(I had to split this into two messages because of a limit on the number of images allowed)
The
ATA118 is a single 18" driver in a ported enclosure, backed by over 1400 watts, weighing in at 99lbs. The driver is also from B&C, as are all the drivers in the current and expected future product line. It operates from a little below 30hz to over 100hz, although I tend to cross it out around 70hz. The built in LPF is at 90hz. It'll do 131dB at 1 meter, with peaks considerably higher than that courtesy of the significant amplifier power in the box. That's that "high headroom" concept you see in their literature... there's enough amp in the box to blow up the driver if used continuously, so the limiters clamp down on long-term waves but pass transients. That means that, for instance, kick and snare hits come through crystal clear because they've got another 6dB or so headroom past the limiters before they run into the amp rails, but then the limiters kick in and haul the signal back below "explode". The R&D department goes through more than their fair share of drivers getting that set correctly.
Here are some photos of that box, too:
Before these subwoofers, I hadn't been spoiled by a system able to do much of anything below 40hz. My very first show with them was a jazz quintet outdoors, playing for my old high school's graduation picnic (I pitch in to help them out from time to time, this happened to be especially convenient). During the first piece, the bassist started walking down the scale... and kept going... and going. I'm now convinced I'd never heard that low string before, and being able to reproduce it for several hundred people strewn around a large area outdoors was a wonderful experience. Of course, when I bring the dogs indoors for rock having that extra half octave on the low end for kick makes it enormous, and they're so dynamic in general that it's easy to get knock-you-over low end. Since they're practically impossible to blow up (trust me, I've tried) I occasionally find myself boosting very low frequencies just to add some depth, since I know they'll handle it. Worst case I'll run into the limiters, and they're very transparent.
To give you an idea of size, here's a shot of those subs in use and, um, modeled by Stacy, who's about 5'8" and unavailable:
A word about current draw... I've had all 6 boxes on a single 20a breaker, pounding along for an indoor rock show, and it didn't trip.
Compact and high output is the name of the game so far, so let's continue that vein with the
M1225 stage monitor. This low-profile wedge has 1,100 watts running into a coaxial 12" LF and 1.4" exit HF driver that has a 60 degree conical pattern. The design goal with this box was to build the clearest, most stable wedge possible with more than adequate SPL... but weighing less than 50lbs, amplification included!
At just under 42 lbs and capable of 129dB (with peaks up to 138dB as we discovered at WedgeFest!) I'd say that goal was more than satisfied. It's limited by the power handling of the neodimium woofer, which only takes 200 watts but also only weighs 9lbs including the HF driver. The wedges at WedgeFest had an additional 3dB HF boost to make them "cut" more, which we have since removed because, while I love it for a acoustic music, rock guys hate it, and it does harm the stability of the wedge. Otherwise, the wedge is high passed at 80hz and operates all the way up to 16Khz. Since it's always going to be on a stage (it is not flyable and has no pole mount cup) it manages to have a very present and full low end response courtesy of half-space loading... I've used it stand-alone as a drum monitor and it was quite effective.
It was kind enough to pose for me for a few shots:
This is the piece of the PA that I've got the least time listening to, since I'm usually not on stage when the band's going. It gets plenty of compliments from artists, though, and it makes my stages look really clean and neat. I certainly like it because it gives me between 3 and 6db better feedback rejection than my other wedges, gets louder, and meshes extremely well with my mains. My other wedges have a 250hz tubbiness that really muddies up FOH, so I have to cut it out but it's still obvious when the wedges get too hot relative to FOH. With the M1225 they can be quite loud but they don't toss a lot of energy behind them, and even when I'm getting hit at FOH with reflections off a wall it's hard to tell that it's not just more mains.
In fact, I've even used them as front fills to great effect.
The M1225 was also designed to be used in multiples... if you like the fact that it's lightweight (it's easy for one person to pick two up and walk around) and extremely hi-fi, but need more SPL, add a few more wedges. You'll get some "free" LF coupling and, of course, added level overall. I've only got two, but they work together really really well. Alex tells me that at some shows in Slovenia he's used 3 in an arc in front of the performer, which had the added advantage of giving her more horizontal coverage, and had more than enough power.
Like all the EONA ADRaudio gear I've used, these are very even off axis, with no noticeable change in frequency response all the way out to the limits of the coverage pattern, at which point it drops off rapidly. Ring out a mic in one place, or establish an artist's tone in one place, and it'll stay like that everywhere the monitor covers. I love this in the mains, too, since even if you're mixing off-axis you're hearing essentially the same thing everyone else does. Alex says this is partly due to using the highest quality drivers he can get his hands on, but also due to the time he spends manipulating the phase relationship of the two drivers. I've measured all the boxes and they're about as good as it gets in terms of both frequency and phase flatness... I trust them to go up and not need any adjustment unless the room I'm in has some
serious issues.
Phew... this is getting really long, I'm going to finish up right after this so you guys can get to dinner. Thanks for sticking with me this far.
Last but not least is a line driver and sub crossover that Alex built for my rig and will soon be available for purchase. It's basically a master volume control plus +/- 6dB adjustments on the outputs for L, R, and sub (which can be summed mono from the L&R feed or aux fed from an external input). Each output has a relay mute, signal/clip indication, and a separate light that indicates box limiter activity. The subwoofer additionally has a polarity reverse and a 70hz LPF.
Here's a photo of that, front and back:
Anyway, it's a nice 1RU solution so you don't have to carry around a bunch of DSP for crossing over your mains. That DSP below is my monitor EQ for feedback cuts. What it's most valuable for is as a line driver... if you're pushing 300' of copper, this box makes a big difference, especially in the high end, which is one of my most favorite aspects of the U103s... it would be a shame to lose it because of some silly snake.
So that's about it! I've put a lot of miles on these speakers, for everything from choirs to jazz to rock for anywhere from 150 to 800 people, indoors and out. It's rained, it's been dusty, the power has been questionable, they've run for hours hard up against their limiters. There's not much more I can subject them to! Most importantly, they took it all without flinching and they sound the same as they did the day I opened the box. I hope everyone else likes them as much as I do, if you'd like to play with my rig please let me know and we'll work something out.
For your information, MSRP on these speakers is as follows:
U103: 3,080 euros ($3,850)
ATA118: 2,650 euros ($3,325)
M1225: 2,875 euros ($3,600)
Those prices are MSRP, so street is lower depending on how many you're buying and how much your dealer wants to keep
Until there's a dealer network in the US, I'm probably the best contact for information. Call, email, or PM me any time. Of course, someone always answers the phone in Slovenia too, but that may be an expensive phone call if you're not in that part of the world anyway.
If you'd like to see some more photos, go to
http://www.campuspa.com/images/eonaadraudio/ and if you'd like spec sheets or info on upcoming products hit the
EONA ADRaudio website.
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Topic: EONA ADRaudio merged (Read 79328 times)