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10/9/2014
FOH online | PreSonus StudioLive AI-series Active Integration Loudspeakers Submissions
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July 2014 Issue Road Tests
PreSonus StudioLive AI-series Active Integration Loudspeakers Well, it took a while, but PreSonus is finally shipping its much-anticipated StudioLive AIseries live sound speakers. The line includes three 3-way top cabinets and an optional single-18 subwoofer. The top cabinets have LF response extending well below 60 Hz, making them well suited for use without the subwoofer. They are fitted with 12 M10 rigging points and dual (flat and -10° downward) 35mm pole mount sockets, except the larger SLS315AI, which has one socket.
Written by George Petersen Friday, 11 July 2014 11:29
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It would be too easy to write these off as yet another speaker-on-stick design, but serious onboard amplification, powerful Active Integration DSP, flexible options — including Wi-Fi control and a Dante card upgrade option for networked audio and control over Cat-5 cabling — set these apart from the pack. And a design by Dave Gunness (of Fulcrum Acoustic) squarely puts these into the realm of serious tools for professional applications.
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The Basics The StudioLive SLS328AI has two 8-inch woofers flanking an 8-inch coaxial driver with a 1.75-inch titaniumdiaphragm compression driver. That same coaxial is used for MF/HF reproduction in the SLS312AI (with a 12inch LF section) and the SLS315AI with its 15-inch woofer. Each top model has onboard Class-D amplification for a combined 2,000 watts of power; the companion SLS18sAI 18-inch subwoofer has 1,000 watts. Max SPL ratings on all exceed 131 dB with the SLS18sAI delivering up to 135 dB.
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DSP to Go Perhaps more impressive is what you don’t see. Under the hood, each AI speaker packs as much DSP in a Linux core as PreSonus’ StudioLive 32.4.2AI digital console, pretty much free rein to tweak the speaker performance using fine driver alignment delays and massive 1,024-point FIR filters running on a Texas Instrument OMAP multicore processor. And on the user side, the free SL Room Control app for Mac OS X, Windows and iPad offers a full-on speaker-management system and remote-control/monitoring software via Wi-Fi or a hard-wired network. In addition to SL Room Control’s considerable DSP, monitoring of parameters such as excursion limiting, amplifier temperature, ADC clip detection and amplifier soft limiting is also provided. Switches on the back of each top speaker provide fast access to four DSP presets: a normal mode; a LBR (lowbit rate) mode for playing data-compressed sources such as MP3’s, a Floor Monitor mode that compensates for
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FOH online | PreSonus StudioLive AI-series Active Integration Loudspeakers
half-space loading and provides greater feedback resistance when used as a wedge; and a user layer (this recalls any custom preset loaded in and stored in the speaker from SL Room Control). Additionally, there’s a 100 Hz high pass filter for pairing cabinets with subs or for excessively boomy environments. The SLS18sAI sub includes a polarity invert switch, an extended LF (subharmonic bass boost) setting; three alignment delays (0/2.9/5.9 ms) to compensate for tripod mounting or front of stage placements; and a user custom preset. I did have to install a version 1.3 firmware upgrade to the speakers before connecting to SL Room Control. As far as I can recall, this is the first time I ever had to upgrade firmware on speakers, but these aren’t exactly your usual speakers. Yet once in, operation is straightforward and even easy. A Network Setup Wizard automatically scans for connected speakers, and many speaker parameters can be addressed individually or globally, with fingertip control and entire settings for different setups or venues are easily stored and recalled. The level of access offered by the system is extensive. Among the global/group parameters are master group level control, speaker mapping, 31-band graphic EQ and more, with full store/recall. DSP on individual top speakers include 8-band parametric EQ, eight notch filters, up to 500 ms of alignment delay in 0.1 ms increments (also great for setting delay stacks), a variable limiter, DSP input level control, solo and mute buttons. Comments can be added and settings can be copied/pasted to other speakers. And individual speaker settings are automatically loaded into the user preset on each speaker, for recall even when the SL Room Control app is not used. And no cutting corners on sound quality — all DSP is 24-bit/96 kHz floating point. Out in the Field I had the opportunity to test an system in a number of situations, and had two SLS312AI 12-inch and SLS328AI dual-8-inch full-range enclosures and a pair of the SLS18sAI single-18 subs. As mentioned, all are selfpowered, which makes setup a breeze. I should add that these are no lightweights: 15mm Baltic birch play construction, steel grills, multiple fly points, ferrite transducers and the massive amplification all add considerable heft to the equation. For example, the SLS312AI 12-inch LF box is a sizeable 24x19x20 inches (HxWxD) and tips the scales at 62 pounds; the SLS315AI is 71 pounds; and the SLS18sAI sub is 94 pounds. PreSonus does offer an optional wheeled subwoofer dolly, which is solid, rolls well and has large locking casters, but only accommodates a single sub. The cabinet handles aren’t quite aligned on the center of gravity. All the enclosures are somewhat front-heavy — especially the sub — and all will twist forward when in a two-person (side by side) carry. Ideally, the input/connection panels would also be recessed a bit more to offer additional protection for the rotary knobs, switches and jacks during transport. I do wish the full range boxes included a top handle. Not that anyone will do much single-handed carrying of the 12- or 15-inch systems, but occasionally there are times when a top handle makes it easier to slide the cabinet out of a van when they laying sideways. Speaking of vans, I could put entire the 10,000-watt rig (two each of SLS312AI’s, SLS328AI’s and SLS18sAI’s) — plus mixer, cabling, mics/stands, etc. — in a minivan with room to spare. Nice! My first outing was providing sound for a marathon two-day American Cancer Society “Relay for Life” event on a 20-by-24-foot stage on a local football field. The program included a variety of bands (rock/pop, jazz and R&B/blues), CD program music and evening movie playbacks as well as announcements of the various activities during the event. Here the pole-mounted sub/top (SLS312AI/SLS18sAI) just off either corner of the stage seemed to be the ticket, and I figured I would try the SLS328AI’s as low-profile wedges. The ability to tweak parameters from a distance is a real bonus. Setup was a no-brainer. With about 35 feet between the top cabs and the FOH position about 75 feet back, the coverage was smooth and even. Equally important, we were achieving excellent intelligibility at the other end of the field (another 200 feet behind the FOH), without anyone feeling blasted. Also important was that when going well off-axis, the speakers experienced a fairly steep dropoff of the 90° by 60° coaxial horn, which prevented the show from bothering residents in neighboring houses, reading about 60 dBA at the property line (90° off-axis to the mains) while the FOH level was 95 to 100 dBA. The subs were really on the mark, and provided plenty of punch (and upper LF detail) even in this outdoor environment — with tons of headroom to spare. Something that’s often overlooked or skimmed over by other speaker manufacturers is the quality of the onboard mic preamp. No so in this case — the full-range system has an XMAX Class-A XLR mic preamp (with 12V phantom power) and a Combo XLR/TRS line input, with separate mix controls for each. I liked using dual-8-plus-8-coaxial SLS328AI’s as monitors. The sound is smooth, and having a 2 kW wedge quickly puts an end to those “not enough monitor” comments. Both the 12-inch and dual-8 StudioLive AI speakers lay at a comfortable 50° angle when used horizontally. Onstage as monitors, we immediately noticed that the SLS328AI’s (but not the SLS312AI’s) tend to tip forward due to the weight of the drivers. Laying a coiled cable under the monitor fixed that onsite, but was somewhat inelegant. Talking to PreSonus the next week, I was informed about some secret (at least not mentioned anywhere in the manual) pull-out legs that effectively stabilize the SLS328AI when used horizontally. Ahhhh... Used alone or with the subwoofer, I really liked the SLS312AI, and of course, all the full-range cabinets are based around the same 8-inch coaxial driver, but I was really taken with the sound of the SLS328AI’s, particularly in the clarity and definition of the upper midrange, with superb stereo imaging and soundstage. These seem like they’d also be ideal in all kinds of strictly horizontal arrangements (perfect for low-profile front fill). I tried a little “void the warranty” experimentation and found the horn driver can be rotated for 90° dispersion in the horizontal realm. But as the disclaimers always state, “kids, don’t try this at home.”
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The Verdict, Please With the StudioLive AI speaker line, PreSonus has clearly hit one over the back fence. Yeah, they’re a little on the heavy side, and I’d like a couple top handles and a recessed I/O panel. But the bottom line here is the sound, which is exactly where it needs to be. Of course, if your want to tweak, the sky’s the limit with the depth, ease, and superior filter quality afforded by the SL Room Control app. And with the coming direct-to-AI mixer and Dante card functionality, these have nowhere to go but up. At A Glance PreSonus StudioLive AI-series Active Integration Loudspeakers Power and DSP Finesse PreSonus enters the live sound speaker market with a new line that combines powered high-wattage enclosures based on a smooth coaxial horn design, extensive onboard DSP and networking and Wi-Fi control monitoring functions. PROS: Great sound, tons of headroom, flexible DSP, ease of control/monitoring via SL Room Control. CONS: Somewhat heavy, awkward handle placement, I/O panel should be recessed more. STREET PRICING: SLS312AI, $1,499.95; SLS328AI, $1,599.95; SLS315AI, $1,699.95; SLS18sAI, $1,499.95. MORE INFO: www.presonus.com
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