Category: News

Crest Audio proudly introduces its new Nx CobraNet-8(TM) control module and CMi Series power amplifiers, which work in tandem to support Crest NexSys 4 and Peavey MediaMatrix(R) MWare(TM) software programs for advanced control and audio routing.

The Nx CobraNet-8 module, which fits into the rear bay of CMi 2204 and CMi 2208 power amps, supports all NexSys functions, DSP functions and CobraNet digital audio I/O on a single CAT 5 Ethernet cable. A four-character LED allows easy setup, control and monitoring of up to eight CobraNet audio channels from the rear panel of the CMi power amps, which ship network ready.

An extensive suite of DSP options including delay, EQ, compression/limiting and crossover adds to the functionality of the Nx CobraNet-8 module. Amplifier monitoring includes ACL(TM), IGM(TM), input/output gain (VU), DC, thermal protect, fault, mute, Ethernet data and link statuses.

The four-channel CMi 2204 and eight-channel CMi 2208 power amps feature an advanced amplification architecture that allows low impedance or 70 volt operation at the same power levels. Each amplifier in the chassis will operate to rated power, regardless of impedance connected, from 4 ohms to 70 volt line systems. The design centers around an ultra-high efficiency output circuit, lowering the line current required for a given output power by as much as 50%. All inputs and outputs are on Phoenix(TM) connectors with level controls in the rear. In addition, a Control Voltage input is included on each channel to allow external gain control, while the Fault output on each channel allows the CMi power amps to be wired to other monitoring systems.

Crest Audio’s exclusive ACL (Active Clip Limiting) automatically reduces gain at the onset of clipping to prevent amplifier and load damage, while IGM (Instantaneous Gain Modulation) monitors load current to protect against overloading. When used in conjunction with the external Crest Audio CMX accessory, CMi power amps will also support 100V and 50V operation. Both the Nx CobraNet-8 module and the CMi 2204 and 2208 are backed by Crest Audio’s strong five-year warranty.

The Nx CobraNet-8 module and CMi power amps will be available in 2005 from authorized Crest Audio dealers.

CMi 2204 Power Ratings

• 150W per channel at 4 ohms
• 225W per channel at 8 ohms
• 300W per bridged channel at 8 ohms bridged
• 220W per channel at 70V
• 440W per channel at 140V

CMi 2208 Power Ratings

• 150W per channel at 4 ohms
• 220W per channel at 8 ohms
• 300W per bridged channel at 8 ohms bridged
• 200W per channel at 70V
• 400W per channel at 140V

Crest Audio® provided professional amplification for the popular Agora Stage at Musikmesse 2012 in Frankfurt, Germany, March 21-24.

The Agora Stage is Musikmesse’s premier performance area, with live entertainment productions throughout the show from artists such as the Alex Skolnick Trio. A team of Crest Audio Pro 9200™ and Pro 7200™ amplifiers powered the ribbon driver-loaded Peavey Versarray 212 line array and Versarray 218 subwoofers, with loudspeaker management from the Peavey MediaMatrix® NION® n6. Two Crest Audio CV-20™ consoles with 56 channels controlled audio from the front-of-house position.

Crest Audio Pro 200™ amplifiers powered the Peavey QW® ML and MR monitor wedges and QW 1, QW 2 and Versarray 218 side fills and drum fills—all controlled by a Peavey Architectural Acoustics® Digitool® MX processor and mixed through two 48-channel Crest Audio CV-20 mixing consoles.

With its dramatic aerial acrobatics, wave-hopping stunts and adrenalized production, professional wakeboarding is a summertime extreme-sports tradition. Since 2005, the King of Wake championship tournament has tied the sport’s most prestigious contests together into one ultimate tour to see who rules the wake.

But King of Wake isn’t just demanding on the athletes—it presents a demanding sound reinforcement environment for audio engineers, as well. With single events drawing up to 10,000 spectators, there is a high-power need over a large audience area, all under extreme heat and humid conditions.

The King of Wake tour has proven the perfect match for the professional power amplifiers and mixers from Crest Audio®.

“King of Wake is a non-stop, high-energy professional wakeboarding competition tour," said Chris Bischoff, King of Wake Competition Director. "We demand the highest performance in all areas of production to provide our fans with an unforgettable experience. The addition of this professional sound system keeps our athletes and fans amped with total audio clarity, full-range sound reproduction, and more power than we'll ever need."

The centerpiece of the King of Wake system is a stage where a DJ-and-drummer combo performs for the crowds, powered by seven Crest Audio® Pro 7200™ amplifiers and backed by four Peavey SP™ 4 loudspeakers and two Peavey SP 218 subwoofers through a Crest Audio X 20R™ rack-mount mixer. A pair of Peavey Impulse® 12D powered loudspeakers—featuring Peavey’s revolutionary IPR™ amplifier technology and true ribbon drivers—serve as monitors for the performers.

Announcements, event emcee and program music are handled through the stage P.A. and two flight lines consisting of six Peavey PR™ 15D powered loudspeakers each. A Peavey Architectural Acoustics Digitool® processor provides loudspeaker management and control for the entire system, flanked by a Peavey CEL-2a™ compressor/limiter/expander, Peavey Dual DeltaFex® multi-processor and Peavey QF215™ and QF131™ graphic equalizers.

In addition, the entire event operates on Peavey professional wired and wireless microphone systems, including the PVM™ 480 condenser and PVM 45ir dynamic mics, PVM DMS-5 drum mic system and Pro Comm® U-1002 wireless systems.

The NBC Sports Group is televising the 2011 King of Wake series this summer on the VERSUS network to nearly 80 million homes. Remaining dates on the King of Wake tour include July 9 in Monroe, Wa.; July 27-31 in Minneapolis, Minn.; Aug. 18-21 in Indianapolis, Ind.; and Aug. 27-28 in Knoxville, Tenn.

About King of Wake
The King of Wake is the world’s elite pro wakeboarding series, attracting the sport’s top athletes from throughout the globe. Over the course of a season, athletes compete for the ultimate wakeboarding crown in a series points race of eight events throughout the United States to see who rules the wake. The 2011 series consists of the Wake Games, the WWA National Championships, the WWA World Championships and all five stops on the Pro Wakeboard Tour. The King of Wake is organized by World Sports & Marketing – the leading wake-events producer since 1988.

Crest Audio® mixers and power amplifiers provided sound reinforcement for artists Bowling For Soup and The Last Republic on the Jägermeister® stage at U.K.’s Download Festival on June 10-12.

The system consists of two hangs of Peavey® Versarray™ 212 mid/high enclosures, with Versarray 218 subwoofers providing low frequency reinforcement beneath the stage. Crest Audio CV-20™ and HP-Eight™ consoles handle FOH and monitor duties, respectively, and all power is provided by Crest Audio Pro 9200™ and Pro 7200™ amplifiers.

Upcoming festivals featuring the Crest Audio and Peavey sound system include Sonisphere at Knebworth on July 8-10, where The Defiled will headline the Jägermeister stage; Splendour Festival in Nottingham on July 24, which will be headlined by Feeder; and Kent’s Hevy Festival, which takes place between August 5-8, where Funeral for a Friend will perform on the Jägermeister main stage.

Crest Audio® proudly announces the CKd™ Series of multi-channel, networkable, intelligent power amplifiers. The new CKd Series provides superior performance and control in fixed installations through an efficient “green” design that saves energy, weight and space.

Decades of proven performance, reliability and intelligence converge in the Crest Audio CKd Series, combining the legendary overbuilt power supply design made famous by the Crest Audio Pro 200™ with NexSys® networking functionality and an ultra-lightweight class D topology. The design centers around an ultra-high efficiency amplifier output circuit which reduces weight while increasing output power, reliability and thermal efficiency.

The CKd Series offers four multi-channel models to meet the needs of demanding audio installations. The CKd 1208 and CKd 1204 provide 1,250 watts per channel in eight and four channels, respectively, while the CKd 608 and CKd 604 provide 625 watts per channel in eight and four channels. Each amplifier channel will operate to rated power in direct 70-volt, 100-volt, 8-ohm or 4-ohm modes, configurable per channel.

CKd amplifiers are networkable through the new Crest Audio Nx Dante-8™ NexSys control module to the Crest Audio NexSys 5 and Peavey® MediaMatrix® NWare™ software programs for advanced control and audio routing. The Nx Dante-8 module fits into the rear bay of CKd Series power amps and supports all NexSys functions, DSP functions and Dante digital audio I/O via 1 Gigabit Ethernet connection.

A Control Voltage input is included on each channel to allow external gain control, while the Fault output on each channel allows the CKd power amps to be wired to other monitoring systems. In addition, users can conserve energy by disabling channels that are not in use.

The CKd Series includes Crest Audio's exclusive ACL™ (Active Clip Limiting), which automatically reduces gain at the onset of clipping to prevent amplifier and load damage, and IGM™ (Instantaneous Gain Modulation), which monitors load current to protect against overloading.

The CKd Series amplifiers and Nx Dante-8 module are backed by Crest Audio's strong five-year warranty, and will be available in Q4 2011 from authorized Crest Audio dealers.

Crest Audio® proudly announces the new Nx Dante-8™ NexSys® control module, which works in tandem with the new Crest Audio CKd™ Series of intelligent power amplifiers to support Crest NexSys 5 and Peavey® MediaMatrix® NWare™ audio software programs.

Providing advanced audio control and routing, the Nx Dante-8 module fits into the rear bay of CKd Series power amps and supports all NexSys functions, DSP functions and Dante digital audio I/O via 1 Gb Ethernet connection. Primary and secondary 1 Gb ports provide system redundancy for the most demanding applications, while eight Dante audio inputs and eight Dante audio outputs enable extensive audio routing capabilities.

A full suite of DSP options including delay, PEQ, compression/limiting, crossover and mixing adds to the functionality of the Nx Dante-8 module. Amplifier controls and monitoring options include Real Time Load Monitoring, ACL™ (Automatic Clip Limiting), IGM™ (Instantaneous Gain Modulation), input/output VU, Gain, Mute, Solo, DC, thermal protection, AC/DC monitoring, and Sequential Turn On/Off (remote power). Through the use of the NexSys 5 protocol, devices can be controlled and monitored from multiple application instances.

The new Crest Audio CKd Series offers four multi-channel power amplifiers to meet the needs of demanding audio installations. The CKd 1208 and CKd 1204 provide 1,250 watts per channel in eight and four channels, respectively, while the CKd 608 and CKd 604 provide 625 watts per channel in eight and four channels. Each amplifier channel will operate to rated power in direct 70-volt, 100-volt, 8-ohm or 4-ohm modes, configurable per channel. Both the Nx Dante-8 module and the CKd series amplifiers are backed by Crest Audio's strong five-year warranty.

The Crest Audio Nx Dante-8 module and CKd Series power amplifiers will be available in Q4 2011 from authorized Crest Audio dealers.

Features and specifications are subject to change without notice.

Crest Audio® proudly announces the Pro-LITE™ 3.0 and Pro-LITE 3.0 DSP power amplifiers, featuring an incredibly lightweight, efficient design with high power and stable performance into 2-ohm loads.

Crest Audio Pro-LITE Series amps are built on an advanced, high-speed class D design with a switch-mode power supply that reduces weight while increasing reliability, thermal efficiency and output power. The Pro-LITE3.0 and Pro-LITE 3.0 DSP boast 870 watts per channel at 4 ohms stereo (up to 3,150 watts bridged @ 4 ohms), weigh 13.3 lbs., and deliver rock-solid performance in parallel, stereo and bridged modes. The robust power supply allows these amplifiers to deliver consistent, stable performance with low frequencies and at 2-ohm operation.

The Crest Audio Pro-LITE 3.0 DSP features an onboard digital signal processor that hosts a suite of delays (0-120ms per channel), adjustable crossovers, adjustable limiters, parametric EQ, HF driver EQ, four user preset storage locations, and stereo/mono operation with lockable security settings. The front-panel LCD screen allows users to quickly identify and assign presets, while the USB port allows users to load presets and enables external setup and adjustment.

The Pro-LITE DSP section also integrates Waves® MaxxBass® Bass Extension technology, which uses psycho-acoustics to create precise harmonics that give the perceived effect of boosting low frequencies in the mix. The level of MaxxBass effect can be adjusted from 0% to 100%.

Crest Audio Pro-LITE Series amplifiers feature two channels with channel-independent, fourth order 100 Hz crossovers housed in a steel chassis. The proprietary ACL™ Automatic Clip Limiting circuitry prevents the amplifier from sending potentially damaging clipped signals to the loudspeakers. Additional onboard protection circuitry includes DC, Temp, Signal and Active safeguards, all referenced on the front panel with LED indicators.

The previously announced Crest Audio Pro-LITE 2.0 and Pro LITE 2.0 DSP power amplifiers boast the same features at a weight of 11.6 lbs. with power ratings of 985W per channel at 2 ohms; 540W per channel at 4 ohms; 280W per channel at 8 ohms; and 1,970W bridged at 4 ohms.

The Crest Audio Pro-LITE 3.0 and Pro-LITE 3.0 DSP will be available in Q4 2011 from authorized Crest Audio dealers.

The Wanna Play? Stage at the 2010 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif., showcased Crest Audio® CV-20™ mixing consoles and Pro 200™ power amplifiers, providing four days of professional sound reinforcement for bands such as Jive Records artists The Dares and the finalists of the SchoolJam USA national battle of the bands competition.

Located outside the Anaheim Convention Center at the John Lennon Plaza, the Wanna Play? Stage drew crowds from the international NAMM convention’s audience of 87,000 attending music retailers, media and musicians. The stage is named after NAMM’s Wanna Play? public awareness campaign, which aims to encourage more people to play musical instruments.

Kent Morris, owner and operator of Atlanta-based Cornerstone Media Group, configured the system with six Peavey® Versarray™ 112 line-array enclosures per side, backed by four Versarray 218 subwoofers per side to handle the low frequencies. Crest Audio Pro 200 Series amplifiers provided power to the entire house system, with one Pro 9200 in bridged mode assigned to each subwoofer, and Pro 7200 amps for the mid and high frequencies of the Versarray 112 line-array enclosures.

Morris employed a 48-channel Crest Audio CV-20 mixing console with 48 mono inputs and eight stereo inputs at FOH for the festival-style gig. With full VCA control and dynamics on all outputs, the CV-20 combines the best characteristics of analog and digital consoles, allowing the FOH operator the benefit of storing mix settings and the convenience of making adjustments on the fly, anywhere in the mix.

“The CV-20 gives you the best of both worlds,” Morris said. “It operates like a digital board, without the limitations of only being able to see one channel at a time. In this live festival environment, you need the ability to move very quickly from channel to channel and have instant access of any parameter. Since the CV-20 is analog, you can see everything at once.

“The CV-20’s VCA functionality also proved invaluable. There are 128 assignable scenes in the VCA, so we could store all of the possible scenarios for later recall. With only five minutes of soundcheck for each band—not to mention some unscripted moments throughout the weekend—that ability helped us make seamless transitions, and keep the client and audience happy.”

A veteran of major concert tours such as Ozzfest, Rockstar® Mayhem, and Tim McGraw, the Peavey Versarray is a professional line array utilizing 4.75″ ribbon drivers and 12″ Black Widow® speakers with dual 4″ voice coils in a push-pull arrangement. The Versarray 218 subwoofers are designed with dual 18″ Lo Max® woofers and Peavey’s patented UniVent™ venting system, an exclusive design that pumps air through the enclosure as the woofers move, maintaining cool operating temperatures, increasing reliability and reducing power compression under heavy continuous-drive conditions.

“The Versarray system performed amazingly well all weekend, no matter what we threw at it—live music performances, spoken word and program music,” said Morris. “The Versarray gets loud but stays clear because of the ribbon drivers and dual voice coil speakers. These weren’t new speakers, either; this particular system has been on the road with us for years now.”

For monitors, Morris used a Crest Audio CV-20 console with 40 mono inputs and eight stereo inputs, with audio fed to Crest Audio Pro 5200 and Pro 8200 amplifiers to power a dozen Peavey QW® Series ML and MR wedge-style stage monitors.

The crew used Peavey VSX® 26 loudspeaker management systems for front of house and three VSX 48 units for monitor speaker processing; fourteen Peavey QF™131 31-band graphic equalizers for house and monitors; six Peavey CEL-2A™ compressors; and two Peavey Dual DeltaFex® for house processing.

Peavey microphones were used for the entire event, including the PVM™ DMS-5 drum microphone kit, which packages three PVM 328 tom mikes, one PVM 325 snare mike, one PVM 321 kick drum mike, and cables and clips in a road case. The Peavey PVM 22 and PVM 46 dynamic-style microphones with diamond-coated diaphragms were used for vocals, and the PVM 45ir and PVM 480 condenser-style models were used on overhead cymbals and hi-hat. An array of Peavey PDI™ direct interface boxes were employed for acoustic guitar and keyboard.

“NAMM was very pleased with the sound quality that this system provided for the performers at the Wanna Play? Stage,” said Kevin Johnstone, director of trade shows at NAMM. “We are very grateful for our relationships with NAMM members such as Peavey and for the quality of musical experiences we can provide on this stage for NAMM Show attendees and the general public.”

About NAMM
NAMM is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion international musical instruments and products industry. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM or the proven benefits of making music, interested parties can visit www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).