CE Pro Podcast #126: How Lithe Audio Does Ceiling Speakers Differently

Summary

Have you ever wished you could install an in-ceiling loudspeaker and not worry about running wire to drive it and connect sources? Well, let us introduce you to Surrey, U.K., brand Lithe Audio, an innovative speaker company that makes all-in-one products that allow you to do just that.

Amit Ravat, co-founder and director of Lithe Audio, debuted the brand to the U.S. market at CEDIA Expo 2022 in Dallas recently. He was excited to show off the all-in-one aspect of the powered speakers, which have built-in support Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast, depending on the model. He went over the details with me in this week’s CE Pro Podcast episode.

“We’re basically an all-in-one ceiling speaker company but we’re slowly diversifying into other products,” Ravat says. “We were founded only five years ago, so we’re not an old and established company, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know what we’re talking about.

“We’re a team of designers and engineers, we’re really passionate about toys and tech … I don’ think we’ve really grown up, we just really enjoy those aspects of the world I guess,” he chuckles.

Ravat notes fellow co-founder Wesley Siu brings an electrical engineering background to the company, and with the rest of the team is no stranger to innovation.

“We’ve done projects like laser projection systems for planetariums to designing kettles, toasters, coffee machines, to light switches, plug sockets and now we’re in the world of AV and audio is where we’re at.”

The company offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi versions of ceiling speakers, landscape/garden speakers and a wireless Micro Subwoofer, which could very well have been the tiniest sub at CEDIA Expo 2022.

The Pro Series models offer PoE++ and WiSA (Wireless Speaker and Audio Association) technology bolt-on modules give the speakers installation flexibility for multiroom and single-room home theater setups, with Dolby Atmos capabilities.

Holding up an all-in-one ceiling speaker to show it on camera during the podcast, Ravat notes the ease of installation. He notes the simple install, audio selection and durability of the speaker make them ideal in rooms like kitchens and bathrooms, or adding outdoor audio zones.

“That has got absolutely everything you need,” he says, pointing out the amplification and connectivity. “What that means is this is now no different than fitting a spotlight in your ceiling. You can cut a hole, add power from any lighting circuit or PoE, we have various options, and once you’ve done that you just stream audio directly to it. From an integrator’s view it just really simplifies the installation.”

Judges of the CE Pro BEST Awards thought the differentiation, flexibility and promise of the Pro Series Wi-Fi Multiroom Ceiling Speaker speaker worthy of one of this year’s awards, so the buzz for Lithe Audio in the U.S. is off to a pretty solid start.

Ravat goes on to discuss installation topologies for doing distributed audio; using active speakers to pair with passive ones for stereo and multichannel applications; working in markets such as hospitality where Lithe Audio has also made inroads; and much more. To hear the entire conversation with Ravat, watch or download the podcast above.  

Find past episodes of the CE Pro Podcast by subscribing to the CE Pro YouTube channel or our Apple and Spotify podcast feeds.

Summary

Have you ever wished you could install an in-ceiling loudspeaker and not worry about running wire to drive it and connect sources? Well, let us introduce you to Surrey, U.K., brand Lithe Audio, an innovative speaker company that makes all-in-one products that allow you to do just that.

Amit Ravat, co-founder and director of Lithe Audio, debuted the brand to the U.S. market at CEDIA Expo 2022 in Dallas recently. He was excited to show off the all-in-one aspect of the powered speakers, which have built-in support Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast, depending on the model. He went over the details with me in this week’s CE Pro Podcast episode.

“We’re basically an all-in-one ceiling speaker company but we’re slowly diversifying into other products,” Ravat says. “We were founded only five years ago, so we’re not an old and established company, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know what we’re talking about.

“We’re a team of designers and engineers, we’re really passionate about toys and tech … I don’ think we’ve really grown up, we just really enjoy those aspects of the world I guess,” he chuckles.

Ravat notes fellow co-founder Wesley Siu brings an electrical engineering background to the company, and with the rest of the team is no stranger to innovation.

“We’ve done projects like laser projection systems for planetariums to designing kettles, toasters, coffee machines, to light switches, plug sockets and now we’re in the world of AV and audio is where we’re at.”

The company offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi versions of ceiling speakers, landscape/garden speakers and a wireless Micro Subwoofer, which could very well have been the tiniest sub at CEDIA Expo 2022.

The Pro Series models offer PoE++ and WiSA (Wireless Speaker and Audio Association) technology bolt-on modules give the speakers installation flexibility for multiroom and single-room home theater setups, with Dolby Atmos capabilities.

Holding up an all-in-one ceiling speaker to show it on camera during the podcast, Ravat notes the ease of installation. He notes the simple install, audio selection and durability of the speaker make them ideal in rooms like kitchens and bathrooms, or adding outdoor audio zones.

“That has got absolutely everything you need,” he says, pointing out the amplification and connectivity. “What that means is this is now no different than fitting a spotlight in your ceiling. You can cut a hole, add power from any lighting circuit or PoE, we have various options, and once you’ve done that you just stream audio directly to it. From an integrator’s view it just really simplifies the installation.”

Judges of the CE Pro BEST Awards thought the differentiation, flexibility and promise of the Pro Series Wi-Fi Multiroom Ceiling Speaker speaker worthy of one of this year’s awards, so the buzz for Lithe Audio in the U.S. is off to a pretty solid start.

Ravat goes on to discuss installation topologies for doing distributed audio; using active speakers to pair with passive ones for stereo and multichannel applications; working in markets such as hospitality where Lithe Audio has also made inroads; and much more. To hear the entire conversation with Ravat, watch or download the podcast above.  

Find past episodes of the CE Pro Podcast by subscribing to the CE Pro YouTube channel or our Apple and Spotify podcast feeds.