Key Takeaways
- Celestion will unveil its new LensGuide™ technology at InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas (Booth N6476, North Hall).
- LensGuide provides ultra‑wide, 180° dispersion while preserving a smooth frequency response and precise directivity control.
- The technology replaces the traditional compromise between controlled directivity and audio fidelity by sculpting internal corrugations that manipulate acoustic path lengths.
- A patented mathematical design creates a single‑parameter wavefront that can be routed, focused, and dispersed without degradation.
- Demonstrations include a rotating 180° LensGuide showcase and a 100° dispersion horn example, highlighting improved intelligibility and reduced horn‑like resonances.
- Celestion’s Head of Engineering, Paul Cork, stresses that the ability to tailor dispersion and directivity without sacrificing wavefront quality is unprecedented.
- Attendees can experience the innovation firsthand June 17‑19, 2026, and learn more about Celestion’s century‑long legacy in professional audio.
Introduction to Celestion’s Presence at InfoComm 2026
Celestion, the renowned manufacturer of professional loudspeakers and compression drivers, will be a highlight of InfoComm 2026 held in Las Vegas from June 17‑19, 2026. The company invites visitors to its booth N6476 in the North Hall to witness the debut of its LensGuide™ technology. This showcase underscores Celestion’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound reinforcement through innovative acoustic engineering. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with live demonstrations, ask questions of Celestion engineers, and see how the new technology can be integrated into various audio‑visual installations. The event serves as a platform for Celestion to reinforce its reputation as a leader in high‑performance loudspeaker design while providing practical insights for system designers and integrators.
Overview of LensGuide Technology and Its 180° Dispersion Demonstration
The centerpiece of Celestion’s exhibit is a bespoke LensGuide that delivers an impressive 180° dispersion pattern. Mounted on a rotating stand, the device allows attendees to walk around and experience its ultra‑wide coverage from multiple angles, directly observing the consistency of sound pressure and clarity off‑axis. This physical demonstration makes tangible the theoretical advantages of LensGuide, showing how a single horn‑like structure can achieve coverage traditionally requiring multiple arrays or complex DSP processing. By rotating the guide, Celestion illustrates the technology’s ability to maintain uniform frequency response and directivity across a full semicircle, a feat that challenges conventional waveguide and horn designs.
Problems with Traditional Waveguide and Horn Designs
Historically, audio engineers have faced a trade‑off when selecting waveguides or high‑frequency horns: either they achieve tight, controllable directivity at the expense of a colored or uneven frequency response, or they opt for a smooth response that sacrifices directivity control, leading to uneven coverage and potential interference lobes. This compromise forces system designers to rely on additional signal processing, multiple speakers, or careful array planning to mitigate the shortcomings. Such work‑arounds increase complexity, cost, and potential phase issues, ultimately limiting the achievable acoustic performance in demanding environments like large venues, houses of worship, or concert halls.
How LensGuide Solves the Directivity‑Frequency Response Compromise
Celestion’s LensGuide technology eliminates the need for compromise by enabling precise tailoring of both dispersion and directivity without degrading frequency response. The core innovation lies in the internal corrugation pattern, which is calculated to adjust the acoustic path length of sound waves as they travel through the waveguide. By controlling these path lengths, LensGuide can shape the wavefront to produce desired dispersion angles while preserving the integrity of the single‑parameter wavefront—a concept that maintains the wave’s phase coherence and amplitude characteristics. Consequently, designers can meet specific coverage requirements while retaining a natural, uncolored sound.
Internal Corrugation Design and Single‑Parameter Wavefront Manipulation
The LensGuide employs an advanced, patented mathematical methodology to generate a series of finely spaced internal corrugations. These corrugations act as microscopic acoustic lenses that incrementally increase or decrease the path length of traveling sound waves. This intricate architecture permits the waves to be routed, turned, focused, dispersed, manipulated, combined, and precisely controlled without introducing distortion or damaging the single‑parameter wavefront’s desirable properties. The result is a wavefront that remains coherent and consistent, enabling the waveguide to act like a programmable acoustic element that can be fine‑tuned for any application—from narrow‑beam spot coverage to expansive, uniform sound fields.
Application Example: 100° Dispersion Horn Using LensGuide
A practical illustration of LensGuide’s versatility is its implementation in a 100° dispersion horn. In this configuration, the technology creates many thinly separated, corrugated channels that seamlessly convert rectangular single‑parameter waves into cylindrical waves. The conversion yields an exceptionally wide, well‑controlled dispersion pattern while maintaining an excellent frequency response across the audible spectrum. This approach demonstrates how LensGuide can replace traditional multi‑cell horns or complex waveguide arrays with a single, streamlined component that delivers both broad coverage and high fidelity, simplifying system design and reducing installation time.
Acoustic Performance Benefits: Coherent Wavefront, Intelligibility, and Reduced Resonances
In real‑world use, the LensGuide’s preservation of the single‑parameter wavefront translates into measurable acoustic advantages. The resulting cylindrical wavefront is highly coherent, which minimizes vertical interference lobes when multiple units are arrayed, thereby improving speech intelligibility and musical clarity. Additionally, the technology suppresses unwanted “horn‑like” resonances that often color the high‑frequency output, extending the HF response and delivering a more natural, accurate sound. Off‑axis listeners experience a smooth, consistent tonal balance, eliminating the harshness or drop‑offs typical of conventional horns at extreme angles.
Expert Perspective: Paul Cork on LensGuide’s Uniqueness
Paul Cork, Celestion’s Head of Engineering, emphasized the significance of the internal sculpting approach: “The application of sculpted corrugations and the advanced methods used to calculate them are what set LensGuide apart from traditional designs. By accurately controlling the acoustic path length, we can manipulate the sound waves without damaging the desirable properties of the single parameter wavefront. This provides system designers the unprecedented ability to tailor dispersion and directivity to their exact application, delivering an exceptionally coherent output that is smooth and consistent.” His statement underscores that LensGuide is not merely an incremental improvement but a paradigm shift in how waveguides can be engineered for precise acoustic control.
Call to Action and Company Background
Celestion invites all InfoComm 2026 attendees to visit Booth N6476 in the North Hall from June 17‑19 to experience LensGuide firsthand, speak with the engineering team, and explore how the technology can be integrated into upcoming projects. Founded over a century ago in Ipswich, England, Celestion has built a legacy of manufacturing high‑quality professional loudspeakers, compression drivers, and premium guitar speakers used on stages, in clubs, theatres, and venues worldwide. The company continues to blend its rich heritage with cutting‑edge innovations like LensGuide, ensuring that sound reinforcement professionals have access to the tools needed to deliver exceptional audio experiences in any setting. For more information, visit celestion.com.