Amate Audio is a well-established sound reinforcement systems manufacturer from Barcelona, Spain, and a good example of how a company with well-designed products can differentiate itself in the highly competitive global market. Amate’s most recent development, the Xcellence X12CLA compact curvature array, has the potential to project the company further with major improvements in performance, power to size and ease of deployment.
With this new development, Amate Audio intends to challenge the market-leaders in compact line-arrays. The new compact curvature array cabinet, Xcellence, X12CLA is a self-powered, DSP controllable constant directivity array cabinet, offering superior performance and the flexibility of being deployed both in standard line-array configuration or as a horizontal point source cluster element.
Amate Audio’s first constant curvature array design, the Xcellence X12CLA was specified for a smaller, lighter and more affordable array cabinet, below the twin 8” X208 line-array in the brand’s Xcellence series portfolio. A new waveguide was designed to achieve the required 15 degree constant vertical directivity, partnering a single 12” LF driver. It soon became apparent during development that the performance of the new waveguide far exceeded the initial design expectations.
Vice President and Chief Technical Officer Joan Amate, explains, “Not only did we achieve the intended signal quality with the desired vertical directivity, the design far exceeded the SPL levels we had anticipated. This enabled us to match the waveguide with a far more powerful LF driver and to increase the amplifier power rating by over 50 per cent.”Achieving 129 dB continuous SPL output, this performance and power to form and weight ratios make the Xcellence X12CLA among the world’s most powerful, high quality compact array cabinets; and among the most competitively priced, says Amate. The design is also the result of an intensive two-year design and development effort by Amate Audio’s R&D team. The Xcellence X12CLA incorporates a wealth of high-end features, including a custom designed isophasic waveguide, which achieves an exceptional long throw while maintaining consistent frequency and directivity throughout. Loaded with a 2.5” voice coil and neodymium magnet driver, the assembly is designed and carefully optimized for the X12CLA, providing a side-lobe free vertical dispersion with crystal clear high frequency response.
Also specially developed for the Xcellence X12CLA is the new powerful, lightweight 12“ driver which provides exemplary low-distortion, full frequency response down to 58Hz. In array configuration the Xcellence X12CLA enables 15, 30, 45 or 60 degrees vertical directivity, with one two, three or four cabinets respectively. Inter-cabinet connection is set via lateral rigging bars, providing a 15 degrees fix angle between cabinets. Just a few units can cover a medium-size room or auditorium, including front row coverage. Weighing just 31.5 kg (69.45lbs), the proprietary rigging system integrated with the recessed carry handle, makes set up safe and simple. The cabinet can be flown, stacked or pole mounted on a sub. The Xcellence X12CLA has also been designed to be deployed as a cluster element, specifically in applications where a highly controlled, narrow horizontal dispersion is required.
Cutting-edge, on-board digital electronics include high performance 24-bit /96kHz AD/DA converters and powerful remote controllable 48–bit/96 kHz DSP, optimally matched with third-generation 1.5kW Class D bi-amplification. Amate’s Windows or iPad based DSP Studio 2 software provides Ethernet and Wi-Fi control of gain, precise crossover filters, limiters, polarity, delay, parametric EQ and other parameters. The software provides comprehensive information about the amplifier status, including input and output levels, heat-sink temperature, clip and protection indications. The company’s innovative overvoltage protection circuit continuously monitors line voltage, instantly disconnecting the system when line voltage exceeds maximum permitted levels; the system automatically restarts when voltage returns to normal.
Cabinet construction is of multilayer baltic birch plywood with high resistant black Polyurea coating with a 1.5 mm steel and grey micro-foam cloth grille.
Amate Audio is the brand name of Amate Audio S.L. (formerly Amate Electroacústica S.L.), a manufacturer of advanced professional speaker systems, headquartered in Terrassa, just outside of Barcelona, Spain. Juan Amate founded the company in 1972 when he began designing and building innovative power amplifiers and PA speaker cabinets. Today, as CEO, he leads a company that is driven by creative engineering and invested heavily in research and development, ensuring its distinct competitive edge.
Amate Audio is now a second-generation family company. As Vice president and Chief Technical Officer, Juan’s son Joan (pictured above) heads a division of young engineers and technicians, that is 20 percent of the total workforce. Their collective endeavour is the design and development of speaker systems that exceed normal performance expectations, meticulously matching the specifications and characteristics of acoustic components with advanced integrated digital amplification and signal processing technologies. The company’s tightly controlled manufacturing and R&D facilities – with two large anechoic chambers for development and quality control – are sited together, operating interdependently, and enabling Amate Audio to compete as a specialist manufacturer in the mass market.
www.amateaudio.com
