The newest addition to the LEO speaker family from Meyer Sound, the self-powered LYON linear sound reinforcement system officially debuts this month at the I.S.E. Convention in Amsterdam. Incorporating the technology of the LEO family in a lighter, more compact package, the LYON line array loudspeaker system extends the advantages of highly linear self-powered systems to a broader range of venues and applications.
“With the LEO system, we have shown how a system that stays linear across all frequencies and at very high sound levels can provide a whole new listening experience for everything from the New York Philharmonic to Bassnectar,” says company CEO/co-founder John Meyer. “By combining this high level of linearity with a more flexible package, LYON will open up many more opportunities for listeners to experience the performance advantages of a linear system.”
Enter the LYON
LYON is available in two versions: the
LYON-M main loudspeaker and the LYON-W wide-coverage loudspeaker. Complemented by the 1100-LFC low-frequency control element and the Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system, the LYON-M main loudspeaker can anchor a powerful system for installations in arenas and large auditoriums, as well as tours and festivals. The LYON-W can serve as down/side fills to augment a
LYON-based system. Both LYON versions can be used to provide supplemental coverage in a LEO system.
So far — at least prior to the official launch — Meyer Sound has been fairly quiet about the LYON development. However, we were able to catch up with the company’s product manager for loudspeaker products Luke Jenks, who offered more details and insights into the LYON project.
“LEO is a pretty big system, and it was designed to handle extremely large events with extreme throw, and there aren’t that many sound companies that need a system of that power and size,” Jenks explains. “The main goal for LYON was to take some of the Linear System technology we had developed with our LEO system and bring it into a scaled-down package that was applicable to more venues.”
LYON is a double-12 box but, like LEO, is also a two-way design. “With specially designed driver and other system components engineered and built in our Berkeley facilities,” Jenks says, “the LYON has tremendous headroom and everything stays symmetrical and two-way, keeping it to a single crossover point. Everything is scaled down from LEO except for the higher horn, which has a wider dispersion.”
Speaking of dispersion, Jenks didn’t elaborate on LYON’s specific angles of coverage, but added, “these things vary when they’re put into arrays, but the LYON-M has wider dispersion than the LEO and is essentially equivalent to a lot of the mains we’ve put out, such as MILO; and the W version is between the width of a MICA and a MILO 120. We don’t put out a dispersion spec; the performance data in our MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program gives a more accurate view for system designers.”
Versatility is also an important part of the LYON concept. “For LEO users, LYON gives them a two-tiered approach. There are a lot of applications in places like large arenas where the out-fill has extreme vertical demands, and it can also handle mid- and down-fill under LEO systems, so LYON is a very powerful system in its own right to keep up with a LEO rig. Meyer users who are familiar with MILO power should know that a LYON system will be able to do a MILO power, minimum.”
Compared to a MICA box, LYON is narrower, yet taller (15 x 38 x 21-inches, HxWxD) and, at 198 pounds, it weighs more, but offers considerably higher output — another advantage in modern touring rigs. “Like LEO, we hope that we can prove with LYON that even though the individual boxes weigh more, with fewer boxes required to do a job, there is a savings in total system weight.”
Lyon was designed to run with a Meyer Sound Callisto processor with its U-shaping filters. But improvements in this new system go well outside the (speaker) box. “We’ve been focusing a lot on improving the user experience — it’s not just about loudspeakers, but also about prediction, DSP and software interaction, such as our Compass software,” Jenks explains. “People also want presets and easy start points for controlling sound systems. We learned a lot from our collaboration efforts with sound companies about ways we can improve, and the user experience is part of that.”
Hear, Now.
After months of beta testing — mostly with Meyer Sound’s A-list customers and existing LEO users — LYON begins shipping this month, with the first tour in Europe heading out in February. A series of product demonstrations are planned across the country in the coming months, so sound companies looking for rigs can add this to their consideration list well before the busy summer season.
For more info, visit Meyer Sound, www.meyersound.com/leo/lyon.
