Orca Designs Gets Wet

I guess today is "Speaker Day" at SoundDomain since that's what all my news has surrounded so far. Orca Designs, importers and distributors for Focal and Raven speakers, had these marine speaker grilles on display at MERA Knowledgefest a few weeks back, and are designed for use with Focal component systems. A special water resistant polyester material known as "hydro-phobic polyester" is bonded to the backside of the grille and keeps water from passing through to the speaker. This is a very similar material to air intake manufacturer Injen's air filter HydroShield pre-filter that keeps water and debris from penetrating the air filter and entering the engine.

Cell phones also use the material to protect the tiny built-in speakers and mics. Orca demonstrates how well this design works by pouring water into the grille and coming back minutes later and none of the water has passed through. This very unique design means you now have a true audiophile option for use in your water cruiser. I'm not sure I'd put a set up Utopia Be's in my boat (if I had one), but I'd definitely use this option for a set of Polyglass speakers.

Press Release:

August 20, 2007
ORCA Design and Manufacturing is proud to announce an innovative new marine grille that will greatly enhance the marine audio market. A high impact ABS grille with a satin white finish, it has been specifically designed and engineered at Orca Design to bring 6.5” Focal Car Audio loudspeakers into the marine environment. It features an innovative wave design that is not only visually appealing but in tests actually improves the sound quality of the speakers. It has also been designed to be direct mounted on top of the speaker with a simple twist (no more silicone to keep the grille on) and includes stainless steel Allen head hardware for speaker mounting. It also features a Hydrophobic micro-mesh inside that repels water mist and dust but has no effect on sound quality. The white finish has been UV treated and will not yellow. The grille is lined with waterproof sound damping material to improve sound quality and absorb vibration. Available with the standard ORCA logo, it can also be ordered with custom logos and can be easily painted to match any interior.

in the forums!