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Great Sound |
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Ask anyone in the world of speaker design and they will tell you the #1 objective in developing a good sound enclosure is ‘rigidity’ – assuring that the enclosure itself does not  resonate under pressure from the speaker and either add to or subtract from the natural, intended sound of the speakers themselves. A good sound enclosure is one that delivers sound clean, without affecting it in any way.
The wall thicknesses of a typical plastic iPod sound system are about 2 mm, allowing
the plastic to easily flex and affect the sound you ultimately hear. Some plastic
system manufacturers compensate for this by artificially adjusting the bass
and treble; most do nothing at all. The walls of a Vers cabinet are 9.5 mm thick
E0 MDF - a rigid, environmentally friendly wood fiber material preferred by
most high-end speaker manufacturers. A Vers cabinet is more than 4 times thicker
than its plastic counterparts. A rigid, acoustically neutral cabinet means a
more accurate, natural delivery of the intended sound, allowing the music to ‘transcend’ the
sound system.
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Renewable |
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The Eucalyptus and Pine wood stock chosen for MDF core of Vers comes from locally sourced and managed
plantations near our factory; any trees that are harvested are replanted.  Since it’s the wood fiber we’re after, the entire
tree is used: trunk, roots, bark, branches and twigs – nothing goes to waste. The wood fiber production system is
geared to handle smaller diameter stock typically less than 5 years old; no old growth, threatened or endangered wood
materials are used anywhere in our process. Even our furniture-grade veneers are selected from among the most
commonly available agricultural wood species on the planet. In the end, the wood used in a Vers system replaces 80%
of what could have been plastic. When selected with care, wood is the most renewable material available.
The paper used in our packaging is 100% post-consumer recycled stock and nearly all of the internal plastic packaging,
bags & wrapping have either been replaced with post-consumer paper or eliminated altogether. We’ve even done
away with twist ties – over a mile of twist ties have been eliminated this year alone. Replacing the un-recyclable
styrene foam packaging material typically found in consumer electronics packaging with recycled pulp paper has also
allowed us to reduce the size of our boxes by about 12%. More boxes fit in a container, a warehouse or a truck, so
less energy is required to transport each individual system. Lots of small choices can add up to a big difference in the
end.
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More Efficient |
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 The heart of a Vers is it’s Class D amplifier, which is more energy efficient and produces a lot less waste heat than
traditional Class AB amplifiers. During operation, a Class AB amp runs between 15% and 40% efficient; a Class D is
typically 50% and 90% efficient. Whether you look at it as the same sound for less energy or more sound for the same
energy, a Class D amp is a far more efficient alternative. Additionally, all Vers systems use switching-type power
adaptors, which draw 30% less power than traditional non-switching adaptors under full load. When powered off, they
draw up to 90% less energy. They cost more to produce, but are worth it in the larger picture; more sound for less
energy is a good thing.
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Less toxic |
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According to the EPA, over 2 million tons
of electronics products will be retired this year; less than
10% will be recycled, leaving 1.6 million tons to end up
in landfills.  Our strategy to address this future challenge
is to make better material and component choices up front,
but plan for the worst case by eliminating any and all toxic
materials as well. As part of this goal, all Vers systems
are 100% RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances) compliant,
meaning there is no Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent chromium,
Polybrominated biphenyls or Polybrominated diphenyl ether in
any of our systems. Our E0 MDF has no added formaldehyde and
we use natural lignin-based wood adhesives throughout the
wood assembly process. Even our plastic components are PVC
and BFR-free. The elimination of toxic chemical isn’t required
by any law in the US, its just part of the mission of making
our systems better - better for you and better for our craftsmen
to work with, too.
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Just the beginning |
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In our view, no product is truly ‘green’. Any manufactured product requires energy and resources to produce, transport
and operate through out their entire life cycle. While ‘green’ is the all-important guiding vision, ‘less brown’ are all of the
100’s of small steps made along the way that get you there. Making a more environmentally sustainable system is
neither easy nor free; lots of trade offs and compromises need to be considered. There is plenty of work for us to do
still; we have only scratched the surface on sustainable product development. We’re currently planning our carbon
neutrality strategy and are exploring links up with key partners to help build on our sustainability commitment.
Check back from time to time to see how we are doing and as always, we welcome your comments!
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