InfoComm 2018 sees Alcons Audio showcasing the benefits of its industry-leading, pro-ribbon audio technology in three separate areas, as well as introducing new products to the US market. The VR5 is Alcons' smallest pro-ribbon system to date and the first professional audio monitor that features Alcons patent-pending dispersion technology. The 2-way system comprises a purpose-designed 5" LF and RBN202 2" pro-ribbon HF driver on a 90° x 60° wave-guide, offering an ultra-clean, benchmark-setting clarity and imaging.
The VR5 is a 2-way mini versatile loudspeaker, specifically designed for near-field applications where ultimate fidelity response needs to be projected with wide horizontal and vertical coverage. The system brings the typical clear, dynamic and ultra-low distortion Alcons signature sound of the larger systems in a very small and unobtrusive package, for both portable and permanent applications.
The VR5 consists of the RBN202 pro-ribbon driver for HF and a dedicated-designed 5" mid-bass for extremely low-distortion LF reproduction. The VR5 HF section has an 400 W peak power input, enabling a 1:16 dynamic range with up to 90% less distortion from 1 kHz to beyond 20 kHz.
The patented (90-degrees) horizontal and patent-pending (60-degrees) vertical dispersion of the revolvable waveguide, offers a wide and consistent coverage up to the highest frequencies; Very important for the imaging in stereo or immersive systems.
Due to the "compression-less" principle of the pro-ribbon transducer technology, the system has a fully linear response at any SPL, for an intuitive 1:1 "input=output" performance. For full system performance, the VR5 needs to be driven by an ALC amplified loudspeaker controller, delivering maximum sound quality with increased headroom and utmost operation reliability and flexibility.
The brand's Signal Integrity Sensing pre-wiring ensures dynamic cable/connector compensation between the VR5 and ALC, significantly increasing response accuracy, regardless of cable length and system impedance, with a tight and accurate mid and bass response as result.
The combination of the asymmetric multi-angle enclosure, the revolvable waveguide and the ACO color option provides for inconspicuous low profile stage-, stand-, wall- or ceiling positioning. The 5 M10 mounting points enable swivel bracket, shoulder eye bolt and mic stand deployment.
Typical (short to medium throw) applications for the VR5 range from reference monitor, low-profile stage-lip/front-fill, stage monitor, under-balcony system up to a nearfield main PA system, in combination with a separate subwoofer, if required.
"Following the recently introduced CRMSC-SRHV surround for cinema, the VR5 is the first pro-audio system that incorporates our patent-pending vertical-control waveguide technology. In further extending our line-up in point-source solutions, this has been a major breakthrough to enable any dispersion pattern from our pro-ribbon mid/high frequency drivers. We plan to further implement this in our upcoming new products," states Phil "Dr. Phil" De Haan, head of Alcons R&D.
Tom Back, Alcon's managing director adds: "Although the VR5 concept, as our smallest pro-ribbon system ever, was already previewed at this year’s ISE and as product introduced at the Prolight+Sound 2018, we still had thoughts about taking "the next step" in the low frequency transducer. As we’ve been doing with most systems, as recently the 8" of the LR18 line-array, we consistently co-develop and implement the most-advanced technology on the cone-drivers, to have the best match with the pro-ribbons.
So, we decided at the show to investigate implementing a new active coil technology on the 5"; A technology we’ve been using on a number of design-studies for some time now. The beta-testing of the samples proved our ideas right, leading us to re-design the VR5 with this new technology."
"We can truly say, that the VR5, with the combination of the 5" with significantly further reduced distortion on the LF and the RBN202 pro-ribbon on the 90x60 waveguide is setting new standards for ultra-low distortion, superb-imaging near-field sound reproduction," Tom concludes.
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