By Ben Jones
Checking out two recently released line arrays, a companion subwoofer and supporting components in the shop and in the field.
The new L Class from QSC is comprised of two line array loudspeakers, the LA108 (8-inch) and LA112 (12-inch), as well as the accompanying LS118 single 18-inch direct-radiating subwoofer. The L Class predecessor, the KLA series, catered to mobile entertainers, performance venues, houses of worship, A/V rental, and smaller production companies. The objective of L Class was taking the best of KLA, such as light weight and the ability to rig a system without tools or external hardware, and offer higher performance, networking, advanced DSP for simplified operation, and adjustable splay angles.
The two-way active line array loudspeakers with onboard DSP are neither constant curvature nor fully articulated. Instead, they offer three splay options: 1.5, 6, and 12 degrees. Once flown or stacked, the companion AWARE technology uses infrared sensors to detect how many elements are deployed and where each box is located within the array. The auto-optimization feature then uses this information to apply low-frequency FIR, IIR, and all-pass filters.
The three splay options keep the design decisions simpler with “short, middle, and long throw” choices and avoid the possibility of 0-degree angles. While users familiar with line arrays might find this limiting, QSC says, “Extensive calculations and simulations of array sizes and venues likely to be encountered by users of L Class loudspeakers were done.”
Read the full review www.prosoundweb.com
