LITHE AUDIO: AMIT RAVAT THE ERT INTERVIEW
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The sound of the future
Amit Ravat is the Co-Founder and Managing S
potting unique gaps in the market and designing products that
fulfil
real consumer needs is what Lithe Audio is all about. Its passion for technological development knows
no bounds, and its range of wireless, voice- controlled Wi-Fi and Bluetooth ceiling speakers, garden speakers and multi-room audio systems have been gaining popularity in recent years. All Lithe Audio products are fully designed
in-house by the same team behind the well- established Retrotouch brand – its sister company which designs and manufactures a range of modern smart light switches, sockets and other electrical accessories.
Director of both companies; he started his career at the SDA brand, Dualit, but his passion for innovation and creativity led him to start the Retrotouch business in 2008 with business partner Wesley Siu, and this was followed by the formation of Lithe Audio in 2016. “The idea for Lithe Audio and its first ceiling speaker came about almost by accident,” Mr Ravat admits to ERT in this exclusive interview. “Wes had some broken floorstanding speakers at home and as we were playing around trying to fix them we realised there was a gap for a completely new kind of product! “We’ve never really had a master plan since then, everything has just happened organically! Over the years we’ve built up our relationships with the likes of Apple, Google and Spotify to ensure seamless integration of these platforms. And here we are today.” And “here” is at the forefront of the smart
home audio market, both in the UK and the USA, thanks to the company’s standout designs and attention to detail. The most recent addition to its collection is the iO1 all- in-one wireless indoor/outdoor speaker… Weather-resistant IPX6-rated and with a powerful amplifier and connectivity all built in, this active surface-mount speaker is easy to
Lithe Audio is a huge advocate of the convenience and functionality that smart tech can offer. “We’re at a place now where everything talks to everything else,” MD, Amit Ravat, tells Jack Cheeseman, “and as that becomes more
mainstream it will trigger a real step change for homes of the future.”
install and just requires power. It’s designed for areas that can’t accommodate a traditional ceiling speaker, so it can be installed in six different orientations – on-wall, in-corner, on- corner, ground spike, countertop, and pendent. Embedded with Airplay 2, Chromecast and Spotify Connect, it’s also super easy to create quality distributed audio – either on its own or connected with any other Airplay 2 or Chromecast speaker for multi-room set-ups. “At the moment you’ve got two types of smart home,” explains Mr Ravat, “one that’s automated and fully integrated into the consumer’s routines, then there’s the DIY route using the Internet of Things (IoT) and a variety of plug-in systems.
“Those two worlds will continue to develop in their own ways; I think the retail world is the IoT DIY route and the other is more for proper custom installation specialists.” Mr Ravat says that Lithe Audio is all about
the products that discreetly blend into people’s interiors and become part of their home. “It’s really just the sound that people want to hear at the end of the day,” he adds. “We’re not at the super high end of the market and we don’t want to be there; we see ourselves straddling that middle area with good value products that simply sound amazing.”
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