Wharfedale Pro WLA-25 Guide

www.wharfedalepro.com

OPERATING MANUAL AND USER GUIDE

WLA-25 & WLA-25SUB

WLA-25&25SUB MANUAL.indd 1 2017-6-20 9:23:17

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/WLA25SUB FLY FRAME ...................................................................................................................................... 8

DIMENSIONAL DRAWINGS-WLA-25 ................................................................................................................................. 9

DIMENSIONAL DRAWINGS-WLA-25SUB........................................................................................................................ 10

DIMENSIONAL DRAWINGS-WLA-25 FLYFRAME ........................................................................................................... 11

DIMENSIONAL DRAWINGS-WLA-25SUB FLYFRAME.................................................................................................... 12

SPECIFICATION ............................................................................................................................................................... 13

WHARFEDALE PRO LIMITED WARRANTY .................................................................................................................... 14

WLA-25&25SUB MANUAL.indd 1 2017-6-20 9:23:17

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.

WLA-25&25SUB MANUAL.indd 1 2017-6-20 9:23:17

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1.7”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.AsingleWLA-25arrayyframesuspendsupto

twelvelinearrayelementsoruptotwelvelinearrayelements plus onesubwoofer.TheWLA-25systemisequallyat

homeintheairorground-stacked.

INTRODUCTION

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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

Constant directivity waveguides

Blackandwhitepaintnish

WLA-25SUB

700WRMS/1400WProgram/2800WPeakpowerhandling

Roadtoughmodularsubwoofersystem

Dual 10” woofer, 2.5” voice coil

Nominal Impedance 4 Ohm

Stronginternalbracingpreventsbasslossanddistortionfromenclosure,vibrationandresonance

2xParallelSpeakonInputs

Blackandwhitepaintnish

FEATURES

WLA-25&25SUB MANUAL.indd 3 2017-6-20 9:23:17

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inpassive mode,ortwoamplierchannelsperelementin bi-ampmode.Groupsof

elementscanbetaperedinpairsormore,althoughamoregradualtaperwillgiveyousmootherverticalpatterncontrol.

LEVEL TAPERING

WLA-25&25SUB MANUAL.indd 4 2017-6-20 9:23:17

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.

WLA-25&25SUB MANUAL.indd 5 2017-6-20 9:23:17

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.

WLA-25&25SUB MANUAL.indd 6 2017-6-20 9:23:18

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.

WLA-25&25SUB MANUAL.indd 7 2017-6-20 9:23:18

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