Optimal Audio Launches Column SeriesOptimal Audio has announced the launch of the Column Series, a pair of passive column loudspeakers designed for indoor and outdoor commercial installations. Column 8 and Column 16 extend the brand's versatile loudspeaker range centered on three things integrators have asked for: a complete installation kit in the box; IP54 rating as standard; and native integration with the wider Optimal Audio ecosystem. Column 8 features eight 2.2" full-range drivers in a slim cabinet 610mm in length, delivering 150-degree horizontal by 7-degree vertical dispersion making it ideal for even coverage without spill onto ceilings or floors. Column 16 steps up with sixteen drivers in a 1.1m cabinet for larger and more acoustically demanding spaces, with a tighter 5-degree vertical pattern for improved control. Both models are passive, 8 ohm, with 70V and 100V transformer taps, and both are rated IP54 when fitted with the rear panel connector cover, included in the box. "Column loudspeakers were a natural next step for us," says David Morbey, product manager at Optimal Audio. "When you look at where commercial audio actually gets deployed, in houses of worship, conference venues, concourses and the busier end of hospitality, a column is often the right answer acoustically. Column 8 and Column 16 extend our addressable market, at a price point where integrators can specify them without a difficult conversation." Both models are available in black and white, and both are paintable to match the surrounding architecture. Each model also ships with the complete installation kit as standard: a pan-and-tilt wall bracket, metal safety strap, rear panel connector cover, and spare grille cloth for use when painting cabinets. The Column Series is fully compatible with Optimal Audio's Zone and WebApp with factory-tuned Speech and Music DSP presets available -- giving integrators a known and proven starting point for voicing, rather than a blank EQ in the room. Morbey points out, "This range delivers on the small stuff that matters in practice." He adds, "Most of the category charges separately for the bits and pieces an integrator actually needs on the day. We've put the lot in the box. Combined with IP54 as standard and native integration with the rest of our ecosystem, you end up with a product that just works on arrival -- which is what Optimal Audio has always tried to do: powerful in application, simple to use." The Column Series will be shown and demoed for the first time at InfoComm 2026, Las Vegas, on Booth #N6833, with orders taken immediately and first deliveries commencing in September. More information from: optimal-audio.co.uk/products/loudspeakers/column. 
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