Wharfedale Pro WLA25SF User manual

www.wharfedalepro.com
USER MANUAL
WLA-25
WLA-25SUB
WLA-25SUB MKII
WLA-25 FLY FRAMES

Contents
IMPORTANT WARNINGS & SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS..................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................................. 2
FEATURES.......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
SPLAY ANGLES.................................................................................................................................................................. 4
LEVEL TAPERING .............................................................................................................................................................. 4
FLEXIBLE ARRAYS ............................................................................................................................................................ 5
OPTIMISED GROUND STACKING..................................................................................................................................... 6
AIR ABSORPTION .............................................................................................................................................................. 6
AIR ABSORPTION .............................................................................................................................................................. 7
WLA-25 / WLA-25SUB / WLA-25 Common Fly Frames...................................................................................................... 8
DIMENSIONAL DRAWINGS-WLA-25 ................................................................................................................................. 9
DIMENSIONAL DRAWINGS - WLA-25 STAND FRAME .................................................................................................. 10
DIMENSIONAL DRAWINGS-WLA-25SUB........................................................................................................................ 11
DIMENSIONAL DRAWINGS-WLA-25 FLY FRAME .......................................................................................................... 12
DIMENSIONAL DRAWINGS-WLA-25SUB FLY FRAME................................................................................................... 13
DIMENSIONAL DRAWINGS-WLA-25 COMMON FLY FRAME ........................................................................................ 14
SPECIFICATION ............................................................................................................................................................... 15
WHARFEDALE PRO LIMITED WARRANTY .................................................................................................................... 17

1
IMPORTANT WARNINGS & SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
• Readtheseinstructions
• Followtheseinstructions
• Keeptheseinstructionsforfuturereference
• Heedallwarnings
• Donotusethissystemnearmoistureorwater
• Cleanonlywithadrycloth
• InstallinaccordancewiththeseWharfedaleProoperatinginstructions
• Followthemanufacturer’soperatinginstructionsforallperipheraldevicessuchasampliersandprocessors
• Donotinstallnearheatsourcessuchasradiators,heatregisters,stovesoranyotherapparatusthatproducesheat(for
examplelightingsystemsandampliers)
• UseonlyaccessoriesspeciedorsuppliedbyWharfedalePro
• Donotuseshieldedmicrophone/instrumentcablestoconnectampliersandspeakers,useonlyapprovedspeaker
cableswithproperconnectors
• Usecautionwithplacementandoperationofthisspeaker system,permanenthearingdamagecanbecausedby
prolongedexposuretoexcessivesoundpressurelevels
• Referallservicingtoqualiedprofessionals.Servicingisrequiredwhentheloudspeakerhasbeendamagedinany
way,suchasimpactdamage,liquidingressorforeignobjectdamage.Inadditiontheloudspeakershouldbereferred
toqualiedservicepersonnelifthereisanykindofmalfunction.
Rigging,suspendingandmountingshouldonlybeattemptedbyexperiencequaliedprofessionals.Incorrectusagecan
resultindamagetoequipmentandproperty,injuryandevendeath.Undernocircumstancesshouldyouattempttorig,
suspendormountthesespeakersunlessyouarefullyqualiedandcertiedtodosobyrelevantlocal,stateandnational
authorities.Ifyouarenotproperlyqualiedordonotknowofpertinentregulationsconsultqualiedpersonnelforadvice.
Consultastructuralengineerbeforesuspendingaspeakersystemandensurethatthetotalweightofyoursystemcan
beheldbythetrussormountingsurface.
Inspectallmountinghardwarebeforeyourlinearrayisflown.Ifthereisanydamageordistortiontoanymounting
hardwaredonotythearrayuntilanydamagedhardwareisrepairedorreplaced.OnlyuseWharfedaleProsupplied
QuickreleasePins,contactyourWharfedaleProDistributorifanyquickreleasepinsarelostordamaged.

2
Designedforthemostdemandingconcertandinstallationaudioprofessionals,theWLA-25systemsetsnewstandards
forastonishingacousticalperformanceinacompactsize.
Linearraysareincreasinglyemployedinawiderrangeofvenuesandapplications.Frequentlythesevenueshaveheight
orsightlinerestrictionsthatlimittheplacementandsizeofthe array. Risingfuelcostsareputtingpressureontouring
systemproviderstodownsizetheirtransportationrequirements.Atthesametime,clientandaudienceexpectationsfor
audioperformancehasneverbeenhigher.Tomeettheseneeds,WharfedaleProembarkedonaprogramtodevelopthe
mostcompact,highestoutputlinearrayspeakersystemavailable.
EachWLA-25elementusesapairofhigh-power,5”low-frequency drivers.Bothcoverlowfrequencieswhileonly one
extendsintothemidrange,thusmaintaininghorizontaldispersioncontrolatacrossover.Highfrequenciesarehandled
byapremium1.75”diaphragm,neodymiumcompressiondriver,100°x10°multipleaperturediffractionwaveguide.This
createsawidecoveragewithasuperbstereoimageandallowsformorediverseplacement.
Thewaveguideexitextendsnearlytothetopandbottomoftheenclosuretocreateacontinuousacousticalsourcewith
minimaldiscontinuitiesbetweenadjacentelementsresultingingreatlyreduceddestructiveinteraction.
Premiummaterialsareusedthroughoutthesystem.TheenclosureisconstructedofBalticbirchplywoodandcoated
inanenvironmentallyfriendly, waterbornepolymernishthatiseldrepairable.Tokeeptheweighttoaminimumand
preventrust,suspensionttingsaremadeofaluminium.
Anelegantlysimple3-pointsuspensionsystemcombinedwithlightweight,compactsizeandexcellenthandling
ergonomicsmeanthataonepersoncrew caneasilydeployanarray.Withachoiceof3 differentflyframeoptions
suspensioniseasy,tidyandsafe.TheWLA-25systemisequallyathomeintheairorground-stacked.
INTRODUCTION

3
WLA-25
Highsensitivity,FullHornLoadeddesign
120WRMS/240WProgram/480WPeakPowerHandling
Dual5”woofer,1.5”voicecoils
1x1”exitHFcompressiondriver
1.7“Titaniumdiaphragm,neodymiummagnetcompressiondriver
100°x10°degreeconstant-directivityhorn
NominalPassiveCrossoverNetwork
Fronthingedriggingsystem
Captiverigginghardwarewithtetheredquickreleasepins
Comprehensiveadjustablesplayangles
Integral,sideplateadjustableriggingsystem,verticalsplayadjustablein1°incrementsfrom0°-10°
TrapezoidBalticbirchplywoodenclosure
2xParallelSpeakonInputs
Blackorwhitepaintnish
WLA-25SUB
700WRMS/1400WProgram/2800WPeakpowerhandling
Roadreadysubwoofersystem
Dual10”woofers,2.5”voicecoil
NominalImpedance4Ohm
Stronginternalbracingpreventsbasslossanddistortionfromenclosure,vibrationandresonance
2xParallelSpeakonInputs
Blackorwhitepaintnish
WLA-25SUB MKII
700WRMS/1400WProgram/2800WPeakpowerhandling
Roadreadysubwoofersystem
Dual10”woofers,2.5”voicecoil
NominalImpedance4Ohm
Stronginternalbracingpreventsbasslossanddistortionfromenclosure,vibrationandresonance
2xParallelSpeakonInputs
Blackorwhitepaintnish
M20threadedpolesocketforintegrationintoapoleandWLA-25StandFramesystem.
FEATURES

4
TheWLAcanbeconfiguredwithseveraldifferentsplayangles.Thesplayanglesdeterminetheamountofoverlap
betweentheindividualunits.Thisisusedtodeterminetheamountofsummationor‘throw’forseparatesections of
thearray.As thesplayanglebetweenboxesincreasesthesummationdecreasesbutthespectralvariancedueto
interactionsbetweentheelementsisalsodecreased.
Formanyvenuesagoodcompromisebetweenthrowandspectralvariancecanbereachedbyvaryingthesplayangle
acrossthelengthofthearray.Byvaryingtheangularseparationalongthelengthofthearray,abalancecanbemetfor
therequiredcoverage.Smallersplay anglesprovidehighersummationtocovermoredistantseating andbleachers.
Largersplayanglesprovidelowersummationwithreducedspectralvarianceforcloseseating.Usedcorrectlythiscan
provideevencoverageoverlongdistances.
EachgroupofloudspeakerswithdifferentsplayanglewillrequireaseparatechannelofamplicationanddifferentEQ
settings.Thisisduetothedifferentsummationeffectsbydifferingsplayangles.
SPLAY ANGLES
Taperingthelevelofenclosureshasabeamsteeringeffectwhichcanbeusedintheconjunctionwithangularseparation
betweenelements.Thebeamwillbesteeredawayfromthe‘on-axis’centrelineofarraytowardthecabsbeingdriven
atthehighestlevel.Theextentofthebeamsteeringeffectdependsonthelengthofthearrayandtheleveldifference
betweenthetopandthebottomofthearray.Thistechniqueallowsyoutofurthertailortheverticalcoveragetodifferently
shapedvenues,reducingthelevelvariancebetweenthefrontandrearofthevenue.
Ideallythelevelofeachenclosureistaperedgradually(e.g.0.5dBor1dBperelement).Thismeansyouwillrequirean
amplierchannelperelement.Groupsofelementscanbetaperedinpairsormore,althoughamoregradualtaperwill
giveyousmootherverticalpatterncontrol.
LEVEL TAPERING

5
FLEXIBLE ARRAYS
ArrayscanbeassembledusingonlyWLA-25linearraymodulesorwithWLA-25SUBSubwoofersatthetopofthearray.
TheWLA-25SUBFlyFrameallowsforaWLA-25SUBsubwoofertobeusedatthetopofthearray.TheWLA-25SUBFly
Framesupportsupto12xWLA-25modulesand1xWLA-25SUBwithasafetyfactorof12.
Arrayscanbeassembledusingonly WLA-25linearraymodules.ThesmallerWLA-25FlyFramesupportsupto12x
WLA-25moduleswithasafetyfactorof12.
TheWLA-25CommonFlyFrameallowsforeitherWLA-25elementsorWLA-25SUBelementstobeown.

6
Thehighfrequencyperformanceofthemediumandlongthrowsectionsofthelinearraywillbelimitedbyairabsorption.
Asthedistancefromthesourceincreases,themidandhighfrequencieswillbereduced.Theamountofabsorptionata
givenfrequencyisfunctionofpressure,temperatureandrelativehumidity.Byfarthemostimportantfactoristherelative
humidity,althoughtemperaturedoeshaveasignicanteffect.
Toachieveminimalspectralvarianceacrossthecoverageofthearray,thegroupsofloudspeakerscoveringthemiddleto
rearofthevenuewillrequireequalizationtocompensateforthiseffect.Airabsorptionisdifculttopredictwithanygreat
accuracy,andinanycasetherelativehumidityofthevenueislikelytochangewhentheaudiencearriveortheweather
changes.Itisimportantthatthevenueismonitoredduringtheeventastheequalizationappliedduringthedesignstage
withanemptyvenuemaynotbesuitableduringtheevent.
Asageneralguide,boostabove8kHzforalongthrowgroupofloudspeakersand12kHzforamediumthrowgroupof
loudspeakers.
ThechartoverleafshowsattenuationindB/mforagivenfrequencyandhumidity.Itisimportanttonotethattheeffectsof
airattenuationarelinear,unlikethelevelofattenuationfromdistancefromtheinversesquarelaw.Forexample,at100m
asourcewouldbe40dBdowncomparedtoit’sSPLat1m.Assuming50%relativehumidityand20°thelevelat10kHz
willbeanadditional16dBbelowthis(approximately56dBdown).
AIR ABSORPTION
OPTIMISED GROUND STACKING
WLA-25riggingdoublesupasanoptimizedgroundstackingsystem,usingtheWLA-25SUBsubwooferasabase.Arrays
ofWLA-25linearrayelementscanbeaimeddownwardsbyasmuchas10°tocoveraudienceareasclosetoastage,as
wellasupwardbyasmuchas10°inordertobettercoverdistantbalconyseatingareas.

7
AIR ABSORPTION
TheWLA-25hasinternalcrossovers.TheinternalcrossoveroftheWLA-25loudspeakerdividestheaudiosignalintothe
separatefrequencyrangesforeachdriver.
TheWLA-25SUBsubwoofersdonothaveinternalcrossovers.Thisfunctionmustbesuppliedbyexternalelectronic
devicessuchastheWharfedaleProVersadriveseriesorLMX-204.

8
WLA-25 / WLA-25SUB / WLA-25 Common Fly Frames
TheWLA-25/WLA-25SUBandtheWLA-25CommonFlyFramesarecertiedtoholdatotalweight(includingthirdparty
hardware)of280kg.Upto12WLA-251WLA-25SUBelementscanbeownwithasafetyfactorof12.
TheWLA-25flyframeiscertifiedtoholdatotalweight(includingthirdpartyhardware)of230kg.Upto12WLA-25
elementscanbeownwithasafetyfactorof12.
OnlyuseWharfedaleProyframes.Ensurethatonlyrated,certiedhardwaresuchastumbuckles,shacklesandchains
areused.
Ensurethatalltruss,structuresandyinghardwarearecapableofsuspendingtheentirearray,plusyinghardware,toa
suitablesafetyfactor.
Rigging,suspendingandmountingshouldonlybeattemptedbyexperiencedqualiedprofessionals.Incorrectusagecan
resultindamagetoequipmentandproperty,injuryandevendeath.Undernocircumstancesshouldyouattempttorig,
suspendormountthesespeakersunlessyouarefullyqualiedordonotknowofpertinentregulationsconsultqualied
personelforadvice.Consultastructuralengineerbeforesuspendingaspeakersystemandensurethatthetotalweight
ofyoursystemcanbeheldbythetrussormountingsurface.
Inspectallmountinghardwarebeforeyourlinearrayisflown.Ifthereisanydamageordistortiontoanymounting
hardwaredonotythearrayuntilanydamagedhardwareisrepairedorreplaced.OnlyuseWharfedaleProsupplied
quickreleasepinsandcontactyourWharfedaleProdistributorifanyquickreleasepinsarelostordamaged.