EM Acoustics US, LLC is pleased to announce US-based distribution of the HALO compact line array system for customers in North America. Developed in the UK, HALO marks a revolution in line array loudspeaker performance, bringing a new level of clarity, detail and realism to small to medium-sized sound reinforcement systems.
"For the first time, HALO is available from our US headquarters to customers in North America for theatrical, staging/rental and other live performance applications," says Greg Rosenkrans, president of EM Acoustics US, LLC. "But even more importantly, HALO line array systems are now made in the US, at our plant in Parsippany, New Jersey, and supported 24/7 by us. So customers can be assured of fast service and support after purchase."
Since its appearance on the world scene, HALO has been hailed as revolutionary technology. It is believed to be the first line array system to employ a 60mm-wide true ribbon HF driver, which not only has the precise impulse response and incredibly controlled vertical dispersion that is expected of a ribbon, but can also deliver the power and horizontal dispersion to fully complement other elements of the system. Before, ribbon drivers exceeding a certain width had inherent problems with horizontal directivity at higher frequencies. But HALO's 60mm-wide ribbon driver is combined with patent-pending diffusion technology designed to resolve these directivity issues. It gives HALO a genuine plane wave source with no adverse manipulation of the sound wave, producing a much more open and detailed sound.
"HALO's HF unit is unlike that in any production model so far," notes EM Acoustics US, LLC's vice president Tim Coyle, who is partnered with Rosenkrans. "The unit was selected for smoothness and accuracy and also for remarkable power handling. But the driver is only part of the story: The patent-pending diffusion manifold 'rolls off' the outer edges of the ribbon only at higher frequencies resulting in horizontal dispersion that stays a true 90º wide throughout the frequency range of the driver. In simple terms, it sounds consistently amazing anywhere in the pattern."
Coyle also notes that HALO's two custom 6.5-inch mid drivers have a flat radiating surface, minimizing their interaction with each other and with the high-frequency wavefront to deliver the best possible phase response. Low drivers are two longer excursion 6.5-inch drivers in their own sealed chamber, resulting in a smooth roll off at the bottom of their range. "A passive crossover network splits lows from mids, so the HALO is designed to be bi-amplified," he adds.
HALO is also easy to rig. "HALO's 'front' points are located at the weight center of the box," Coyle explains. "As a result, the single center point of angle adjustment takes little weight so adjustments of sizable arrays can be made by one person. This also puts the pivot point between elements right on the acoustic plane of the AMT driver so there is tight, seamless coupling of the high frequencies while the lows are decoupled slightly in the near-field, which is where the low-mid frequencies tend to build up naturally."
HALO loudspeakers weighs in at a very manageable 57 pounds each and stand under seven inches high. They are fabricated from multi-laminate Finnish birch ply and finished with black semi-matte textured paint (colors optional).
"By increasing the scope of our US operation to include the production, assembly and quality control for all products sold in North America, we can react faster to increasing orders, mitigate the trials of international shipping, and proudly add the 'Built in America' stamp to our products," says Rosenkrans.
Among EM Acoustics US, LLC's dealer network are HAS Productions in Las Vegas; Pyramid Audio in New Orleans; Special Event Services in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Sound Associates in Yonkers, New York; and Maryland Sound International in Baltimore.
HALO has been road-tested in the US on shows with Elvis Costello, Branford Marsalis, Little Feat, and the B-52s. Several installations in New York City are about to be announced, and EM Acoustics US, Inc. plans to host a HALO demo in Manhattan in March.
About EM Acoustics US, LLC:
Based in Parsippany, New Jersey, EM Acoustics US, LLC fabricates and supports the HALO compact line array system for customers in North America. For more information, call 973-968-3467, email [email protected] or [email protected] or visit www.emacoustics.com