Audix RAD-360 Wireless Mics
By Mark Amundson
Making mics and designing RF transmitters and receivers are very different things. Ask any of the major mic makers who do wireless, many of whom have separate engineering teams for developing the transducer and RF pieces of the wireless puzzle. Which likely explains why Audix stayed out of the wireless game for a long time, introducing their first wireless about a year ago. The Audix RAD-360 Wireless Mic System includes a R360 half-rack space UHF diversity receiver and a T365 UHF Transmitter with an OM-5 mic capsule. (You can get RAD-360 systems with OM-3, OM-6 and OM-7 capsules as well.) Being an OM-5 wired microphone fanatic, I did not have to be asked twice to take on this review.
The Gear
Starting with receiver, the large rear-mounted 3/4-wavelength antennas are serious design features along with 2.5 micro-volt receivers to pull in long-distance transmitters. Although the receiver requires an external 12-volt AC adapter, the front display is large and easy to interpret during operation. Both the receiver and handheld transmitter have impressive audio specifications, plus 193 selectable frequencies for agility in difficult RF conditions. This means that at least a dozen RAD-360s could be used together without interference.
The handheld transmitter uses a pair of AA alkaline batteries, sipping at 100mA for about 12 hours of battery life from a fresh pair. But from that juice, you get the maximum allowable transmit power (50 milli-watts) from its 1.3-inch diameter handle. While the mic's 12.35 ounce weight is just an ounce more than the wired version, most vocalists would not have problems transitioning from wired to wireless.
The Gigs
Out of the box, the RAD-360 system requires almost no setup at all. Loading the AA batteries through plastic-slide hatch on the bottom is intuitive, and the on-off slide switch is easy to get at, and takes no major finger torque to toggle. On the mic itself, the upper part of the handgrip has a modestly small LCD to display the transmit center frequency and battery status. Positioned with the LCD are three recessed buttons used to program the mic, but are difficult to accidentally change during performance.
The receiver unit comes with the 12-volt DC "line lump" so users can avoid "wall-wart" receptacle spacing problems, but still have to find a spot in the wireless rack to mount the adapter. If you are directly swapping a wired OM-5 for the wireless version, you may want to back down the console channel preamps a couple notches as the 8mV output is a bit hotter than the OM-5's 2.6mV output (at 1Pa).
The only item on my niggle list–other than the line lump–were slightly loose BNC connects in the back that let the large antennas slip more than I wished. Of course, if you are going get a group of RAD-360s, getting the amplified group antenna distribution system is the way to provide up to four diversity receivers with signals on a common pair of antennae.
In performance, I could see the difference between the wireless OM-5 from the other wired OM-5s on the stage front line. But the capsule attached to the larger wireless body showed no change in characteristics as I was checking monitors, and there were no changes in feedback susceptibility in the performance. And in my analysis, the wired OM-5 versus the wireless RAD-360 found nothing distinguishable as far as audio differences go–which is the whole idea when designing a wireless mic.
What it is: Professional Wireless Mic System
Who it's for: Fans of Audix vocal capsules with demanding performance requirements.
Pros: Perfect transparency, good ergonomics, easy to operate.
Cons: External power supply, loose antenna connections.
How much: RAD-360 $799 to $949 depending on the capsule.
Peavey CS 4080 HZ Audio Power Amplifier
By Mark Amundson
Just when I about to give up hope for power amplifier sanity, Peavey Electronics comes up with a value-priced amplifier, perfectly made to handle four- Ohm subwoofer loads in stereo. The Peavey CS4080HZ is intended to place 2,040 watts per channel into four-Ohm-rated speaker impedances. The "HZ" suffix is intended to state the amplifier has a relatively high impedance output and is optimized for no lower than four-Ohm loads. And if you know my Theory & Practice columns well enough, you know that I think anyone who runs two-Ohm loads is an idiot–unless they have very short cable runs or very large cables. And the reason I get hot under collar about this is that I see two- x 18-inch subwoofer cabs with four-Ohm ratings commonly daisy-chained with 13-gauge speaker wiring.
So, coming off of my soapbox, the Peavey CS4080HZ is designed by veteran ampli- fier designer J.D. Bennett, who has tons of experience designing the Crest Pro Series of amps, and the larger Peavey GPS series amps as well. Featuring a conventional power supply and class-H amplifiers, this two-rackspace amplifier puts out plenty of voltage swing (115Vrms), and a damping factor of greater than 250 at four-Ohms, over a 20Hz to 1KHz range. Other key specs are a 40V/V gain (+32dB), 10 to 100KHz frequency response (+0dB, -0.75dB) and a slew rate of greater than 15 volts per microsecond. Total harmonic distortion is rated at 0.05% at full-rated power at 1KHz, down to 0.1% from 20Hz to 20KHz at a slightly lower power.
Interfaces
The CS4080HZ is not intended to be a high-end amplifier, but it is keeping more in the CS workhorse amplifier tradition. The front panel features the familiar Peavey lightning- bolt logo (which I adore) in the middle, flanked by no-nonsense perforated grille exhaust ports for cooling air. Stealing a bit of Crest technology, the CS4080HZ features the familiar combination circuit breaker/on-off switch for power control. Next to the logo, channel A and B sections have power-on, signal present, DDT active LEDs next to the rotary and detented-input attenuator controls. Another borrowing of Crest cosmetics is the very visible blue signal-present LED, which lets you know that the signal has reached the amplifier circuits.
On the rear, the no-nonsense characteristics extend to the 15-amp IEC inlet, with two 80mm vari-speed cooling fans taking in air for the amplifier channels. Up top are the amplifier speaker interfaces with either heavy-duty binding posts or NL4 speak-on jacks. Below are the inputs with Neutrik combination connectors for either XLR or TRS plugs. Between the combi connectors are two recessed switches for stereo/parallel and stereo/bridge operational modes. And to top things off, the rear chassis includes rack ears to further secure the 47.3-pound amplifier to rear rails. And with a chassis depth of only 14.81 inches, you have plenty of space to make convenient connections.
On the Road
My first check was in the shop, substituting my normal subwoofer power amp with the CS4080HZ in the mains amp rack. Upon firing up and checkout, I had to get out of the factory-set bridge mode and back to stereo settings. But after that, it was very smooth sailing operationally.
I did several gigs with the CS4080HZ racked up–one gig was memorable because it was outdoors in very hot, humid air. The Peavey CS4080HZ had the low end really thumping to the outdoor crowd, and it even endured two power supply dropouts as a nearby thunderstorm warned us to end the show. During the interruptions, the amp was totally silent going down and coming up from the lightning-induced disruptions.
Overall, the CS4080HZ nails just about all the qualities I want in a 2,000-watt-per channel amplifier. Of course, the toriodal transformer in the power supply brings with it substantial weight, but it is a very nice trade when price is a big consideration for purchase. Other than the weight of the power supply, there should be nothing stopping any sound company from buying truckloads of these amps for road and install usage. Yes, the Made in China words are on the back, but J.D.'s design quality is very evident and trumps manufacturing anywhere, especially with the five-year warranty.
What it is: CS4080HZ Audio Power Amplifier
Who it's for: Professionals and musicians who need very big watts and have very big budgetary restrictions.
Pros: Sounds great, rugged, small size and 2,040 watts per channel.
Cons: None.
How much: Peavey CS4080HZ $1,499.99 SRP.
Behringer UltraCurve Pro DEQ2496 and UltraDrive Pro DCX2496
By Jamie Rio
Behringer has packed so many features into these two ultra-processors that I am going to have an ultra hard time fitting everything into this review. Not to mention the field test.
The Gear
OK, let's begin with the UltraCurve Pro DEQ2496. By the way, the 2496 refers to 24-bit, 96KHz. In other words, very high resolution. Behringer describes this piece of gear as an EQ/RTA mastering processor. It's suitable for all EQ/RTA and dynamic applications, especially for P.A. and audiophile mastering. I didn't have a chance to use it for any mastering, but I got a lot of use out of in the live sound arena.
Equalization is made up of four concurrently- selectable EQ modules: A 31-band graphic EQ, 10-band parametric EQ, feedback destroyer plus three dynamic EQs per stereo channel. You get a compressor/ expander function with peak limiter as well as additional stereo limiter and stereo delay for line applications. A unique VPQ (Virtual Paragraphic EQ) option allows parametric control of graphic EQs. There is a high-resolution 61-band real-time FFT analyzer with additional auto EQ function for room and loudspeaker equalization. Multifunction level meters let you see your signal about any way you want (peak/RMS, VU and SPL meter with dBA/dBC weighted via RTA mic input). The UltraCurve has 64 user memories and a separate RTA mic/line input with phantom power. Wordclock BNC input and MIDI connections for full remote control, preset dumps and system updates comes standard, along with high-quality AKM 24-bit/96 kHz A/D converters. The unit is designed with open architecture, allowing future software updates via MIDI.
You also get not one, but two 32-/40-bit floating SHARC digital signal processors and Behringer was thoughtful enough to add balanced inputs and servo-balanced outputs with gold-plated XLR connectors, stereo aux output, AES/EBU and S/PDIF inputs and outputs (XLR and optical). You also have an internal switch-mode power supply.
The Germans have certainly though of everything with this piece of gear. Now, let's see what they stuffed into the UltraDrive Pro.
This unit is Behringer's answer to a dbx DriveRack or similar loudspeaker-management system. It features three analog inputs (one suitable as digital stereo AES/ EBU input) and six analog outputs. High-end AKM 24-bit/96 kHz A/D and D/A converters are onboard for signal integrity and wide dynamic range (112 dB). You get an integrated sample rate converter for easy connection of external digital signals, with sample rates from 32 to 96KHz. The UltraDrive sports precise dynamic EQs for level-dependent equalization and extremely musical parametric EQs, selectable for all inputs and outputs. Zero attack limiters are on all output channels for optimal signal protection. There are four different mono and stereo output operating modes. Plus, there are all kinds of individual crossover filters (Butterworth, Bessel and Linkwitz-Riley) with selectable roll-off characteristics from six to 48 dB/octave.
Adjustable delays on all inputs and outputs come in handy to manually or automatically correct for room temperature, phase or arrival-time differences. Future-proof software enables single- or multi-remoter control via PC through RS-232 and RS-485 interfaces. A link option via RS-485 interface allows cascading of several UltraDrive Pros. The DCX2469 gets all its signals via goldplated balanced XLR ins and outs.
The Shows
I actually spent more time with the UltraCurve than the UltraDrive, mainly because the UltraCurve has a steeper learning curve . At least for me it did. I began using it for my FOH speakers and found that it worked very well. The EQ is very nice and quiet. I stayed mostly with the graphic because that's where my comfort zone is. There is a feature where you can adjust a variety of frequencies rather than just one at a time. I believe this is called the VPQ (virtual paragraphic equalizer). This really gives you a chance to pull up or flatten down the mix from a given center point. Another feature, the width function, is also very cool. This allows you to adjust the width, rotation and asymmetry of the stereo image.
From FOH, I started using the UltraCurve for monitors. The feedback destroyer is fast and accurate, and makes pumping up your monitors a breeze. Without getting into all the features of the unit, I will say that I like it. I wasn't very fond of the user manual, but the gear itself is pretty intuitive, which makes it fairly easy to navigate.
I found the UltraDrive Pro a little easier to use, but keep in mind that this is a completely different piece of gear. One of my favorite features is the Dynamic EQ. This is like a compressor, but is adjustable to a specific range of the signal. If the signal at a certain frequency jumps above a preset threshold, it will bring the frequency down, and if a specific frequency falls below a preset threshold, it will boost the frequency up. I also really liked the delay feature. I was running a show at a local football field and we had the mains plus four satellite speaker towers. With the delay feature "on," I could very easily adjust for distance and time with the turn of the data wheel.
All in all, both the UltraDrive and the UltraCurve are pretty cool units. They both perform a lot of functions well, and at a Behringer price.
What is it: Signal processing and loudspeaker management.
Who's it for: Bands, sound companies, schools, churches, etc.
Pros: Both units do everything well.
Cons: User manuals could be better.
How much: UltraCurve Pro DEQ2496 $379.99, UltraDrive Pro DCX2496 $309.99.
