Two-way, line-source element. This compact enclosure offers 1000 W of applicable continuous power per unit, in a package approximately the same size of a 6U outboard rack case. Whereas most modern line array elements of these dimensions use 6.5″ woofers, the RA16 employs two 8″, purpose-built woofers with 2.5″ voice coils, utilizing neodymium magnets.
The high frequency section consists of a single custom-built compression driver with a titanium diaphragm, a 3″ voice coil and 1.4″ throat. The driver is coupled to an aluminum planar waveguide with its exit between the baffles of the two woofers, which are precisely angled to accompany the natural dispersion of the waveguide. The entire forward section of the enclosure, in fact, behaves as a horn above a certain frequency. Precisely tooled from birch plywood, this external waveguide serves to couple the outputs of adjacent elements into the cylindrical wavefronts characteristic to a line-source array.
An array of four RA16s exhibits precise 120° horizontal dispersion with a frequency response of 70 Hz ÷ 20 kHz (±3 dB).
While most line array elements cannot be used effectively in very small numbers, the RA16##apos##s design permits use of even only two elements clustered for small applications, though in this configuration it behaves not as a linear source, but as a highly directive point source cluster.
Each unit can develop a maximum SPL of 130 dB, thus providing ample power and coverage even in small numbers.
The cabinet is constructed entirely of 15 mm birch plywood finished with high-impact, chip-resistant paint. The coupling hardware is fully incorporated, and is made of aircraft-grade, nickel-chromium-molybdenum steel. The splay angle from one element to another is adjustable from 0° to 12°. The light weight of the enclosure and the clever system of coupling and splay angle adjustment permit the assembly of arrays with only two hands available.
One Montarbo PLM6800 can drive an array of four RA16 enclosures, otherwise each RA16 can be driven by a power amplifier that can deliver at least 800 W at 8 ohms for the woofers and 200 W at 16 ohms for the driver.
A two channel amplifier capable of furnishing 1600 watts at 4 ohms per channel is suitable for driving two speakers.
Each enclosure RA16 is supplied with:
2 rear steel plates that allow the assembly of the enclosures in the array and for adjusting the vertical splay angle between units.
6 highly resistant quick release pins (figure 7 – B) with ball safety lock (3/8″ x 1/2″).