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Are powered
speakers better than passive ones? This debate will probably rage on
as long as the CD versus vinyl debate. The one thing that is certain
is that powered cabinets are here to stay. The 2003 NAMM Exhibition
was all the proof I needed. They were everywhere, in all types of
cabinets, with all types of amplifiers and at price points across the
board. The popular speaker vendors were present in full force but
I’ll just be focusing on the newer market entrants that made an
impression on me.
 I.S.P.
Technologies out of Clarkston, MI (http://www.isptechnologies.com)
signature model, the Tripower Reference, impressed me like no other
pro-sound speaker ever has before. Its three patent pending D-CAT
amplifiers provide 1100 watts RMS output to 2-12” woofers, a
4” titanium mid-horn and a 1.75” polyester HF-horn to
produce a room filling 134dB peak SPL. Polyester drivers are common
in hi-end home systems and produce soothing highs devoid of the
harshness typical of titanium drivers. The overall result is a sound
that rivaled many audiophile speakers. Their demo featured a 5.1
channel surround sound configuration using their more portable but
just as pleasing Triwedge and Tripower 900 3-way models for the
center and surround speakers respectively. The demo sounded so sweet,
I didn’t want to leave the booth. If it weren’t for the
Wife Acceptance Factor, this would be my choice for the ideal home
theater system, especially if entertaining a few hundred of my
closest friends.
 Mach
(http://www.mach.dk), a subsidiary
of Martin Professional, introduced their innovative new M-Flex
speaker line. These molded cabinet enclosures feature a built-in
digital signal processor to control crossover points, driver
alignment, equalization and limiting. They also use switch-mode
amplifiers that need no heat sinks. The ultra-compact M-Flex 12
featured a 12” woofer with a co-axially mounted 1”
compression driver. This approach reduces the overall height of the
unit to a mere 20” and keeps the weight down to 33 lbs. A novel
mounting system and active line drivers allow you to arrange these
speakers into clusters and arrays as big as desired. They also
feature front- and rear-mounted clip indicator LEDs. This lets you
monitor signal status while facing either the back or front of the
speakers. The line is rounded out by the M-Flex 15 featuring 4dB
higher output and the M-Flex 15” sub that weighs in at a mere 40
lbs. Expect all these units to retail just under $1000.
 DB
Technologies (http://www.dbtechnologies.de),
a trademark of the Acoustic Engineering Bureau of Bologna, Italy had
an impressive display of 22 different powered cabinets. The line
starts with the 35-watt Live series L-80 featuring 2-5” drivers
in a small molded cabinet to the 800-watt tri-amplified Stage Opera
82.15 featuring 2-15” drivers, a 6.5” mid and a 1”
horn in a wood enclosure. Most DJs will probably be interested in the
2-way Opera Lyric Active series, which have very clean and attractive
molded cabinets and are available in 5 configurations with 12”
or 15” drivers and amplification ranging from 180-550 watts.
They also have a 400 watt 15” and 600 watt 18” sub to round
out the line. DB Technologies may be a new name in the US but they
have been around for 25 years in Europe. However, don’t expect
to find them at your local Guitar Center. They will be selling
through smaller retailers that cater mostly to the corporate rental market.
There were many
other models on display from a host of Asian manufacturers that you
have probably never heard of. Most featured copycat looks to the more
familiar brands with matching specs to boot (at least on paper). A
few vendors differentiated their models with convenient built-in
wireless microphone systems and more flexible EQ and mixer options.
These were generally lower powered models aimed at the public address
market but they should be fine for a wedding ceremony system. Expect
most of these units to have attractive price points once the vendors
line up their US distributors and OEM relationships.
The new crop of
powered speakers was truly exciting to see (and hear). NAMM
demonstrated that the market is expanding quickly at both the
high-end and the low-end. The only downside to this diversity is the
added time it will take you to find that perfect choice. If only all
our problems were so difficult. |
