EAW 750 vs ALTEC DTS

[LICORNE]

EAW put out a 3 way system using one horn box.
Although they look similar they are not quite
built the same. EAW relies on 2 12" of axis and a HF 2" horn.

I doubt that the resolution of this model is better than ALTEC DTS ENGINE 16" model.

But seeems to be a big seller .

http://www.eaw.com/info/EAW/Loudspea...SPECS_rev1.pdf


.................

[Todd W. White]

I once had a tedious conversation with Kenton Forsythe, the brain behind EAW. I was trying to do an acoustic model of the yet-to-be-built new basketball arena at the University of Arkansas (now called Bud Walton Arena), in which the acoustical consultant (who shall remain nameless) specified an EAW product that had yet to be released.

I'll pass on the idiocy of specifying a speaker no one has measured or heard before. I'll also pass on the fact that the AC placed the speakers on the plans where structural beams would impale many of them, had they been installed per the spec.

However, because the AC had written the specifications to require the sound contractor to supply a fully-operational system that met the performance spec's he'd written (which were ridiculously unattainable in a facility filled with wild Razorback fans), I wasn't about to bid it without doing the math and making SURE what he spec'd would work.

So, I called KF at EAW and asked him for polar plots for the specified speakers. He told me they didn't believe in polars. When I asked him how in the earth he could possibly know how his speakers performed in real time, Kenton Forsythe replied, "We designed that speaker using speakers from sources we've used before. We trust their speakers will do what they say they will do."

After asking which brand and model components went into the system, he replied that they were built by so-and-so, and the model numbers were not yet decided, seeing as how they were BRAND NEW DESIGNS. I then tried to get him to explain why he designed a speaker system around speakers he'd (A) Never measured, (B) Never seen, and (C) Never heard.

His response again was something to the effect that he trusted the manufacturers to tell him the truth about their components, so he was sure they would work.

I called the Acoustical Consultant, asking him how he could write a performance spec around a set of speaker systems that didn't exist, and that the manufacturer had NO IDEA how they sounded, much less performed.

THEN I FOUND OUT THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET - the AC had designed a special "box" that "fixes" the performance anomalies of the EAW speakers he specified, AND he was charging the UofA a HEFTY sum for EACH ONE installed!!!

Small wonder he didn't like central clusters - you can sell more of your proprietary boxes if you put lots of speakers all over the place...

Incidentally - I was at an NSCA conference one year and overheard the EAW marketing team as they planned their "takeover" of the pro-sound market. In a nutshell, they talked about:

A. Wooing the acoustical consultants (read: BRIBE).

B. Giving away (or nearly doing so) LOTS of speakers to large, visible venues (read: BRIBE).

C. Working with the press to see articles written on said install's (read: BRIBE).

D. Giving special discounts to the sound contractors who bid projects using their products (read: BRIBE).

Who cares about designing properly operating speaker systems when you can buy your way into the market?

Like my old friend Don Davis likes to say, "If bad sound could kill, it would be the leading cause of death in this country!"

Caveat emptor!

Oh - incidentally: The system in Walton Arena NEVER sounded as good as the ALTEC LANSING SYSTEM that was in the new arena's predecessor, Barnhill Arena!

That's because it had a Doc Boner-designed distributed system using dozens of ALTEC 604's installed in properly tuned enclosures - the intelligibility, though strained during really loud games, WAS THERE!

I wonder how many systems Walton Arena has had since the first one was installed??????

[bfish]

Sounds like you witnessed the tail end of competitive bidding at UA...the good old days...Now UA jobs aren't bid, they're awarded. It's what they did all along, only a neat bit of legislation makes it legal now. If you're the golden boy of the day, it's a gravy train. The Architects and Engineers pick an equally-golden GC, who then milks all the low-bid subs for all they've got. Nothing's sacred. Specs are modified on the fly as needed. Only one cardinal rule...The AE's always right. It's a lucrative, Cheneyesque, cost-plus, ticket to ride for a few at the expense of the many.

No idea what's in Walton, don't do the Hog thing. I heard about the Barnhill surplus auction...a month late. Even the surplus is sewed up, you gotta be invited.

All their rental/portable stuff is now Peavey. I don't believe there's any signifigant Altec gear left unless it's classroom stuff. I hear some of the old hippy faculty members have some nice home systems though...

Added;
Come to think about it, I guess my big green rack must've come from Barnhill, by the roundabout.

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ January 31, 2008 12:35 AM: Message edited by: bfish ]</font>

[hmole]

That EAW box just looks like bad sound personified, it is all phase incoherent, it just looks wrong.
The DTS box had issues that Altec wanted an electronic crossover to correct, but at least you were starting with something that made good sense.
Harry

[LICORNE]

I read a review by a sound contractor .He said
that the DTS was very impressive . The system performes better in bi amped mode. It can be arrayed in multiple ways :example 15 boxes.

Here is the review on a 12? DTS 200. 1997


Altec Lansing
DTS-200 Loudspeakers

By Mark Farmer
In a world of so many speaker manufacturers it is enough to make your head spin thinking about purchasing new speakers for your application. Well, Altec Lansing has recently released some new speakers in their DTS Line that will make your head stop spinning. The product reviewed here is a versatile box designed for live use or installations in your church, school, concert hall, or convention center.
Features
The DTS-200 is a two-way, vented Duplex? design. The design places a 1? horn driver mounted in the center of a 12? low frequency driver. The combined drivers actually share the same magnet assembly.
The box is an injection molded, high impact polypropylene made to withstand any bumps, bruises and weather conditions. The bottom of the boxes have four solid rubber feet and are designed to stack on top of each other. Threaded inserts are available on the paintable surface to mount with. Also, according to Altec Lansing, mounting kits are available to hang speakers in single units or groups. Input to the DTS-200 speakers is provided in two forms, 4-pin Neutrik Speakon? connectors, and a standard 1/4? female jack, with an extra Neutrik connector provided for jumpers.
A factory installed passive crossover is set at 1.5kHz, with a tweeter protection device attached, to avoid over-powering the horn drivers. According to the preliminary manual, the super efficient Duplex? system has a coverage of 110 degrees horizontal by 100 degrees vertical at 1kHz. The nominal pattern of the Vari-Intense? CD horn and the high-powered 12? is 90 x 90 degrees. Frequency response reaches wide from 80-20,00Hz and dips quite low for a box so small. According to Altec Lansing, up to 123 dB can be attained, with only 200 watts long term power input.
In Use
As I opened the boxes to view the new Altec Lansing DTS-200 my co-workers and I were astonished to find the comparable look of a Electro-Voice product. By removing the grill, we found the difference, a weird four-leaf clover horn flare integrated into a 12? speaker.
We stood there looking at the co-axial design examining the construction and design work. I could not wait to take it out and use it.
Since I had worked outdoor shows, in the winter before, I knew how hard it was on electronics and especially speakers. I was going to be doing an event outside, downtown Columbus, for the month of December and knew it would be a true test of integrity for the speakers. I powered them with a Electro-Voice 7100 amplifier which is rated around 100 watts per channel at 8 ohms. Since the nominal impedance of the speakers is about 6.5 ohms I figured this was a good match. An equalizer was inserted into the signal path to smooth the response. I notched 500-800Hz, and two dips, around 2.5kHz and 6.3kHz. It took a few days to match these speakers with our mains but they ended up sounding very close in tone. My colleague and I could not believe how efficient these cabinets were. Frequencies upward from 1.25kHz were nothing but astounding. Uneven studio soundtracks were played nightly, along with live speech, giving the DTS-200?s a test of their dynamic response. We could hear every nuance of the recordings in the speakers and they reproduced the vocals nicely. The bass response reached down below 70 Hz rattling our bones from night to night.
Summary
As far as speakers are concerned, the Altec Lansing DTS-200 boxes would help out in any situation needing some reinforcement or replacement. Because of their wide pattern, they could also be mounted sideways and still obtain the same coverage. If they can withstand the temperature extremes I put them through, I am sure they would work adequately outside anywhere. Give these speakers a listen at your local Altec Lansing dealer, it will be well worth your time.

Mark Farmer is an audio engineer with Live Technologies in Columbus, Ohio and can be reached on the internet at: [email protected]

Product Points
Altec-Lansing
DTS-200 Loudspeakers
Plus
+Durable construction
+Super efficient Duplex? speaker design
+Amazing horn pattern
+Full sound spectrum

The Score
A true all in one speaker providing
efficiency and coverage all in
one box.

http://home.earthlink.net/~mixthat/par/dts200.html

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<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ February 01, 2008 12:17 PM: Message edited by: CONVERGENCE ]</font>

[Old Guy]

Be VERY wary of reviews by that writer. He gives positive reviews to a lot of **** .

That sound company is local here, and not particularly well respected.

Lots of the reviews there appear to be paid ads. Sadly, that's true all over.