Philips Manta
Home Cinema Speakers
GOOD design award 2014
iF design award 2014
Design: Kent Li, Larry Koo, Murphy Tan
Project lead: Larry Koo
The challenge of manta flat is to design one of the flattest soundbar to match with the slimness of modern TVs. The embedded technology was to utilize an array of newly developed ultra slim loudspeaker drivers to deliver credible sound while able to achieve a relatively slim and sleek form factor. And in the end, the result of HTL6145 (manta) was successfully claimed to be the flattest sound bar in the market. It is only 3cm in thickness and is as flat as any flat screen TV. The soundbar is paired with a versatile placement subwoofer designed to match well and fit seamless with any modern urban living spaces.
A full metal grill wraps around the front and towards both ends to show the full range of sound. The choice of metal instead of cloth is to match with the sleek metal frames found on modern TVs. Touch controls are placed in the center, top strip blending in seamlessly with the metal foiling treatment on both sides. To optimize the flatness, 3 ultra slim 2” woofer with Neodymium magnets is housed on each side of the soundbar. The overall construction was optimized to achieve the tightest dimensions all around. A considered dual function accessory is designed for wall mounting as well as a table stand to improve stability.
The complementing slim subwoofer is designed to offer versatile placement; sitting flat or upright for flexible placement. The height of the box is optimized for fitting under or behind the couch. The benefit is to hide the speaker box completely where traditional subwoofer box often had to occupy a good amount of space. The circuit board housed inside the box generates a significant amount of heat. To avoid implementing a fan or heat sink, the bass port on both side of the box was used to draw the heat out. For upright placement, a light weight plastic base is designed for providing additional footprint to prevent the slim speaker box from toppling.
