The recent Live Sound International Loudspeaker Demo, held in March at the Greater Fort Lauderdale-Broward County Convention Center (Hall C) in sunny Fort Lauderdale during the annual United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), attracted more than 300 audio professionals as well as theatre and church sound personnel over the course of its two-plus-day run.
The demo, which launched eight years ago and has been featured at both USITT as well as the Worship Facilities Expo (WFX) numerous times, delivers unique side-by-side listening opportunities to evaluate top line array and loudspeaker systems in a round-robin format. It marked the first time the demo has been held outdoors, which provided an added dynamic to the evaluation process.
Six dedicated demo sessions focused on portable loudspeaker systems followed by the popular compact (larger, flown) systems. All participating manufacturers also hosted individual demo sessions to spotlight the performance and unique technologies of their own products.
Six premium loudspeaker makers participated in this year’s event, with the full demo sessions presenting about a dozen systems. Participating manufacturers included:
— Adamson showing the S10 line array equipped with dual ND10-LM Kevlar neodymium woofers joined by a proprietary NH4TA2 1.5-inch-exit compression driver.
— D.A.S. Audio showing the Aero 20A line array optimized with new DASaim processing technology as well as the Vantec 15A powered, portable full-range loudspeaker.
— dBTechnologies showing the new VIO L208 compact active line array (and the new VIO S118 R active sub), along with the INGENIA IG4T in a column loudspeaker format.
— K-array showing the KP102 I that offers a very slim profile in incorporating the company’s Pure Array Technology, as well as the KX12 with a re-interpretation of a traditional coaxial design.
— RCF USA showing the HDL6-A active line array with proprietary FiRPHASE DSP that further enhances fidelity and linear response, and the NXL44-A active line source cabinet.
— TW Audio showing the T24N, a compact powerhouse full-range loudspeaker, and the C5, a 2-way design with 110-degree radial dispersion in a package measuring just 9 inches tall.
These systems were based at two Stageline SL100 stages posted on each side of an expansive parking lot in front of the main entrance to the convention center that also hosted USITT’s outdoor stage. The larger systems were flown while the smaller ones remained ground-based.
The Process
At the front of house position on one of the SL100 stages, mix/control engineer Brandon Smith utilized a DiGiCo S21 digital console to manage and deliver audio to each system. The S21 fed the nearside systems directly and also sent a feed to a D-Rack posted at the other stage to drive those systems.
Demo host/emcee Mark Shemet (associate publisher of ProSoundWeb) was outfitted with a Lectrosonics Digital Hybrid Wireless system, and another Lectrosonics wireless rig was utilized with the measurement microphone deployed for levels monitoring throughout each demo session.
Prior to each session, all systems were fed pink noise, with the designated sound pressure level set and confirmed. This process, managed by Smith and John Aldrich of Rational Acoustics, utilized the 10EaZy measurement platform, receiving input from the centrally located measurement mic and supplying constant SPL readings to attendees via a large video monitor during all full demo sessions. Two large-format video screens flanking the stages provided attendees with key information about the systems.
The Program
Following standard practice established at the initial demo, systems were fed identical music tracks during each full demo session. Listeners can evaluate what they hear and also observe each system’s scale, components and other important details, in addition to getting further technical details and pricing information from qualified representatives of each company.
The playlist offered a diverse selection of styles, with each session featuring tracks spotlighting female and male vocals, as well as dynamic large-ensemble selections. Many of these tracks are utilized by manufacturers in their own system demonstrations in the field.
Lucky attendees were awarded prizes via drawings following each demo session, including Audix OM5 vocal microphones, a pair of RCF Arya 4 studio monitors, Electro-Voice ND76 vocal microphones, a Rational Acoustics Smaart v8 license and RTA420 measurement microphone, and more.
The next LSI Loudspeaker Demo is slated for the WFX show in Orlando this November (13-15) at the Orange County Convention Center. Plans are already underway for the demo, so keep an eye on ProSoundWeb as well as livesound-demo.com for further updates in the near future.
