FRANKFURT, Germany — Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. announced the launch of several new products by NEXO France at ProLight + Sound. The new products cover a wide spectrum of pro audio gear, including line arrays, networking, amplification, and system processing.
More details from Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems (www.yamahaca.com):
The STM Series (Scale Through Modularity) loudspeaker cabinets, designed for touring, festivals, and sound company rentals, combine NEXO Alpha functionality with the technical innovation of NEXO GEO waveguide designs to deliver a powerful, flexible, and easy-to-use system. Scale Through Modularity (STM) enables line array systems to scale up or down depending on event audience size, from 1,000 to 100,000 people.
“We congratulate our NEXO partners for the innovative STM Series,” states Marc Lopez, marketing manager, Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. “With valuable input from end users, we are confident our customers will find the sound amazing, and the cost-per-box along with ease of rigging an enormous asset when deploying the new line array.”
The NEXO STM system can be configured from four discrete loudspeaker elements: M46 main, B112 bass, S118 subbass, and M28 ‘Omni’ modules. System configurations can comprise arrays of main cabinets only, or main plus bass, or bass plus main plus bass. The ability to add extra bass cabinets to the system in order to increase power and headroom without introducing unwanted phase anomalies makes STM unique, as it is the first vertical array system to offer scalable LF. Deploying the dedicated subbass cabinets, either in the arrays or as ground-stacks, further increases the system’s options. The ‘Omni’ fill speakers complete the coverage pattern, whatever the scale of the system.
The NEXO STM Series main, bass and Omni cabinets are injection-molded for maximum durability and weather-resistance. And, the extremely powerful bass cabinet has a frequency response of 63Hz to 200Hz, overlapping that of the sub and main modules, providing a valuable increase in LF headroom. The sub can achieve a similar SPL output to the NEXO CD18 unit using just one 18” driver. Two subs can be used back-to-back in cardioid mode, or side-by-side in omnidirectional mode.”
The M46 main cabinet’s flat-membrane drivers ensure complete, even, and full-range coverage over the entire 90° horizontal dispersion. HF frequency range remains completely linear using Kepton Polymer diaphragms that enhance tonal response and long throw. The M46 features 4 x 6.5 inch LF/MF drivers, 4 x HF compression drivers, has a 145dB peak SPL, and a frequency response of 85Hz-20kHz. Compact in size, the main cabinet is only 13.8” h x 22.6” w x 28.2” d, weighing in at 121 lbs.
The B112 bass cabinet features a Neodymium high excursion 3000W 12″ bass driver with 4″ voice coil and shares the same dimensions, weight, and gravity center as the M46. The hybrid horn-loaded design maximizes the efficiency of the driver, delivering 6dB more than a standard front-loaded driver in this frequency range. With a 1 x 3000W +/- 3cm excursion 12 inch LF Driver, the bass has a 141dB peak SPL and a frequency response of 63Hz-200Hz. The B112 is 13.8” h x 22.6” w and 28.2” d and weighs 121 lbs.
The S118 subbass cabinet features a Neodymium high excursion 3000W 18″ driver. A bandpass load ensures SPL output equivalent to conventional dual 18″ subbasses. The unit uses a 1 x 18 inch LF Driver, has a 143dB peak SPL and a frequency response of 25Hz-85Hz. The subbass cabinet is 27.6” h x 22.6” w and 28.2” d and weighs 187 lbs. The S118 can be flown in the array or ground-stacked in line and can run in omnidirectional or cardioid sub mode.
The M28 Omni cabinet is used for downfill and provides 120° of horizontal dispersion and 0° to 15° splaying angle between modules. The cabinet features 2 x 8 inch LF Drivers, 4 x 4 inch MF Drivers, 1 x HF Compression Driver, with a 140dB peak SPL and frequency response of 60Hz-20kHz. The Omni cabinet is 9.2” h x 22.6” w and 28.2” d and weighs 84 lbs. It can also be used independently from the M46 or B112.
The STM system has been designed ready for the road. Using a range of dolly and bumper accessories, the system can be prepped in the warehouse, loaded onto dollies for transport, and wheeled right into a venue. All aspects of the STM sound system’s use have been re-engineered, and its PistonRig and REDLock rigging technology allows for one rigger to fly a 72-cabinet arena system very easily.
The STM cabinets are paired with the NEXO Universal Amp Rack, or NUAR, which contains plug-and-play digital patches, real-time system monitoring and control network functionality in addition to two NXAMP4x4s, which together can power up to 12 STM speakers, in groups of three. The innovative NUAR includes a new dual-voltage version of the NXAMP and works in conjunction with the new Digital Meter Unit (DMU), an intelligent input patch panel providing digital communication with the NXAMP, and the new Digital Patch Unit (DPU), an intelligent output patch panel (see photos below).
For inclusion in the rack, NEXO is offering a choice of network card solutions. Along with NEXO’s long-established NXES104 EtherSound network control, the company announces the new NXDT104 Dante audio plug-in card for the NXAMP enabling NEXO loudspeaker systems to explore the many benefits of a high-performance AVB-ready digital networking solution. The NXDT104 will distribute digital audio plus integrated control data, automatically configuring its network interface and finding other Dante devices on the network. The NXDT104 can receive four audio streams (24 bits/48kHz) in Dante format, offers a dual port for redundancy and third port for additional remote control, and a direct connection to PC using the ASIO format.
In the near future, end users will be able to download from iTunes the first release of NeMo, an App for the iPad and iPhone providing remote control over a NXAMP network from anywhere in the venue.
Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. will show the new NEXO STM System at InfoComm 2012 in Las Vegas. The system is targeted for late summer availability.
