Inside The New RS Series
By Geoff McKinnon
In this article we want to take you through the features of the new RS Series and dive into some of the technical attributes that set the new series apart.
- The Horn
The 10” square horn employs design techniques from our lauded MK Series. The large horn has two benefits: better directivity, and better sensitivity which yields higher output than competitive designs with smaller horns. The rotatable horn configuration is versatile providing more deployment options as mains and wider horizontal coverage when deployed as a stage monitor. The horn is made from a composite ABS material, which is significantly more durable and less resonant than other molded horn materials.
- The Compression Driver
The RS123 and RS153 use a large-format 3” voice coil compression driver. The driver is Italian made with a titanium diaphragm and neodymium magnet. Use of this device provides for a low crossover point of 800Hz, providing additional vocal clarity and presence. All these elements combine to yield best in class high-frequency performance.
RS123 Sensitivity / Competitive Sensitivity
- The Asymmetric Ports
Over the years, EAW has tried many different port techniques. A high-performance port usually comes at the expense of added size and cost, while small cost-effective ports typically yield sub-par performance. The asymmetric aperture ports, first employed in EAW’s Redline series, are a high-performance port that fits into a compact space. There are two primary acoustic benefits. First, the Asymmetric design significantly reduces reflected energy from that back of the woofer cone coming out as late arrivals which introduces time-smear. Second, the angled cuts in the entry and exit of the ports optimizes vent area and mitigates turbulence, reducing port noise and improving SPL capability.
Competitive 15” / RS153 (both unprocessed)
- Focusing
The RS series is the type of loudspeaker where EAW’s focusing technology really shines. This is because other design elements conflict with the goal of perfect time response. The most noticeable are in the high frequency section, the first being horn “honk” inherent with horn loaded loudspeakers. The second is time smear in the compression driver, due to differing path lengths through the phase plug, which typically make cymbals sound “splashy”. EAW Focusing easily addresses these issues, as well as the issues inherent to the large woofer cones, where they need to be fixed (in the time domain!). We simply don’t need to mask these with EQ or other measures. The result is studio monitor quality sound, from a high output professional loudspeaker.
Competitive 12” / RS123 (processed)
