d&b Launches a Series Augmented Array

The all new A-Series from d&b audiotechnik introduces the augmented array: an advanced loudspeaker concept born from the d&b applied evolution system development philosophy.  Combining variable splay angles, two approaches to acoustic optimisation, and advanced waveguide design, the A-Series addresses applications where coverage flexibility in both the horizontal and the vertical is paramount.

Realising all the adaptability of a point source cluster with the extensive control options of a d&b line array, the system comprises the AL60 and AL90 loudspeakers, with ALi60 and ALi90 offering cabinets designed specifically for permanent installation. 

Using the appropriate frame, up to four AL60/AL90 and ALi60/ALi90 loudspeakers can be flown either in vertical or horizontal arrays. Variable splay angles between adjacent cabinets can be set in five degree increments from -10° to +10° allowing the finest of adjustments and ensuring sound is directed precisely where it is wanted.

Midrange Directivity Control (MDC) ensures frequencies between 200Hz and 2kHz are evenly distributed, regardless of the splay angle. With 60° horizontal dispersion and directivity control down to approximately 550Hz, the AL60/ALi60 can cover a distance of up to 30m. The AL90/ALi90 – with its 90° horizontal pattern control down to 370Hz – is sonically and mechanically compatible, ensuring the same optimal acoustic result is achieved consistently anywhere, at any angle – whatever the configuration.

The AL60/AL90 loudspeakers share a passive two-way design featuring one 1.4-inch exit HF compression driver with a 3-inch diaphragm mounted to a wave shaping device, and two 10-inch neodymium LF drivers. The combination of sophisticated waveguide design and the symmetrical bipolar arrangement of the LF drivers allows a smooth overlap of the adjacent frequency bands in the crossover design. The wave segments of each cabinet couple without gaps and sum up coherently.

The A-Series is compatible with a range of d&b amplifiers and subwoofers so that the system in its entirety can be tailored to meet specific application needs. The companionable four channel 30D, D20 and D80 amplifiers provide extensive user-definable equalisation containing two 16-band equalisers with parametric, notch, shelving and asymmetric filters as well as delay capabilities of up to 10 seconds. The V-GSUB and Vi-GSUB are recommended for low frequency extension using the A-Series, with many more options available for mobile and install, large or small.   

Wolfgang Schulz, Product Manager d&b says: “The A-Series, augmented array provides our customers with a new set of scalable solutions that work as a standalone system or in combination with the full range of d&b systems. The flexibility of the splay angles, the Midrange Directivity Control function and the ArrayProcessing capabilities enable the A-Series to address a huge range of applications with coverage consistency that is unparalleled.”