HARMAN’s dbx today announced the introduction of its DriveRack® PA2 Loudspeaker Management System, which enables a loudspeaker system to be quickly and accurately optimised for the best-possible sound quality. The PA2 is ideal for bands, musicians and artists who carry their own PA and for a wide range of installed sound applications.
Photo above: dbx DriveRack PA2 loudspeaker management speaker (click for hi-res)
The Original DriveRack PA revolutionised audio for bands all around the world by providing all of the processing you needed between your mixer and amplifiers to optimise and protect your loudspeakers. The DriveRack takes this to a whole new level. A brand new Wizard allows for faster and easier set-up, new AutoEQ and AFS give you professional touring quality room EQ and incredibly accurate Advanced Feedback Suppression (AFS™), and finally all can now be controlled on the fly with your mobile device or laptop using Ethernet control via an Android®, iOS®, Mac®, or Windows® device. The DriveRack PA2 continues the DriveRack legacy of great-sounding, powerful, and affordable loudspeaker management processors for a whole new generation.
The DriveRack PA2 can be set up and operated from a compatible tablet or smartphone. An all-new Wizard utility makes setup easier and faster than ever, and users have access to a host of configuration menus and on their mobile device, with full-colour graphical displays that give ready visual indications of the parameters being adjusted. The DriveRack PA2 can also be operated via its front-panel controls and display.
The DriveRack PA2 provides a comprehensive suite of system tuning and optimisation tools. Its improved AutoEQ™ enables automatic and precise equalisation of the loudspeakers to the venue in which they’re installed to achieve smoother, more accurate in-room frequency response. A new AFS™ Advanced Feedback Suppression feature automatically finds and dials out any problematic feedback-producing frequencies.
The PA2 offers numerous additional system-tuning and sonic optimisation capabilities, including dbx compression, graphic and 8-band parametric EQ, dbx’s exclusive Subharmonic Synthesis for enhanced low-frequency response, a built-in loudspeaker crossover (for full-range, 2-way and 3-way systems), limiting, loudspeaker time alignment and time delay and many additional features.
“Setting up a PA can be challenging even under the best of circumstances, and with the introduction of the DriveRack PA2, local musicians, weekend warriors, semi-pro players, wedding bands and even established artists and venues now have a remarkably effective tool for getting better live sound than ever before,” said Noel Larson, Market Manager, Portable PA, Tour, and Recording at HARMAN Signal Processing.
The dbx DriveRack PA2 will be available in December 2013 at a suggested RRP of £549 inc VAT.
