SHOW REVIEW: PROLIGHT + SOUND
Audio and lighting halls drew the crowds across the four days of the Frankfurt show
A show of co-operation
Technology partnerships and co-operative ventures were firmly in evidence at Prolight + Sound last month, illustrating the ever more connected nature of the industry. Paddy Baker reports
THIS YEAR’S Prolight + Sound was equally interesting from business and technology angles. Increasing levels of co-operation were evident between different brands, whether owned by the same company or not. In most cases this was so they could present a fuller offering, and it took some companies into previously unexplored territory.
GROUP SYNERGIES Some of the larger exhibitors with multiple brands played up the synergies within their groups. For the second year running, the Bosch stand featured both Electro- Voice/Dynacord and Bosch conferencing and PA products, but the link was pushed more strongly by the launch of the company’s first products under the OMNEO standard (of which more later). It was also the first show PL+S at which Martin Professional shared a platform with Harman, which acquired it before Christmas – although it wisely retained a stand in the lighting hall
12 May 2013
rather than moving wholesale onto its parent’s stand. Meanwhile TC Group – which includes brands such as Tannoy,
Lab.gruppen and TC Electronic – announced a rebranding initiative that will focus more strongly on the group identity, “increasing market awareness of both TC Group as a whole and of its individual brands”.
AMPLIFIED OFFERINGS It was also a show at which two loudspeaker manufacturers diversified into amplification. APG announced a strategic partnership with Italian amplifier manufacturer Powersoft, which means that the French company can now offer turnkey packages of speakers, amplifiers and processing, in standard touring racks. The first products from this partnership, available now, are the SA20:2 and SA30:2 two- channel, switch-mode Class D amplifiers based on the Powersoft’s K Series. Both manufacturers say that this is only the start of their co- operation.
Meanwhile Coda Audio announced a new range of two- and four-channel amplifiers with DSP and networking. The first in the range is LINUS 10, a dual- channel 10,000W amplifier in a 2U package designed for touring systems. Names more traditionally associated with amplifiers also had much to talk about.
Lab.gruppen launched the IPD (Intelligent Power Drive) series, a more affordable range of networked, DSP- enabled power amplifiers. The 1U size IPD 1200 and IPD 2400 have power outputs of 2 x 600W and 2 x 1,200W (at 4 ohms) respectively. Meanwhile, Harman brand
Crown announced that it was shipping its new DriveCore (DCi) Install Series of power amplifiers – which it has designed to be “the new world standard for amplifiers in installed sound applications”. There are 12 models in the series, ranging from 300W to 600W of guaranteed minimum power into 4 and 8 ohms as well as 70V and 100V, with 2, 4 and 8 channels.
As well as working with APG, Powersoft also
announced a partnership with Audinate: the amp manufacturer is to incorporate the software company’s Dante media networking technology into its products. This initiative will start with the new Ottocanali series, which is scheduled to launch in the autumn. The Ottocanali 4K4, 8K4 and 12K4 installation amplifiers were on show on Powersoft’s PL&S
stand. These have been designed to work at low or high impedance, can run at 2 ohms and can power 70V and 100V distributed lines without external transformers.
AUDIO NETWORKING And it wasn’t only the Powersoft stand where Dante was being talked about. Bosch launched its first products based on its IP-based OMNEO technology, which combines Dante media transport with
Glenn Rogers, managing director of Allen & Heath, presents the company’s newly launched Qu-16 mixing console, which builds on the company’s GLD and iLive product lines
www.installation-international.com
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