The 2-way active C3 loudspeaker is an entirely horn-loaded design which, unlike other ‘line arrays’, can be arrayed not only vertically but also horizontally, and by employing the distinctive 30° angled rear side panels and rigging accessories of the C4 cabinet, it extends even further the scalability of the C4 system. Utilizing an identical horizontal dispersion of 35° (above 900Hz) and with a 5° vertical HF dispersion per cabinet, the total frequency range of the vertical curved coherent wavefront of a C3 column is naturally dependant on the overall length of the column. This enables the C3 to address distances above 30m in two different ways: on the one hand as an integrated module for a C4 array where mid and high range to the far field is required, and on the other hand as a full line array approach optimized together with C4-Subs and B2-Subs. The C3 is also driven by the standard d&b P1200A mainframe to produce 143dB maximum SPL.
To date, a variety of diverse applications have been realized with the co-operation of existing European C4 users. For example, a concert at the Rotterdam Stadion with an audience of 50,000; typical open-air and arena shows with audiences of 15,000 such as the Beach Festival in Skive in Denmark, the Palais Omnisports Paris and the Sportpalast in Antwerp, pus a selection of shows ranging from jazz to classical programmes and beyond. The d&b C3 team, which includes Matthias Christner (development) and Ralf Zuleeg (support), were present at all events to share knowledge and to conduct live measurements. This practical information is being collated by d&b in Germany and will become part of the C3’s documentation and planning tools.
All in all, the entire d&b ‘sound police’, under the direction of ‘golden ears’ Werner ‘Vier’ Bayer and the existing C4 users, are very contented. The acoustic results have exceeded expectations even though the complexity of different parameters in a real horizontally arrayable ‘line array’ have not yet been completely explored, say d&b.
(Lee Baldock)
