Description
The X-Array™ product line represents im-
portant advancements in concert-sound-
reinforcement technology. The design
goals called for the highest acoustic out-
put capability with the highest fidelity in
lightweight, compact enclosures that were
easy to array. The development began with
a clean sheet of paper and took an inte-
grated approach. The individual loud-
speaker drivers, horns, enclosures, rigging
hardware and system configurations were
designed from the ground up specifically
for this high-performance application.
The Xcn is an active near-field, two-way,
MB/HF loudspeaker system with a rotat-
able 60° x 40° coverage pattern. The high-
frequency and mid-bass sections are horn
loaded with one driver in each frequency
band, and the HF horn/driver combination
is mounted coaxially inside the mid-bass
horn. The mid-bass and high-frequency
sections are identical to that of the full-
size Xn X-Array™ system. The horns and
drivers were designed as part of the Xcn
development and represent a step forward
in state-of-the-art loudspeaker design in
terms of high acoustic output with low
distortion and low power compression.
Electro-Voice engineers developed a
new technology dubbed Ring-Mode
Decoupling (RMD™) to substantially im-
prove clarity and intelligibility by reduc-
ing both linear and nonlinear resonance
modes that color the sound.
The high-frequency driver in the Xcn is
the ND5, which is a 3.56-mm (1.4-in.) exit
high-frequency compression driver that
features a powerful neodymium motor
structure that was optimized for maximum
efficiency and reduced power compression.
A new 76.2-mm (3.0-in.)-diameter titanium
diaphragm assembly provides increased in-
stantaneous peak output capability and
reduced dome breakup. The ND5 is
mounted on a 60° x 40° rotatable constant-
directivity horn. This combination results
in substantially improved vocal clarity and
presence with a smooth response through-
out the vocal range up to 20,000 Hz. The
horn and driver are nested inside the mid-
bass phase plug assembly to minimize in-
terference in the mid-bass band.
The mid-bass driver in the Xcn is the
ND12A, which is a 30.5-mm (12-in.) mid-
bass driver that features a powerful new
neodymium motor structure that was opti-
mized for maximum horn-loaded efficiency
and reduced power compression. A new
Kevlar
®
-reinforced cone assembly pro-
vides a smooth response with reduced
cone break up. The ND12A is mounted on
a mid-bass horn that has a coverage pat-
tern that transitions smoothly into the ro-
tatable 60° x 40° high-frequency pattern.
The mid-bass phase plug provides opti-
mal loading for the ND12A driver, deliver-
ing smooth response and extended effi-
ciency up to 2,000 Hz. This combination
results in improved vocal intelligibility and
clarity with a smooth response from the
lower-to-mid vocal range.
Ring-Mode Decoupling, (RMD™) is a
technique utilized and named by Electro-
Voice to describe a process used to im-
prove sound quality in loudspeaker sys-
tems. RMD™ offers a solution to a very
fundamental problem. It has long been rec-
ognized that two different loudspeaker
systems can sound different even though
they both may be equalized to have the
same frequency response. This difference
is due to a variety of resonances, or ring
modes, that color the sound. Although this
ringing may be very low in level compared
to the program material, it is still audible.
The source of these resonances may be
mechanical or acoustical in nature or a com-
bination of both. In addition, they may be
linear or nonlinear, resulting in their char-
acter changing with level. Furthermore,
these ring modes may be aggravated when
multiple loudspeaker enclosures are as-
sembled into arrays. The result is a colora-
tion that decreases intelligibility and clar-
Xcn
X-Array™ Two-Way,
MB/HF System
• MB and HF sections are identi-
cal to Xn
• Ring-Mode Decoupling (RMD™)
provides accurate transient
detail
• Near-field 60° x 40° rotatable
coverage pattern
• Neodymium ND5 HF and ND12A
MB drivers
• Unique rear-hinge rigging
• Enclosure shell and rigging
identical to all of the half-size
X-Array™ systems
