One of the smartest things we came across at Prolight & Sound this year was Yamaha’s imaginatively named “Thin Light Flexible Loudspeakerâ€. The product does exactly what it says on the tin, with the added bonus that its audio emissions are highly directional – dropping off very fast once you get off axis. The loudspeakers, as explained by Mr Muroi, general manager of Yamaha’s centre for materials & components technologies, are based on the electrostatic principle.
The prototype speaker, which is only 1mm thick, is made of non-woven cloth and a metallised film. In our video interview with Mr Muroi he explains some of the principle benefits of the new technology as well as speculating on possible applications.
The highly directional nature of the sound produced by the speaker is due to its shape, which produces sound waves that are flat instead of curved, Muroi says, suggesting that the speaker is well-suited for advertising or informational posters.