 | 1. HDSCTM (High Duty Speaker Cover) |
All the cabinets of the X-Treme loudspeaker systems undergo a finish process aimed at creating a High Duty Speaker Cover (HDSC™). The working phases are as follows:
| 1. | carefully sanding the 15-mm thick Canadian birch cabinet equipped with suitable reinforcement cages;
| | 2. | varnishing with a VFI-2513 structural plastic made up of two components (100% solid) for a hot coating (70° C) in hybrid expanded polyurethane. This varnishing complies with the stringent ASTM (American Society for Testing Materials) standards which guarantee excellent hardness, low porosity and high chemical resistance to weather conditions;
| | 3. | applying five layers of resin and fiber glass glaze;
| | 4. | finishing with a matt black, waterproof and scratch-resistant gel-coat. |
This process, along with internal characteristics such as reinforcements and the use of slot-in elements, allows the production of a totally waterproof cabinet which is also “elastic”, i.e. resistant to vibrations or similar mechanical stresses.
 | 2. RODAPTM (RObust Design And Prototyping): from ‘AS IS' to‘TO BE'. |
The Design Division, in accordance with the methods and materials suggested by the R&D Division, defines the first draft of the “project specifications” which are the basic design requirements (system design). These project specifications must be approved by General Management before proceeding with the following phases of the project.
Robust Design And Prototyping phases
| 1. | Design planning
The whole activity is planned through a PERT diagram, which defines the essential design phases and the strategic tasks assigned to each stage.
| | 2. | Design results
Then the actual design of the new product is carried out in detail (from the specifications to the design revision statement). The main design results are as follows: calculations regarding size, rough drawings (produced by using CAD hardware and software tools), part drawings and part coding in an experimental design statement.
| | 3. | Design checks
| | 4. | Prototype development
The first real operating design phase consists of creating several prototypes of the product being developed. The New Product Division often relies on the support of valued collaborators from the Technical Dept. and/or the Production Dept. upon request. | | 5. | Design rechecks
| | 6. | Pre-series experimental checks | | 7. | Project validation. |
 | 3. ESAH (Easy Suspending And Handling) systems |
The X-Treme suspending systems have successfully passed the tensile, compressive, shear and combined bending stress resistance tests. Additionally, they have been certified as compliant with the CNR UNI 10011 standard. These systems are made up of innovative design modular elements, which can be linked differently in order to suspend or stack the loudspeaker systems in a wide range of configurations. In particular, the handles of the vertical line array flying system have a new shape, which has improved their ergonomic design and handling. A new design of the martensitic steel pins (XT-PIN) has been developed to achieve a more resistant and stable profile, and consequently an easier and faster installation. The X-One line offers two different suspension options for the loudspeaker systems, while, in the upper and lower part of the cabinets, the new Deflector Line has been fitted with practical flying tracks that allow for a quick creation of suspended clusters, thanks to the special ring hook (XT-FTH).
The structure design of every X-Treme flying system units is functional and handy. It is the result of a keen design which enables to create flying systems through a few easy and quick operations, respecting all the rules of safety for both the professional riggers and the audience of musical events.
 | 4. X-MAXOTM (X-treme MAximum X-Over) |
X-MAXO™ technology has allowed the X-Treme designers to make progress in the production of filters (crossovers) for both active and passive sound systems. In fact, the X-Treme filters feature a number of unique characteristics in this sector:
| a. | they permit configuration changes of the loudspeaker system (from 2-way to 3-way or from full-range to bi-amp) by carrying out a simple operation on the high current handling terminals (jumper), | | b. | they include an induction compensating network for mid to low ranges, and an equalization network for the tweeters, | | c. | they also include an active protection device called HPCCR (High Positive Current Coefficient Resistor), which reduces the drastic clipping of the signal peaks due to an impedance fit for the loudspeaker’s nominal input. The listening effect caused by this protection device is minimized by the Tungsten circuit delay. Moreover, the relevant mass warms up and cools down during transit in the RMS current, | | d. | they are made up of “robust” components such as air coils, high insulation capacitors and armoured resistors with aluminium heat sinks, | | e. | they comply with the recently introduced ROHS regulations. |
All this ensures highly efficient and reliable devices over time, in which phase rotation is minimized, with a perfect response to transients as a result.
 | 5. EIWDTM (Electro-acoustic Isophase Wave Duct) |
X-Treme engineers and designers have developed a new electro-acoustic transducer for mid-high frequencies made of an aluminium alloy treated with DSA (Diamond blade cutting, Sanding and Anodizing) surface processing technology. This device is called EIWDTM (Electro-acoustic Isophase Wave Duct) and, together with its relevant drivers, ensures a very accurate control of the sound dispersion characteristics along different emission angles. Since the purpose of a line array system is to reduce sound emission in undesired directions and direct it towards the desired audience “sections”, every single transducer has to direct the signals towards its own output “mouth” with perfectly controlled amplitudes and phases. After an accurate mapping of the sound waves near the output section has been carried out, the same algorithm has been used by X-Treme technicians to draw the three-dimensional development of the waveguide horn. By using the EIWDTM transducer, the final result is a far clearer sound reproduction, coherence and uniformity in the sound energy density distribution.
 | 6. AWSHTM (Acoustic Wave Shaped Horn) |
The AWSH™ aluminium horn has been designed and built using CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) tools for a complete phase alignment of the acoustic wave guide with respect to the woofer; this occurs owing to the original geometric configuration of the nozzle and the ingenious cog that protrudes from the edge of the attachment, ensuring the physical and acoustic alignment of the unit to the front panel where the loudspeaker is located.
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