Meyer Sound Launches Acheron Designer, Smallest Member of EXP CinemaLine

Meyer Sound has expanded its EXP cinema line with the introduction of the compact Acheron Designer screen channel loudspeaker. Developed in close consultation with leading film sound designers and post-production facilities, Acheron Designer brings the low-distortion sonic quality of the other members of the EXP series to sound design studios, sound editing suites, as well as private screening rooms and small theatres, the company says..

Now the seventh loudspeaker in Meyer Sound's EXP cinema product line, Acheron Designer is the smallest in the family. Its compact dimensions -- measuring only 19" wide, 25.37" tall, and 14.62" deep -- are optimal for installations where space behind the screen is limited. With an operating frequency range is 37Hz to 18kHz and a peak output of 130dB SPL, the Acheron Designer renders the most demanding digital soundtracks with a wide dynamic range and full fidelity, the company says. The patent-pending horn is designed to have a soft roll-off outside the extremely well-behaved coverage angle, while the loudspeaker's low 580Hz crossover point is suited for cinema applications, as it directs most of the dialog signal through the HF horn.

Production prototypes of Acheron Designer have been in use by several development partners in California, including Skywalker Sound, Bay Films, and 20th Century Fox's sound editorial department.

"Everybody is very happy with the sound and headroom of the Acheron Designers," says John Morris, supervising sound editor and sound designer, 20th Century Fox. "The speakers sold themselves."

A proprietary Meyer Sound two-channel amplifier powers the 4" high-frequency diaphragm compression driver and 12" low-frequency cone driver independently. Convention cooling of the rear-mounted, recessed heat sink allows the Acheron Designer to be placed flat up against a wall when necessary. Meyer Sound's EXP cinema line of products now includes the Acheron 80, 100, Studio, and Designer loudspeakers; the HMS-10 surround loudspeaker; and the Acheron LF low frequency screen channel loudspeaker; X-800C cinema subwoofer; and Galileo loudspeaker management system. EXP has been installed in a growing number of commercial cinemas in North America, Europe, and Asia; the company says it is fast becoming the benchmark monitoring standard for film sound production, with installations in facilities including American Zoetrope and De Lane Lea in London.