CMI introduces S10 to Australia
Published: ASIA
AUSTRALIA: Adamson distributor, CMI Music & Audio, has officially launched the manufacturer’s S Series to the Australian market. The distributor recently invited sound companies, consultants, technicians and integrators to its headquarters in Melbourne for a live outdoor demonstration of the new line array and a seminar on Adamson’s Blueprint AV software. The event was conducted by Adamson technical director, Asia Pacific, David Dohrmann, who led with a presentation on the manufacturer’s philosophy, design process and products, as well as providing an indoor demonstration of the Metrix line array system and Point Series loudspeakers.
In attendance was Graeme Whitehouse, general manager of NW Group. ‘As Australia’s largest owner and user of Adamson products, we were very keen to hear the S10,’ he enthused. ‘Unsurprisingly, it’s a phenomenal product – unbelievably powerful for a sub-compact system, coherent across the full frequency spectrum, and with the same musicality and trademark clarity we’ve become used to with Adamson systems. Well done, a great box.’
‘Adamson has clearly listened to operators and shines where many leave me wanting,’ offered Scott Mullane, owner of Aisle 6 Productions, who also attended. ‘The highlights for me were the clarity and focus of the mid-range. It was incredibly detailed and sounded extremely focused even when walking the line between the cabinets. It was also clear that there was an incredible SPL output although the feeling was never uncomfortable. I often find the lower mid/upper low frequencies to be less than punchy when compared to their point source brethren and again, this was not the case, tight, punchy, clear and output for days. The S10 mid/high cabinets are certainly heralding a new benchmark for medium format line arrays. As a touring engineer, I would be very happy to find myself mixing into the S10.’
The S10 is a two-way, full-range line array element intended for mid-size venues. Each enclosure comprises two 10-inch Kevlar Neodymium low frequency drivers and a 1.5-inch-exit HF compression driver mounted to a wave shaping sound chamber. A system of 12 S10 cabinets and six A218 subwoofers was deployed for the outdoor demonstration, driven by Adamson’s E-Rack loaded with three Lab.gruppen PLM 12K44 amplifiers, a Cisco switch for Dante connectivity and Adamson’s audio and AC panels for power and signal distribution.
‘The first thing you notice about the S10 is its size. It’s quite small and light for a dual 10-inch line-array – its form factor is almost like that of an 8-inch box – but the output is at the top of its class,’ added Peter Morris, owner of Adelaide Sound. ‘I must say I was surprised by the sound quality Adamson had achieved with this two-way design, it was smooth with a very detailed midrange. The top end was really nice, not like you would expect from such a large format compression driver. When pushed there was no harshness, it just got loud. It also sounded great on every type of music from opera to heavy rock and voiced beautifully with an open mic. This is a very impressive well-built, mid-size line-array that should be on everyone’s rider.’
‘I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the two days. The S10 is insanely awesome and I am in love with the whole package,’ summarised Pro Sound Productions’ owner, Shannon De Bie.