Meyer Sound Back in Full Force at NAMM 2020

Recognizing the importance of the annual event to audio professionals, Meyer Sound has booked its largest-ever exhibit space for the 2020 NAMM Show, scheduled for the Anaheim Convention Center from January 16th to 19th. The floor booth (17219) fronts an adjacent, spacious demo room (17218) that will be fully stocked with the latest additions to Meyer Sound’s definitive line of self-powered loudspeakers. The demo room, in turn, opens directly onto an outdoor terrace which will provide fresh, open-air ambience for the conviviality of the Sonic Lounge.

Hypex introduces the NCAS500MP. The first member of an all new NCORE family of amplifiers specifically designed for 2-way Active Speakers. From Pro-Audio solutions, High-End HiFi speakers to Studio monitors, with the proven NCORE technology the NCAS500MP can be used for all active speaker designs. With a power rating of 400 + 100W in 8 ohm it is very powerful for its size.

This Voice Coil’s Spotlight, written by Vance Dickason with commentary from Floyd Toole, Wolfgang Klippel, Andrew Jones, and James Croft, focuses on Zero Phase in Studio Monitors. As Dickason explains, "the implication of using FIR filters to zero out the phase of a loudspeaker to improve its subjective performance seems inherently flawed given all the research done over years that concluded that the human ear is not very sensitive to phase or group delay." This article was originally published in Voice Coil, October 2019.

Harman Professional Solutions announced the new JBL Professional One Series 104-BT desktop reference monitors with Bluetooth 5. The new design features a single coaxial driver that delivers clear, detailed sound while mixing and editing. The new compact and very affordable speakers were designed to enable content creators and audio professionals to stream accurate, studio-quality audio via Bluetooth or playback audio using a standard wired connection.

A great white finish for good sounding speakers, with an unfortunate name? KRK Systems, part of the Gibson family of brands, added a new family of studio monitors to its latest ROKIT Generation 4 (G4) range, the limited edition ROKIT G4 White Noise. Available in 5-, 7-, and 8-inch bi-amp models, these limited-edition monitors offer the same impressive features as the newly released ROKIT G4s, but with an enticingly different aesthetic.

KRK Systems, part of the Gibson family of brands, introduced the Classic 5 Professional Bi-amp Studio Monitors to its renowned family of professional-grade monitor offerings. Incorporating over 30 years of experience in studio monitor design, KRK’s Classic 5 was designed using concepts from the brand’s previous ROKIT lines to deliver the same high-quality mixes that users have come to expect from KRK. The result is a nearfield studio monitor that delivers a balanced and neutral reference for music creation, mixing and mastering.

Genelec opened a Genelec Experience Centre in central Berlin - a brand new demonstration facility that provides visitors with a high quality critical listening environment from stereo to immersive, and allows Genelec to showcase its wide range of studio monitors and AV and Home Audio loudspeakers. The new Berlin location joins existing Experience Centre facilities in Europe and Asia.

Pascal announced availability of its latest U-A1 and U-A1D amplifier extension modules , which complement the company’s solutions offering to include 3-way studio monitor designs, augmenting its U-PRO series modules to provide an additional HF channel power option. The U-A1 and U-A1D are single channel amplifier modules without Switch Mode Power Supplies, directly interfacing with U-PRO series modules (from which they draw mains power) to offer 3-channel amplification configurations.

Kii Audio has announced a new US office to deliver greater level of accessibility and service. This development is in response to growing demand for Kii Audio products from US audio professionals and recording studios. The new initiative is headed up by industry veteran Tony Cariddi. Until recently Cariddi was Integrated Marketing Leader for Content Solutions, Industry Relations and Cinema Products at Dolby Laboratories and previously held marketing positions at Avid, Digidesign, and Apogee Electronics.

This Test Bench examines a new pro sound woofer from Faital Pro. The Faital Pro 6” 6RS140 pro sound woofer has a power handling rating of 200 W (AES) and targets applications as a midbass or midrange in three-way stage or studio monitors, as well as midrange arrays in large PA systems. The frame is a proprietary four-spoke cast-aluminum frame, and like many small diameter drivers, it does not have a venting below the spider mounting area. Cooling for this driver is provided by a 20 mm diameter pole vent with a 22 mm flared exit. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, July 2019.