From the streets of San Diego to a stand at a high-performance tech show, one homeless man got the chance to display his very own hand-made loudspeakers to the world. Dimi Kyriakou talks to Kevin Nelson about his unlikely story.

Adversity is something that affects people in many different ways. Some will use it as an excuse to explain away their misfortunes in life, then sit back and wait for things to change. But there are also those who will see it as their source of motivation to succeed and get back on track.

Just ask Kevin Nelson of Zealth Audio. Based in the United States, he knows exactly what it’s like to have your life turned upside down without warning. Since he was in high school, the 50-year-old has held a passion for building loudspeakers and things were going well, until adversity played its card last year.

Through a series of unfortunate circumstances brought about by his girlfriend allegedly emptying out his bank accounts, Kevin was forced onto the streets of San Diego, California. Things were looking grim until he was profiled by a local television news crew in a story that caught the attention of the team at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

As a result of the television coverage, Kevin received the opportunity to showcase his home-made ZAL36T Condo series loudspeakers in the high-performance audio area at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this year. There were obviously some bumps in the road on the way there, but Zealth Audio’s stand and demo of the speakers drew solid reviews and more importantly, some much-needed sales.
“The cabinet design for the ZAL36T loudspeaker was an actual dream I had one night. When I woke up the next day I began building it – and so began a project that spanned over 10 years,” he says.

“These loudspeakers deliver compelling stereo sound from a single cabinet. With our unique cabinet design, you can get a full-dimensional experience unlike any loudspeaker you have ever heard.”

The Condo series loudspeakers feature unique crossfire imaging which, according to Kevin, is what gives them a point of difference over competitor products.

“The crossovers are all of different values – four in all. You can hook them up as just a right and left stereo speaker (much like any other speaker) or you can hook them up in crossfire mode, which uses the right and left channel in each cabinet.

“So basically, the ZAL36T gives you the choice to buy just one speaker initially and then the other one later. These are choices that you don’t have with competitor speakers today – it’s either right or left.”

In regards to speaker specs, the upper dimensional baffle features a 6.5” poly paper woofer and a 1” pure silk dome tweeter. The lower directional baffle features an 8” poly paper woofer with a 5” poly midrange.

“The feedback at the show was all very positive and many attendees were interested in the technology that I used,” he says.

Following his success at the CES this year, Kevin will be working on the finishing touches for another three speakers in the Condo series. And while he is still homeless at the moment, the Navy veteran manages to keep his two certificates for the ZAL36T speakers from the Patent and Trademark office close by.

“My intention from the beginning was to design a speaker that delivers high-end sound without the high-end price. I believe that Zealth Audio will become a household name within five years,” he says.

“Going to the CES meant that I finally had the chance to prove to the industry that Zealth Audio was the real thing. It was a dream come true.”

Contact:
Zealth Audio
www.zealthaudio.com