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Review: K-Array Redline KR200S Powered Loudspeaker System
You’ve heard of “speakers on a stick.” How about the “speaker is the stick”?
The notion of a “speaker-on-a-stick” is getting to be deeply in- grained these days—we’ve had them for decades now. The notion of the speaker being the stick is bit more contemporary. Exotic “stick” speakers have been around for about a decade now, and they’ve been warmly received by performers playing smaller venues, particularly performers who are not technically disposed, and who are inclined to keep setup and operation as simple as possible. Most agree that these DSP-managed line arrays sound good, offer respectable SPL, and simplify life for the performers. Nevertheless, they’re intended to be used “one-per-performer” and not under the control of a front-of-house mixer. These are not really products intended to replace a traditional point source or line-array PA system. In consideration of the fact that line- array speakers don’t necessarily need to be broad in physical width, Italy’s K-Array has developed a true PA system based on the notion of a very narrow “stick” line array. This is a system truly intended to replace at least speaker-on-a-stick systems, if not larger point source systems with numerous cabinets, and even small, inexpensive line arrays. K-Array makes two combo systems available, the KR200S and the KR400S. I spent time with the KR200S—the smaller of the two—and was truly amazed.
There are numerous applications in which an “invisible” PA system is very desirable, and church services strike me as being very high on that list. Nobody wants stacks of speakers or flying arrays with all their attendant hardware obstructing the view of video, musicians, vocalists, and certainly not the pastor. A “speaker-is-the stick” solution is probably the optimal solution, short of actually designing the PA into the worship space (and certainly the optimal solution for portable churches, for whom designing the PA into the space is simply not possible). The K-Array Redline KR200S accomplishes this goal very nicely. The KL18ma subwoofer element is in a box that’s only just large enough to contain its 18-inch LF driver—roughly an 18-and-a-half-inch cube elongated to 24 inches deep. The KR200 HF component is just over seven feet tall, and only 5.5cm (about 2-and-a- quarter inches) wide. It would be plausible to conceal these HF drivers among foliage or other aesthetically pleasing materials in a way that they are virtually invisible. The low-riding subwoofer component can similarly be concealed. So great—we can make these speakers disappear, but how do they sound?
The details
The LF driver in the KL18ma is an 18-inch, long-throw driver with a three-inch voice coil; an internal 1,000-watt, Class-D amplifier powers it. Its cabinet is a ported design, with triangular ports that are “fully symmetrical to the speaker,” according to K-Array’s information, which makes the back loading on the driver consistent, and helps to eliminate port turbulence. The result is a subwoofer that delivers very solid low end—which makes the “invisibility” of the system all the more incongruent to the brain. Despite the sub’s aural solidity, it’s shockingly light—about 58 pounds— and it can be literally carried with one hand (although its size and shape make it more easily carried with both hands). A stronger-than-average person can indeed carry a pair of these into a building at once. The system’s internal DSP also accounts, to an extent, for the substantial bass that these speakers can deliver.
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John McJunkin is the CEO of Avalon Podcasting in Chandler, Arizona, which offers high quality podcast production and consultation services to a broad range of clients. He’s also the host of the Podcast Pro Tech & Tips Podcast at www.avalonpodcasting.com.
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