At the 2009 Prolight + Sound – Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Outline introduced the MANTAS vertical line array system, sharing some of the fundamental concepts of the company’s Butterfly line arrays.
A vertical line array (VLA) formed by MANTAS modules reproduces music in a transparent and dynamic manner, incorporating two 8-inch mid woofers with Neodymium magnets and a 3-inch compression driver.
The section for reproducing high frequencies on the MANTAS is loaded with a D.P.R.W.G. (Double Parabolic Reflective Wave Guide), an Outline international patent used successfully on the Butterfly system.
D.P.R.W.G. design is based on mathematical calculations, transforming the circular plane waves emitted by the source at its entrance into rectangular plane waves at its output, keeping identical paths from all the source’s emission points. (Further information can be found in a white paper by Guido Noselli at www.outline.it)
MANTAS weighs just 24 kilograms (52.9 pounds) and measures 24 x 77.2 x 52.1 cm (9.4 x 30.5 x 20.5 inches), i.e. the same footprint as a Butterfly system (hardware included). Each individual element can reach a rated peak SPL of 137 dB (four modules provide 147 dB SPL).
MANTAS is used in a biamp format. The channels of the (Outline “T Five”) amplifiers will power the 8-inch mid woofer (LF-MF section) and the 3-inch compression driver (HF section) separately. An Outline Genius 26 processor or similar unit is required.
The 120-degree horizontal coverage is compatible with Butterfly. Since it has the same flying points, MANTAS can also be used along with the Butterfly system as an element able to give wider horizontal coverage for frontfill and downfill applications.
The MANTAS mechanism, including the main-frame, is identical to that of the Butterfly system. Splay can be adjusted by 0.25-degree steps between elements, in spite of the capacity being over-sized compared to the load. Setting up the VLA set-up is a job that takes just a few minutes and does not require any physical strain.
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