Optimal Audio has launched the Column 8 and Column 16 loudspeakers, extending the Column Series of passive column loudspeakers for indoor and outdoor commercial installations.
These offer complete installation kit in a box with IP54 rating (when fitted with the included rear panel connector cover) as standard, and native integration with the wider Optimal Audio ecosystem. Column 8 features eight 2.2-inch full-range drivers in a slim cabinet 610mm in length, delivering 150° horizontal by 7° vertical dispersion for even coverage without spill onto ceilings or floors. Column 16 uses 16 drivers in a 1.1m cabinet for larger and more acoustically demanding spaces, with a tighter 5° vertical pattern for improved control. Both models are passive, 8Ω, with 70V and 100V transformer taps.
‘Column loudspeakers were a natural next step for us,’ says Product Manager David Morbey. ‘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 starting point for voicing, rather than a blank EQ in the room.
‘This range delivers on the small stuff that matters in practice,’ Morbey says. ‘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.’