BG Radia Series R-18i and R-17i Speakers

Fresh for the audio fiends at this year's CES, BG unveiled the newest members of its Radia Series speaker lines. First up was the Allen Booth designed R-18i on-wall loudspeaker. Featuring the company's patented planar ribbon technology, it's coupled with both a 4" woofer and a 4" passive radiator. While the R-18i can be used in a L/R array, its unique Directivity Pattern Control (DPC) gives a flexibility in positioning them as surrounds, ultimately giving the listener a more ideal sound field in a room with less than ideal surround mounting and position options. With a simple twist of a knob atop the speaker, the user can change the radiation pattern to the desired mode - direct or diffused.

The R-18i was also selected for a CES 2005 Innovations Design and Engineering award. Robin Ellis of BG also took time to show off the R-17i LCR loudspeakers as well. Pitched to work in harmony with the R-18i's, the R-17i features the same planar ribbon driver as it's sibling. A two way design, it utilizes twin 4" woofers, 2 4" passive radiators, and a Neo3PDR ribbon tweeter. Robin Ellis is pictured here holding the R-18i.

R-17i/R-18i Specifications:

• Maximum power handling: 100 Watts RMS
• Frequency response: 60hz-20khz
• Rated impedance: 4-ohms (R-17i); 8-ohms (R-18i)
• Dimensions: (HxWxD) 26.4" x 8.4" x 4.6"

Packaged singly and with an MSRP of $499.50 each, both models will be available in Spring of 2005 in black or silver. Check out www.bgcorp.com for more info.