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ESS S-Line
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<blockquote data-quote="Tom Manchester" data-source="post: 55522" data-attributes="member: 82"><p>Re: ESS S-Line</p><p></p><p>Thanks for the review Evan. It's important to hear reports from engineers to better develop the box, and the fact that it passed the Evan Kirkendall Durability test means I think we have a winner! </p><p></p><p>So a little background on the S-Line design. In my shop we have about a half dozen trap systems ranging from plastic speakers on sticks all the way up to "big boy" stuff like D&B C4. With our line of work, it's not always particularly about having one large rig, but several high quality / power systems that can go out at the same time. I saw the need for a line array system that would be a good alternative to our large C4 trap system when the application called for it. As such it was a tall order to fill because the C4 rig sounds fantastic and is ridiculously loud, so anything that would be an alternative would have to live up to those expectations. The D&B Q was an attractive alternative, but very cost prohibitive. That's not to say it's not on our radar as a future purchase, but for now we just needed something to fill that void and would be affordable from our bank account.</p><p></p><p>But while we're discussing price, let me dispel a preconceived notion that I think a lot of people have about "DIY" projects. While this was more cost effective OVERALL compared to a Q rig or similar, it was not a budget project by any means. The total cost of drivers and waveguides in each cabinet is around $1500. They are all premium quality components from upper tier manufacturers. You will not find any stamped frame eminence or vintage ceramic compression drivers in this box. The (cash outlay) cost savings were realized by contributing a lot of labor to the research and construction in-house during the relatively slow winter months, and by the fact that we built a large number of cabinets in one shot, with basic tools we had on hand for good economy of scale.</p><p></p><p>As for the actual component loading and configuration, I am afraid that will have to stay a company secret. I will say it's nothing you can't buy off the shelf if that tells you anything <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> Part of the beauty of the design is that it is a very simple box with really nice drivers and processing, so it's a relative cakewalk to get it sounding good. Why try and season the hell out of a McDonald's hamburger to get it to taste good when you can just buy a choice cut of steak? </p><p></p><p>To answer Silas' questions:</p><p></p><p>"Interesting array design. Ports on the sides. Not sure of the implications?"</p><p></p><p>That's an easy one. One of the criteria of the box is that it needed to truck pack in a 22.5x30 format on a wheel board. If we had placed the ports on the front baffle that would cause several problems. If you look at the placement of the handle, we would have to leave a 2" gap between the side of cabinet and the port tubes. All said and done that would burn up about 6" of baffle space which has several implications. The box would have an uneven weight balance and also be very wide and not fit the overall size criteria. If you could see the internal structure of the box with all the bracing, etc. you would see that the side is literally the only place to stick the ports. As for why the round ports? It's really easy to drill a hole with a hole saw and glue some pipe in there! A square port would add a lot of carpentry work.</p><p></p><p></p><p>"Grille foam is hiding the drivers, I'm very curious to see what's in there."</p><p></p><p>Aluminum, Copper, Neodymium, cone pulp ;-)</p><p></p><p>"Who developed the processing settings? Where did they do it?" </p><p></p><p>I developed the settings based on manufacturer recommendations, box design, physical alignment of the drivers, and a little bit of RTA work. The initial work was done at my shop and then fine tuned them based on the performance at a few shows we've had the boxes on. It took a few simple revisions, but what's in there now is pretty solid sounding. We'll continue to refine them if necessary.</p><p></p><p></p><p>"Who built the rigging? It looks like the rigging is only half-developed?"</p><p></p><p>The concept of the rigging and the initial designs are my own based on what I liked on other line array systems. The concept was something very simple and rugged, very strong but reasonably affordable to produce. The final material selection, testing, and fabrication was done by a local machine shop based on strength requirements. It's aircraft grade aluminum, stainless steel, high strength steel, and grade 8 hardware. You give up some features like quarter degree increment adjustments, but it's never really been a problem to get good coverage. It's fully developed and we've flown it several times.</p><p></p><p></p><p>"Wanted: ground stack bumper.:lol:"</p><p></p><p>Yeahhhhh haven't had time for that one. If you look at picture number 3, I knocked together a couple of flat pieces of plywood that have a 3/4" tall ridge along the front to keep the boxes from sliding forward, and a 2x4 with a beveled edge along the back to give the bottom box a few degrees of down tilt.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tom Manchester, post: 55522, member: 82"] Re: ESS S-Line Thanks for the review Evan. It's important to hear reports from engineers to better develop the box, and the fact that it passed the Evan Kirkendall Durability test means I think we have a winner! So a little background on the S-Line design. In my shop we have about a half dozen trap systems ranging from plastic speakers on sticks all the way up to "big boy" stuff like D&B C4. With our line of work, it's not always particularly about having one large rig, but several high quality / power systems that can go out at the same time. I saw the need for a line array system that would be a good alternative to our large C4 trap system when the application called for it. As such it was a tall order to fill because the C4 rig sounds fantastic and is ridiculously loud, so anything that would be an alternative would have to live up to those expectations. The D&B Q was an attractive alternative, but very cost prohibitive. That's not to say it's not on our radar as a future purchase, but for now we just needed something to fill that void and would be affordable from our bank account. But while we're discussing price, let me dispel a preconceived notion that I think a lot of people have about "DIY" projects. While this was more cost effective OVERALL compared to a Q rig or similar, it was not a budget project by any means. The total cost of drivers and waveguides in each cabinet is around $1500. They are all premium quality components from upper tier manufacturers. You will not find any stamped frame eminence or vintage ceramic compression drivers in this box. The (cash outlay) cost savings were realized by contributing a lot of labor to the research and construction in-house during the relatively slow winter months, and by the fact that we built a large number of cabinets in one shot, with basic tools we had on hand for good economy of scale. As for the actual component loading and configuration, I am afraid that will have to stay a company secret. I will say it's nothing you can't buy off the shelf if that tells you anything :-) Part of the beauty of the design is that it is a very simple box with really nice drivers and processing, so it's a relative cakewalk to get it sounding good. Why try and season the hell out of a McDonald's hamburger to get it to taste good when you can just buy a choice cut of steak? To answer Silas' questions: "Interesting array design. Ports on the sides. Not sure of the implications?" That's an easy one. One of the criteria of the box is that it needed to truck pack in a 22.5x30 format on a wheel board. If we had placed the ports on the front baffle that would cause several problems. If you look at the placement of the handle, we would have to leave a 2" gap between the side of cabinet and the port tubes. All said and done that would burn up about 6" of baffle space which has several implications. The box would have an uneven weight balance and also be very wide and not fit the overall size criteria. If you could see the internal structure of the box with all the bracing, etc. you would see that the side is literally the only place to stick the ports. As for why the round ports? It's really easy to drill a hole with a hole saw and glue some pipe in there! A square port would add a lot of carpentry work. "Grille foam is hiding the drivers, I'm very curious to see what's in there." Aluminum, Copper, Neodymium, cone pulp ;-) "Who developed the processing settings? Where did they do it?" I developed the settings based on manufacturer recommendations, box design, physical alignment of the drivers, and a little bit of RTA work. The initial work was done at my shop and then fine tuned them based on the performance at a few shows we've had the boxes on. It took a few simple revisions, but what's in there now is pretty solid sounding. We'll continue to refine them if necessary. "Who built the rigging? It looks like the rigging is only half-developed?" The concept of the rigging and the initial designs are my own based on what I liked on other line array systems. The concept was something very simple and rugged, very strong but reasonably affordable to produce. The final material selection, testing, and fabrication was done by a local machine shop based on strength requirements. It's aircraft grade aluminum, stainless steel, high strength steel, and grade 8 hardware. You give up some features like quarter degree increment adjustments, but it's never really been a problem to get good coverage. It's fully developed and we've flown it several times. "Wanted: ground stack bumper.:lol:" Yeahhhhh haven't had time for that one. If you look at picture number 3, I knocked together a couple of flat pieces of plywood that have a 3/4" tall ridge along the front to keep the boxes from sliding forward, and a 2x4 with a beveled edge along the back to give the bottom box a few degrees of down tilt. [/QUOTE]
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