Bringing further flexibility to the Tannoy digitally steerable array loudspeaker range, the new upgrade is said to make the system “even more suited” to large-scale PA/VA applications. The improvements include new safety and monitoring facilities, along with weatherising treatments for outdoor or harsh environments.
Among the additions are Pilot Tone Detection capability, Sentinel SM1 System Monitor and certification to IP53 standards. An external pilot tone can be used to check the integrity of the cabling and audio signal path between the source and each QFlex loudspeaker, meeting any requirement of BS5839. Presence of the pilot tone can be checked in software or hardware. Input switching is also possible, should primary input fail (pilot tone not detected), giving full system redundancy.
For large networks, Sentinel System Monitor provides a complete system-wide fault monitoring and reporting solution for mission-critical applications. Problems are reported both via relay contacts to the main monitoring panel in the user’s system as well as being shown on Sentinel’s front panel display. Multiple Sentinels can monitor each other and the same network simultaneously for systems that require dual-redundant monitoring.
For applications utilising existing front end constant voltage systems, a new 100v interface is available, allowing for integration into existing constant voltage systems by stepping down signal from 100v/70v to line level.
Other elements of the upgrade include certification by Intertek for water and dust protection to IP53 standard, along with enhanced system connectivity that means the system is now capable of receiving and transporting digital audio via AES3 stream over long distances. A new VNET/AES break-in interface is available from Tannoy, allowing the VNET network and AES3 to be transported on the same Cat5 cable.
All of these improvements are now available as standard with any QFlex system, except the constant voltage step-down interface and AES break-in interface which are customer specified options.
Invited to provide a progress report on the market performance of QFlex, Tannoy’s Mark Flanagan told IE: “Since its launch in 2008, QFlex has probably been one of, if not the, biggest success story for Tannoy, gaining traction in the market and achieving sales beyond our expectations in key territories between North America, Europe and the Middle East. The market’s appreciation and adoption of digitally steerable arrays has started to gain real momentum over the past couple of years, and the timing of QFlex’s launch, despite the bleak economic conditions over the period, couldn’t have been better for us.
“We’ve seen key installations in just about every European country, in a wide variety of applications ranging from houses of worship and luxury hotels to conference halls, ballrooms and theatres, and even used in high-profile, live corporate events where the system was deployed specifically at the request of acoustic consultants. These new enhancements further solidify the product’s credentials in large scale PA/VA applications, ensuring it’s fully compliant with all applicable standards – and we expect to see even higher sales growth for the product as a result.”
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