Meyer Sound UltraCompact High-Power Curvilinear Array Loudspeaker M'elodie - Manual (Page 9)

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CHAPTER 1
The self-powered M’elodie ultracompact high-power
curvilinear array loudspeaker is a member of the popular
MILO
® family of loudspeakers. Its extended high-frequency
headroom gives it a smooth sound over its wide operating
frequency range of 70 Hz to 18 kHz. This headroom
combines with a 100-degree horizontal coverage pattern to
provide detailed resolution of delicate transient information
across a broad coverage area.
Figure 1.1. M’elodie ultracompact high-power wide coverage curvilinear
array loudspeaker
M’elodie is ideal for creating high-power arrays with a
very small footprint for applications that do not require the
power and throw distance of the MICA™ compact high-
power curvilinear array loudspeaker, or where reduced
size and weight are advantageous. With its easy-to-use
and versatile QuickFly rigging, M’elodie is equally suited
to touring, rental, and fixed installation applications. High
power-to-size ratio, low profile, and ease of use makes it
an outstanding performer in corporate AV applications, and
ideal for smaller venues such as theatres, ballrooms, and
clubs. In spite of its small size, M’elodie produces a peak
output of 131 dB SPL with exceptionally flat phase and
frequency response, making it capable of filling much larger
spaces than one might expect.
M’elodie is designed to integrate smoothly and easily with
other Meyer Sound products. For example, while M’elodie
can be used as a main system, individual M’elodie cabinets
work well for under-balcony coverage and frontfill. Since
its sound and rigging are designed to pair seamlessly
with MICA, M’elodie is an excellent downfill or sidefill
complement to a MICA main system for tours playing a
variety of venues. Available QuickFly rigging, which features
captive GuideALinks™ for maximum flexibility and safety,
makes it easy to create standalone arrays as well as add
M’elodie as downfill to a MICA array. In fact, M’elodie can be
a key component of a total Meyer Sound system solution.
M’elodie is available in custom color finishes, allowing it
to blend in with any environment. A weather-protected
version with wood-treated enclosure and rain hood is also
available to safeguard the user panel and connectors from
the elements.
ADVANCED M’ELODIE TECHNOLOGY
The M’elodie loudspeaker is a self-powered, three-way
design featuring drivers designed and manufactured at
Meyer Sound’s Berkeley, California, factory.
The low/low-mid section features two high-power,
neodymium-magnet, 8-inch cone drivers with 1.5-inch
voice coils, created to meet the power requirements of the
system. The drivers are a proprietary design employing
neodymium magnets for higher efficiency and power
handling with reduced weight. The lowest frequency range
is reproduced by these high-power drivers working in
tandem, each powered by a dedicated amplifier channel.
To assure the smoothest response in the critical midrange
and crossover region, M’elodie incorporates a complex
active crossover design. For low frequencies, both drivers
work together, but in the low-mid frequencies only one of
the two 8-inch drivers is active. This technique eliminates
interference between the drivers that would otherwise occur
at shorter wavelengths, while at the same time maintaining
optimal polar and frequency response characteristics at the
crossover frequency.
The high-frequency section uses a 1.2-inch exit, 3-inch
diaphragm compression driver with a neodymium magnet,
powered by a dedicated amplifier channel. The output of
the driver is coupled to a 100-degree (horizontal coverage)
constant-directivity horn through a custom REM™ manifold.
The REM is a patented coupling device that introduces
driver output to the horn throat across a very short path,
effectively controlling the dispersion characteristics, but
with dramatically reduced distortion in comparison to other
techniques.
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER AND PROCESSING
As a self-powered loudspeaker, M’elodie incorporates
a high-power, 3-channel, class AB/H power amplifier
and sophisticated control circuitry housed within the
cabinet, dramatically simplifying setup and installation.
Supply power distribution to the array, connect a line level
signal, and it’s ready — leaving you to focus on design
implementation instead of installation.
The M’elodie loudspeaker’s on-board amplifier delivers
1275 watts total burst power (2550 watts peak). Dedicated
limiters protect and extend the life of the drivers at very high
levels and prevent severe non-linear circumstances.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCING THE M’ELODIE LOUDSPEAKER