Introducing ICONYX Theory and Application of Steerable Arrays

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Introducing ICONYXTheory and Application of
Steerable Arrays
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What is ICONYX

• ICONYX is a steerable line array offering very
  high directivity and high fidelity in a compact
  and architecturally pleasing package.
• ICONYX is the first steerable array to offer the
  combination of tightly focused beams and
  musicality.

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Why Steerable Arrays

• Architectural concerns
• Highly reverberant spaces need High-Q devices.
• Traditionally done with distributed systems or
  BIG horns

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Optimizing the Direct to Reverberant Ratio
Hall, 50 x 50 x 12 m
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Why Steerable Arrays

• Line Array/Column loudspeakers provide High-Q in
  more attractive package.
• For many applications a Concert line array is too
  large

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Line Sources Are Not New

• Continuous Line Source directivity, described in
  Acoustical Engineering, Harry F. Olson, 1957

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Older Column speakers based on simple line source
theory

• Column loud-speakers arent new.
• Simple columns suffer from inconsistent vertical
  directivity

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Steering Also Not New

• Steering a Line Source with phase/delay also
  described in Acoustical Engineering, Harry F.
  Olson, 1957
• The ancients keep stealing our ideas,
• -Don Davis

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DSP Driven Steerable Arrays Solve Problems

• Variable Q
• Minimizes excitation of reverberant field
• Consistent Q with frequency
• DSP and independent amp channels keep directivity
  constant
• Ability to aim independent of trim angle

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Applications for Steered Arrays

• House of Worship
• Our Lady of Perpetual Reverberation
• Transportation
• Train stations
• Airports
• Any reverberant space where speech
  intelligibility is difficult with conventional
  loudspeakers
• Any space where architectural concerns make using
  conventional loudspeakers impossible

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What makes ICONYX Special

• Full bandwidth
• Competitors 200-4khz
• Renkus-Heinz 120-16kHz
• Sounds like a loudspeaker, not a tall paging horn
• Latest DSP algorithms
• 3-4 dB louder than competitors
• Highest quality Class D amplification
• Modular construction offers greater flexibility
• Electronically movable lobe center
• Lower cost

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Review of basic line array and steerable array
physics

• Point source interactions
• Real driver interactions
• Constant Lambda Arrays
• Steering explained

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• Point Source Interactions

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Doublet Source Directivity
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l/4
Doublet Source Directivity
l/2
1l
2l
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Line Source Directivity
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l/2
Simple Line Source Directivityvs. Height of Line
1l
2l
4l
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l/2
Line Source DirectivityInter-driver Spacing vs.
Wavelength
1l
2l
4l
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Real driver interactions

• Real drivers are not uniformly directional
• They get more directional with increasing
  frequency
• Renkus-Heinz 4 inch co-axial driver is
  omni-directional to about 300 Hz half
  hemispherical from 300 Hz to about 1kHz and 140 x
  140 degrees from 1kHz to 10kHz

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Real driver interactions

• Thus the interactions are different from the
  theoretical point sources
• Rear lobe is much lower in level than front lobe
• Grating lobes, when they occur, are lower in
  level than the main lobe
• Grating lobes at 90 degrees to array are very
  reduced

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ICONYX at One Wavelength
IC-8 at 400Hz
IC-16 at 200Hz
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ICONYX at One Wavelength
IC-24 at 125Hz
IC-32 at 100Hz
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IC-32 at 1.25 kHz
IC-32 at 100Hz
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IC-32 at 3.1 kHz
IC-32 at 100Hz
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Constant Lambda Arrays

• Simple line arrays become increasingly
  directional as frequency increases
• At high frequencies they are too directional
• If we make the array shorter as frequency
  increases by using fewer drivers we keep the
  vertical directivity more consistent
• One amplifier channel and one DSP channel per
  driver make this possible

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ICONYX Directivity Remains Consistent With
Changing Frequency
IC-32, 10 Degree Lobe
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Steering is SimpleJust Progressively Delay
Drivers

• If we tilt an array, we move drivers in time as
  well as in space.
• A line of drivers hinged at the top and tilted
  moves the bottom drivers further away from the
  listener in time
• We can do the same with delay

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Modern electronics allow for advanced steering
capabilities

• Steering a Line Source with phase/delay described
  in Acoustical Engineering, Harry F. Olson, 1957
• DSP and inexpensive multi-channel amplification
  now make it possible

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Steering is Different From Mechanical
AimingFront and Rear Lobes Steer the Same
Direction
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Steering Becomes Effective When Array is Two
Wavelengths Long

• ICONYX models steer effectively down to the
  following frequencies
• IC-8 800Hz
• IC-16 400Hz
• IC-24 250Hz
• IC-32 200Hz

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Horizontal Directivity is Controlled by the
Directivity of the Individual Drivers

• ICONYX steers only in vertical plane
• Horizontal angle is fixed at 140-150 degrees
• ICONYX has much more consistent horizontal
  directivity than competing arrays using 4 full
  range drivers

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Polar response of a full rangefour-inch driver
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Polar response of Renkus-Heinzco-axial
four-inch driver
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Wider Dispersion hasMany Advantages

• More consistent sound
• Ability to cover larger area with single device
  saves money

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Iconyx capabilities reviewed
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Electronic Aiming
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Change vertical dispersion
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Change acoustical center
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Frequency independent dispersion
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Single- and dual beam lobes
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Thank You