U N DER T H E HOOD
LD SYSTEMS’ CURV 500 TS By Brian Berk
To be ultimately successful, all manufacturers need that “elevator pitch,” a way to separate themselves from the competition. The Adam Hall Group tries to separate itself thanks to its special closeness to its customers. “Whether this is via our many sales representatives, the approximately 25 large-scale annual trade fair appearances, or the additional 20 or 50 internal customer showroom events, the top priority for us is having lively exchanges with our customers,” said Viktor Wiesner, the company’s product manager, Pro Audio. “This means our customers are directly or indirectly involved with every product decision. This openness and readiness for discussion is what makes the Adam Hall Group so special. To enable us to deal with every suggestion and idea fairly, we have strong in-house development and product management teams who use various methodologies, such as Design Thinking Workshops.” When it comes to the touring and array markets, the Adam Hall Group believes it is “one step ahead” with its LD Systems CURV 500 TS. The product is designed to be a compact, powerful system with the advantages of an array that is particularly easy to transport and can be set up in just a few steps. As with all CURV 500 systems, a SmartLink adapter and pluggable satellite allows the musician to focus on the gig and doesn’t require a technician, said Wiesner. “Following our successful launch of the first LD Systems CURV 500 systems, we wanted to address the needs and wishes among touring bands and the rental market to expand the series with an even more powerful product. In combination with the powerful but lightweight 15-inch bass reflex class-D subwoofer with DSP control, the CURV 500 TS is a flexible PA solution for extended professional live and music sound reinforcement with high pressure and dynamic range and coherent output,” he said. According to the product manager, for the first time, music retailers can offer their customers a mobile array system that is compact and particularly easy to transport with the CURV 500 system. The CURV 500 TS offers 25 premium drivers combined with a patented WaveAhead technology that delivers high-definition sound at 1,000 watts RMS and up to an SPL of 131 decibles. The system is easily scalable for applications of various sizes in the near and far range, making it particularly flexible for live events, DJs or bands, for example, stated Wiesner. “Depending on the positioning of the satellites, it is possible to optimally adapt them to virtually any venue,” he said. The CURV 500 TS carries an MSRP of $1,799 and includes a 15-inch subwoofer, two array duplex satellites, two array satellites, a SmartLink adapter, a distance bar, a speaker cable and a power cord. The Adam Hall Group will not let the product’s features stand on its own, however. It is placing full support behind the product with presentations and demonstrations taking place worldwide at numerous trade fairs and in its modern showrooms in the United States, Singapore, Barcelona and Poland. “The exclusive showroom in our new Experience Center at the Adam Hall Group headquarters in Neu-Anspach, near Frankfurt, [Germany], on the Main, is a recent, new addition to this. Customers/dealers can also sign up there to see and hear the CURV 500 Touring Array System. We also place ads in pro-audio magazines and have had the system evaluated in detailed test reports by independent editors,” said Wiesner. “Personal contact with customers plays a key role for us. That’s why our trained sales representatives undertake a large part of the promotion activities worldwide and advise their customers in professional discussions,” Wiesner added. Thus far, the company has been quite pleased with the feedback it has received on both its CURV 500 and CURV 500 TS models. “Our classic CURV 500 system has already been very well received by the market, so the desire for even higher performance with identical technology quickly arose. The result of this is the Touring Array System,” said Wiesner. “So, we found a gap in the market and filled it very successfully. Our feedback from the markets is consistently positive. Both customers and users (continued on page 61) 54
SEPTEMBER 2018