Meyer Sound has given the venerable UPA-1P compact wide coverage and UPA-2P compact narrow coverage loudspeakers a facelift by replacing the original grille design with a robust new steel grille frame. The new style, similar to that already used on the UPJ-1P compact VariO™ loudspeaker, features a molded steel frame overlaying an inner screen that protects drivers from dust and dirt. This durable, damage resistant design eliminates the removable exterior foam used on the prior version.
The new grille frame now ships as standard on UPA-1P and UPA-2P cabinets and can be retrofitted to existing self-powered units, allowing customers to update older units and/or have a consistent look if additional UPA-1P/2P units are added to an existing complement. The original grille version remains available as a special order item, to accommodate customers who prefer to retain the original look in matching the appearance of new units to existing ones. Since both grille designs are acoustically transparent, the two styles may be interchanged with no difference in sonic characteristics.
The update puts a fresh face on one of the longest-lived and best-known products in the history of sound reinforcement, which still sells in significant quantities today. The original UPA-1 was one of Meyer Sound’s first products, having been released in 1980. It established the company as a dominant supplier of loudspeakers for theatrical applications, a market in which both the company and the UPA are both still popular, but quickly found much wider use. The UPA series broke new ground with its compact, patented trapezoidal cabinet shape, dedicated processing electronics, and low-distortion, high-output sound. In recognition of this, the UPA-1 was an inaugural inductee into the TECnology Hall of Fame. In 1996, the release of the UPA-1P added self-powering to the classic model.
“The time had come to update the look of the UPA-1P and -2P loudspeakers,” says Rachel Archibald, Meyer Sound’s director of marketing, “but at the same time we made certain that existing cabinets could be matched visually if necessary. Meyer Sound products have an unusually long life span, and we do our utmost to make sure each loudspeaker can be matched both in sound and appearance for many years to come.”
