Our new loudspeakers are a game-changer

Our new JBL PRX-908 loudspeakers went out on their first proper job today.

The HIL Hydrogen Transport Conference in the Radisson BLU hotel, Manchester airport.

To say they performed better than expected is an understatement.

Within the audio industry, JBL drivers are legendary, and the high frequency detail of the PRX900 series is 'best in class'.

We chose the PRX-908 for our primary loudspeaker, and it has the smallest low frequency driver of the PRX range. Unlike a DJ or band, we really don't need a powerful low end. Thumping bass is not something you get very often when it's just people talking.

A physically smaller and lighter loudspeaker cone is capable of moving quicker than a larger one. So because we don't need those lower frequencies, that 8" driver can concentrate on recreating the frequencies that we do want. So theoretically, they should sound better than we might get out of a larger, and therefore physically heavier speaker cone. In reality the low end is very smooth and controllable, and still does sound good with music, but the lack of really low end is especially useful with the sensitive microphones in use on the stage of most business presentations.

On events where low frequencies are required, for instance if there is a lot of music in the content, we also have JBL PRX 18" sub bass enclosures so we are covered. but for speech only presentations we really don't need them.

Our choice of speakers was justified mainly by the quality of the speaker enclosure itself, but the PRX-908 is much more than just a box, and the big surprise for me was the truly inspiring performance from the on-board processing.

The PRX-900 series utilises firmware developed by legendary audio processing manufacturers DBX. All models in the PRX-900 product range includes DBX 'drive rack' circuitry, providing several very useful features.

In particular the Advanced Feedback Suppression (AFS) technology was a game changer.

DBX's AFS automatically finds and removes feedback in live sound systems. And each one of our PRX-900 series loudspeakers has it's own, completely independent, AFS system on board.

The advantage that has in terms of setting the system up on the day, cannot be understated.

As is normal practice when setting up a sound system, I placed a microphone on the lectern and turned it up until the system started to squeal with feedback...

Normally at this point, I would begin the process of adjusting the controls on the mixing console in order to remove the feedback. But before I got the chance to hit the right buttons, the squealing just stopped.

I gently turned the system up some more, and caused another squeal at another frequency and again, it disappeared very quickly. The law of acoustic feedback means that there is a point beyond which the magic stops, the system will feedback and nothing can stop it. So once I had reached this point, I walked up to the lectern and spoke into the mic...

And the sound level almost blew my head off!!!

It was unexpectedly loud. Too loud in fact. Which for a corporate speech sound system is a very rare thing indeed.

Another amazingly useful feature is the Bluetooth control.

This allows the sound engineer to dial in the individual settings of every speaker in the entire rig, all from an app on your tablet or phone.

So as the feedback exterminator was doing it's thing, the app showed each of the AFS circuits adding its filters.

I could control levels and equalisation individually,

as well as muting any of the speakers in the system, allowing me to listen to the others. And all this whilst walking around the room with my iPad, listening to the audio from any position in the audience.

It's a rare thing when running sound for a corporate presentation, that you have so much level in the system that you can comfortably turn things down. But with our JBL PRX-900 PA system, when the first presenter took to the stage, I had to turn the lectern mic DOWN!

For more information on how we can support your in person, hybrid or virtual event, contact us hello@confidence-digital.com