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November 2012 l 37 GERMANY live


ViRAY sees Coda raise its game on global stage


Last month’s launch of compact three-way touring system heralds new thrust from Hannover-based loudspeaker company, says Dave Robinson


CODA AUDIO began an ambitious campaign to become one of the “top five” pro-audio loudspeaker brands in the world with the launch of the ViRAY medium-sized line array last month. Distributors from Europe and the Middle East gathered at the Coda HQ in Hannover, Germany, to see and hear the new system. ViRAY, says Coda managing director and founder Svetly Alexandrov, represents the culmination of Coda’s most accomplished sound reinforcement technologies in a compact three-way system that can service audiences of around 4,000-6,000.


Mick Anderson, whose AWC consultancy has been working with Coda for the past four years, revealed at the October gathering that three major rental houses had not only


beta-tested ViRAY: they had proceeded to make significant purchases of the system. Synthpop veterans Ultravox are currently on the road with the first ViRAY touring system, supplied by Adlib Audio of Liverpool. ViRAY has been over


two and a half years in development, says Anderson, but the key technology in the speaker is the DDP Dual Diaphragm Planar-wave-driver. This is a “ground-breaking patented technology which radically improves system performance”, and is based on the company’s well established coaxial annular ring diaphragm compression drivers. Weighing 25.5kg, one


ViRAY (left hang) is a compact three-way medium-format cabinet


NEW DS8000 Audio Distribution System


ViRAY cabinet combines the DDP with two 8” neodymium low-distortion cone drivers to handle the LF. Coda’s


DS8000. All new. Well, almost.


Some things you just can’t change, but everything else? No problem. Re-engineered from the ground-up based on your feedback about the best-selling DS800, the DS8000 sets a new standard in audio distribution systems. With an all new mic pre-amp, redundant power supply linking, quick one-to-many splitting, subtle panel illumination and an AES digital output option, the DS8000 offers incredible performance and the highest reliability in all conditions. And it’s still blue.


www.prosoundnewseurope.com/live Distributors from the


Middle East and Europe at the launch


For the latest live news


‘ViCOUPLER’ phase-plug/ waveguide hybrid then manages and steers the energy produced: Anderson describes it as “a flat screen device that takes all the frequencies from all the components and gives them a platform to gather on and move forward as a coherency.” At the Hannover demos,


ViRAY hangs of eight boxes per side (frequency response 55Hz-22kHz; 24 boxes maximum per hang) were complemented by flown SCV-F bass response boxes, which feature a single 18” driver governed by Coda’s unique Sensor Control technology. (Sensor Control ensures that


the driver reacts to the incoming signal and nothing more, producing, in short, a more accurate bass and eliminating ‘woofing’.) ViRAY output can be further


strengthened by Coda Audio SCP twin-18” sub-bass units, which also feature Sensor Control, as well as being fully integrated with Coda Audio’s RC Power/DSP management racks. Coda’s operational HQ is in


Germany and the company develops and manufactures the majority of its components at its own factory, including its drivers. (Amplifiers and DSP control are courtesy of OEM suppliers.) Cabinets are made of Baltic birch, and Coda


has just brought a Polyurea coating process on-board for added durability. ViRAY sits between Coda’s AIRLINE LA12 and LA8 systems, both of which have raised the profile of the company over the past couple of years – though ViRAY represents a more aggressive approach to the marketplace. Beta-testing on ViRAY was carried out before early summer, with three existing Coda users directly involved in assessing the system. “That’s Adlib in the UK, AMBION in Germany and DPA in Denmark,” says Anderson. “As existing Coda users they were ideal to use as field testers. But what you don’t expect is for them to do anything from that point. And they did – without being pushed: AMBION has taken 100 cabinets; Adlib is heading towards that; DPA has taken 24, then increased by 12, then another 12.”


Adlib took its system (based


around 32 ViRAY) on the UK leg of the recent Ultravox Reunion tour. Adlib’s Dave Jones told PSNEurope: “The Coda ViRay seemed the perfect option for this tour due to the diversity of venues and the flexibility of the system. The ability to fly with limited weight and ground stack in the same venue was a key factor in


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