The Eros Pro is the most powerful speaker for its size, in the world.

A versatile high-powered modular satellite speaker for indoor and outdoor use, delivering clear immersive sound with minimal distortion and power consumption.

Design Brief:

THE PROBLEM:
Environmental concerns around short lifespan of consumer electronics such as speakers ending up in landfill. Industry concerns around OH&S, transportation, warehousing space and energy consumption (the Eros Pro is the building block for Alderwood's Micro PA).

THE NEED:
The need for authentic reproduction of sounds such as the human voice and delicate instruments such as guitars, in a smaller footprint.

THE IDEA:
In a world that is concerned by energy consumption, space is becoming precious, and we are becoming more conscious of our landfill contributions the idea was to push the bounds of traditional "black boxes" and design the smallest possible version of speaker that was adaptable to multiple environments.


This project was developed by:

Design Process

DESIGN:
Many size/shape chassis were designed/tested to find an optimal version coupled with the most efficient driver design and highest quality components.
More than 60 different cone profiles were tested to achieve optimal on and off-axis response, resulting in immersive audio ( 170° beam width).
Aesthetically minimalist with the grill giving a subtle nod to the industry.

PROCEDURES/ MATERIALS CHOSEN:
CNC precision delivers a finely crafted chassis with tight tolerances, resulting in exceptional quality, every time.

Edge grain construction (birch chassis) provides a warmer-tone sound, deviating from industry standard of plastic boxes.

Gold plated terminals improve audio signals by reducing resistance and preventing corrosion.

Silver internal wiring is utilized for its high conductivity and low capacitance properties.

Stainless steel fasteners for their corrosion resistance, strength, durability, and versatility in harsh environments.

Wall mounts are crafted from solid brass for its warming aesthetic appearance, and resistance to corrosion.

The grill is constructed from marine-rated alloy for its lightweight nature and anti-corrosive properties.

The drivers utilise NdFeB, a rare earth magnet technology, for its robust magnetic properties and efficiency.

Ceramic paint protects from the elements, preserving the natural wood appearance and extending the lifespan in harsh environments.

TESTING FINAL PRODUCT:
We test water and dust resistance (IP67) by submerging the speaker in one meter of water and playing audio at maximum volume for 30 minutes. The results show no water ingress or impact on the speaker's appearance or sound quality.

When testing high temperature we expose the speaker to a temperature of 110 degrees Celsius for 12hrs while at maximum volume continuously. The outcome of this test shows that there are no changes in the speaker's appearance or sound quality.

Each Eros Pro produced undergoes individual testing in our acoustic testing chamber to ensure sonic accuracy and consistency before leaving our production facility.

Design Excellence

FUNCTIONALITY
Easy installation; A machined brass bracket allows installation on any external surface and allows for positioning within 360°.

Wide projection; creates immersive, ambient sound by reducing reflections. Wide projection is useful in scenarios such as conferences, concerts, public address systems, events, and large indoor or outdoor spaces where optimal sound coverage is necessary.

Scalable design, small size and IP67 rating results in the product being adapted to almost any audio environment. Home entertaining and cinema, venues, education, marine, architectural design, and even simulation markets. A truly versatile product.
The Eros Pro is also the building block to Alderwood's portable micro PA (Pegasus Pro) which is used for live music.

ACCESSIBILITY
The Eros Pro has high speech intelligibility allowing it to excel in environments such as classrooms, aged care facilities and public address environments where patrons have varied hearing levels.

AESTHETICS
Minimalist in design, natural timber with a painted grill that references the music industry (industrial).
An unobtrusive, elegant product in a market that usually pushes for large towers or "boxes".

SAFETY
OH&S issues associated with weight of traditional boxes are solved with our light weight alternative.

QUALITY
Consciously designed with premium materials ensuring faithful reproduction of sounds such as the human voice and/or intricate instruments.
Gold and silver components, ceramic paints and sustainably sourced timber, stainless steel fasteners and brass wall mounts demonstrate above "standard industry practices" ensuring longevity of the product, and also the premium quality of the audio.

SUSTAINABILITY
We use premium materials that are acoustically superior, environmentally conscious, and designed to withstand their intended environment. From FSC-approved tone wood to precision-machined metal parts, each component is selected for its suitability and high level of quality. A better designed product, is one that will last longer reducing landfill.

Design Innovation

The most powerful speaker for its size in the world.

There may be companies around the globe that are minimalizing speakers on a domestic (bluetooth) portable scale. But no-one is doing it on a commercial or versatile level such as the Eros Pro. To be able to take a speaker and run a live musician through it, and then put it in the harsh conditions of marine or outdoor environments, then fill a venue/restaurant/winery with ambient warm background music, then address an audience for a speech, then take it home and create a home cinema... its just never been done before.

INNOVATION
Live music industry - OH&S issues from lugging bulky heavy boxes around. SOLVED
(While also making installation quicker, transportation and warehousing cheaper as they weigh less and take up less space).

Installation challenges - lighter and smaller means they can be installed in challenging spaces such as heritage buildings with weight restrictions.

Environmental challenges in electronics industry - less power consumption in manufacturing stage AND at consumer stage. Less products needed to cover larger areas. Longer lifespan of product means less landfill.

A product that grows with its proprietor - The Eros Pro is versatile and with simple accessories can allow the same product to grow/adapt to changing environments.
Eg. a micro PA with two Eros Pros can adapt into an array of four rather than buying a whole new system. Or a venue may expand and they can adapt one wall mounted Eros Pro into a Hydra (two cubes). Plus the product is built to last, with a warranty of 5 years far exceeding standard electronics warranties.

Mindful manufacturing - designing a product with the manufacturing in mind means less power consumption when producing the product, and minimal waste! Raw materials are sourced as locally as possible, unless overridden by quality needs.

Design Impact

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Less power consumption to create product.
Less power consumption to run the product once produced.

A smaller product means it takes less raw materials and components to create the finished product meaning more of the build cost can go into higher quality materials which ensures longevity of the product vs standard industry lifespans.

Wider coverage of the product means less products are needed to fill spaces.

SOCIAL IMPACT
Alderwood Speakers as a company gives back to its community with semi-regular movie nights and live music events held at our factory (that we build the Eros Pro in).
We have also begun restoring the old public hall (our factory) which the community has been very thankful of.

COMMERCIAL
versatility (adaptable design - one product that has an accessory to pivot its application from on wall to in-wall installation, or add onto "hydra bracket" to allow doubling of sound production to reach larger audience. Or "Pegasus kit" to adapt the same product into a portable micro PA unit used for live musicians.

Alderwood production system - by focusing our efforts on one "hero" speaker product we are able to streamline our production line for high efficiency. Allowing a smaller scale factory to have much larger through-put/manufacturing capabilities. which helps us to compete on the world stage (exports) while employing locals.

Circular Design and Sustainability Features

Our environmentally conscious manufacturing decisions include using FSC rated timber (The Forest Stewardship Council is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world's forests).

We use an acoustic panel material that is made from recycled plastic bottles, we source our raw aluminum locally (the material has a percentage of recycled material in its raw construction).
We process all of our raw materials in-house with minimal waste practices/design files and make sure to recycle any materials possible. (The minimal waste files have included designing production files into secondary products rather than discarded waste product left over. For example an Eros Pro production file of timber cuts the file for the speaker chassis and the "waste" file remaining becomes a timber trellis. Or the acoustic panel material file creates a secondary product of a cooking pot heatpad due to the materials high fire rating.

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