Coastal Source celebrated its 15th anniversary with a major partner event at Orlando’s Kennedy Space Center on February 24. The event spotlighted the company’s history of innovation and served as the “launch pad” for the its next generation of outdoor speakers and lighting solutions.
According to Coastal Source Co-Founder and CEO Franco D’Ascanio, the success of the family-owned company stems directly from its commitment to develop outdoor speaker and lighting solutions that are truly transformational for the industry, help partners build their businesses, and deliver exceptional outdoor experiences to homeowners in all types of environments.
“Coastal Source was founded on the belief that outdoor spaces deserve the same attention, respect, and design considerations as indoor spaces,” D’Ascanio said. “Our history is rooted in harsh outdoor environments, and our entire focus is on developing rugged, high-performance outdoor audio and lighting products that can take whatever Mother Nature throws at them. For 15 years we’ve shown professional AV installers and landscape professionals that it is indeed possible, practical, and profitable to offer their customers Coastal Source solutions that Defy the Elements. We look forward to building upon this record of achievement going forward, beginning with the launch of our new Bollard 1000 Speaker Series and EVO Lighting Series.”
The company’s product lines are designed to deliver “coastal quality” through the protection of 13 patents and three pending patents, highlighting the company’s continued efforts to improve user experiences — from installation to daily use.
“As a family-owned business, we understand the needs of our partners, most of whom are also family-owned businesses themselves. As such we work hard to maintain close relationships with our dealers and instill confidence that they have a reliable, meaningful support system to help them grow,” said Coastal Source Chairman Harold Zimmermann. “As we celebrate past successes and illuminate future opportunities with 250 of our valued partners at the Kennedy Space Center, we recognize that, together, we are expanding the boundaries of total home entertainment by delivering unrivaled experiences that extend modern performance and quality to the outdoors.”
During the February 24 Coastal Source launched its second-generation Bollard Speaker Series. The new modular Bollard 1000 Series builds upon the brand’s standard-setting 10.0 Bollard Series by improving power handling, clarity, and tonal accuracy while maintaining stellar bass response in two styles of sealed enclosures designed to Defy the Elements.
Leveraging their 12.0 Line Source Bollard, Coastal Source’s Bollard 1000 Series uses weatherized ribbon tweeter in all models to deliver hi-fidelity performance. The all-new acoustic suspension subwoofer design delivers 100% increased power handling over the 10.0 Bollard Subwoofer and yields tonal accuracy, improved dynamics, and bass response that has clear impact.
The new elliptical cross-section enables the 1000 Bollard series to maintain a slim profile toward the listeners while adding 33% more acoustic volume to the cabinet which contributes to the amazing bass performance of the sealed enclosure, acoustic suspension design.
There are two subwoofer models in the series — B1300 mini bollard subwoofer and B1500 bollard subwoofer. Both use a 4 x 6.5” force cancelling subwoofer driver configuration. The drivers are coupled to a central aluminum conduit that adds structural integrity and acts as a heatsink.
The B1100 is a new directional “flat-top” bollard model that uses a 6.5” coaxial driver and 3 x 6.5” passive radiators providing an all-new modern look to Coastal Source Bollard family of speakers.
The EB1150 high-power ellipse bollard model uses a 7”x10” coaxial for improved output over the existing 10.0 Bollard’s 6.5” two-way.
The B1600 vault module allows dealers to integrate third-party electronics in a weatherized case that integrates seamlessly into the Bollard 1000 series modules.
The B2600 Directional 3-way Bollard combines a B1100 and B1500 into an all-new modern “flat-top” 3-way design.
The EB2650 combines the EB1150 and B1500 as a classic ellipse bollard 3-way with high-power output and long throw for those large outdoor spaces.
The fully sealed, acoustic suspension design of the Bollard 1000 Series eliminates the potential water egress into the 10.0 Bollard bass-reflex design making the enclosure more resistant to water intrusion. Designers have relocated the bass driver from below the ground on the 10.0 to above the ground in the Bollard 1000 series and have eliminated the below-ground seam in the bollard cabinet.
With five unique modules (two satellites, two subwoofers, and one vault) the Bollard 1000 series products can be built into numerous acoustic configurations. All modules are stackable enabling installers to assemble directional, bi-pole, 2-way, or 3-way speakers. Flexible mounting allows you to position the 1000 Series Bollard on the hardscape, on the softscape, or buried in the soft scape.
Leveraging the lessons learned from their patented Plug-n-Play UniConnect system used for the 12.0 Line Source Bollards, Coastal Source’s 1000 Series Bollards brings an all-new 16 AWG UniConnnect system to the market. No more Y-cables are needed. Just run one cable from the amplifier to the first speaker and then connect directly from the first to the second and so on. The new 16-ohm design is fully optimized for longer speaker runs with multiple speakers per channel. You’ll have your system installed in record time.
Attendees also glimpsed the modular Coastal Source EVO Lighting Series, which combines heightened design aesthetics and elegance with an extensive selection of forms and customizations to optimally light any space. The EVO light engine will come in three configurations — STANDARD power, HIGH power, and TUNABLE.
The HIGH power LED will deliver the light output of a MR16 bulb from a fixture that is 50% smaller, enabling lighting designers to discretely place the fixtures so the light effect is seen but the fixture remains hidden. The TUNABLE module will provide landscaping professionals system design control of white color tuning and brightness control via an APP. The EVO Lighting Series offers partners more options to customize heights, optical lenses, and finishes on both directional and 360-degree fixtures.
Coastal Source noted that EVO is the best performing light module that the company has ever developed. It has more output capability than an MR-16 (5W EVO 560 vs. 6W MR16 516 lumens) and it has the same wide beam angle (up to 80 degrees). The compact, integrated design and availability of a wide selection of shrouds and lenses enables best-in-class glare control.
EVO is 50% smaller than MR16 bullet, so the light effect is seen, but not the fixture, and it is designed with Coastal Source’s patented Plug-n-Play CMC connector system and can easily be integrated with any other Coastal Source fixtures in a lighting system design.
The custom designed LED module integrates the CREE LED, all electronics, and cable harness into a watertight package. There is no chance — no exposed sockets, wires, or weak seals — for the elements to harm the LED. The solid brass fixtures are weather resistance mechanical houses for the EVO LED module providing it with an amazingly strong, protective package. The entire fixture becomes a heatsink for the EVO LED module enabling it to run at lower temperatures than competitive lights thus dramatically extending the usable life of the LED. EVO is tested to IP68 standards.
The integrated EVO LED module is available in two output levels (5W and 1W), two dispersions (direct and 360+) with two color temperatures (2700K and 3000K) to enable designers to control the light output as required. EVO is designed to be packaged in 100s of unique lighting fixtures for all design applications — bullets, hanging, path, sconces, and marker. Numerous accessories, including risers, stakes, shrouds, hats, filters, and lenses, enable each fixture to be custom designed to meet the needs of any lighting scene.
As a second phase in the EVO launch, an available controllable EVO LED module enables designers to control brightness (0%-100%) and white color temperature (2200K-6500K). Control is enabled through localized BT connection to each fixture via a custom Coastal Source APP. With up to 280 lumens of output (at 3000k), this tunable white LED module will be a perfect tool to solve many design challenges.
“Meeting at the Kennedy Space Center to celebrate our past gives us the opportunity to share our vision for even greater future successes as we and our partners show the world what Coastal Source outdoor experiences are capable of,” D’Ascanio said. “With the launch of the Bollard 1000 Speaker Series and EVO Lighting Series, the backyard will never be the same.”
Pricing will be announced closer to the EVO Q3 shipping date and Bollard Q4 shipping date.
