Product Review: PowerPax Battery Caddy
February 1, 2009
Here’s an item that exemplifies the virtues of simplicity and utility: the PowerPax Battery Caddy, manufactured in St. Charles, IL. It’s like an egg carton for batteries. Loose batteries are a potential acid-leaking hazard, and hard to keep track of.
Product Review: Analog Signage
December 1, 2008
Let’s face it: Sometimes you don’t need a projection system or a monitor. Sometimes you just need a sign! But even plain old signage has been moving forward and making the most of advances in technology. An example is the
Product Review: InfoComm, Were You Audio-Immersed?
August 1, 2008
Nearly 35,000 AV professionals from almost 100 countries attended the 2008 InfoComm show in Las Vegas this past June – the largest InfoComm gathering ever, in fact. Thorburn Associates has had a longstanding presence at InfoComm as an educator. This
Quiet Curtains: A Product with Potential
February 1, 2008
Draperies and curtains have long been used as a cost-effective, aesthetically pleasing, and adjustable means of acoustic treatment within a room. The thick, heavy fabric provides useful sound absorption and reverberation control, especially at middle and high frequencies. Quiet Curtains
Focus on Acoustics: ClearSorber Lets the Light In
February 1, 2008
As acoustical consultants, we incorporate a wide variety of finishes to the walls, floors, and ceiling of a space to meet the design criteria. But what about glazing? Windows, skylights, glass partitions and doors and decorative glazing are all part
Product Review: LiveWires—Custom Fit In-Ear Monitors
December 1, 2007
LiveWires, from Earpeace Technologies, is a truly unique holiday gift for the music lover in your life. Because Livewires are custom fit (an impression is made of your ear by an audiologist) these in-ear monitors are amazingly comfortable and produce
Product Review: Polycom HDX 9004 HD Video-conferencing CODEC
October 1, 2007
The Polycom HDX 9004 is a high-definition (HD) Video Teleconferencing CODEC capable of sharing HD video, content, and high fidelity audio. The system offers both standard and HD video resolution of 720P at 30fps and two channels of 22 kHZ
Product Review: Perforated Wood Panels
August 1, 2007
The need to adjust the acoustics in a commercial setting is apparent in many common areas. Common areas planned for only pedestrian circulation are now being converted into lobbies, break rooms and cafeterias that need a balanced reverberation time to
Product Perusal: Fire-Rated Back Boxes
April 1, 2007
Back boxes have long been available for small applications such as loudspeakers, recessed lights or electrical boxes. They provide a fire-rated casing to separate these items from the insulation within a wall. Now you can get a back box big
Product Perusal: Zigbee
February 1, 2007
Zigbee is a low power consumption WiPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network). Zigbee is a protocol, similar to Bluetooth technology, which runs the WiPAN for low data rates. It is geared toward remote controlled technology to extend battery life. For example,