PreSonus StudioLive 315AI Active Integration Loudspeaker.
PreSonus is probably best known for its audio interfaces and the StudioLive series of digital consoles. In 2013 the company introduced a series of studio monitors to good critical acclaim. Now, they've moved into live speakers as well.
There are currently four speakers in the StudioLive AI line. AI stands for Active Integration, and describes the relationship between the extensive DSP built in to the units, the amplifiers and even other components in the system. We'll get into more detail on that in a minute. The main subjects of this test were the StudioLive 315AI full-range speaker and the 18sAI sub. The 315 is a three-way, tri-amplified speaker with a 15-inch, low-frequency (LF) driver and a coaxially mounted eight-inch mid-frequency (MF) driver and 1.75-inch, high-frequency (HF) driver. Also in the lineup are a 12-inch version, the 312AI and a dual eight-inch, the 328AI. Both the 312 and 328 use the same MF and HF drivers as the 315. All the full-range boxes come with M10 fly points. PreSonus offers an M10 kit for those want to permanently install these loudspeakers.
Big speaker technology
There is a significant amount of custom DSP work going on in these boxes, and much of it comes from the legendary Dave Gunness. PreSonus licensed a technology developed by Gunness' company, Fulcrum Acoustic, called Temporal Equalization.
PreSonus says the Temporal Equalization approach starts with a well-designed box and carefully selected drivers, then goes on to add a series of addressable, large Finite Impulse Response filters to deal with things like horn reflections as well as correcting linear time and amplitude anomalies. That's a mouthful and does sound like marketing-speak. But let's consider what it means.
When one starts with a well-designed box, then adds some electronic magic to correct the predictable problems with drivers and amplifiers, the result can be a very good sounding speaker. What is fascinating to me about this system is that typically, this technology is found in speaker systems designed for much larger applications. It is both unique and exciting to see this level of processing showing up in relatively affordable speakers.
Coaxial goodness
One problem most speakers exhibit results from the offset relationship of the MF and HF drivers. Besides typically suffering from an audible crossover point, the sound throughout the coverage area can be inconsistent due to the varying relationships between listener and drivers.
One way to deal with this issue is to use coaxial drivers. However, getting those right—especially at high SPLs—has been difficult. Temporal Equalization aims to solve coaxial challenge. By dealing with the resonance issues that crop up, the drivers should have all the benefits of coaxial design without many of their drawbacks; that's the theory anyway. We'll get to how it works shortly.
It is both unique and exciting to see this level of processing showing up in relatively affordable speakers.
Mike Sessler
Reviewer.
The StudioLive AI speakers use a transducer they call CoActual, which is designed to deal with basic coaxial driver issues physically. It is also designed so that it responds well to the DSP correction for other issues.
An integrated system
Each full-range speaker features a PreSonus XMax mic preamp, as well as a line input. That's not uncommon, but the speakers also have Ethernet and USB connections for wired and wireless network control. The software was not available at the time of this test, but will be available by the time you read this. PreSonus says the software, which is available in Mac and Windows versions, is capable of adjusting everything from max SPL, filters, the various operating modes, speaker delay, and more. For example, it will allow you to process the speakers in your system individually, as groups of speakers, or of course all the speakers in your venue. Moreover, a 31-band GEQ and eight-band parametric EQ including a feedback control and eight notch filters will be addressable—wirelessly—from your iPad or laptop.
The speakers are driven by a 2,000-watt, Class-D amplifier, which directs 1,000 watts to the LF driver and 500 watts each to the MF and HF drivers. A push button selects full-range, MP3 playback, monitor, or user presets. A separate Sub selection switch engages a 100 Hz high-pass filter and some time alignment for use with the 18sAI sub. Also coming soon is Dante integration. Say goodbye to copper drive snakes.
Big bottom
So far, we've talked about the full-range box. Much of the same technology exists in the sub, as well. The 18sAI, as the name suggests, is an 18-inch sub driven by a 1,000-watt, Class-D amp. The same computer drives the amp, albeit with different options. One unique feature is built-in sub delay of 0, two or four feet, for time-aligning the subs to the mains in different positions without an external DSP.
Another notable feature is how the pole connects. Most systems like this offer a drop-in pole for placing a full-range box on top of the sub, and they wobble around quite a bit. The pole for the StudioLive speakers screws into the sub for a much more secure connection. I also liked the locking power cords that came with each speaker. And the sub caster board is one of the best I've seen.
I could see these finding many a home in both portable churches and small installations alike.
Mike Sessler
Reviewer.
How do they sound?
All this technology is great, but unless the speakers sound good, it's all for naught. As I always do, I set up the speakers on my stage and started with some reference tracks to get a feel for how they sound. I set the controls to nominal positions and just listened. Immediately, I was impressed with the clarity and smoothness of the sound.
The speakers are articulate, have great transient response, and the vocal range is particularly smooth.
I have a playlist designed to test the subs, and these did not disappoint. The low end was clean, tight and well defined. The subs roll off sharply at about 100 Hz, so they stay out of the way of the mains. The specs say the 6 dB down point is at 110 Hz, with the 10 dB down point at 141 Hz.
The 315s sounded good by themselves in flat mode. With both the mains and subs at unity, the total system response was reasonably flat from 40 Hz to about 9 kHz. A gentle roll-off starting at about 3 kHz keeps the system from sounding overly harsh, in my opinion. Because I like a little more low end in my systems, I boosted the sub level by 6 dB. The level went up by almost exactly 6 dB at 65 Hz, which indicates they have their gain system set up correctly.
Off-axis response sounded good and was acceptable for this level of speaker. The roll-off started just below 1 kHz and was 6 dB down by about 3.5 kHz. This is not a highly directional box, but they sounded good well out of the direct sound pattern. I didn't hear any of the weird phase anomalies I normally do with small speakers as I walked out of the pattern, which is 90 degrees horizontal by 60 degrees vertical. No doubt this is a testament to the coaxial drivers; they do work as advertised.
Overall, these speakers impressed me. I've grown a bit weary of the constant parade of portable, powered speakers, as most are me-too products. But these sound very good, and when the software is available for further tweaking, they represent a great value proposition. I could see these finding many a home in both portable churches and small installations alike.
