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BOSE | SHOWMATCH LOUDSPEAKERS
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MARTIN AUDIO | MLA
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L-ACOUSTICS | SYVA
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YAMAHA | NEXO
Five examples of how installed sound is getting better at the source
Loudspeakers have come a long way since their invention over a century ago. But like many technologies, much of their technical evolution has taken place relatively recently, driven by an array of exigencies, including some that are diametrically opposed to each other, such as the need to cover ever-larger, ever-louder events while also keeping that sound well contained.
Every era of speaker design has its inflection points. Two to three decades ago line arrays were gaining dominance over point-source and stacked boxes; directivity and precision coverage were the topics of talk over the past 10 years, which also saw the development of columnar speaker arrays. Today, the focus is on that as well as size—speaker enclosures are being asked to get smaller without sacrificing either power or directionality—while also being asked to look good while doing so. Size, power and aesthetics are some of the characteristics of these examples of recent loudspeaker design innovation. (In the interests of space, please note that most of the models here have matching subwoofer models available.)
BOSE | SHOWMATCH LOUDSPEAKERS
The DeltaQ array technology, integral to Bose’s new ShowMatch DeltaQ array loudspeakers, improves sound quality and vocal clarity by providing selectable coverage patterns that direct more sound energy to the audience by allowing directivity, or “Q,” to vary with each array module than traditional line arrays typically can. ShowMatch full-range array loudspeakers are available with 5-, 10- or 20-degree vertical coverage with versatility that allows J-array, constant-curvature, or DeltaQ array configurations. Conventional line arrays can require up to twice the box count compared to DeltaQ arrays to achieve comparable vertical coverage. DeltaQ arrays can improve sightlines, reduce rigging weight and lower system costs. New ShowMatch DeltaQ array loudspeaker modules feature four Bose EMB2S neodymium compression drivers and two eight-inch neodymium woofers, which can generate peak output of 145 dB for large arrays, while providing more usable low-frequency output in small arrays. ShowMatch loudspeakers feature field-changeable waveguides that vary horizontal coverage to better match audience coverage needs and can form asymmetrical patterns for improved acoustic performance in left/right arrays.
EAW | ANNA
EAW’s Anna is a scaled iteration of the company’s flagship line of Adaptive Performance technology systems, providing all the benefits of Adaptive Performance in a high-output, mid-sized enclosure. Anna modules hang straight, without any vertical splay, and Resolution 2 software adapts total system performance to produce custom-tailored coverage that delivers coherent, full-frequency range response across the entire coverage. All of Anna’s 14 transducers are optimally sized for their intended bandwidth. This extreme device resolution provides precision coverage of the audience via processing alone. IR sensors on each face automatically detect array configurations, while internal diagnostics continuously analyze every system element and even heal the system coverage in the unlikely event of a fault. Each Anna module includes eight one-inch HF compression drivers loaded on a proprietary HF horn that expands to fill nearly the entire face of the enclosure. Four five-inch MF cone transducers, arranged in two columns of two, use Radial Phase Plugs and Concentric Summation Array technology to enter the horn and sum coherently with the HF wave front. Dual high-power 10-inch LF cone transducers use Offset Aperture loading to increase the spacing of the apparent acoustical centers, extending effective horizontal pattern control into the LF range. The module’s horizontal symmetry ensures coherent summation without anomalies through the crossover regions that result from physically offset acoustic sources. This provides consistent, HF dispersion and broadband pattern control in the horizontal plane.
“We’re concerned with phase coherency at the audience level, not at the speaker aperture,” is how Lee Stein, vice president, North America, at Martin Audio, concisely describes the basis of the company’s Display software. “Each speaker has multiple cells and there are first-impulse response [FIR] filters on for each cell, so the ability is there to create very precise coverage patterns. We can provide extremely consistent coverage for the audience while also having the ability to accommodate acoustically difficult spaces by using our 'hard-avoid' feature. This can be used to minimize or effectively eliminate the acoustic effect of a reflective back wall, for instance.” Stein says this granular level of coverage can help save on overall costs by reducing the need for acoustical treatments of those areas. He expects to see the loudspeaker industry continue to concentrate on the further development of DSP-based control over the precision of sound pattern coverage, particularly when it comes to hard-to-control low frequencies. “Digital control over loudspeakers is still in a nascent stage—it’s an ongoing evolution of the line array,” he says. “It’s all about determining not only where sound will go buy also where it will not go. It’s about creating a more consistent experience for any audience.”
L-ACOUSTICS | SYVA
L-Acoustics’ new Syva (SEE-va) enclosure features six medium-frequency and three high-frequency speakers in a familiar J-shaped progressive-curvature format. The heart of Syva is a new-design transducer arrangement called “segment source.” The Syva enclosure features six five-inch MF speakers providing usable bandwidth to 87 Hz and three 1.75-inch HF-diaphragm compression drivers, loaded in a J-shaped progressive curvature by DOSC waveguides, a core L-Acoustics technology. This transducer arrangement produces an H/V 140-degree by 26-degree (+5/-21 degree) directivity pattern, optimized for ultra-wide horizontal coverage with an extended throw capability of up to 115 feet. Fundamentally, a segment source combines the coherent coupling and directivity benefits of L-Acoustics line source technologies with the deployment simplicity of point-source systems. One LA4X amplified controller can drive up to four Syva enclosures. Syva can be wall- or pole-mounted, as well as flown, or used alone with its baseplate. Syva can also easily be paired with the double 12-inch Syva Low or single 12-inch Syva subwoofer using the AutoConnect plug-and-play feature for extended bandwidth down to 40 Hz or 27 Hz, respectively. L-Acoustics is also paying attention to aesthetics—the system’s modern, sleek design makes it an attractive option for houses of worship, and Syva has a RAL color-matching program that allows Syva to blend into any architecture.
MARTIN AUDIO | MLA
Martin Audio’s MLA Compact brings the company’s Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array technology to medium-scale touring and premium fixed installations. The versatile and scalable MLA Compact delivers performance, control and coverage consistency. Each MLA Compact array has up to 120 individual acoustic elements (cells), each with its own onboard amplifier and DSP, which can be optimized by software to deliver the sound across the audience to meet the sonic goals required for any space. The ultra-compact MLA Mini utilizes this same technology, with a small footprint and light weight that makes it a good choice for small- to medium-scale venues. The 16-enclosure MLA Mini array has 32 individual acoustic elements, each with its own amplifier and DSP, which can be optimized by software to deliver the sound across the audience to meet the sonic goals required for any space. Martin Audio’s Display 2.1 intelligent software interacts with individual DSP for highly accurate array optimization for both speaker series. “Fly-by-wire” software adjusts vertical coverage electronically to cope with changing environmental conditions and last-minute changes in rigging height. “Hard-avoid” areas, such as on-stage, ceilings and site perimeter, can also be programmed into the DSP.
YAMAHA | NEXO
Yamaha’s Nexo line used the ISE Europe conference to launch its new Geo M10, part of the Geo line array product line. The new high-output sound reinforcement system has been developed for long-throw applications. Similar in design to its sister Geo M6 compact line array launched two years ago, the M10 is twice as powerful and draws on structural and acoustic innovations first released in the Nexo STM Series modular line array. There are two versions of the M10 cabinet, offering 12.5 degrees and 25 degrees of vertical dispersion. Both have 80-degree/120-degree horizontal dispersion, which can be configured manually by removing the magnetic grill and adjusting the company’s innovative flange fixing system. The M10 enclosure has been named for its single 10-inch neodymium LF driver, paired with a 1.4-inch HF titanium diaphragm HF driver. The two-way passive module will deliver a frequency response of 59 Hz-20 kHz and nominal peak SPL of 131 dB. There are several advantages to the use of a single 10-inch driver: a much lower frequency response from a two-way cabinet, and the cabinet’s narrow profile and height provides for tighter inter-cabinet angles. The M10 weighs 46 pounds, and its compact dimensions mean minimal visual impact and improved sightlines. M10 can be flown or ground-stacked; up to 12 M10 modules can be combined in a single flown column.
