NAMM 2013 Coverage: Day 1
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Presonus Announces Tons of New Gear!
Presonus may have set a record for the number of new product announcements at a NAMM Show. By our count, they announced at least 10 new individual products across 3 different product lines.
StudioLive 32.4.2AI Digital Mixing Console
First up is the StudioLive 32.4.2AI Digital Mixing Console. Born from the StudioLive 16.4.2 and 24.4.2 consoles, the 32.4.2AI is the next evolutionary step. Take all of the features of the previous generation consoles, and add 8 more channels, 96kHz operation, Firewire 800 compatibility with Thunderbolt cards on the way, and StudioLive Active Integration. The 32.4.2 is the first digital console to ever integrate directly with loudspeakers. The DSP engine in the StudioLive 32.4.2 has been completely overhauled with a whopping 5 OMAP™ ARM Cortex-A processors, tons of built-in RAM, wireless and wired networking, and USB.
Check out our demo of the new SL 32.4.2AI with Matt from Presonus.
Eris and Sceptre High Definition Studio Monitors
Their first ever entry into the studio monitor industry, the Eris promises to excel in high quality sound. As the Presonus rep told me, a lot of studio monitors at this price point are designed to sound great, the Eris line was designed to sound correct and true. Eris features Kevlar® low frequency transducers, low-mass silk dome tweeters, class AB amps, and room/tone adjustments on the back. They will come in a 2-way 5 1/4" and 2-way 8" sizes and will be priced at $299/pair and $499/pair respectively.
The Sceptre series is taking the idea of active monitors to a new level. Featuring the same DSP engine in the new StudioLive 32.4.2AI, the Sceptre is a coaxial, or CoActual™ as Presonus puts it, design that is running Fulcrum Acoustic’s TQ™ Temporal Equalization Technology™. Simply put, these studio monitors will adapt to their environment and will sound their best no matter what kind of room or studio they are in.
StudioLive™ 18sAI, 312AI, 315AI, & 328AI Active Integration Loudspeakers
The StudioLive name isn't just for digital mixing consoles anymore. Now the StudioLive series includes an entire line of active PA loudspeakers. The whole purpose of the StudioLive speakers is to bring studio monitor sound quality and accuracy to live PA loudspeakers.
There will be a 3-way 12", 3-way 15", 3-way dual 8", and 18" subwoofer in the line. They all feature the same DSP engine as the SL 32.4.2AI digital mixer and Sceptre studio monitors. They have wireless connectivity over an existing network allowing you to control the DSP using an iOS device.
Each speaker in the line features the same CoActual™ design for the high and mid drivers as in the Sceptre series of studio monitors. They will all have Class D amplifiers making them extremely efficient. We can't wait to get our hands on these. They won't be cheap, but these could revolutionize the entire loudspeaker industry.
Electro-Voice Announces ZLX Powered and Passive Loudspeakers
Following in the release of the Live X series a couple of years ago, Electro-Voice's ZLX series is their entry into the affordable PA loudspeaker category. The ZLX sits right underneath the Live X (ELX) series in price and features.
ZLX come in both powered and non-powered versions. We were able to hear the ZLX speakers first hand in EV's incredible demo room. The speakers sound incredible. ZLX comes in two sizes, a 2-way 12" and a 2-way 15". There is no subwoofer in the ZLX line, but the onboard DSP has a preset to work with the existing ELX118P sub from the Live X line.
The onboard DSP in has lots of useful features, of which you won't find on many competitor speakers at this price point. There is an EQ curve that is adjustable by 4 or 5 selectable presets. It has basic treble and bass adjustments as well as special curves depending on the positioning of the speaker (pole mounted, floor monitor, or wall mounted).
The ZLX112P will sell for $399 and the ZLX115P will be $499. The passive ZLX112 will run $299 and the passive ZLX115 will be $399. Availability is within a month or so.
Lin Buck from Electro-Voice takes us a quick demo of the ZLX features.
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