It’s nothing but net for Valtteri Salomaki and Ethan Castro, founders of EDGE Sound Research. The duo is making waves in the pro AV and pro sports worlds with their cutting-edge audio technology called Embodied Sound™. Salomaki and Castro aim to bring sound not only to the ears of their listeners but to their entire bodies. They recently performed a high-profile audio installation at the VIP experience for a multipurpose Las Vegas arena and turned to an equally innovative company, LEA Professional, to deliver completely immersive sound to the guests.
From an early age, Castro held a special interest in audio. Born with conditions that would eventually leave him hard of hearing at a young age, he had to rely on how the audio felt instead of how it sounded and would hug his father’s loudspeakers to ensure he could feel every vibration. Now, Castro possesses a Ph.D. in digital composition, with research focused on combining hearing and feeling to create a new form of audio reproduction that everyone can experience. When he met Salomaki and shared his research, it was clear that the two were bound to create something amazing.
“We take the audio from the game that gets picked up by the broadcast, and we provide it in our sections of a venue,” Salomaki said. “That way, a fan can hear and feel everything from the dribbles to the shots, the swooshes, everything that makes them feel like an actual player in the game versus a spectator. Our ultimate goal is to redefine how personalized and curated a sports experience can be.”
During games, emotions run high in the arena. The thrill of every point is felt throughout the crowd. To bring that excitement to everyone in the VIP section, EDGE Sound Research needed to specify an amplifier that was as innovative and powerful as their philosophy. This made LEA Professional the perfect match.
“Before we standardized on LEA Professional’s technology, we had to use two to three different pieces of equipment that would take up an entire rack,” said Castro. “To be able to have everything in a 1U rack space was the game changer that we needed. It’s sleek, it’s easy to control, and we can do it remotely with reliability we can trust.”
To ensure every guest feels like they’re on the court, EDGE Sound Research specified multiple LEA Connect Series 354 amplifiers. The 354 is a 4-channel amplifier with 350 watts per channel. As part of the Network Connect Series, the world’s first Internet of Things- (IoT) enabled professional-grade amplifiers, it is perfectly suited for installations of all sizes, making it the ideal fit for the exclusive courtside deck.
“LEA is right in that sweet spot where we have the power requirements, the channel counts, and the super-efficient architecture,” said Castro. “We no longer require a separate DSP unit or monitoring tool to determine uptime and ensure performance remotely. LEA’s excellent SharkWare and Cloud solutions give us all the control we need both on deployment and remote monitoring of all aspects of the system after we leave. The LEA Cloud takes care of that and provides us with unmatched efficiency and ease of use.”
EDGE Sound Research has deployed LEA Professional amplifiers in several exciting applications with no plans of stopping soon. The duo is building their full audio experience around LEA as the amplifier part of the tech stack, and they plan to utilize more capabilities to build out personally curated experiences in the future.
“EDGE Sound Research is the definition of innovative. Salomaki and Castro completely reimagined the typical audio experience, and the results are outstanding,” added Scott Robbins, Vice President of Sales at LEA Professional. “Our amplifiers are a great match for the EDGE Sound Research philosophy. We share the idea that it’s never time to stop pushing the envelope and experimenting with how we can do better and reach more people in a way they’ve never heard or felt before.”
