With the help of the ClarkSynthesis Aquasonic underwater speakers

May 1, 2006 07:05 GMT  ·  By

For some people, one of the most annoying things when swimming in a pool, at a pool party, is the fact that they cannot enjoy the music the other people are listening to. And especially for these water-loving audiophiles, the Clark company has adapted a device up until now used by marine biologists, Olympic swim teams, the US Navy and even Cirque du Soleil's "O" show in Las Vegas, creating the first high-quality underwater speakers available for the general public.

The speakers, called ClarkSynthesis Aquasonic, work on a very interesting principle. Waterborne vibrations have less effect on the ear drum than airborne vibrations do. As a result, there tends to be a muted quality to underwater sound. However, if waterborne vibrations are strong enough, they also are conducted through the bones near our ears. This process - known as bone conduction -sends tactile sound vibrations directly to the inner ear, where they are translated into electrical signals for the brain. Aquasonic speakers produce strong vibrations over a full range of tactile and audible frequencies, providing high-quality underwater sound through a combination of acoustic transmission and bone conduction.

Standard Aquasonic models are designed to either hang into the water by a cord, be installed it-wall in a standard pool light fixture, or float on top of the water sending sound both underneath and above the water's surface, thus creating some sort of ?surround" system for all the swimmers.

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