QSC Highlights K Series Compact Powered Loudspeakers At 2010 Winter NAMM

At the 2010 Winter NAMM show, QSC Audio highlighted its new K Series line of compact, lightweight, high-performance powered loudspeakers.

K Series loudspeakers combine a molded ABS enclosure, uniformly matched drivers, advanced DSP, and QSC’s touring spec amplification.

The same 1,000-watt Class D amplifier module powers all four models – whether the K8, K10, K12 – or KSub (dual-12-inch subwoofer).

QSC Director of Entertainer Solutions Ray van Straten states, “The K Series has been designed entirely without compromise, from the ground up. QSC has departed from convention and at the same time exploded a myth that smaller woofers must equate to lower performance.

“Competitors will typically use the highest power amplifier and the best quality drivers in the largest format model, while designing their smaller format models with lower power amplification and lesser performing components. This allows them to reduce the price of the smaller models, further propagating the myth that a smaller woofer enclosure necessitates lower performance.”

He continues, “Apart from using the same amp module across the line, we are also using the same quality woofer motor in all four models, and the same 1.75-inch HF device in the three 2-way enclosures. The primary differentiator is the resulting output dispersion – the K8 being the widest at 105 degrees and the K12 the narrowest at 75 degrees.

“The choice for the customer then is not ‘good, better, best’, but ‘best, best, best’ – and ‘How wide a box do I need?’”

A proprietary process called Directivity Matched Transition (DMT) allows QSC to take advantage of a fundamental law of acoustics – smaller diameter woofers have wider coverage patterns than larger ones. QSC has matched the HF device to the LF dispersion, allowing for the smoothest and flattest frequency response possible across the entire sound field.

(click to enlarge)

Several other proprietary QSC DSP technologies are incorporated into K Series, including Digital Extension and Excursion Processing (DEEP), which allows each model to deliver exceptional levels of low-frequency extension.

Intrinsic Correction, first featured in QSC line-array technology, utilizes dozens of spatially-averaged measurements, mapped to the processor to deliver smooth and accurate reproduction across the entire sound field.

Preventing amplifier clipping or overload is QSC’s proprietary GuardRail technology, also present in their popular GX amplifier line.

GuardRail closely monitors the input voltage and controls the amplifier output stage before the onset of clipping. Unlike typical clip limiters, when GuardRail is activated, the results are all but undetectable – there’s none of the “pumping” associated with other methods.

In addition, user EQ controls are provided to select between application settings (EXT SUB, VOCAL, or FLAT response).

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