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"You can’t just throw a couple of speakers in with a TV and camera and call it a videoconferencing system. The audio should match the application, just as it would for surround sound or an outdoor concert. Leon Speakers, known for being that company that customizes speakers for any type of residential environment, is now applying its custom touch to boardrooms and serious home offices with the new Horizon Interactive Series speakers. Leon has worked on telepresence projects for about 10 years but every job was a one-off. The rising popularity of videoconferencing, however, spurred Leon to launch an “official” line of speakers for the cause.” [Read more] |
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"Leon Speakers today introduced its new Horizon Interactive Series of high-performance, vocally optimized audio solutions for telepresence and video conferencing systems. The Horizon Interactive Personal Unit speakers (for single displays) and Multi-Display speakers (for any number of panels) combine high fidelity sound and high definition video all in one sleek cabinet with custom-sized housings for video conferencing hardware. This combination allows the audio experience to be in perfect proximity to the video source, creating a truly immersive, world-class system.” [Read more] |
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"n this month's issue of Dealerscope, we feature our annual listing of 40 leaders in the CE industry who are under 40 years old. Every year we take this time to profile the young executives and managers who provide the energy, enthusiasm and ideas that push this industry to new heights. As in the past, we reached out to retailers, vendors, distributors, buying groups and software developers to submit their best talent. While we're familiar with many of the choices, we're delighted with some of the people who haven't been on our radar. You will be, too.” [Read more] |
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"Leon Speakers won an International Design Award for its Aaros 10" Ultra-Thin Sunwoofer. Leon was given the Silver Award for Product Design in the TV, Video and Audio Equipment category, by a panel of designers and editors from the Architecture, Interior, Product, Graphic, and Fashion Design fields.” [Read more] |
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"Many manufacturers claim to produce custom products, but very few of them actually do. The Skinny: Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Leon Speakers loves a good challenge. The company provides dealers in the residential and commercial markets the ability to meet their clients’ needs through its one-off, custom products services.” [Read more] |
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"Leon Speakers will be honored tonight at an awards ceremony during the seventh annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business event. “We’re extremely grateful to be recognized as a ‘Michigan 50 Companies to Watch’ honoree, particularly among such an esteemed group of companies,” said Noah Kaplan, President of Leon Speakers. “This distinguished award is a testament to our commitment to excellence in all aspects of our business and inspires us further to create the world’s finest home theater sound systems.” [Read more] |
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You can never be too thin right? What if you’re a loudspeaker? Lean Speakers has updated it’s UT (ultra thin) line of wall-mounted speakers to include two new models that are less than 2-inches deep. The Horizon UT and Horizon UT-X-A are designed to match the thinnest LED-LCD TVs while staying true to Leon’s reputation for high-performance audio. Both are soundbar-style speakers combining left, right and center channels into one unit. The new UT is 4-inches tall and employs 2.5-inch aluminum cone woofers and a 22mm cloth-dome tweeter. The UT-X-A is slightly taller at 4.5-inches and uses 3-inch glass fiber cone woofers and 1-inch cloth-dome tweeters. The UT-X-A has a range of 80Hz to 22kHz. [Read more] |
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Leon Speakers has expanded its Horizon Ultra-Thin series, adding two new models, both less than 2-inches deep. The redesigned Horizon UT and all-new Horizon UT-X-A combine left, center and right channels in a single cabinet. “Ultra-thin displays will continue to dominate the industry with their appeal to both designers and end users alike,” said Noah Kaplan, president of Leon Speakers. “As an audio solutions company specifically geared towards the flat panel revolution, it is our goal to design and manufacture the highest quality speakers that complement slim displays and appeal to the CEDIA channel. We took a risk and set a new standard with our extremely successful, award-winning ultra-thin soundbar in 2008. Now, with advancements in driver technology, we are pleased to offer this new generation of remastered ultra-thins, each featuring enhanced performance and greater dynamic range.” [Read more] |
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Leon Speakers this week announced the upcoming release of the latest version of its Horizon Ultra-Thin series. The two models are the 4-inch tall Horizon UT and the 4.5-inch UT-X-A, and are both meant to work with slim LCD and LED TVs. Both will ship April 15. “Ultra-thin displays will continue to dominate the industry with their appeal to both designers and end users alike,” Noah Kaplan , president of Leon Speakers, said as part of the announcement. [Read more] |
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You can never be too thin, right? What if you’re a loudspeaker? Lean Speakers has updated it’s UT (ultra thin) line of wall-mounted speakers to include two new models that are less than 2-inches deep. The Horizon UT (pdf) and Horizon UT-X-A (pdf) are designed to match the thinnest LED LCD TVs, while staying true to Leon’s reputation for high-performance audio. Both are soundbar-style speakers combining left, right and center channels into one unit. The new UT is 4-inches tall and employs 2.5-inch aluminum cone woofers and a 22mm cloth-dome tweeter. The UT-X-A is slightly taller at 4.5-inches and uses 3-inch glass fiber cone woofers and 1-inch cloth-dome tweeters. The UT-X-A has a range of 80Hz to 22kHz. The speakers are also available as separate left, right and center versions and come with easy mounting hardware. The speakers will be available April 15. [Read more] |
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Leon Speakers said Monday that it placed first in the Custom Installation/DAV-SPA category in this year's Inside Track Supplier Loyalty survey. “We are honored to receive such a prestigious award in our first year on the survey and we will strive for that 4.0/A+ next year,” Noah Kaplan , President of Leon Speakers, said in a statement. “For Leon to be recognized as first place overall among custom installation companies is a testament to our commitment to excellence in all aspects of our business, ranging from product reliability and innovation to dealer support and training." Leon placed number one in eight out of 16 categories. [Read more] |
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"Who would have guessed that Ann Arbor, Michigan would emerge as a center of hand-built craftsmanship? In a world of mass-produced sameness, Leon Speakers build its products to order, one at a time. Among other advantages, this lets it customize the speakers' dimensions and finish to help them blend into your room. For example, my listening room walls are lime green and orange plaid, and Leon will match that, no problem. Amid a lengthy product lineup, the Horizon 414- X-A system caught my attention...." [Read more] |
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"When I work with Leon on these types of projects, I get more than a speaker system. I get a full-service solution that includes consulting with their acoustic engineering and ID departments, 3D renderings to illustrate the impace on the architecture and design, and 2D CAD drawings of the final product before it's built. I specify Leon's SEVEN Series when my client wants "Best in Class" and expects a truly unique experience. The Leon SEVEN Series is 100-percent customizable so the ability to satisfy design issues without compromiseing acoustic quality is very important to me..." [Read more] |
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Noah Kaplan, president, Leon Speakers, discusses the new Dealer Loyalty Program, creating the “Living Space” and I AM LEON!
CustomRetailer: Leon pioneered the soundbar speaker and for a long time has manufactured custom-built speakers to match flat-panel displays. Leon has enhanced its solutions beyond the soundbar to include architectural speakers, subwoofers, and much more. What prompted the expansion of Leon’s product offering?
Noah Kaplan: For over a decade we have focused on bringing theater-grade audio products to the modern living space. We knew that different design ethics and performance specs apply when integrating audio into these multiuse media rooms; so we have always taken an extreme approach to make our products “fit in.” Our Horizon and Profile Series are custombuilt to match the exact size and finish of any display, even if that display is a 103” plasma screen or a 1.5” deep LED. We did this so they can be heard, not seen—virtually becoming part of the TV..." [Read more] |
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Leon Speakers announced last week that musician Leon Russell has teamed up with his namesake company as part of the "I Am Leon" campaign. "As a pianist and singer-songwriter, I've always had a profound respect for Leon Russell's craft and the sincerity he brings to his music," Ethan Kaplan , Marketing Director at Leon Speakers, said in a statement. " I was extremely excited to hear the new record, and even more excited to work on this project. I hope he's immensely satisfied with his custom Leon theater, and wish him the best in his future endeavors." [Read more] |
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Leon Speakers got its start in 1997 when a trio of University of Michigan graduates who loved music, art, and engineering decided to combine art with audio by creating a custom speaker company. "We're still trying to mix art with audio and business with Bohemia," says Noah Kaplan, president of Leon Speakers and the only one of the original three co-founders still with the company that reinvented the speaker industry." [Read more] |
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After a 1,000 miles of driving to see more than two-dozen California Leon Speaker dealers one week in June, what were the significant lessons learned? I hit the bricks with Leon founder, Noah Kaplan, and visited a variety of dealers in sunny CA for serious discussions about market conditions, business techniques, business management and the role of strategy in business...[Read More] |
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"Much like the proverbial 800-pound gorilla in the room, most subwoofers are hard to ignore. It's true that only a few models weigh almost half a ton, and most don't leave banana peels lying around, but their subwooferness makes them conspicuous. Which is fine if you think subs look cool, but they can otherwise dominate a room's decor. " [Read more] |
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I give Leon an 'A' because when I come up with unique design challenges they always have solutions. Bottom line, leon delivers what they promise. In a recent project, the client was keen on having his speakers 'heard but not seen'. I reviewed the space and came up with an elegant cabinetry concept. The setup included a Leon Horizon 616 center channel mounted below the flat-panel TV with left/right speakers hidden inside the cabinet doors with steel mesh grilles. [Read more] |
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Some of us... well probably most of us... wonder what it would be like to have a system custom designed and installed. Well, if you ever get the money (and decide you don't want to get raked over the coals for overpriced cables), you may come in contact with Leon Speakers. We see Leon Speakers at nearly every show we go to and they can always be counted on having a very contemporary and interesting display. They also tend to have really great swag which means we always stop by." [Read more] |
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The BTO model is common to several custom product categories, including projection screens, speakers, flat-screen enhancements, theater chairs and even entire theater builds. Leon Speakers is one manufacturer that actively solicits one-offs, often turning around a BTO order in just four to six days once the specs are set. According to president Noah Kaplan, the No. 1 lesson for success with BTO sales is to "actively engage the customer to discover their passion for the sale." [Read more] |
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Installing the 103-inch Panasonic plasma was the most arduous task of this extensive project, says Calderone. (Click here to view slides of the installation and end result.) It took three days of preparation, a specially constructed support system, and a half-dozen men to mount the beast to the wall. The hard work paid off. “The home theater has become a neck-and-neck favorite with the whole-house music system,” Crown says. “When the music or plasma is playing, it changes the whole atmosphere of the house.” [Read more] |
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"In the face of growth, especially in this economy, manufacturers have to work smarter, not harder. There is always room for improvement, and small CE manufacturers like Leon Speakers are fortunate to be able to implement improvements quickly. The ISO process allowed a company to step back and examine the flexibility of its business systems to meet all of its demands and then, ultimately, to focus attention on controls..." [Read more] |
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"One of the biggest plasma TVs on the planet, a 103-incher from Panasonic graces the home theater of Janet Crown and her three children...The front three speakers of the 7.2 surround-sound system are housed in a single cabinet that was custom designed by Leon Speakers to fit the width of the TV..." [Read more] |
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"The Horizon 212-UT is a high-fidelity multi-channel soundbar that matches the depth of the latest ultra-thin TVs. At only 1.5 inches deep, 3.25 inches tall, it is custom built to the exact width and finish of the TV and uses 2-inch aluminum-dome drivers and Morel MDT-12 cloth-dome tweeters for superior sound in the upper-frequency range..." [Read more] |
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"CE Pro congratulates this year's winners of the CE Pro BEST (Best Electronic Systems Technologies) Awards. The winners of the Inaugural BEST Awards were chosen by a panel of industry experts, integrators and the editors of CE Pro and Electronic House, to join an exclusive group of products deemed the most noteworthy for 2009. Criteria included: Creativity, Innovation, Incorporated equipment, Obstacles overcome, Aesthetics, Lifestyle benefits..." [Read more] |
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"Leon speakers are all about audio - audio for your video. The company custom builds speakers around video displays of all kinds, there is nothing off the shelf about any Leon system. On display at CEDIA was this whopping 140” wide Stewart CineCurve screen (that’s almost 12 feet wide for those of you keeping score at home!) with accustom built Leon speaker system tracing the screen..." [Read more] |
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"At CEDIA this past weekend, Leon Speakers unveiled their largest creation to date; the Horizon 616-OS loudspeaker. Featuring a trio of audio channels, the Ann Arbor, Michigan based company’s newest speaker measures a whopping 143” wide." [Read more] |
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"...I spent most of my time testing the speakers against Blu-ray high-definition movies, since the Horizon series is marketed more toward home theater rooms...I actually was surprised a couple of times that I noticed the separation of sound through the Dolby 5.1 and DTS system enough to make me glance around the room to pinpoint the source. It's the mark of pretty good speakers, since the goal is to convey soundstage depth in any size room. [Read more] |
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"Our commitment to custom design has been a great success for our on-wall speakers, such as the Profile and Horizon series, and we are pleased to bring this same approach to our new Vault line of in-wall speakers," said Noah Kaplan, president of Leon Speakers. [Read more] |
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The fame of The Plaza Hotel in New York City is legendary in American history. It is seen in countless movies and has a rich history of being a top-rated luxury hotel. The chance to work in this palatial Manhattan icon would be a high profile project for any speaker company or dealer. Leon Speakers and Concierge Direct got just that opportunity, and it would prove to be better than either company could have hoped for. [Read more] |
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There are soundbars, and then there’s Leon Speakers’ new OS Soundbar. The OS stands for Over-Sized, and the folks at Leon must have been chuckling at least a little with such an understatement. This soundbar speaker is like a leaner version of the “2001: A Space Odyssey” monolith. [Read more] |
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"As I opened the shipping cartons, I thought to myself, 'These are no ordinary speakers.' That's because I'd been told that the Ann Arbor, MI based Leon Speakers corporation does something few others do: build to order, matching its front LCR soundbar speaker to the width of any flat-screen TV and completing the job in 3 to 5 days. But seeing, as they say, is believing....If you need speakers that provide a stylish, exact match to your screen, with custom finishes and a subwoofer that takes up little room, consider Leon. These little heavyweights are the real deal, and they deserve a good listen." [Read more] |
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Built-to-order manufacturing has woven its way into many different industries as a means to achieve flexibility in today’s consumer-centric environments. For Leon Speakers, manufacturers of on-wall and flat-panel audio, this has been an essential tool to compete in an ever-changing, rapidly expanding, consumer electronics industry. [Read more] |
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The Leon Profile 404-X-A, suited for small theater settings and two-channel audiophile listening rooms, is only 3 1/2 inches deep, to complement the new, thinner flat-panel TVs, and can be custom-built to match the exact height and finish of any display. It is available in a number of wood-veneered baffles and can be painted to match any interior color. [Read More] |
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...We are a true CI company - offering custom colors, dimensions, mounting options, drivers, whatever. These are not compromises. These are the solutions our customers are looking for. Whether it is the 125" wide Horizon speaker for a giant flat-panel display or a custom subwoofer...we've become the guys that will build speakers when no one else will. [Read more] |
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No one wants to accessorize a sleek new TV with a portly audio system. So as flat-panel TVs get thinner, speaker manufacturers struggle to trim inches from their products too. At least one contestant seems to have won this battle of the bulge: Leon Speakers’ 414-LCR-X-A. [Read more] |
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If the luxurious Seven Series was a bit too rich for your blood, Leon Speakers is offering up yet another option for tossing tunes up on your wall. The "ultra" high-fidelity Horizon 414-LCR-X-A is designed to fit nicely in "small theater settings where audiophile quality sound is still paramount," and as you can see, the left / center / right channels are combined into one cabinet. [Read more] |
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Residential Systems Selects 2007 Resi Awards Finalists "...This year's Resi finalists are impressive not only for their external style and elegance, but also for their focus on simplicity for the installers and end-user consumer," says Jeremy Glowacki, editorial director of Residential Systems. "These companies should take great pride in their investment in high-quality product designs." [Read more] |
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If you’re looking for on-wall speakers to match your wall-mounted flat-panel TV, look to Leon’s Horizon. Custom decorator colors, exotic woods, silk-screening on grilles, and custom grille cloth colors are available. A depth of 4 inches and on-wall or flush-mount installation options make it a space saver. [Read more] |
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