| When
AT High Command rang to advise that a B-52 was
winging its way north to my new abode in Coffs
Harbour (Australia), I was a tad unnerved. I’d
left the big city behind to avoid just such a
confrontation…
Thankfully,
matters weren’t as diabolical as I first
thought – the B-52 Matrix 1000V2 is, in
fact, a PA system on a scale nothing like that
of its violent namesake. Stand down to a DefCom
2 then!
Inside
the Matrix
The Matrix 1000V2 is a very neatly packaged system,
my first impressions of which were immediately
enhanced by the fact that the speaker cabinets
weren’t plastic. They’re all very
well designed and constructed of real plywood;
with all the electronics and power amps contained
within the subwoofer cabinet. The 15-inch sub
enclosure is split into two compartments: the
first houses the 400W (8Ω), 15-inch speaker,
while the second houses the three power amps and
the electronic circuitry. This is version 2 of
the Matrix 1000 system and it now includes updated
electronics, with an onboard limiter and an active
crossover set at 120Hz. The sub has a frequency
response of 40 to 120Hz and a maximum SPL of 127dB
– equivalent to standing behind a B-52 perhaps.
It weighs about 52 kilos, which is fairly substantial,
but thankfully it’s on castors! And they’re
good, stable castors.
The
sub cabinet thus also serves as the base for the
two satellite speakers to be stored for transport.
You simply upend them and place them on top of
the sub, secure them with a clever strap that
comes with the system ( by passing the strap through
the exceptionally robust handles on the sub itself),
slip on the tough plastic cover that completes
the rig and you’re off to the gig.
The
two satellite cabinets each contain one custom
B-52 10-inch midrange speaker and a 3/4-inch compression
driver with a titanium diaphragm. The horn flare
is 90° x 40°, constant directivity format.
Each has a power handling capacity of 150W @ 4Ω.
They are connected to the rear of the sub cabinet
by way of Speakon NL4-style cables and each amplifier
has its own separate volume control. The speakers
can be pole-mounted, hung by its onboard flying
points or used as stage monitors. Maximum SPL
is 124dB and they weigh approximately 12kg each.
Frequency response is 120Hz to 19kHz.
Walla
B-52
With
the B-52 loaded up and ready for action, co-pilot
Rowland Moye and myself skilfully negotiated our
way to the Pacific Bay Resort, dodging a couple
of Wallabies in green and gold tracksuits as we
made our way through the bar to the venue. Nothing
like hanging out with the Australian Rugby Union
team, I thought! Actually we didn’t see
them again all night but I’m sure they heard
us! Rowland is an extremely talented one-man band
and plays grand piano, synthesizer, didgeridoo,
saxophone and sings… often simultaneously.
He also uses a MiniDisc with his own backing tracks,
which he creates in his home studio. He reminds
me of Paul Burton in Sydney. They should get together...
We
set the Matrix system up in 10 minutes (including
a break for a beer). The two satellites sat comfortably
on their (optional) stands and Rowland had everything
plugged into his Yamaha digital mixer in quick
time. We were situated in a small indoor bar near
the glorious pool, which was filled with a good
crowd of ‘beautiful people’.
Capacity
of the room was around 150 in comfort. The Matrix
1000 was very impressive in this environment,
with warm bass and clear high end. When Rowland
inevitably asked the system to ‘kick some
butt’ early in the gig, it responded accordingly
and the sub really came to life. The kick drum
and bass sounded really punchy and we were both
(pleasantly) surprised by the PA’s performance.
Vocals were clear and the grand piano sounded
great. The strings from the synth were warm and
the sub made the didgeridoo sound eerily subterranean!
The crowd was impressed as well – it took
two encores to get out alive!
Call
in an Air Strike
You could definitely say I was well pleased
with the overall performance of the B-52 Matrix
1000V2; it represents great value for money while
delivering quality sound. You could use it as
a great drum monitor for touring companies, for
example. It can be installed easily in small venues
such as public bars or schools and it’s
perfect for solo-duo acts. I recently reviewed
a similar system, which had an inbuilt audio console
[the FBT Amico], but in many ways I like this
one even more because it gives you the flexibility
of using the mixing console of your choosing and
upgrading when and however you want. And the Matrix
is made of good ol’ resonant wood. Consequently
it has a warm, inviting sound as against the slightly
‘unnatural’ sound of plastic…
It sounds like I could easily digress here into
a subjective dissertation on the benefits and/or
shortcomings of construction materials like the
messy arguments that characterise the comparison
of vinyl and digital… but I won’t
go any further. I guess I’m an ‘analogue’
engineer. I like my sound to have a traditional
‘warmth’ and the Matrix 1000 achieves
that for me.
The
Matrix portable PA also comes in a more-powerful
version called the Matrix 2000, which is virtually
double the power of its baby brother. Both are
well worth an appraisal at your local dealer.
If they haven’t got one or don’t know
where to find one, get on the blower and call
in a B-52 air strike yourself.
Distributed
by
LSW Australia Pty
Phone: (02) 9718 5900
Email: info@lsw.com.au
Web: www.lsw.com.au, B-52stealthseries.com |
