Not Your Typical Speakers
Rusty Waite has been in the pro audio business all his life. He was part of the core leadership team at EAW and in charge of its global revenue. But he has a new passion, K-array; and a new message: Production houses, take a good look.
Waite’s immediate challenge is educating movers and shakers in the U.S. pro audio market about K-array’s offerings. “Many are aware of our smaller products, but our larger format systems offer a compelling story,” he says. “There are a lot of good sounding boxes out there, and people don’t like change. They like what they are used to, they can make what they have sound good, and everyone is happy. But we have a convincing offer that brings both sheer coverage ability and significant value.” He tells of a seeing The Rolling Stones at Foxboro (MA) recently. The audio started off shaky and they were able to dial it in, but “I was struck by the sheer number of boxes in the venue. Not just the front ones, but all the sides, the delays, etc. A setup like that inevitably sounds different depending where your seat is. But having a system that can truly distribute the sound evenly… is the Holy Grail. My message to sound companies using a system like that is: ‘There’s something here you should take a good look at and give some thought to’.”
K-array’s products are sold in over 60 countries around the world and found on concert tours and in cathedrals, theaters, restaurants, hotels and clubs. But right now, he’s most interested in the U.S. market.
Italian Evolution
The origins of K-array are as a production company. “I think that’s key to their success,” Waite says. “They got tired of loading and unloading heavy boxes, so they researched solutions that would solve this problem.”
In 1990, entrepreneurs Carlo Tatini, Alessandro Tatiniand Massimo Ferrati founded HP Sound Equipment, initially focusing on broadcast studios for TV and radio. A solution to hum caused by unbalanced lavaliers inspired the group to create a miniature mic with integrated preamp inside the cartridge. HP Sound later expanded to create MI gear and OEM products for renowned manufacturers.
By 2005, the company turned to sound reinforcement and formed K-array. Originally a rental company, K-array sought an alternative to traditional pro system designs, to sidestep the sheer volume and weight of bulky wooden enclosures that were expensive to transport and used inefficient rigging.
The KH4 loudspeaker, K-array’s first product, featured more than 4,000 watts of onboard power, yet weighed only 100 pounds and was six inches deep. This product addressed their needs and was a hit. Next came line array products, most notably flat-panel modules, alongside slim line column loudspeakers, micro-speakers with integrated LED lighting and a flexible rope-like loudspeaker. Many of the products employed the groundbreaking Slim Array Technology (SAT), developed to confront large line array challenges by substituting the big enclosures with slim boxes.
“It was the slimmest box I had ever seen,” Waite says of the KH4. “I remember thinking, ‘It looks like an LED screen!’” Later, K-array launched larger-format systems, the first being the Firenze (the Italian word for the company’s hometown of Florence, Italy). While the KH4 was popular for the intended market, something louder with more throw would be the next step. Waite and the team then developed the Firenze-KH8. “It has the ability to reach 700 feet — and every spot in that entire distance makes you feel like the band is right in front of you.”
Visiting K-array’s international headquarters just north of Florence, Waite was impressed with the people working there. “The company is family-run and filled with people who are really passionate.” However, when he first saw the stainless steel Firenze-KH8, he assumed it would not sound good. “They set up the large system outside the factory, and then we walked across a bridge and stood 750 feet away,” Waite recalls, “and I was blown away. The sheer power and fidelity was such that I knew it would provide a clean canvas for any sound engineer to create whatever they wanted with it. And that slim, light design? I had come from a company where speakers were big and heavy, and right away, I knew these lighter ones would be attractive to production companies, and there is less worry about a jungle of cable to rig it.”
In Europe, the K-array speakers are on tours, most recently and notably on Italy’s pop-singer/songwriter Claudio Baglioni’s Al Centro Troup, a sold-out arena/stadium tour. “It was in the round, and he needed perfect 360 [degree] coverage,” Waite explains. “With another system’s boxes, you’d need 150 of them, which take a lot of time to hang, requires a lot of trucks and would obstruct sightlines. With the K-array system, it was five KH7 boxes on the side hung vertically going around the four sides on the stage, and a couple hung in the center tilted down. It sounded good wherever you were.”
Creating Believers
A recent demo of the KH8 in Dallas sure made some believers. Waite took it to Epicenter Productions for Zach Crisp and Jeff Krebs and their team to take it out for a spin. “As they were setting it up, Zach said to me there’s going to be one of two outcomes — sorely disappointed, or blown away.” It was decidedly the latter. “We flew three boxes a side, fired it up, and got in a golf cart and drove 600 feet away. The system delivered. We all got out and walked around and it was like the speakers were on our shoulder wherever we stepped. With some other systems, delays would be needed, but they weren’t needed with the KH8s.”
“I was very skeptical,” Crisp says. “We’ve all heard flat panel speakers, and while some are built well, none are built for concert volume and dynamic range. We saw the specs, but anything can look good on paper.” Epicenter has since used three of the KH8 a side for a concert in the park that required a 650-foot throw. “In previous years, we placed a delay at around 300 feet. I modeled the park in EASE, exported settings and the boxes covered the entire area with no problem. I should add that the manufacturer recommends a larger system to cover this area, but we had ample coverage with just three a side.” While still learning the full potential of the system, Epicenter is already sold on the simple deployment and setup. “The KH8 has clean and clear highs, mids and lows, while the double-21 KS8 subs are tight and powerful. We are anxious to hear all 24 of these flown in one system. I know we will be impressed.”
Waite added that the speakers not only throw far, but can be electronically steered so the user can decide where they should roll-off for precise area coverage. “On a big EDM festival, you’d want to be able to steer that beam down and keep the music pumped, yet keep frequencies contained due to noise ordinances. Getting it to stop at when the audience ends can be crucial.”
Another development is the Firenze-KH7, with four 12-inch coaxial neodymium drivers and onboard Class-D amplification that produces a 141 dB peak output for powerful, even coverage in the venue. “You can hang it vertically or horizontally, depending on space and needs. It’s like four boxes in one as you can steer down to 900 Hertz with optimal sound and SPL levels in just one box.”
Challenges
Waite admits the challenge of launching “yet another” system in a crowded, competitive market. “The biggest obstacle right now is that we’re not on riders — yet.” He’s positioning the product as a workhouse for productions around town — corporate events, local festivals, etc. “It’s a versatile box that works in a lot of situations large and small. Also, we can put an entire stadium system in half a semi! I don’t know any other system that can do that.”
However, he adds this is a long game about building relationships with right people. “I’ve been down this path before.” Yet the USA facility in Harrisburg, PA has the infrastructure in place (with a large parts inventory and a strong service center) to handle support for their systems coast-to-coast, along with a network of reps throughout the country. And so far things are on-track, says Waite. “We’ve been off the ground running from the beginning.”
For more information on K-array, visit www.k-array.com.
