Beyma Raises Force Factor with New QLEX Woofer Series

While many other OEM pro audio driver manufacturers have temporarily retreated and quarantined during the COVID-19 pandemic, others opted to stick to their original plans and albeit the cancellations of major trade-shows, maintained their product schedule. Benefiting from some additional time to refine designs, Beyma continued its search to break the limits of acoustic technology and now unveiled the latest QLEX woofer series, developed to offer the extra energy and performance that the latest generation of sound reinforcement systems demand.

News from Northridge, confirm that JBL Professional is back to products with the debut of its Cinema Expansion Series sound systems for small to medium-size commercial theaters. The line, which includes JBL 3153 and 4253 3-way screen-channel loudspeakers, 3181F and 4281F subwoofers and 8102 surrounds, is said to deliver the highest SPLs in its class and be able to cover rooms up to 85 feet (26 m) deep and up to 40 feet (12 m) wide. The company also debuted the 2-channel, 1,300-watt Crown XLC 21300 amplifier, which supports Cinema Series speakers in a range of system configurations.

In this very strong edition of Voice Coil, focused on up-to-date topics for loudspeaker professionals, we discuss the industry's Asian supply chain, how a new carbon composite dome compares with Beryllium and Titanium products, and James Croft reviews a recent electrostatic loudspeaker (ESL) patent. Vance Dickason focuses his attention on two innovations coming from Eminence, in two extreme product categories. The new Eminence NSW4018-8 18" Tour Grade Woofer, and the new N314X 1.4" compression driver, which is the first to use TeXtreme composite material for the diaphragm. Download your copy now!

For this Test Bench, Vance Dickason characterizes the new WAN103.01 10" woofer from Italian OEM transducer manufacturer, LaVoce. All LaVoce products are designed at its headquarters in Potenza Picena, Italy, but with the logistic and price advantage of being manufactured at its purpose-built ISO 9001-certified production facility in China. The WAN103.01 is a high-sensitivity and high-power 10" driver, with a substantial feature set, which has been designed with line array and mid-bass applications in mind, using an elegant heavy duty die-cast basket and FEM optimized motor structure and suspensions.

In line with its ongoing commitment to scientific research and the advancement of the audio industry, L-Acoustics announced the release of three new White Papers: Measurement Quality at Low Frequencies, Measurement Quality at High Frequencies and Optimum Measurement Locations for Loudspeaker System Equalization. Focused on sound reinforcement applications with professional audio systems, the three papers are available for download on the L-Acoustics website.

CMA Audio acquired audio manufacturer Lake People Electronic. For 2020, CMA Audio plans to invest in the extension of research and development in the company's headquarters in Constance, in the South of Germany, to overhaul the entire product catalog, which includes Lake People, Violectric and Niimbus brands, and to establish a new cable manufacture operation in cooperation with Japanese manufacturer Mogami. Target markets continues to be professional audio, hi-fi and high end audio enthusiasts.

This article focuses on another pro sound OEM new to Voice Coil’s Test Bench, Oberton of Bulgaria. For this characterization, Oberton supplied the recently released ND72CT/HB 1.4" compression driver along with the H-1464 1.4” cast aluminum 60° × 40° constant directivity horn. The ND72 has two iterations available - a cotton composite diaphragm with polycotton surround - The ND72CT - and an alternative dome, named the Hybrid Dome, using a combination of carbon composite diaphragm with a center cotton composite “patch” that reduces break-up modes - the ND72HB. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2020.

As scheduled, Voice Coil April 2020 is now available in print and digital, connecting loudspeaker professionals in these challenging times. This month, Mike Klasco (Menlo Scientific) discusses Mobile Audio and Microspeakers, which is also the topic of this month's updated directory. James Croft reviews a patent from Harman, while Vance Dickason characterizes the new 18NDLX Imperium woofer from Fane and the CDX14-3040 compression driver from Celestion. Download now and start reading!

Just as scheduled, Martin Audio has announced the release of two new compact, high performance cardioid subwoofers, the SXCF118 and the SXC115, which are flyable models, suitable for both live sound reinforcement and fixed installations. The new flyable SXCF118 and SXC115 subwoofers are purpose designed to partner WPS and WPM line arrays. The SXCF118 is a flyable version of the SXC118 released last year, while the ground stack SXC115 is set to partner WPM line array systems

UPDATE: Prolight+Sound 2020 Cancelled. For the last 25 years, Prolight+Sound has been synonymous with trends and innovations in the entertainment-technology industry. Given the increasing spread of Covid-19 in Europe, Messe Frankfurt confirmed the decision to cancel Prolight+Sound 2020. The trade fair was originally planned for 31 March to 3 April. The next Prolight+Sound will be held from 13 to 16 April 2021.