Meyer Sound recently began shipping the new JM-1P self-powered, arrayable loudspeaker marked by its precise control in a seamless, tight-packed array, with one of the first shipments going to Eugene, Oregon-based Relles Sound where it was immediately put to work at two Labor Day music events in Spokane County, Washington.
“We first used the JM-1P for the Spokane Symphony at the Comstock Park and Liberty Lake Park, both well suited for testing the capabilities of the JM-1P, and had a very positive experience,” says George Relles, owner of Relles Sound. “The Liberty Lake Park was a shallow bowl with about 3,000 people, and with no infrastructure to fly a line array.
“The horizontal coverage needed was also wider than what’s possible with most line array speakers. And of course, we wanted a system that also carried sonic clarity and was easy to set up.”
Using the company’s patented trapezoidal cabinet and REM ribbon emulation manifold, the JM-1P’s consistent polar response and precise pattern control allow for tight-packed horizontal as well as vertical arrays. In the horizontal configuration, an array of three JM-1P loudspeakers provides 60-degree by 60-degree coverage; an array of four JM-1P loudspeakers provides 80-degree by 60-degree coverage, and so on.
“In the Liberty Lake Park, I used five JM-1Ps per side, which gave me the 100 degrees of coverage needed,” continues Relles. “Its low frequency range extended much lower than my other point source speakers. I decided not to high-pass the JM-1Ps and let them run full range, and it worked beautifully.”
For the symphony’s show at the 10,000-capacity Comstock Park, Relles used five JM-1P loudspeakers each side, supported by an additional MSL-4 loudspeaker. UPA-1P loudspeakers were used as delay. “It was great to see that the JM-1P could throw a distance of 200 feet to the delay speakers, and showed more gain before feedback than other systems.”
Relles reports that the JM-1P’s captive QuickFly rigging features have eased and accelerated system setup: “It only took about five minutes on each side to get the JM-1P speakers up, rigged, and wheels clamped.
“And after the shows, Don Nelson, the general manager of the Spokane Symphony told me that the horizontal coverage was much smoother than in years past,” concludes Relles. “I have been doing these shows for 25 years now and had been requesting a new point source box like the JM-1P, with the efficiency from the coupling of these speakers without forgoing the smoothness of coverage.
“I am sure that I will find considerable use for the JM-1Ps both as a stand alone system and as outfill coverage for our MICA and MILO line array loudspeakers.”
