ANAHEIM, CA – The ADJ Group of companies once again sponsored the Arena Plaza Stage at NAMM 2023, held at the Anaheim Convention Center April 13-15. Equipped with ADJ’s Avante Audio Imperio Pro “mini” line array systems, the stage might have appeared to have impossibly slender strands of audio gear. But the sound was anything but “skinny,” particularly for acts like Latin Jazz/Salsa/Funk band La Verdad, pictured here.
The outdoor stage’s audio setup started with array hangs of eight modules per side of Avante Audio’s small but mighty Imperio Pro IMP205 components, which served as the main P.A. for the stage. These were paired with 16 IMP118 sub cabinets. Additional Imperio Pro speakers were also be used for the stage’s delay towers, while onstage foldback was covered by Avante Audio’s Achromic Series active loudspeakers.
The Arena Plaza Stage also featured a full complement of lighting gear from ADJ and sister company Eliminator Lighting. And as the stage was rocking with a rotating series of artists outside, ADJ Group’s booth #10920 was just as lively, with the company’s experienced team of sales and product specialists on hand to answer questions and provide one-on-one demos. Along with Avante Audio’s Imperio Pro components, the booth featured ADJ’s new Element H IP and four recently released Eliminator Lighting fixtures.
Avante Audio’s new and improved modular Imperio Pro “mini” line array system is touted by the company as “incredibly compact, extremely versatile and, most importantly, sounds fantastic. Intended for easy transportation and very fast setup, the Imperio Pro IMP205 is a lightweight, high output active line array element that can be utilized in a variety of different configurations – both ground-stacked and flown – to cover a wide range of applications and audience sizes.”
The company goes on to note that, “combining high quality neodymium components with Class-D digital amplifier modules and advanced 32-bit internal signal processing, it delivers unrivalled audio fidelity and deployment flexibility for a speaker of its size. The complementary Imperio Pro IMP118 active sub bass speaker features a high power 18” driver with a 4” voice coil driven by a 2400W RMS Class-D amplifier.”
Also new at the ADJ booth this year: the worldwide debut of the Avante Audio AS8 ACDC. “This compact and portable active column speaker system comprises an active 8-inch neodymium subwoofer enclosure alongside two column units,” ADJ notes. “One is loaded with six precision-aligned 2.75” neodymium drivers while the other serves as a spacer to lift the speaker column up to optimal height. The self-contained system incorporates an internal rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery, which offers an average run time of 4 to 5 hours from a full charge.”
Along with La Verdad, the ADJ Arena Plaza Stage showcased a wide variety of musical talent, including Miami’s genre defying Los Wizzards, Jazz trumpeter Jonathan Dely, vocalist and virtuoso electric violist Ginny Luke, World Music band Afro Dominicano, Grammy-nominated Caro Pierotto, Americana outfit Rose’s Pawn Shop, country rockers Cimarron 615, and teenage rock band Youthanize.
On NAMM’s first day, April 13, the Arena Plaza Stage also served as the host venue for ADJ’s Happy Hour event from 5 to 7 p.m. This two-hour mixer featured live music from local cover band Heavens 2 Betsy and special guests Rodney O and Joe Cooley. Coinciding with NAMM’s 50th anniversary of hip-hop celebrations, the duo performed classic tracks including “Everlasting Bass” and “U Don’t Hear Me Tho.”
NAMM 2023 will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, April 13 thru 15. The ADJ Group of Companies will be exhibiting from booth #10920 in exhibition hall A, while Avante Audio will also have a pop-up information booth near the ADJ Arena Plaza stage with team members always on hand to answer questions.
Although NAMM’s 2023 convention’s unusual April timeframe reflects the impact on the industry from the Covid pandemic shutdowns that followed on the heels of the 2020 show in January (NAMM 2021 was canceled and NAMM 2022 took place in June), NAMM 2024 returns to its traditional time slot of late January (25-28) and also returns to the traditional four-day schedule rather than just three days.
For more information, visit www.adj.com, www.avanteaudio.com and www.namm.org.
