As reported by audioXpress during the 2019 Prolight+Sound show in Frankfurt, B&C engineers have been working for more than five years on the development of its next generation of high frequency devices, including a new family of state of the art, time coherent coaxial ring radiator designs. Given the massive amount of power that needs to be delivered in today's sound reinforcement applications, compression drivers are the linchpin of a PA system. And yet, operating at wavelengths too small to readily couple with other drivers, these compact drivers alone have to fight distance and atmospheric losses to deliver concert sound pressure levels to ever larger audiences.
B&C's new ME464 horn was designed as an immediately available solution for those demanding professional audio applications. It features a 22" (575mm) wide mouth loading an attached driver to 300Hz, while the 1.4” throat stabilizes a 70° x 55° polar pattern to the upper limit of human hearing.
Made of durable and non-resonant polyurethane, the ME464 can stand up to road use as well as shine in high output arrays in fixed installation. As B&C Speakers details, the reduced inter-box interaction and off axis energy from the tight pattern brings immediate benefits to sound quality and clarity in in high power configurations. Plus the ME464 is the only horn which can support the full frequency response of the brand's DCX464 coaxial ring radiator compression driver (recently tested in Voice Coil's Test Bench), which delivers lower distortion at higher SPL than has ever been possible before.
The result of brand new materials and thousands of hours of modeling and testing, the DCX464’s midrange diaphragm covers 300Hz – 5.5kHz with 110dB sensitivity, and its 100mm voice coil handles 220 watts. The 64mm coil high frequency diaphragm covers 3 – 18kHz with 112.5dB sensitivity and handles 160 watts. The patent pending midrange integrator allows both diaphragms to work in harmony over a wide bandwidth, for greater combined output and crossover flexibility. All this energy arrives at a 1.4” throat, from the most compact package that can be designed today.
And now B&C is also offering a new option to manufacturers working with dedicated midrange drivers. B&C's new DCM414 midrange compression driver was designed to advance the state of the art by building on the research and achievements of the DCX464 coaxial compression driver. The DCM414’s high temperature polymer ring radiator diaphragm covers 300Hz – 6kHz with unheard of 113.7dB sensitivity. Its 100mm voice coil handles 220 watts thanks to an aluminum body optimized to remove heat. All this energy emerges from a 1.4" exit (or 2" exit in the DCM420 model) and the most compact form factor available.
B&C Speakers is the largest manufacturer of professional transducers in Italy, operating out of a nearly 14,000 square meter production and R&D facility in Florence. B&C is an original, family-run company that has enjoyed steady sales growth. In 2017 B&C Speakers continued its expansion with the acquisition of Eighteen Sound and Ciare, expanding its operations to two factories and about 170 employees, 10% of which are focused on research and development.
www.bcspeakers.com
