11 Questions with Fuat Koro ------------November December 2016 Issue!
PALM technology met up with Fuat Koro - Director of Global Sales & Marketing, Bose Professional and Arun Kumar, Divisional Manager at Bose Professional India, on the sidelines of the demo of the new ShowMatch DeltaQ array loudspeakers in Mumbai. Koro gives a heads up on the technology behind the line array and what customers can expect from this differentiated technology.
Global President of Neumann GmbH
Director of Global Sales & Marketing,
Bose Professional
1. How are Bose ShowMatch DeltaQ array loudspeakers superior or different from traditional line arrays?
There are two key elements of differentiation for ShowMatch DeltaQ: sound quality and flexibility. With respect to
sound quality, the area where we really differentiate is the vocal clarity that the product provides. Historically,
many loudspeakers have a crossover in the vocal region, which degrades vocal clarity. What we accomplished is keeping
that crossover point outside the vocal region, which significantly improves vocal clarity. Another big differentiator
in sound quality is the ability to custom shape the array so that it provides seamless coverage throughout the audience
listening area. Finally, the output that we get out of ShowMatch is another unique sound quality element. We have two
proprietary transducers and compression drivers that are not off-the-shelf transducers, but were designed by Bose engineers.
The ShowMatch transducers provide amazing outputs, perhaps not seen from other products in its class.
Of course sound quality is not the only highlight; it’s also about the flexibility of the product, especially as it
relates to the DeltaQ technology. DeltaQ allows us to vary the directivity for each box so that we can create a
custom array. This is something you don’t see with other arrays in this market space. We refer to it as “next
generation array technology” because we are able to customize the directivity to best fit the needs of the
application. And last but not least, our engineers spent a lot of time considering this product from a portability
standpoint. This is not only a fixed install product - it’s very much available for the portable rental market as well.
The major benefit of ShowMatch is that the product can go anywhere, from large 5,000 person concert level installations,
all the way down to small auditoriums or corporate AV applications.
2. If you have to name one single component most responsible for vocal clarity in the ShowMatch,w what would it be?
The one single component most responsible for ShowMatch’s vocal clarity is the DeltaQ technology, which enables adjustment
of the array directivity to best meet the needs of the application.
3. Who are your main target customers for ShowMatch?
Our customer base for ShowMatch is very diverse because of the flexibility that it offers. The fixed install market that
currently works with Bose RoomMatch loudspeakers will continue to be part of our customer base, with a focus on projects
such as auditoriums, live music venues, houses of worship, etc. But the introduction of ShowMatch opens a whole new
customer base for us as well, because it is also engineered for portability. On the rental side, ShowMatch can work
anywhere from tour level applications to corporate AV events and conferences.
4. Would you say that ShowMatch is a new improved version of RoomMatch?
The two products share a similar design philosophy, but there are some nuances that distinguish RoomMatch and ShowMatch,
so both will continue to coexist in our line-up of DeltaQ arrays. We see RoomMatch as the best approach for acoustically
challenging venues, because the level of customization that it affords is second to none. We have 42 different boxes
available to shape a RoomMatch array, as well as many different asymmetrical configurations. Hence, RoomMatch is our
best offering from a customization standpoint. Meanwhile, ShowMatch has many advantages in terms of portability, output,
and box size that make it a great choice for applications that require more compact array configurations.
5.When will the product start shipping and what would be the price range in INR?
The product will be available in the Indian market beginning in December. We haven’t published the price list yet,
but for now we can say that it will be slightly less than RoomMatch.
6. Have you received any feedback from customers or manufacturers who had the opportunity to hear ShowMatch?
Right now we are in the middle of a global rollout, stopping at over twenty cities around the world, so many customers are
seeing, experiencing, and hearing the product. By mid-December, we will have had a wide introduction around the world.
We have been involved in several organized events with other manufacturers as well, and have a mutual respect with other
industry brands. Overall we are hearing that DeltaQ is a differentiated technology that offers something novel. Our
customers and consultants have experienced many other products, and are very discerning about what works and what does
not work for them. And we are consistently hearing that the DeltaQ technology resonates very strongly with them.
Arun Kumar: We have received feedback from many partners across the world who are using other brands as well –
across Europe,
US and now in India as well.
7. What is your perception of the Indian market?
The Indian market is one of our focus markets, and a very promising market for several reasons. The first is the increased
appreciation for quality sound, which is a huge advantage for us and something that we would like to leverage. Another is the
promise we see in the live music industry, which is growing tremendously. Finally, we are also looking at the corporate
events market, which is very active in India. For these three reasons, we see a very natural fit between the product that
we are introducing and the present market dynamics. Also important to mention is that the product is only half the
story: we also have a very strong team presence in India. Bose has been in the Indian market for a very long time.
We have a subsidiary with a Bose sales force and field engineering in multiple cities, so it’s a market that we are
very familiar with. In that sense, it’s not an emerging market for us, it’s definitely a market that we have been
participating in for a very long time.
8. Your take on the tier 2 and tier 3 cities?
Arun Kumar: From our invite list today, I saw representation from all the cities. Obviously there are more people
in the Metros, which is representative of the market. But I believe that the quality perception of folks in the Metros or
tier 1 cities is no different from the perception in tier 2 cities. For instance, many tier 2 rental companies have
top-notch gear - sometimes even better than those in the Metros. This gives me confidence that our customers, whether
in Metros or tier 1 or 2 cities, really appreciate the high-quality sound that we can deliver.
9. Do you think that India is a price sensitive market?
India is a price sensitive market of course, but price is only part of the story. We see that our customers are really
seeking value. If we can provide a performance level that is commensurate with price, our customers are very receptive
to that. We want our products to reflect all of our R&D efforts and new technology developments, and leverage those
features to deliver customer value so customers can see that Bose offers premium products.
10. Tell us a little about the R&D process at Bose?
The guiding philosophy at Bose is definitely “better sound through research,” and that is very much present in our
pro-audio business. We always play for the long term, so for us it’s not only about next year. If we think we can
offer our customers a demonstrable benefit, we are willing to invest in technologies with a much longer time horizon.
This is actually the case for the DeltaQ line array technology: Our engineers have been working on this technology for
over a decade. But I should also emphasize that it’s not only about technology; without delivering value to the customers,
the process would be incomplete. So our R&D process also involves being very much accountable for delivering results based
on customer demand for our products.
11. What is your perception of the global market for pro-audio products and how does India fit into this global scenario?
It’s a very exciting time for us to be in the global pro audio market. Some segments are growing very fast, especially on
the corporate and the enterprise side, while other segments are very steady. Digital networking is also becoming more common
in pro audio applications, and the need for premium quality audio is also increasing. If I look at India and how it falls
into the overall pro audio market, I see similar trends, so India is not all that different from the rest of the pro-audio
market around the world.