Jim Evans looks at the events and products set to make the headlines at Earls Court in September (Main picture: Chris Toulmin)

This year’s PLASA show will welcome over 43 new exhibitors who weren’t at the show last year, including Ateïs, Baldwin Boxall, Bosch, Bose, EAW, Electro-Voice, Intertek, Korg, Lighthouse Technologies and Line 6.

The PLASA Innovation Gallery, which profiles all the products nominated for a PLASA Innovation Award, has also been improved and the show will see the ISCE and Springboard Pavilions radically expanded and new features introduced focusing on key industry developments.

Audio
There will be a strong showing from the pro-audio community at this year’s event. Alcons Audio will be exhibiting its pro-ribbon-based sound system programme. Rapidly making inroads in the installation market, the LR7 micro line-array system, which is just three CDs wide and 1.5 CDs high, will be on the stand, together with the LR7Bass system.

Allen & Heath will be displaying the latest developments in the iLive digital mixer family, including new I/O hardware, and audio networking plug-in cards for Dante and RockNet.

APEX is presenting a new version of its dBQ-zero EQ, building on the product’s success over the past three years. The new dBQ-zero matches the previous product in terms of its 30-band constant-Q graphic EQ section on each channel, plus a filter section consisting of high-pass filter, high and low shelving equalisers and two notch filters. APEX says it has focused on improving inter-channel crosstalk and THD+N figures, as well as load stability with the implementation of updated line driver circuitry.

Earls Court will provide the first major public showcase for Ateïs International’s new integrated PA/VA system, the IDA8. Combining digital audio signal processing, matrix control, message play-out and microphone capability, the unit  is based on the successful IDA4, which is well established in the market.  (For more on the IDA8, click here.)

Baldwin Boxall will focus on two new Class D amplifiers – the BV125D (dual 125W) and BV225 (225W) – and Unitouch, a touchscreen paging system which is becoming an increasingly popular method of control for complex or large voice alarm systems.

EAW will introduce two additions to the KF Series, along with three comprehensively integrated NT variants. The new offerings deliver a scalable solution for corporate AV events, small to medium-sized live sound reinforcement, performing arts venues and more, says the company.

The new KF and KFNT make up a series of ultra-compact, three-way loudspeakers that “deliver premium performance in designs that offer a lightweight solution”.

There will be a number of new products from Equipson’s WORK portfolio. BlueLine System is an integrated audio system controlled by DMX. This full solution is composed of four devices for an optimum control of audio and a reduction of cables in installations. The use of RJ-45 cables and IC 6 Pro A (self-powered ceiling speaker controlled by DMX) allows energy saving and cuts costs, says the company.