Audio Pro

FOLLOWING a long and chequered past taking in some 30 years, Dutch loudspeaker firm Stage Accompany (SA) has returned to the market with a new look and new products, as seen at the recent Prolight + Sound exhibition in Frankfurt 2008.

As the pioneer of ribbon transducer technology into the pro-audio market in the early Eighties, and with a past portfolio incorporating the Audience, Performer, Master and Bass Series loudspeakers, the company has now decided to adapt its products ‘to reflect the high speed technology of the 21st century and also to give greater customer satisfaction’.

This new approach to the market however, is simply not just a
technological one, there is also rebranding at work with a new
company logo and product image.

In the first instance the old standard ‘blue’ colour finish on the loudspeaker enclosures has been changed to a ‘wine purple’, a colour reflected in the new logo, and according to Stage Accompany, the launch of new products, such as the Genesis GL20 and Prompter Series, both finished in this new colour, at Prolight + Sound was deemed a success.

Weighting only 24.8 kg, the GL20 is a small line array loaded with one of SA’s best products, the Ribbon Compact Driver, combined with dual eight-inch long excursion neodymium drivers. The array has a frequency bandwidth from 70 Hz to 20 kHz in a cylindrical waveform that generates a polar pattern coverage of 110 degrees in the horizontal plane. Three designs are available; passive, bi-amped and self-powered.

The Ribbon Driver is also incorporated into the Prompter Series, a two-way full range audio solution, which offers ultra compact size and asymmetrical design for portable or install use. With a high output and transparent sound quality, the series is especially designed to improve midrange clarity for speech and musical reproduction, mostly for applications such as fashion shows, lobby entrances or smaller installations such as cafes, bistros and bars. The series can also be used in conjunction with an AB18 subwoofer, and as such, can be used as a small PA, a fill/delay system, for stage monitoring or flown.

New products, logos and finishes are one thing, but SA still builds very much on its heritage of ribbon driver technology, and one it is keen to continue and refine.

Traditionally, ribbon tweeters are characterised as fragile, with low power handling, low efficiency and low impedance. However, the SA 8535 offers a frequency response of 1 kHz to 30 kHz, a power handling up to 2,000W and sensitivity of up to 107 dB. And to minimise distortion, a prewired Dynamic Damping Control is incorporated into the design.

“With this technology, we go a step further giving the purest, most tangible audio experience, where the user can almost reach out and touch the sound,” stated the firm.

There are also changes within the company itself, with a new marketing team in place, and new divisions and distribution channels planned. Stage Accompany loudspeakers are currently exported to over 30 countries worldwide, with the emphasis mainly in Europe and the United States. However, to expand the market, SA Asia and SA France will be inaugurated very soon. In addition, SA Asia will cover the whole region, with a special emphasis on Mainland China. The creation of SA France is a response to the admittance by the company that, in the past, it has not really made any great inroads into the French speaking countries such as France, Canada or Africa, and as such SA France was a logical move. The company is also setting up a new head office in Hoorn, Holland, a location incidentally that saw the launch of the company 30 years ago.

According to Stage Accompany, the new head office and the new strategy is seen as just a first step in a new era for the company in the pro audio market. The old company logo stipulated ‘That’s How Music Should Sound!’ and while that ethic still exists, it exists in a new form. Marketing hyperbole? SA state not, and more importantly it urges the industry to closely examine the new strategy and products. It says you won’t be disappointed. Now there’s a challenge.
www.stageaccompany.com