The development phase alone took more than two years, in which the focus was put on phase linearity, ease of use and - above all - natural dynamics. "That is why the system is called COHEDRA - Coherent Dynamic Response Array," says musicologist and HK Audio product specialist Thomas Adt. "When used together with the Digital Field Controller, which offers a unique limiter design and complete phase correction, COHEDRA delivers dynamic response with the utmost naturalness."
With regards to size and weight, COHEDRA falls into the category of compact line array system, which offers significant handling advantages. Adt says: "We intentionally chose not to integrate bass speakers into the flown array. Instead, COHEDRA offers a new bass solution, delivering high output and outstanding flexibility. As far as the application areas are concerned, if there are any restrictions in size of venue, it's at the smaller end of the scale rather than the larger, since below a certain event size, it makes no acoustic nor financial sense to use COHEDRA."
Stumpp explains the timing of the announcement: "We didn't want to present our system as a project but as a finished product. Since the end of March 2003, prototype systems have been used for several major events, such as the Bach On Air festival on the market square in Leipzig, the Bang Your Head Revisited Festival in Albstadt and the Gaffenberg Festival in Heilbronn. COHEDRA was even tested in concert with Deep Purple and Lynyrd Skynyrd," explains Stumpp.
HK Audio can be found on stand G110 at PLASA.
(Lee Baldock)
