Following the acquisition by Italian driver manufacturer 18 Sound, announced in November 2015, the new Ciare brand identity has been presented at the Prolight+Sound 2016 show, in preparation for the company’s relaunch. The Senigallia, Italy brand already shared the booth with 18 Sound at the Frankfurt show and introduced three new drivers, including an improved coaxial design, a new 1” exit high-frequency driver and a midrange 6.5” driver.
Relaunching on the market with the full support of the established speaker manufacturer based in Reggio Emilia, its knowledge of the international market and marketing experience, the introduction of the “new” Ciare brand in the worldwide market is clearly a priority according to Pier Paolo Marzialli, 18 Sound Managing Director, carefully refocusing Ciare’s brand development in strategic market segments, such as high-end audio, car audio and professional audio.
“This is a major step which will revitalize and strengthen the Ciare brand, while maintaining the standards of efficiency and reliability as well as the characteristic sonic signature which has always been a feature of this company,” added Giacomo Previ, 18 Sound Sales & Marketing Director.
During its 65 years in the market, Ciare gained a significant experience in the design and production of speakers and amplifier components for the professional audio, hi-fidelity and car audio market segments. A wealth of knowledge which has not just grown over time, but is still synonymous with reliability and efficiency, creating a solid foundation for the brand’s relaunch. For this critical marketing effort, a totally new brand identity was developed as part of the company repositioning and that was a critical part of the message transmitted at Prolight+Sound 2016. Ciare and 18 Sound sharing the same booth, but with a clear display of Ciare’s new corporate image and products, creating an effective positive impression.
A new brand identity
Officially introduced at the Frankfurt show - a major international platform for promotion in the professional audio industry worldwide - the new Ciare logo intends to clearly reflect the beginning of a new expansion stage for the company.
According to Giacomo Previ, the new logo is intentionally simple, reflecting the lettering used previously and introducing a new symbol which is purposely designed to evoke fundamental values in the world of high quality audio and high fidelity - clearly the new expansion focus for the brand.
The new Ciare logo combines a simple shape, incorporating concepts such as the propagation of sound and its source - the speaker driver. As the company explained, those essential brand elements combine “the circle, an icon of perfection and harmony, which gives the logo its overall form” open in two points to evoke both a transducer and the letter C for Ciare. The openness of the new logo also intends to reinforce the message that Ciare “listens to customer and market requirements”.
A new product vision
While Ciare is repositioned and reinforced in the international market, side by side with 18 Sound, the company will reinforce its product offerings with specific strategies for each market segment. According to Giacomo Previ, Ciare will expand its presence in the automotive business with a recognized strong positioning in Italy to the global market, expanding also into high quality drives for the consumer space and strengthening the professional audio segment with strategic products that 18 Sound doesn’t offer, while gradually also expanding into new application areas. All this, while combining the craftsmanship already reflected by the brand with a new industrial system guaranteed by certified quality standards.
At Prolight+Sound 2016, Ciare exhibited some of the first products in the company’s expanded portfolio, which also reflect the ongoing cooperation efforts between the two companies’ R&D departments, such as the new 6M38 High Output Ferrite 6.5-inch driver, the 6NCX50 neodymium coaxial 6.5-inch driver, and the new NDA1 neodymium annular high-frequency 1-inch driver.
The Ciare NDA1 1-inch exit HF driver is a fine example of the company’s expanded range of products, using a Mylar diaphragm, neodymium phase plug design and 44mm (1.7”) aluminum voice coil. This high-frequency unit has a total depth of only 40mm and responds typically from 1000 to 20,000 Hz with a maximum crossover frequency at 1800 Hz, being rated for 100W (AES) program power handling and 110dB (1W/1m) sensitivity.
The new Ciare 6NCX50 coaxial driver features a neodymium magnet and built-in polyester HF waveguide, with a 50mm (2-inch) copper LF voice coil and 25mm (1-inch) aluminum HF voice coil, in a design highly suitable for ultra-compact systems. This 6.5” driver is rated at 140W (AES) and 280W program power with 93dB sensitivity, responding from 90-8000Hz on the low frequency section and 25W program power on the high-frequencies, from 1000-20,000Hz.
Recommended for high quality midrange applications, the new 6M38 High Output Ferrite 6.5-inch driver features a 38mm (1.5-inch) interleaved sandwich voice coil and is rated at 100W (AES) or 200W program power, with a sensitivity of 97dB. Frequency range is 90 to 8000Hz.
www.eighteensound.it | www.ciare.com
