Adamson Systems Engineering has been on a high technology roll over the past few years. The jump kicked off with its flagship E-Series E15 large-format line array system, with its twin 15-inch neodymium woofers flanking the innovative E-Capsule section housing the mid/high components: two 7-inch Kevlar cone mid drivers and two 1.5-inch exit compression drivers mounted on a Co-Linear Drive Module. This was later followed by the smaller, double-12 E12 system, which shared the E15’s voicing, but in a more compact enclosure.
At last month’s Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt, Adamson debuted its new S family, beginning with the S10 (a two-way, dual-10 compact line array system), the S119 (19-inch) subwoofer, Blueprint AV software and the E-rack — Adamson’s new unified rack solution.
“The S10 is basically an extension of the E-Series line,” explains Adamson’s director of marketing and sales James Oliver. “It uses the same compression driver; so it will fit pretty seamlessly within the E-Series range. We have a down-rigging adapter so it can be used with an E-15 as downfill as needed but the S10 really shines as a standalone system, as more of a subcompact line array.”
By nature, the S10 is intended for mid-size venues such as smaller arenas, theaters, churches and outdoor festivals. The S10 is a 2-way, full range, sub-compact line array enclosure ideal for mid-size arenas, theaters, churches and dance clubs, as well as outdoor festivals. It is loaded with two newly designed 10-inch ND10-LM Kevlar neodymium woofers drivers and an NH4TA2 1.5-inch exit HF compression driver mounted to a wave shaping sound chamber that produces a slightly curved wavefront with controlled 110 x 10 degree (H x V) dispersion. The S10 is a compact 10.4 x 29 x 20.7 inches (H x W x D) and weighs in at just 60 pounds.
No Ordinary Enclosure Design
A key to the S10 sound is its application of Adamson’s Controlled Summation Technology. “We came up with a new technology for the 2-way boxes,” says the company’s director of loudspeaker development, Benoit Cabot. “It’s similar to what’s used in the Y-Axis and the E-15, but a little different and applied to a 2-way box. Actually, it’s a little more complicated in the S-10 because in the E-15, as a 3-way box, the distance between the slots in the sound chamber is quite small.”
Part of that stems from the short distance between the center of the two 10-inch drivers, which flank the HF section, and at that reduced span, parameters become more critical than in the larger E12 or E15 enclosures. This brings the LF drivers as close together as possible, while symmetrically outwardly splaying them.
“The two 10-inch drivers are front facing, but set at a precise angle to achieve the distance we need from that center sound chamber to create a Linear Phase Overlap crossover,” Cabot explains. “If they weren’t placed exactly in that position, you could not do this. It’s all of that together that makes it happen.”
The net result is said to reduce low-mid frequency lobing, while increasing usable frequency range and sidestepping the possibility of interference-causing summation at the crossover point. The LF drivers are also recessed behind the exit of the HF sound chamber, so as to not limit the size and shape.
Another essential element in the S10 design is its Curved Wavefront Sound Chamber. “We use the same technique we use on the E15 for that, where the sound splits into 12 different tubes all lined up to create that wavefront. They are all physically aligned with the front of the sound chamber. The sound chamber extends further than the wood, so when you put two boxes together they are only separated by the thickness of the aluminum. It’s only 1/4-inch between enclosures, so it looks like a large single box, rather than an array put together.”
The chamber is also intended to increase vertical response with minimal sacrifice of high frequency energy in the far field; specs include a max peak SPL of 141.3 dB — pretty impressive for a compact enclosure.
LF Extension
Ten-inch drivers aren’t exactly known for their arena-thumping bass response, and Adamson offers a complementary S119 subwoofer loaded with a long-excursion, 19-inch ND19 Kevlar neodymium driver in an efficient front-loaded enclosure.
“The S119 is based on a 19-inch driver, which is heavier than an 18 but lighter than a 21 and gives more surface area [slightly more than 10%] and a little more SPL because of that,” Cabot explains. “The ND19 is lighter, faster and punchier than a 21 — and it’s a lot more controllable. So its a happy middle between an 18 and a 21. We use the same tensioned port concept we use on our 219 subwoofer. Mechanically, it’s the same rigging frame as the S10 — you can stack the S10 on top of it without any adapters; and you can fly the S10 underneath it without adapters, as the width of the box is the same footprint.”
S-Series accessories include the S10 support frame, S10 extended beam, S10 underhang (to adapt S10 to fly as an underhang with either the E15 or E12), S10 dolly, S10 4-up cover and dolly stacking legs (also used to increase or decrease tilt in either the E15 or E12 dolly).
The enclosures for the S10 and S119 are built from marine-grade birch plywood, aircraft-grade steel and aluminum. The S-Series utilizes Adamson’s new SlideLock rigging system which allows angles to be set prior to lifting, which then fall into place when weight is taken. A stacking pin is also present to maintain proper enclosure angles when ground stacked.
The S10 is also available as the S10i. “This is our first product that really blurs the lines as being a true installation box,” says Oliver. “The S10i installation version reduces the price about 15 percent by taking some of the rigging elements out, using a nut and bolt rigging system versus our SlideLock system. We’ve seen a surge in demand for the S10i from theaters and churches in the U.S.”
Power Options
Equipped with two Speakon NL8 connectors, the S-Series is designed to be powered by the E-Rack, Adamson’s unified rack solution that interfaces with and powers the S Series as well as the full range of Adamson loudspeaker products.
The E-Rack incorporates amplification, combined with versatile I/O and industry standard power connections, as well as a 20 port managed Ethernet switch to route dual-redundant Dante and control signal. E-Racks are sold in 8- or 12-channel configurations with PLM 12K44 amplifiers. A single 12-channel E-Rack can power up to 24 S10 enclosures. A personal license for Adamson’s Blueprint AV software is included with each E-Rack.
Out and On the Road
The S10 is shipping now. According to Oliver, Adamson pre-sold nearly 1,000 units to partner companies they work with closely on a regular basis, including PRG in the U.S. (which has systems out on five tours) and MPM in France, who bought 86 boxes for their inventory.
“We’ve had tremendous success with this out of the gate because it’s more affordable,” says Oliver. “Having a two-way box with the PLM+ series is very efficient. We can give someone the similar low-mids that they have come to expect from an Adamson product, with the high-frequency that will make a seamless transition when you go up to the E-Series line, but being smaller and with less components, the S10 is available at a much more affordable price point.”
For more information, visit Adamson Systems at www.adamsonsystems.com.
