There was a time, of course, when the proprietor of a small (and I use the term broadly) gig venue had only one basic option when it came to loudspeakers. Early line array developments were generally put to use in big cabinets sporting 12 or 15-inch transducers. Some smaller systems were marketed, with various degrees of success, but by and large, the technology was initially pointed squarely at hefty long-throw touring systems that staggered the masses on huge US metal tours.

These days the situation seems reversed, with every live music establishment that isn’t small enough to have an animal in its name, earnestly taking the line array route, facilitated by the availability of elements with LF transducers of 6.5 inches or combined low/mid radiators as small as three inches. Such ever-shrinking line arrays have been a godsend to many, but for some – to the frustration of many a system tech worth his salt – they bring nothing but problems, as Brit Row hotshot Mikey Gibbard (see page 34) will attest.

“So many production managers and engineers will say it’s got to be line array, but sometimes in smaller rooms, it just doesn’t work,” he explains. “Because of the dispersion of the boxes, normally 90 to 110 degrees, you get so many issues with the sound hitting the walls and bouncing back that it’s pointless. Get over it and go and get a system that you know will work in there. So, as to the question line array or point source, I wouldn’t say I prefer one or the other, it’s all about having the right PA for the room.” Needless to say, the wholesale penchant for line array does have its reasons.

Appropriately deployed arrays will achieve comprehensive coverage. So how does the ‘sound guy’ make an informed choice? Unfortunately, room size and shape aren’t the only factors involved. A space that, at first glance, seems to warrant a line array, may actually benefit from the ability of deftly positioned point source boxes to cover balconies and so on. Conversely, a small room that at once seems to require point source could actually be ‘dead’ enough to thwart some reflections and permit the use of arrays.

It doesn’t end there of course and this introduction is no place for a discussion on acoustics – we’ll save that for another issue. We leave our plucky engineer to his room plans and sums and have a look at the offerings from both camps...

Ohm
The HUGE popularity of Ohm’s TRS range has prompted it to introduce a complete plug and play solution, with speakers, DSP-A3, amps, patch panel, power distribution, flight cases and cabling.

The basic three-way system, consisting of three TRS-118H bass bins and two TRS-112H mid/high cabinets per side, can all be powered using the three light DSP amplifiers (housed in an 8U rack) with a patch panel that features routing for signal inputs, speaker outputs and remote Ethernet DSP control.

The use of eight-ohm single driver speakers simplifies the amplifier requirements allowing the complete system to be powered from three amplifiers. Cabinet design ensures the sound pressure levels are very similar to dual speaker units. The bass cabinet is horn-loaded and the mid/high utilises a single piece molded horn mounted with a 12-inch mid and a 1.5-inch compression drivers providing a long throw.

Ohm will also be launching a new mini-line array at the Frankfurt show. Called the Ersa Minor, this two by six-inch cabinet has a 120 by 40-degree waveguide horn and an integral flying system making it ideal for smaller venues.

­­­Funktion-One
Comprising three main variants: Skeletal (installation), Enclosure (stacks or install) and Touring (with quick-fly system), F1’s point source Resolution 4 has 12, eight and one-inch drivers with a combined frequency response of 114Hz to 18kHz and power handling of 300, 200 and 50 Watts RMS.

The R4E and R4S versions are available with ceramic or lightweight neodymium magnets and an optional passive mid-high crossover. The R4E is also available in powered form.

 In line with the company’s purist approach, the compression driver is not introduced until almost 6kHz with the mids handled by very high-efficiency cone drivers (108db 1W @ 1m) with significantly less distortion content compared to systems using compression driver midrange. No corrective system equalisation is required and transient accuracy is outstanding.

 Funktion-One recommends that the Resolution 4 is used in conjunction with either its F218 (double 18-inch) or F121 (single 21-inch) bass enclosures.

Sound Projects
From the company’s Compact range, the SP3-90 is a true full-range system within the small format cabinet design of the SP3 series. Primarily designed to perform in fixed installations, especially where little space is available, it is an ideal solution for situations where additional subs are not feasible. Housing a 15-inch bass, ten-inch mid and one-inch compression driver, the SP3-90 is perfectly suited for full-range applications in medium-sized venues.

A beefed up version, the SP3-90D is also available and exchanges the lower octave for an extra 6dB and a punchy, warm low/mid-band response, along with the transparent, crispy sound that can be expected from a properly matched ten and one-inch combination. Frequency response of the SP3-90D is 80Hz to 20kHz and maximum peak is 134dB.

Electro-Voice
The launch of the Phoenix series marked the return of Electro-Voice’s Manifold technology. Designed for huge SPLs and sonic headroom, as well as easy transport and set-up, Phoenix is targeted at users that find the X-Array too much and QRx not enough. The output of the boxes is optimised for rock, pop and dance music genres. Using dual ND2 neodymium compression drivers on a manifold horn and state-of-the-art DVX woofers, the speakers can operate at high levels for sustained periods with minimum stress on system components.

Passive and bi-amp selectable, the dual two-way PX2152 features twin DVX3150 15-inch, ND2 low-frequency transducers with forced air cooling, two-inch voice coil, and one-inch, exit neodymium compression drivers. Maximum SPL is 136dB with a 60 by 45 degree rotatable coverage pattern. Power handling is 1,200-Watt continuous or 4,800-Watt peak.

dB Technologies
dB Technologies’ active DVX series pairs the company’s Digipro power amp with RCF speaker components such as neodymium woofers with double-wound voice coils for high load handling and minimum power compression. High-quality tweeter cones are made from Mylar or titanium and rotatable HF horns from aluminium, keeping drivers cool.

The two-way DVX D15 is the enclosure of choice for use as a full-range FOH. Its 1.4-inch driver with a 2.5-inch titanium voice coil is designed to handle high loads and is capable of throwing punchy signals across medium-to-longer distances. Its integrated Digipro digital power amp delivers high SPLs and with the 15-inch RCF low/mid woofer, will deliver a dynamic response and tight low-end reproduction.

DB also offers the Entire Active system design (EASD), in which DVX models may be combined with DVA line array active subwoofers for sound that requires no controllers.

Alcons Audio
An asymmetrical enclosure and revolvable 90 by 40-degree wave-guide make Alcons’ two-way VR8 ideal as a compact FOH system. It has the multi-patented RBN401 four-inch pro-ribbon driver with ‘Real-90’ horizontal dispersion and eight-inch vented mid-bass driver. Frequency response is 74Hz to 20kHz with a peak output of 125dB.

The 800-Watt peak handling of the HF pro-ribbon features a 16:1 peak-to-RMS ratio (traditional HF transducers bring a 2:1 ratio). This caters for a virtually unlimited dynamic range of 1kHz to beyond 20kHz. Pro-ribbons have a naturally flat impedance, negating the use of impedance-correction circuitry in the passive filter and considerably shortening the signal path. Production tolerances are within one dB, so that any two VR8s can be regarded as a matched pair.

If line array is required, Alcons also offers the LR7, which features the same RBN401 pro-ribbon diver. With a frequency response of 74Hz (-3dB) to above 20kHz, the LR7 enables a full-range deployment without the necessity of additional bass systems.

LD Systems
Following the success of its MI-targeted PA equipment, including the pleasingly named Dave series of portable systems, LD is now gearing up to launch its first range of speakers aimed at the pro market.

Prolight+Sound 2009 will mark the official debut of the LD Premium line, which promises to inherit the same ‘bang for buck’ appeal that the MI products have built a solid reputation on among some of the hardest working musicians.

Details are thin on the ground at this stage, but the range will comprise two-way full range loudspeakers, array systems and subs. The flagship LD VA-8 and VA-PS215 sub offer a frequency response of 70Hz to 19kHz, 34Hz to 400Hz and a peak power handling of 1,200 Watts and 2,400 Watts.

Void Acoustics
Portability and rigging that requires no specialist knowledge were central to the design of Void’s Arcline 6 line array. In order to prevent using multiple enclosures to ensure a wide horizontal dispersion, the box was conceived with 120-degree coverage. This improves quality and definition by reducing phase interactions from adjacent enclosures to zero.

A new design of waveguide has been employed for the Arcline 6 with a common feed point for a flat response up to 21KHz, even with multiple enclosures to form a cylindrical wave front. Frequency response is 60Hz to 20kHz, efficiency clocked at 101dB and power handling, 800 Watts RMS. Maximum output is 129dB continuous and 132dB peak. The associated Arcline X bass enclosure boasts a sub 40Hz f3 cut off – remarkable for a box with a volume of just 300 litres.

JBL
Sharing components with the touring standard Vertec line arrays, JBL’s VRX900 series comprises two eight-inch and 12-inch formats, including a powered option in the latter. The VRZ928LA has a frequency response (±3dB) of 87Hz to19kHz and peak power of 1,600 Watts and the VRZ932LA-1 of 75Hz to 20kHz 3,200 Watts, respectively. Both 15 and 18-inch, bass-reflex subs form part of the range.

The VRX accomplishes a consistent sound field with JBL’s Array Configuration Selector, a series of switches on each enclosure that control the output of each HF section in the array. With the VRX’s amplitude shading you can set the upper enclosures in an array configuration to deliver more output for reaching a distant balcony, while the lower enclosures can be ‘shaded back’ with less output for the front rows of the venue. Each section of the venue can be fine tuned for balanced coverage.

VMB
VMB’s Lynx LX-F6 is a small-format powered line array module with a folded ribbon HF unit, 1,500 Watts of integrated Class-D amplification, digital processing and networking capabilities. Two six-inch neodymium transducers provide LF, with cones and suspensions made out of Nomex, a high-temperature material used in fire fighting that helps the driver maintain consistency at varying temperatures.

“Measurements show that our HF transducer exhibits a reduction of 20dB in intermodulation distortion and 10dB in third harmonic distortion,” states Joel Damiano, VMB’s applications manager. “Spectral contamination is 15dB down in vocal ranges and transient response decay is twice as fast.”

The LX-215S is the sub complement for the LX-F6, with two neodymium 15-inch woofers with four-inch interleaved sandwich coils, each powered by a 1,000-Watt amp. A band-pass topology is used to provide maximum performance.