New Sound Reinforcement Products

Jun 1, 2003 12:00 PM

The next generation of Frontline raw P.A. speakers from Celestion (dist. by Group One, www.g1limited.com) includes the Frontline2 15- and 18-inch woofers. Both feature a 700-watt power rating, 4-inch voice coils, die-cast aluminum frame and high-power double suspensions with proprietary suspension reinforcement rings. The speakers have a nominal 8-ohm impedance; the 15 has a 35-2,000Hz re-sponse, and the 18 has a 30-500Hz bandwidth.

The RLA/2 ribbon line array from SLS Loudspeakers (www.slsloudspeakers.com) is a compact system designed for small- and medium-size venues that can't accommodate large cabinet arrays. The RLA/2 incorporates SLS ribbon-driver technology and a space-efficient cabinet housing two 8-inch, high-power- ed cone drivers. Bass response goes down to 70 Hz, with 500-watt handling for 125dB continuous SPLs and 131dB peaks. SLS' PRD1000 Push-Pull Neodymium Ribbon Driver offers HF response out to 20 kHz. With rigging, the 56-pound RLA/2 cabinet is trapezoidal, measuring 9.6 inches high in front (7.6 inches high in back), 28.25 inches wide, 13 inches deep and is covered in black NeverMar^® coating. Input connectors are two NL-4s.

Shure (www.shure.com) offers the Beta 54 headworn vocal mic, available in both wireless and hard-wired configurations, in either black or tan. A lightweight, durable unit, the Beta 54 features a supercardioid design for improved ambient noise rejection and maximum gain-before-feedback. Capable of handling SPLs up to 149 dB, the Beta 54 has a 20-20k Hz frequency response and is supplied with a snap-fit windscreen, detachable boom mount, and flexible, fully adjustable headband. Price is $594.65 for the wired model; $509.65 for the two wireless models.

Radian Audio Engineering (www.radianaudio.com) offers the RMF-1122 MicroFill speaker system, a two-way, multiprofile wedge designed for touring, corporate and installed sound. Featuring a 12-inch woofer and a 2-inch HF compression driver, MicroFill can be bi-amped or driven passively via an internal crossover. Developed in conjunction with Dave Levine of Rat Sound, MicroFill is constructed from ¾-inch Baltic birch with built-in “I”-track rigging points and finished in Radian's exclusive waterproof Duradian^™.

In 1969, Greg Mackie introduced the first 6-channel mixer specifically designed for rock 'n' roll P.A. under the TAPCO brand name. Now, Mackie Designs (www.mackie.com) intros the new TAPCO 6306 6-channel mixer, the first product in the new “TAPCO by Mackie” family. The 6306 features two low-noise mic pre's, two instrument inputs, a stereo aux return to monitor, two aux sends, LED metering and separate level controls for headphones and control room monitors. Retail is $119.95.

The Digitally Steered Array (DSA) Series from Eastern Acoustic Works (www.eaw.com) is a variable directivity powered line array that includes the full-range DSA250 and DSA230 low-frequency speakers and DSAPilot^™ software. Each DSA250 includes eight 4-inch woofers; eight horn-loaded, 1-inch dome tweeters; and 16 channels of onboard amplification and DSP. The DSA230 LF module has eight 4-inch woofers and eight amp channels of amplification and DSP. The vertical output pattern of up to 32 DSA loudspeakers can be adjusted via the Windows-based DSAPilot software, which calculates environmental parameters and upload settings for the best possible coverage. DSAPilot may be networked using standard EIA-485 or optional CobraNet.