NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Core Brands, LLC, (a subsidiary of Nortek, Inc., NASDAQ:NTK) known for its heritage of rich audio products, today launched KORUS™, a wireless speaker system that is a premium alternative to both Bluetooth-enabled audio solutions, as well as to solutions from other wireless technologies. Korus will be available at www.KorusSound.com and in retail outlets this fall. Powered by SKAA®, a wireless audio protocol that provides superior signal connections with near zero latency, Korus offers crystal clear audio playback and perfect audio synchronization for your home media including music, videos, and even games.
With Korus, you can immediately hear all your favorite media from your tablet, smartphone, or personal computer. Delivering on the potential of wireless, the SKAA-based portable Korus is plug-and-play easy, provides fast and flexible sharing of speakers between devices, yields brilliantly clear audio quality ─ all with zero-lag or delay ─ offering a true high fidelity premium audio experience for all your music, video and game play. To further enhance the sound quality, Korus is designed with a unique acoustic signature, LiveStage™ that projects a multi-dimensional sound platform. Listeners, using the USB, 30-pin or Lightning™ compatible Korus Baton wireless audio transmitters, simply plug-n-play to instantly connect mobile devices or computers to Korus speakers. The Korus Batons also make it easy to share Korus speakers with family and friends’ devices, by simply unplugging from one device and plugging into another device. The Korus premium wireless speaker system can also expand and play the same song simultaneously on up to four speakers.
Korus will be demonstrated at CE WEEK at Core Brands booth #15, Metropolitan Pavilion, New York City, June 26th and 27th. The new product will also be on display for the press on June 20th at Digital Experience in NYC. Korus is showcasing two initial models, the V600, (available for $399) which offers a wider soundstage ideal for large spaces and the V400 (available for $299), perfect for smaller rooms and as a companion to the V600.
“Korus is designed to blend a superior wireless audio signal with a state-of-the-art acoustic architecture, for a TRUE high fidelity, premium audio experience that is head and shoulders above speaker systems using other wireless protocols,” said Rob Halligan, VP of Group Marketing and Strategy for the Technology Solutions Group of Nortek, Inc. “The highly disruptive nature of the Korus premium wireless speaker system comes from an unparalleled ease–of-use, eliminating the need for tedious and complicated pairing or network password logins. Korus delivers a much more stable and reliable wireless audio connection for even a long distance signal without pops or drops and signal failures common with other wireless protocols, and the flexibility to stream audio to up to 4 speakers either simultaneously or from separate streaming devices.” Halligan continued, “These attributes, coupled with the fact that Korus works with music plus movies and games, which are now being played wirelessly through the whole home, means Korus clearly changes the landscape — and raises the bar — for what is considered a modern wireless speaker system.”
Leading technology analyst Patrick Moorhead, of Moor Insights & Strategy, said, “With SKAA, the Korus premium wireless speaker system provides synchronized, reliable and exceptional sound quality for the first time in a portable, wireless speaker system. It is true consumer electronics innovation that has the potential to surpass not only BlueTooth but also proprietary systems such as Sonos and Airplay. And, it far surpasses WiFi because it is portable and can work instantaneously with most any mobile device.”
Product Review and Availability
With Korus you can hear all your favorite music, videos and games right from your device on up to four speakers throughout your home and patio, or in any location up to 65 feet or more. Korus requires no wireless network, and is compatible with all of your favorite applications used every day, such as Netflix®, Pandora®, YouTube®, Hulu®, and games like Gameloft’s® Iron Man 3 – The Official Game® or Battery Acid Games’® Highway Rider®, plus music using iTunes®, Pandora®, or any other music player or service. Initial rollout of Korus will be compatible with iOS® devices (iPad®, iPhone®, iPod®), Macintosh®, and Windows 8® laptops, PCs, and tablets. The speakers are controlled with mobile friendly baton wireless audio transmitters that plug into your mobile device or computer. An Android®-compatible Baton audio transmitter is expected to be released in 2014.
Korus’ premium technology is based on SKAA, an improved wireless audio protocol that offers consistent and reliable signal connections without latency issues. Korus speakers with SKAA transmit superior sound quality up to 480Kbps (compared to 201Kbps as is typical for Bluetooth enabled devices). SKAA is transmitted on the 2.4GHZ ISM radio band and uses a patented Walking Frequency Diversity™ protocol that effectively detects conflicts and “hops” out of the way, preventing drops and pops. SKAA has a latency (lag time from a source device) of only 40ms (milliseconds) as opposed to 120ms typical for Bluetooth. Further information is available here: Moorhead’s Research Note On SKAA Wireless Protocol
Korus combines the superior signal capabilities of SKAA with its unique acoustic architecture and product design. Drawing on the composite audio heritage of Core Brands— a pioneering developer of many audio firsts— Korus is designed, with a unique and innovative acoustic signature called LiveStage™ that projects a multi-dimensional sound platform with the vocals up front and other instruments like guitars and drums placed behind to create a subtle perceived distance between musical elements. Such depth and breadth offers a richer, more dynamic audio experience that feels immersive and expansive, as if at a live performance. The speaker’s a curved front panel and its beveled side angles enhance the LiveStage™ affect, creating a fuller, whole room sound. The gentle curves, polished surfaces and brushed aluminum buttons make Korus look as great as it sounds.
Be among the first to get one: Sign up at www.KorusSound.com, Facebook and Twitter to be notified when KORUS sales go live online.
About Core Brands, LLC and Nortek, Inc.
Korus is the brainchild of Core Brands, LLC, which has a 40 year heritage rich in bringing to market pioneering and innovative audio products from high end brands like Niles, Speakercraft and others. Core Brands is part of the Technology Solutions Group of Nortek, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTK), a premier provider of smart technologies for the connected home and office. Headquartered in Petaluma, California, Core Brands combines the product and marketing strengths of ten iconic audio, power management and control brands into a group that includes ATON®, BlueBOLT®, ELAN®, Furman®, Niles®, Panamax®, Proficient®, SpeakerCraft®, Sunfire® and Xantech®, and now Korus™ brands.
For further information, please visit www.KorusSound.com, Facebook and Twitter.
*iPad, iPod, and iPhone are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.
*Windows 8 is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies.
*Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
*Youtube is a registered trademark of Google Inc.
*Pandora is a registered trademark of Pandora Media, Inc.
*Netflix is a registered trademark of Netflix.
*Hulu is a registered trademark of Hulu.
*Gameloft is a registered trademark of Gameloft.
*SKAA is a registered trademark of Eleven Engineering.
